The Road to Canterbury

About

In "The Road to Canterbury," embark on a 175,000-word interactive literary journey as a pauper on a secret mission during the Black Prince's death in 1375 London. Navigate challenges, join a pilgrimage with historical figures, and influence the course of history through your choices, in this text-based game of wit and skill. Your mission, with the powerful Philippa de Roet and her husband Geoffrey Chaucer, is to convince Philippa to alter history's path while engaging in tales and faced with moral dilemmas.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 14 reviews

replayability1 positive mentions

The game is entertaining and offers a well-researched, immersive experience set in the world of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
Character development and worldbuilding are memorable, providing a compelling narrative that encourages replayability.
The writing is praised for its depth and ability to transport players to 14th century England, making it both educational and engaging.

Some players felt the game lacked depth and substance, with storylines that felt rushed or underdeveloped.
The romance options were criticized for being bland and poorly integrated, often feeling abrupt and lacking meaningful impact.
Players reported confusion regarding how choices affected their stats, leading to a sense of frustration and a lack of clarity in decision-making.

story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The story set in the Canterbury Tales world offers intriguing elements but ultimately falls short, with many plotlines lacking depth and coherence. While the character-driven tales are more engaging than the main narrative, the storytelling contest feels simplistic and disconnected from the overarching plot, leaving players wanting a more substantial and cohesive story experience. Overall, the narrative fails to deliver the richness expected from its historical and literary inspirations.
- “It had more depth, more story, more humanity in it than a triple-A title.”
- “I personally would have liked more of a focus on the tales themselves, but the whole palace intrigue plot surrounding the Canterbury pilgrimage was fun, and it wasn't as easy to engineer the precise outcome I wanted as it first appeared.”
- “Each person on your journey tells a story and the winner gets a powerful artifact straight out of legend such as the original Balmung, Durandal, or original wood from Christ's crucifixion cross.”
- “Some of the storylines you go down seem to wash out very quickly.”
- “The final plot twist broke that death's significance by a fair margin.”
- “Just goes to show the storytelling aspect of this story was pillow fluff for lack of real content.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game boasts high replayability, providing players with an engaging way to explore and learn about the Middle Ages from an immersive perspective.
- “It offers a lot of replayability and is a perfect way to learn more about the Middle Ages from the inside.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game features notable character development and meaningful choices, but some players feel it lacks depth and longevity, leaving them wanting more from the experience.
- “The character development in this game is impressive, with choices that genuinely impact the storyline and the growth of the characters.”
- “I love how the game allows for deep character development, making each decision feel significant and shaping the characters in meaningful ways.”
- “The way characters evolve throughout the game is remarkable, providing a rich narrative experience that keeps you engaged.”
- “Although I can recommend the game as it does have a lot of positives, like some character development and choices that matter, I was left wishing the game had a little more depth and lasted longer.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks the complexity needed to make the characters truly engaging.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which made it hard to connect with them on any meaningful level.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players often find themselves deeply moved by the emotional impact of the game, reflecting on their feelings long after completion, which highlights the game's ability to resonate on a personal level.
- “Very rarely, after discovering a gem on Steam, do I have to think before writing a review - not just in terms of putting text onto a screen, but how a game made me feel inside after completion.”
- “This game took me on an emotional rollercoaster, leaving me both heartbroken and hopeful by the end.”
- “The storytelling was so powerful that it resonated with my own experiences, making me reflect on my life long after I finished playing.”