Long Live the Queen: The Royalty Sim That Kills You – Weekly Indie Spotlight

At first, Long Live the Queen looks like a cute, charming simulation game with its pink-haired princess, whom you must train to become queen. You can attend classes to raise various stats, get to know your kingdom and its foreign allies, and even unlock fun outfits. It sounds like a relaxing time, but when you actually play, the game reveals its mean streak.

What is Long Live the Queen?

Developed by Hanako Games, Long Live the Queen casts you as Princess Elodie, who is to be crowned queen on her fifteenth birthday. She needs to take classes in order to learn the skills necessary for her coronation, so you need to choose the right classes to raise the right stats to get through various situations, such as a ball, a possible war, and maybe becoming a sorceress.

That Sounds Cute!

While it may look and sound like a cozy game, Long Live the Queen has more in common with Soulslike games than cozy games, which means that you will die over and over again. If you don’t raise certain skills high enough by certain points in the game, you could end up assassinated. Even a box of chocolates can be deadly. You will have to replay the story several times, gradually learning which skills to build up and developing a strategy to survive.

Okay, Now That Sounds Stressful

Stressful doesn’t even begin to cover it. However, the game fully embraces its sadistic nature. When Elodie gets shot, poisoned, or killed in battle, you unlock chibi art of her latest demise, which is both morbid and hilarious. Seeing all the ways you can die can become its own game. Even if you’re somehow lucky enough to survive to your coronation on your first playthrough, you’ll still want to go back and see the deaths.

Conclusion

Long Live the Queen isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy sim games that challenge your strategy skills, or you just want to see how many ways a game can kill a pink-haired anime princess, this game is for you. It can be purchased on Steam for $9.99. If you know what you’re getting yourself into, you can have a good time dying.