Love the Guard, Be the King

I wonder why the mc tries to push the prince/king away instead of seduce him completely.

Regardless if he loves him or simply wants power, it would be a good match. And it is obvious the queen is dying, thus there will be no one who can make the new king choose whomever he wish to marry.
(As far as I can tell, this is the old type of king; the one with absolute power.)
And seeing as how the mc is the one who basically trained him, he could easily have taught (or manipulated him to think) that -some- traditions could be ignored.

I DO love the premise of how greatly you can shape the outcome in this game tho. I love choices, especially impactful ones. ^_^

Is there only a single choice that determine your love interest tho?
Because it's a strange and unnatural world where you cannot flirt with more than one person --even if you have to choose where your heart truly lies in the end.

(Not to mention that you get the choice for the king long before you meet the other love interests, so if you later discover that you like someone else better, you're fucked.
...or have to reload a safe way back, which is a serious pain if it's far back. Which is pretty much fucked.)

I'm asking because he's the ONLY one I've seen with a love-marked choice thus far. And I've met his brother a great many times since, with zero such choices.

Is the overlap of text on the chapter titles intentional, or a minor flaw?
It's not a real problem, just a minor detail, but if you plan to make the game ready to sell, you may wanna fix that.

I do wish you could tell the king to shave tho.
(But that's because I personally dislike beards and stubble. And he looks a bit like a hot elf without it. ^_^ )

I wish there was a choice between Insist and Do Nothing, where I asked what Mathias -truly- wanted.
He's admirable in many ways, but far to swallowed up in his fear of what others may think.
He fail to realize his duty is to rule well, not cater to everyone else and forgetting himself.

(Of course, anyone who listen to my advice is liable to end up a villain, be it an obvious one or in secret, but still...)

I am tempted to be impressed by the complexity of this game, but having played it only one time, I'll reserve my opinion on that until I've seen a walk-trough, or tried every path to see how much each choice change the story.

I am not a super-fan of monochrome games, but the story is rich enough to make up for the lack of colors.

If I could give Manda a birthday gift (and actually trusted him enough), I'd gift him a can of oil for those squeaky hinges. lol
(In all fairness, I'd learn those passage-ways myself, and keep them well-oiled...and with a lock in pivotal rooms to ensure safety.
They could be useful if something happens.)

I wonder why a child who's so-called family sold him into a position of pain still considers those people in any way 'family'.... It makes no sense to me.
In his place I'd disown them.

Mathis is very sweet tho. At the gazebo in the rain.
(And this kind of sweetness I think the majority would agree with me on, for once.)

Flashback scenes are tricky beasts to tame.
Most write them badly, often they're disruptive, or pointless.
They're often the most hated things in the life of all fiction.
Most of the time they kill the story they're in.
So I am impressed at how well they work in this game.

Why the gem names tho?
I'm not saying it's bad. I'm not saying it's good either.
But I am curious as to why.

...although he does seem to shave later in the game.
So I should retract my earlier comment on needing to shave. lol

If this story had any flaws, it would be that it lacks the option to lie and seduce for the sake of power.
But that is a flaw just about every game that is not about court intrigues share. And I do understand it would be complicated to make the story even more complex with lies.
So that is not something against the story itself.

I do not understand how someone can be so trusting as the mc....
Then again, I don't understand why anyone would ever fully trust anyone else. It seems foolish.
(Nor do I see the need for it. The ability to consider the possibility that even those closest to you COULD wish you harm, when mellowed by what you know of them and their nature, seems the smartest choice.
To refuse to accept that someone you know and love COULD harm you seems incredibly foolish to me.)

Also; I never trusted the guy to begin with.
IF he is to blame, it would not surprise me in the least.

But kudos for giving the players a chance to -choose- their trust level!
I am -very- appreciative of that. ^_^

If you play a game of 'story', and the muse tells the storyteller a whole damned story.... what's the point of having a storyteller?
(When the game was explained, I honestly expected some kind of mini-game-esque thing where each threw out a sentence and you had to put them together like a fantasy version of mad libs.)

Bliaut....
....every time I read clothing choices in games I seem to learn words I never knew existed. lol

....

Evil, EVIL creator!!! Ending the game at a cliffhanger!!! *shakes my fists at*

I NEED to know how it goes!!!! 😭

The story is incredibly captivating. It draws you in, and more and more have you sit at the edge of your seat, wondering if you made the right choice, hoping you CAN protect your darling king.....

Although I HAVE to say I hope there is a part 2 after he truly becomes king.

