Reigns

Despite what my ego may say, I should not be a king. Even in the Middle Ages, I can find spectacular ways in which to muck up completely. Rampaging fires people can’t fight because of curfew or diverted rivers ruining otherwise fertile farmland. If I was in a history book, it would be as some comedic footnote; something bored students giggle at to the absolute contempt of their educator. Reigns serves as my evidence, the best example I have as to why I should not be in charge of anything. Ever.

Reigns is a game about playing a series of monarchs over the landlocked land of unnamed, and the disasterous ways in which they get themselves deposed, executed, voted out or just straight up murdered. As you play, you are given a variety of randomised choices in which you can answer in one of two ways. Depending on the answer you give, it can affect the balance of four major resources: religion, military, finances and people. Letting any of these empty means losing and getting murdered, and letting them fill completely is just as ruinous.

This means you have to appropriate each approach you take in attempts to stay in power as long as possible, but also to create lasting impacts on the country. You could financially ruin yourself in order to build a hospital to stop the spread of future plagues, or kick the doctor out and stay in power using religion or occasional black magic. After you die, you either hop to play your heir, or the poor sod who gets given your job next should you not leave anyone. Due to this, there isn’t really much of an impact to you dying, so it’s usually best to make as lasting a positive impact as you can before messing up and getting replaced.

That’s not to say that you can’t hideously ruin yourself and leave negative impacts as well. Or, at least that’s what I found after making my second dealing with satan. The game features quite a bit of fantastical elements in it to keep you on your toes and add to the medieval feel. You could have someone enter your court claiming to be a seer and ask for a place on your council, and you can have her burned at the stake or stick around a while. A pigeon may start talking to you, and you could either send it off or start flirting. As the game progresses, more possibilities become available, and the possibilities only get madder and more entertaining. Anything could happen. Odds are, something unexpected.

There are also the occasional gameplay mixups. There are points in which your dog could lead you to a dungeon to explore (for that is how dungeons are truly found), and you can either continue on or fall back. Since you came alone, odds are that you die, but it’s certainly fun to try. There is mild combat in which, from any given position, you can make one of two moves to either try to avoid getting it or strike the opponent down yourself, and it happens rarely enough to still be engaging after experienced a few times.

The look and feel of the game is certainly distinct. Each choice you make takes the form of a card from a deck, usually featuring a stylised depiction of whom or what you’re talking to. The rough angles and sharp colours give the game a clear but visually interesting look, and the few sounds there are can really help moments feel more serious or mystical as needed, even with each voice devolved into Sims-style gibberish. Even after clocking 4 hours, it doesn't get old.

At its very core, Reigns is a game that shows just how deep you can make the basest mechanics. It turns what is essentially a string of binary questions into some exceptionally presented and entertaining. With every flip of the deck, the game releases relentless variety, and it hooked me. If you're looking for next-gen graphics, complex AI and 3rd person fun, then maybe go play Just Cause 2 or Bloodborne, but if you're a fan of an unfolding self-driven narritive, high replayability or if you just want to see how hard a single mechanic can be pushed, then play Reigns. Only then will you truly appreciate how difficult being a ruler really is.