If you like history-inspired fantasy, story- and characterization-heavy romances, and otome protagonists who actually do something, play My Vow To My Liege.
I'll list the weaknesses first. You can see the devs' budget limitations where they had to reuse sprites. The English translation is valiant but riddled with grammatical errors (although the devs are working on additional edits.) The pacing can use a little work—I think getting through the middle third of the common route was the hardest part for me.
But also, it's really damn good.
The main draw: the characters. All the love interests are sympathetic and compelling, with depth beyond any simple archetype. I'm not generally into Yandere characters but I genuinely felt for Chenfeng. I'm not generally into mentor romances or big age gaps but Wu Zixu's route made me cry. Yiguang would be a Marty Stu in lesser hands, but here he's given the nuance to make him human. You could write entire essays on the tragedy of Goujian—and people have, in Chinese.
Special mention goes to the FMC Fuchai herself, who absolutely holds her own against any of the love interests. You know all those Blank Slate and passive otome FMCs? You know those Strong Female Characters who get pushed around uselessly the moment a ML shows up? Fuchaiisnotthat. Yes, she's conflicted, flawed, at times painfully young and vulnerable given the weight of her duties. Sometimes she rescues her love interests; sometimes they have to rescue her. But even as she's put through the wringer, she never stops challenging her fate with agency and ferocity. Moreover, the narrative fundamentally...respects her, is the right way to put it. It never takes her emotions and perspective less seriously than her MLs'. I don't remember the last time I saw a FMC have a serious disagreement with her ML, calmly explain herself to him, and have him come over to her perspective.
Second: the use of the cultural and historical background. Don't be fooled by the genderflipped anime boys and magic fights: the game takes its inspirations seriously. It captures the core of the Historical Domain Character cast members, in my opinion, and skillfully interweaves allusions to historical events and classical poetry into the narrative. You definitely gain something knowing, say, Wu Zixu's or Yiguang's fate going in. But the game also makes it as easy as possible for a newcomer, with a thorough in-game glossary included. I definitely hope people will be inspired to learn more about the era from the game.
Aside from that, I also love the art style, and the OST for this game is quite beautiful. Also, the game is only ten bucks at full price, which is a steal given its quality. I'm already planning to get the devs' other titles when I get the chance. Play this game, people!
VisualNovel It's really damn good, guys.
If you like history-inspired fantasy, story- and characterization-heavy romances, and otome protagonists who actually do something, play My Vow To My Liege.
I'll list the weaknesses first. You can see the devs' budget limitations where they had to reuse sprites. The English translation is valiant but riddled with grammatical errors (although the devs are working on additional edits.) The pacing can use a little work—I think getting through the middle third of the common route was the hardest part for me.
But also, it's really damn good.
The main draw: the characters. All the love interests are sympathetic and compelling, with depth beyond any simple archetype. I'm not generally into Yandere characters but I genuinely felt for Chenfeng. I'm not generally into mentor romances or big age gaps but Wu Zixu's route made me cry. Yiguang would be a Marty Stu in lesser hands, but here he's given the nuance to make him human. You could write entire essays on the tragedy of Goujian—and people have, in Chinese.
Special mention goes to the FMC Fuchai herself, who absolutely holds her own against any of the love interests. You know all those Blank Slate and passive otome FMCs? You know those Strong Female Characters who get pushed around uselessly the moment a ML shows up? Fuchai is not that. Yes, she's conflicted, flawed, at times painfully young and vulnerable given the weight of her duties. Sometimes she rescues her love interests; sometimes they have to rescue her. But even as she's put through the wringer, she never stops challenging her fate with agency and ferocity. Moreover, the narrative fundamentally...respects her, is the right way to put it. It never takes her emotions and perspective less seriously than her MLs'. I don't remember the last time I saw a FMC have a serious disagreement with her ML, calmly explain herself to him, and have him come over to her perspective.
Second: the use of the cultural and historical background. Don't be fooled by the genderflipped anime boys and magic fights: the game takes its inspirations seriously. It captures the core of the Historical Domain Character cast members, in my opinion, and skillfully interweaves allusions to historical events and classical poetry into the narrative. You definitely gain something knowing, say, Wu Zixu's or Yiguang's fate going in. But the game also makes it as easy as possible for a newcomer, with a thorough in-game glossary included. I definitely hope people will be inspired to learn more about the era from the game.
Aside from that, I also love the art style, and the OST for this game is quite beautiful. Also, the game is only ten bucks at full price, which is a steal given its quality. I'm already planning to get the devs' other titles when I get the chance. Play this game, people!