Because a part of the promise of the premise for this game was the promise that you could help shape him, and whether he becomes a benevolent king, a tyrant, or something in between.

And as exiting as the story is, there has been very few choices that would directly impact HOW he rules.

At least that is what it sounds like in the description above here.
And thus it becomes an expectation, which will disappoint if not fulfilled.

Although the game does appear to come close to the end --it has all the hallmarks for it--, so perhaps a sequel game is better?

Or more choices early in the game where you advice him on how to act.

(Because his rule changing because of how -you- behave when you are not near him makes no sense at all. And it's a flaw I've seen far too often.)

That aside, this game is still an excellent game. And one I hope will be on Steam once it's finished.

Because after playing it I realize I NEED this game in my collection! 

I do wonder if your choices have any real impact, however, and if they do, what that impact is.
Because thus far I have not seen any impact --but that -could- be because the impact is delayed (I have not checked if trusting people changes something, or if skimping on your duties get you killed, for example.)

I HOPE your choices matter tho. Because they should --otherwise they wouldn't be much worth as choices.

--

And to answer the questions the creator seem to wish to know:

• What's your favorite character?

I favor Mathias, naturally. Because he's my sweet darling who looks like and elf prince~ ^_^

But overall, I am actually a bit impressed at the versatility of the characters.
And while they don't actually show too much depth of character, they -appear- to have a great depth of character. Even if we never see anything deeper.
(Perhaps you do if you romance someone other than the king-to-be, I wouldn't know.

• Did you try the different options, or did you follow only one path?

Both, to a degree.
I always do what I personally would have done the first time I play a game. And I rarely (as in; pretty much never) change romantic interest. I get tunnel-vision once I've made my choice I fear. (I'm prone to a yandere-esque obsession. lol)
But I did re-think a few choices to check if something changed, and there seems to be zero immediate impacts --not much seem to change at all except perhaps what you think about something.
But I have not played the different routes far enough to know if it had a -delayed- impact. Or perhaps impact the epilogue at the end only (as some games do.)
So I am keeping my fingers crossed that your choices DO matter, and I simply haven't see the result yet.

• What do you think of the black-and-white aesthetic?

Not a fan. I like colors.
But objectively.... it suits the art-style.
This art-style, with colors... you'd need to get the colors right, or it would look childish and bad.
(In the same way the drawing in the "Sandman" comic do.
The artstyle could look simplistic or bad in any other setting, but the style comes off as skillfully fitted to the story the way they are now.)

• Is there anything about the world of Five Kingdoms you'd like to know more about while playing?

Why the city names sound like a children's fantasy novel, for one thing.
It doesn't suit the story itself. Because the story is quite dark, and thus one expect more...epic fantasy style names, something more realistic than childish. (gem names, for one thing...)

There is the mystery about the dragons and the religion.
The story makes it seem important --like a latent chekhov's gun--, and so it comes with an expectation it will be vital to the plot at some point.

I also hope to learn what the curse on the mc is, and why it's there.
And get the chance to defy it.

(I almost suspect it's well-meaning, which makes me want to destroy it all the more.)

The political situation is important, yet we don't get to know about it until everything goes to Hell because of it.
THAT is a problem.
If something can cause such big problems, then it should be hinted at long before the problems begin.

And Mathias acted strangely, with the dagger and the diplomat and the hug... We never got an explanation as to why.

I also keep my fingers crossed this game will have MANY endings!

And I don't just mean friend vs romance for all the potential partners plus going solo.

If he is a good king but a weak one, would the kingdom be swallowed by another?

If he is cruel but weak, would it fall?

If he is cruel but strong, would be build an empire akin to the Sith's in the Old Republic? / ancient Rome?

And so on, and so forth.

Essentially: Mathias is filled with potential, and that potential, will change the fate of the kingdom.
Even if he dies, the fate of the kingdom will change, as his brother will be forced to rule. (And I doubt he'd want to, which would harm the kingdom as he dodges his duties. His sister might want to, but she'd be a fickle ruler, too enthralled with intrigues to do a good job, liable to become a new Marie Antoinette.)

For the kingdom itself....

I honestly think most information and world-building would be better in a sequel game.
One that focuses more on politics and less on adventure.

As it is now, you more or less know what you need to know, save for what I mentioned above.

Too much info can be detrimental to the story, just as too little can.

Writing is a very tricky balance.

But this game is exceptionally good --and I tend to be harsh in my criticism and bad at giving good feedback-- so trust me when I say it's good.

I look forward to see even more of the game when it's finished.

I LOVE MATHIAS. ahem. thats it