Review for v0.8.7.0
If you've looked through enough games on the site, there's no doubt you've come across ones saying how they focus on story/writing over simply having a bunch of sex scenes. This game holds truer to that than almost any other I've played. Before anything, know that this is a real down to the bone RPG. It contains many long segments of gameplay, LOTS of reading, and very few lewd scenes scattered throughout it. If your main goal is sex, this isn't for you.
Now assuming you're a lover of good RPGM games like myself, then holy shit is it a glorious day to have discovered Noblesse Oblige.
I was drawn to this game after seeing it not only being compared to my favorite game on the site, but having read it's inspired by it. That alone is enough to sell me on the game, but what does that entail? So far, a 25+ hour RPG set in a truly detailed fantasy world full of intrigue, compelling characters, competent writing, in-depth combat, kingdom management, and meaningful choices. Fit with a well-crafted story that has so far drawn me in to the point of not wanting to put the game down.
At first I think this game will probably be a bit hard to digest in some ways. It becomes clear very quickly you're being thrust into a world someone has spent hours upon hours creating. There's a lot of new information and lore to learn/remember at once, though I wouldn't say horrendously so. On top of that, the game takes a sort of proper old-timey (for lack of a better word) approach to it's dialogue. The nobility talk like nobility to put it plainly. I think it can be a bit exhausting at first, but I got past it fairly quickly.
There's a great many things I can go into detail about, but the sum of it is that this is a well rounded game in every aspect so far. I'm a sucker for kingdom management so the plot is perfect for me. Already I'm having to make decisions that actually matter and branch the game in very significant ways.
The sheer attention to detail deserves praise on its own as well. One of those games where even the minor NPCs have interesting little bits of dialogue to say. There's flavor text everywhere. Even the books you can read feel as though they were written by a character within the game, stacking onto the immersion.
Perhaps the element that has both surprised and impressed me the most however, is combat. This is hands down the absolute best implementation of combat I've played in an RPGM game. It is incredibly in-depth and complex. Each party member has a very large an unique variety of skills (and even passives on top of that) which all work together in a very satisfying way. It's managed to make what a lot of times can feel like a slog into a very fun experience. Not to mention you eventually go into combat as a party of 5 characters, which I've never actually seen done in an RPGM game.
As always you can find things to nitpick about, but if I had to really criticize anything, it would be the lewd sides of things (as small as it may be). One thing I loved about the game that this one takes inspiration from was that despite it still being a grand RPG, it didn't slack on sex scenes either. It was still a rather major part of the game.
Here though, I'd compare it to how AAA games throw in a couple mediocre romance scenes in their grand open world RPG. That's not to say these are comparable to getting black screened or shown a titty for 2 seconds, but rather that it's a very very small thing occasionally thrown in. I suppose it depends on your definition of a harem, but so far the game focuses only on a throuple relationship. I believe there's one scene you can get outside of that, but I wasn't able to see it due to it being tied to a major decision that I erred on the opposite side of. On the few scenes that do exist, there's a relatively large focus on maledom and bdsm that is just not especially my thing either.
TLDR - Noblesse Oblige is proving to be an exceptional RPG for lovers of the genre like myself, and despite it already being 25+ hours long, feels like it's only just beginning. There is plenty to like here if this game should catch your interest, though I will repeat that this is most likely not one you will play for the sex. Thankfully I'm still a freak who values a good story, and for that this is more than delivering. I eagerly await the chance to binge this again down the line.