BOOK 2 (Update of review to include Book 2. Original Book 1 review is below)
(What follows is a repost of my review of Book 2 of this game on Steam)
Summary: A fantastic, engaging, and enjoyable Adult Visual Novel
First if you haven't played Book 1, stop right now. GO GET IT. Play it, and then come back to this secure in the knowledge that Book 2 is even better.
Why: This is the second 'book' in a trilogy and while it offers a recap of Book 1, you are robbing yourself of a great deal of context and fun by jumping straight into Book 2. If you love the game, you'll be glad you got Book 1. If you hate the game, well, you can hate Book 1 just as easily as Book 2
What this game is:
The game is a rich, detailed, fun hybrid sandboxed (yet linear) adult (NSFW) visual fantasy novel.
The action takes place primarily in Camelot, which lies in a parallel reality connected to our own world. The game has magic, kings and legends, humor, sex, main quests, side-quests, politics, modern armies, demonic hordes, elves, werewolves, gods, demi-gods (multiple pantheons), mages, sorcerers, necromancy, prophecies, betrayal, dungeon crawling and a climactic struggle for the fate of the world all woven together.
The 'card games' tag refers to the combat system (how the MC visualizes order and chaos during magical combat). While combat is a significant activity and you can do plenty of it, it doesn't require any great poker ability (and is mostly optional if you just hate it) so don't come (or stay away) just for the cards. There are different types of combat magic that can be employed in combat and different opponents have differing capabilities and resistances. For example Poison has no effect on metal golems, etc.
Lots of references, shout outs, jokes and nods are buried inside. There is also a wiki, walkthroughs, and a vibrant community out there.
The game combines narrative, visuals, and music in a masterfully crafted story and world.
Mechanics are cherry picked all across the genre and implemented with precision and care by a long time professional game developer.
You will laugh out loud, you will tear up, you will be excited, you will read and re-read sections of dialogue, you will stay up late to find out what happens. And when it is all done you will come back and play it again (and again) finding new depths every time. What you won't be is disappointed.
If that checks a lot of your boxes you're in for a heck of a ride.
What this game IS NOT:
This is not an FPS or twitch game. Nothing is 'timed', you can sit and think about a play for hours if you wish.
This is not a card game. The game uses cards, but it isn't some solitaire game. The combat uses some basic poker scoring as a battle mechanic, but that's where the similarity ends.
This is not a kinetic novel. This is a game and you have agency outside the primary story points. Your choices won't stop the story itself, but they will affect how things unfold along the way. If you don't build up your 'Military Points' (MP) Camelot's army takes heavy casualties, if you focus on MP will you have enough cash or Realm Points for other actions? If you opt to save one city, what happens to the one you don't?
Warning
If there is a problem with this game, it is that it raises the bar on AVN game play. After playing, it is not uncommon to see a player opine that it has 'ruined them' for other AVNs.
It's worth it, but you have been warned!
SUMMARY
This is the AVN you have been looking for.
Enjoy!
BOOK 1
Summary: I would give it six stars if i could.
(What follows is a repost of my review of this game on Steam)
This is a fun sandboxed adult (NSFW) visual fantasy novel.
Set in modern day England (err, sorry Katie, Scotland!) with magic, kings and legends, humor, sex, main quests, side-quests, a parallel reality 'elsewhere', elves, werewolves, gods, demi-gods (multiple pantheons), demons, mages, sorcerers, necromancy, prophecies, betrayal and a coming fight for the fate of the world all woven together.
The 'card games' tag refers to the combat system (how the MC visualizes order and chaos during magical combat). While combat is a significant activity and you'll be doing plenty of it, it doesn't require any great poker ability so don't come (or stay away) just for the cards. There are different types of combat magic that can be employed and that different opponents have differing resistance to. For example Poison has no effect on metal golems etc.
Lots of references and shout outs buried inside. There's also a wiki, walkthroughs, community out there.
If that checks a lot of your boxes you're in for a fun time, pick this gem up.