I think Long Live the Princess is very easy to summarize: One of the best titles that I found here, but it didn't become one of my favorites. The main reason for this, is that I'm biased against any sort of "detective work" in videogames, and my mind immediately starts rejecting the concept and any associations (I feel abject terror, thinking of the trials in Danganronpa). So basically, what we have here is a simple "It's not you, it's me game", and Long Live the Princess makes for an amazing partner, that ends up being wasted on me (I can't fully appreciate it).
The idea that I want to transmit, is that this is very good, and you should try it, despite what I said above.
The longer version and the important stuff:
- The Fairy/Pixie - I don't know the difference, but I can tell you that writers, in general, seem to get inspired when portraying this particular creature (it could be a collective unconscious type of situation... or just a cool archetype). Long Live the Princess has a great Pixie sidekick character. Among the best and the most funny, definitely the one with most presence/screen time, and a substantial amount of my enjoyment with the game came from her (guess who I picked at the end?). It's very clear they had this character well thought out from the get-go.
- (Almost) Everyone has an actual problem - A reason to feel down on their luck. This is not exactly a credit to the game in itself, but it becomes one when you compare it, to some of the idiocy you see "flying around" in the competition. The sister, the librarian, the seamstress etc... The secrets they carry have weight (especially if you consider the imaginable time period), and you can clearly understand why such things bring them down, or stop them on their tracks. Appropriate emotional conflicts, for the most part.
- The protagonist - Usually, I don't give two shits about protagonists, but this one is pretty good. Have you ever complained about the virgin protagonist getting all the girls, thanks to the whole universe conspiring in his favor? Well it's a little bit better here. Some of the tropes still stand, but you can see a clear evolution in how he deals with the girls and becomes more confident. Adding to that, he is funny, especially in his inner monologue, and his interactions with the pixie (while repetitive in the long run) are very enjoyable.
One thing I would change, is him already being (very) attracted to his sister from the start. I like the incest tag (one of my favorites, alongside monster girls), but it DOESN'T work for me, if it's already established in any form. (I'm more about the journey and not so much the destination). Just a thought for future reference: Visual novels that start with family members already lusting after each other don't make good incest, at least for me (I know how good incest sounds).
- The visuals and the adult content - In terms of presentation the title needs work, but I think the H-scenes (let's call them that, for my convenience) are still well above, some of the other titles you can find here. The reason is the build-up and set-up (psychological components). Here comes the "brutal honesty train": You have seen many girls more attractive than the librarian, but how many of them pull off seductive mannerisms while constantly talking about their father? Long Live the Princess is all about that (not the father part. The sexy part, and the mental aspect).
- Humor - The pixie adult content really cracked me up, it's so imaginative. (No Black Souls or From Frontier type of material unfortunately. Fortunately?). The pixie sexuality is a twist I did not see coming, and I'm gonna mark that approach as bold/positive (they go to places in this department). Overall I had a good time with the game, but do note that most of the humor is coming from the same source (the pixie), and that shows a lack of resources.
- The time limit (it's optional) - I don't understand the why of it, but if new game plus is the cause, then the causality is not working properly. The last time I went for new game plus was on Monster Girl Club Bifrost (go up 3 paragraphs... Surprising, isn't it?) The main reason was enjoying the game so much, that I wanted more.
In other words:
A great game, may equal interest in new game plus. The notion of seeing more content in itself, DOES NOT equal new game plus interest. It's not a problem, it's just the principle.
Snark aside, there's one great thing in the time management aspect of Long Live the Princess: Free events (not-time consuming). I like how things are clearly marked and somewhat balanced between the 2 approaches. It's "oranges and apples", but the reduced number of free events in Magical Girl Celesphonia, is one of the reasons why I favor Ambrosia (same developer) over it. Just another thought.
There's more to talk about, like the smooth interface, the fact that some thought was given to the audio parameter, or the role of the main story being diminished by all the different pursuits, but I'd say this paints a good enough picture.
Overall, this is one of the few titles that I genuinely believe, deserves its spot at the top of the ratings. This is a 10/10 (from a fair POV), but personally, pegging it down to an 8 or 9, feels more in line with my own experience. Great game, highly recommend it, and this is definitely one of those titles that deserves to be supported.