Long Live The Queen Switch Review – A Refreshing Visual Novel From 2013
The Long Live The Queen Switch port makes sense as Steam users have been graced by its charming presence for almost nine years. It’s beloved by many, but how does it fare in 2022 on modern consoles? Find out below.
Her Crown Bears Too Much Weight In Long Live The Queen Switch Port
In Long Live The Queen, you play as a 14-year-old princess turned queen discovering how her powers and influence can change the kingdom. With that privilege comes a lot of responsibility, and that is where the fun of the game lies. As each day passes, you’ll task her with different classes and activities to complete.
As she studies and goes out and about, you’ll be preparing her for future events that are decided upon her stats. For example, if her sword stat isn’t high enough, there’s a possibility the princess will die. This also applies to social environments as well as you level up her
The problem lies with the game’s expectations of you as the stats required for each encounter are so high. You’ll need to be mindful of what lies in your princess’ journey and get her training in the right classes to succeed. There will be many deaths for your adorable character that you have to work around, and it restricts the freedom you once had with how you progress your princess.
I loved picking the classes I wanted her to exceed in, and the intended strategic playstyle the developer forces you through to progress ruins that a little. Her mood also affects her progression; if she’s mad, she’ll be less likely to take in new information from her classes. This will inevitably cause you some frustration as you try to remedy her mood with activities during the day like going to church.
Some may find it fun to find different scenarios and collect all of the endings in the Long Live The Queen Switch port, but others will likely sense it’s repetitive and stop playing. The game does have an Overwhelmingly Positive score on Steam, so most find this gameplay style exciting enough to keep going. Something else you may find interesting is that being kind is not always the best strategy.
For me, the Long Live The Queen Switch port is fun in small doses after you fail over and over again. The game loop is entertaining, but reading about a child dying multiple times is a bit gruesome after a while.
What would make the game much better is to include a way to transfer her knowledge from past classes and experiences to new playthroughs, allowing for a more streamlined game.
A Low Budget But Charming Visual Novel
As Long Live The Queen is almost ten years old, you can see this game has aged slightly. The UI of the classes system is overwhelming and isn’t tweaked for a more casual console gamer than the PC audience. The selections are small and require an eagle eye at points. However, you can use the touch screen on the Nintendo Switch portably, which is a nice bonus.
The character is drawn very well with each expression from her moods being represented. When she’s mad, she has a grumpy face and while she’s happy, she smiles beamingly at you.
Additionally, the backgrounds are plain but are packed with charm with bright colors and overall charming visuals. The different outfits you can unlock for your princess-turned-queen are unlocked through mastering class sections. They each look elegant and showcase the field she is training in. Annoyingly, these outfits cannot be transferred to new games, making these outfits fleeting rather than permanent.
The writing does a good job of engaging the reader, but don’t expect the eccentricities of Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward or the Pheonix Wright series. The script is cute, but the storylines behind each kingdom you interact with don’t pull in the player. The story does have a few surprises in store and will keep you hooked because of the uncertainty of this new queen’s reign. She can be attacked at any time so keep your eyes peeled.
Overall Thoughts on Long Live The Queen Switch Port
In conclusion, the Long Live The Queen Switch port does hold some exciting visual novel gameplay in its grasp, but the concept may be too repetitive for some players. It has some delightful art and appealing writing to keep you going for more, however.
I would recommend the Long Live The Queen Switch port to those who live and breathe this genre as it has some charming elements to it, but if you’re not into this type of game, it’s not going to convince you to play it. For your weekly dose of adorable, you may want to check out Coromon on Switch too.
Long Live The Queen Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review code provided by Ratalaika Games to writer
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: Hanako Games
Release Date: July 15, 2022
Price: $9.99, £9.99, €9,99
Game Size: 180 MB
Charming art style
The flexibility of choosing different classes is fun
Decent writing that will keep you on your toes
The gameplay loop can be repetitive
The UI doesn't fit a console game
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