Your Royal Gayness PC

Your Royal Gayness is an independent visual novel featuring elements of strategy, developed by Lizard Hazard Games - the studio had created a different game of this kind, which is the free-to-play Our War Everlasting. Your Royal Gayness was funded on Kickstarter in March 2017.

Plot

Your Royal Gayness is a fairy tale parody. The game is set in a fantasy world, and the player takes on the role of Amir – a young prince who has to rule the kingdom of Al-Marahij in the absence of his parents. This is not an easy task, and to make matters worse, he is still single. As it is often the case if one is the best potential husband in the entire country, princesses dreaming of becoming a queen do whatever it takes to get closer to the handsome young man. The problem is that Amir is a homosexual, and he is note really interested in getting married. This is the reason why he tries extremely hard to discourage those who would like to become his wife.

Mechanics

The protagonist's parents will be absent for a few months. In this time, he has to deal with both the country's issues and his personal life. In Your Royal Gayness, the protagonist has his daily routine. Each day is divided into three parts. During the first, Amir hosts his subjects and guests from distant regions of the world. He listens to what they have to say about their issues and then decides how to cope with them. In the second part of the day, Amir manages the kingdom – he gives orders to the advisors, makes new laws, brews potions and chooses appropriate clothes. During the last part of his day, the protagonist takes part in random events, such as balls taking place in a neighboring country.

All decisions made by the player influence further course of the playthrough. As the regent, the player can become a merciful lord, or a ruthless tyrant hated by their own people and other countries. This gets reflected in the story presented to the player. Your Royal Gayness can be completed in a variety of ways, so multiple playthroughs are required to discover all the secrets the game contains.

Apart from taking care about his subjects and building up the kingdom's power, avoiding getting married is one of Amir's main tasks. Meeting women who wish to become the protagonist's fiancée is based on quite complex mechanics. First, the spymaster gives information to Amir as to what the woman he will be meeting likes and what is she afraid of. The player's task is to navigate the conversation in such a way that Amir avoids topics the woman likes and discourages her from getting to know him; simultaneously, the player has to avoid raising suspicion regarding Amir's sexual orientation. Later on in the game, one is capable of passing bills that support homosexuals, which makes this part of the experience significantly easier, as the protagonist does not have to conceal his preferences any longer.

Technical aspects

Your Royal Gayness uses hand-drawn, two-dimensional graphics. Illustrations from fairy-tale books were a source of inspiration for those who created the in-game characters and backgrounds. A slightly oriental atmosphere is emphasized by a soundtrack composed specifically for the game.

Last updated on 07 February 2018