Loren the Amazon Princess

Lore & Background

The game begins with Loren, princess of the Amazons, searching for her missing mother, Queen Karen. Accompanied by a protagonist who is a slave with healing magic, Loren renounces her princesshood to leave the Citadel. The party gathers companions including dwarves Ramas and Dora, half-elf Draco, Elder Druid Myrth, and elf assassin Rei. They discover Karen was killed by lizardmen while attempting to flee with a slave she loved. Loren obtains the Hawk Blade, a divine weapon indicating her destined impact on the world.

A servant of the Death Knight Fost, Grob, tricks the Human Empire and the Elves of GrandTree into war. Archwizard Apolimesho and Myrth expose the treachery, and Loren's party ends the conflict by proving the demons of Everburn are the greater threat. After Loren takes command of the combined forces, they kill the orc leader Krul and the succubus Jul, then cure a magical plague afflicting the Amazons. The alliance invades Everburn, and during the assault the party falls into the Under-Realm. The protagonist, Loren, and Karen learn one must sacrifice themselves to destroy Fost permanently. After defeating Fost, the player chooses who sacrifices themselves; the epilogue reveals the writer of the story is the protagonist unless they sacrificed themselves, in which case Loren is the writer.

Characters are divided into three classes: Warriors (melee, heavy armor), Thieves (bows, exploit weakened enemies), and Mages (multi-target magic, low endurance). Each character has a specialization; the player character's specialization always focuses on healing. Battles involve up to six characters per side, with front and back rows affecting targeting. Characters act in turn order based on speed, and can attack, use abilities, items, or swap positions. Winning a battle fully restores health and MP except at certain story points. The player cannot flee but can reload a save if the party is defeated.

Reader's Guide

Loren the Amazon Princess occupies a niche as a hybrid visual novel and tactical RPG, notable for its mature themes and replayability. The game's branching narrative, influenced by player choices and relationships, encourages multiple playthroughs to see different endings and romance paths, including homosexual options. The battle system, with its row-based positioning and class specializations, adds strategic depth beyond typical visual novels. The expansion The Castle Of N'mar introduced new party members and story events, while the spin-off Tales of Aravorn: Seasons of the Wolf expanded the universe with new characters. Reception highlighted the well-arranged battle system and the impact of decisions on the story, though some noted the fan-service content. The game's development by a small Italian studio using Ren'Py demonstrated the viability of crowdfunded or independent visual novel RPGs in the early 2010s, and its continued presence on multiple platforms helped sustain interest in the Aravorn setting.

Did You Know?

• The game was created with the Ren'Py visual novel engine.
• The theme song 'Until I'm Broken' was performed by Cristina Vee and composed by Matthew Myers.
• The expansion The Castle Of N'mar added four new party members: Mesphit, Sauzer, Chambara, and Trouble.
• A direct sequel was expected for release in 2016 or 2017, later pushed to 2018 or 2019.