I hope you like spreadsheets and mathematics!

I want to love this game, I really do. It's cutely-styled and the characters are personable, it follows the intricacies of a world that really does feel alive, it doesn't shy away from horror OR from sweetness... It's a very well-written STORY, is what I mean. I wish I could READ this game. But it's not a book, is it?

Long Live The Queen is a difficult game, and that's not a bad thing on its own. I love a good tough strategy game! But that's just not what LLtQ is; there is no STRATEGY in the decisions you make, only memorization and sequence-following. Even writing things down and paying attention; even knowing what's coming and trying to prepare for it, I just cannot wrap my head around anything!

Two big problems make this game totally impenetrable to me: first, all the challenges require a completely unknown number. Sometimes 10 in a skill is enough, and sometimes 65 is insufficient, and there is NO way to know until you try!

Second: some skill checks are basically meaningless, and some are not, and again, there is no way of knowing which is which. If a popup says "Foreign Affairs -> Fail" what's the significance this time? Do I lose a bit of flavour text; do I lose some favour in the eye of the common folk because I look like a brainless dummy; or did I just completely ruin my whole life? I dunno! And I never WILL know!

I love a good puzzle, I love slowly examining a system and coming to understand it. I love that moment of eureka when it all clicks and I know what to do. And that's why I'm so frustrated with LLtQ; after 12 hours of messing around with it, I've concluded that I never WILL see that moment of eureka. If I ever beat this game, it will be because I looked up a guide that told me every step of the way, from start to finish. There is no "figuring it out," there is only trial and error.

I got LLtQ on sale for like $4. Is it worth that price? Maybe. Just, understand what you're getting into.

I wish I could pick something other than Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down! I have played games FAR worse than LLtQ, and it saddens me to lump it in with the worst of them. It's not a terrible game by any means. I only give it Thumbs Down as a way of cautioning a would-be buyer.

If you look at this game and you see a cute world with fun characters and detailed worldbuilding, and you don't care if you need to follow a step-by-step guide to see it all, by all means, get this game.

If you look at it and you see a tantalizing puzzle that you just HAVE to solve, STAY AWAY. It is a trap.

EDIT: There's a "basic guide" on the wiki that will get you to the end of the game, but it follows an inefficient path and doesn't do much other than survive; this is GREAT in my opinion, it gives me a baseline to start from so I can work on the puzzle of the game.

I'm leaving my review at thumbs-down, but I've been having a lot more fun since I discovered that guide. If you still want to play LLtQ even after all my warning, I highly recommend looking up the basic guide!

It took me 40 hours and two detailed spreadsheets to make it alive to the end the first time in this magical girl visual novel. Two multi-playthrough walkthrough guides later, to "tie up loose ends," there's still more I want to see. At least 9 things, according to my notes. If you really want to dig into the strategy and mechanics of managing a kingdom as a 14-year-old--and sure, when to wear which adorable outfits to help prevent horrible deaths--this game is worth a look!

Besides, how often do you get the opportunity to wear a catsuit with a monocle?

its so good mannn

One of my favourite visual novels with a lot of various ending, branching paths, and your choices feel like they actually really matter.

Definitely recommend, especially for people that haven't play VNs before and want to try something that's interactable.