Software:Reigns (video game)

Short description: 2016 strategy video game

Reigns
Developer(s)	Nerial
Publisher(s)	Devolver Digital
Designer(s)	François Alliot
Programmer(s)	François Alliot
Artist(s)	Mieko Murakami
Writer(s)	François Alliot
Composer(s)	Disasterpeace Mateo Lugo
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Android iOS Linux macOS Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch Stadia
Release	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows 11 August 2016 Nintendo Switch 20 September 2018 Stadia 22 December 2020
Genre(s)	Strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player

Reigns is a 2016 strategy game developed by Nerial and published by Devolver Digital. Set in a fictional medieval world, it places the player in the role of a monarch who rules the kingdom by accepting or rejecting suggestions from advisors. The game was released digitally for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Microsoft Windows in August 2016.

A sequel, titled Reigns, in which the player acts as a queen consort, was released in December 2017. Reigns and its sequel were released for Nintendo Switch, under the collective title Reigns: Kings & Queens, in September 2018. A third entry in the Reigns series, Reigns, was released in October 2018. A fourth game for Apple Arcade, titled Reigns: Beyond was released in 2020. A fifth game, titled Reigns: Three Kingdoms, was released for Netflix subscribers in November 2022.

Gameplay

Screenshot showing the player accepting the suggestion from "Gotfried Writhe" by swiping the card to the right

Assuming the role of a medieval king, the player swipes left or right on a card depicting an advisor, in order to accept or reject their suggestion. Each decision will have a consequence, changing the balance between the four pillars of the society: The church, the people, the military, and wealth. The king's reign ends whenever one of the four metric bars becomes full or empty, and the game continues with the player controlling their heir. Various in-game events can also lead to the king's demise.

Throughout the course of the game, the player may experience different kinds of events, which are scripted or caused by the player's decisions. Such events can have one-time or recurring effects on the game, such as causing the death of the next advisor if their suggestion is rejected.

Plot

The player character, an unnamed King, meets a ghost called the Spirit of the Fallen. The spirit tells the King to be a wise and pragmatic ruler and to reign for as long as possible. After the King dies, he is reincarnated as a new ruler and encounters the spirit again, who tells him that they are both cursed to be reborn after death. After several reigns, the King is visited by the Devil in the year 666; the demon taunts the King, revealing that the monarch traded his soul centuries beforehand in exchange for eternal power, though the Devil was able to manipulate this wish by trapped him in a cycle of death and resurrection. The Devil reappears in 1332, telling the King that there is no end to this cycle, and that he will visit the King one last time in the year 1998. Before that date arrives, the King meets a noblewoman called the Senator who knows of the bargain he made with Devil. She tells him the only way to annul the deal is to force the Devil to perform an impossible task.

The Devil arrives in 1998 and casts an enchantment on the King as a "parting gift" before disappearing forever, causing the next person to whom he says "Yes" to suffer a gruesome death. The ending depends on the character that the player uses the curse on. If the player uses the curse on the Spirit of the Fallen, the Devil reveals that the ghost is a reflection of the King's own soul and memories, and condemns the monarch to spiritual death by sending him to Hell. If the player uses the curse on any other mortal character, the spirit remarks that the cycle will never end and the King becomes trapped forever. However, if the player performs several optional tasks, the King can use the curse on an undead skeleton; the Devil discovers that it is impossible to kill the already-deceased monster, and is forced to release the King into the afterlife.

Development

The game was developed by London-based game studio Nerial. In an opinion piece published on Polygon, François Alliot, lead developer of the game, commented that the team wanted to "mock the way our societies tend to deal with complexity", citing Brexit as an example. The developers intended to make the player feel the disconnect between the simplicity of the "swipe" control scheme and the consequences their decisions lead to, which inevitably result in the king's demise at the end of each reign.

The interactive soundtrack of the game, titled Songs of Reigns, is available on Steam.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic iOS: 87/100 PC: 77/100 Review scores Publication Score The Guardian TouchArcade Pocket Gamer 8/10 Gamezebo

According to Metacritic, Reigns has garnered "generally favorable" reviews. Reviewers praised the simplicity of its control scheme, noting its similarity to the "Swipe" interface in social app Tinder. However, Alex Hern from The Guardian found certain choices in the game "nonsensical", and of unclear consequences. TouchArcade praised the scope of the title, saying it did a good job "making a game that’s inherently about simple binary decisions feel like something bigger". Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed the way the player would change their approach as the game went on, "First time or two around, perhaps like me you'll be an idealist, striving to do whatever's best... My moral conscience eroded steadily over time, as my focus shifted to keeping the plates spinning".

The game won the international competition at the 2017 Ludicious convention. It was nominated for "Best Mobile Game" of Unity Awards 2016, and "Use of Narrative" of Develop Awards 2016. In 2017, Reigns was nominated for "Mobile Game of the Year" at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.