Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden
A card-based RPG about a maiden's melancholy quest for relics.
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a 2022 role-playing video game developed by Alim and published by Square Enix for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Windows, with Android and iOS releases in 2023. It presents its world, characters and battles in the style of a tabletop role-playing game, with everything represented using cards. The player controls a young man who escorts a magical maiden on her quest to collect relics and protect their home from destruction.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Alim
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Director
- Maasa Mimura, Yoko Taro
- Writer
- Yuki Wada
- Artist
- Kimihiko Fujisaka
- Composer
- Oliver Good
- Shotaro Seo
- Keiichi Okabe
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Windows
- Android
- iOS
- Series
- Voice of Cards
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is the second entry in a planned series following Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars (2021). Creator Yosuke Saito intended it as the next entry in a longer series, though he initially kept this plan secret. Production lasted four months, attributed to the eagerness of Alim's young staff and the mechanical foundation of the first game. Returning staff included creative director Yoko Taro, lead director Maasa Mimura, artist Kimihiko Fujisaka, and music team Monaca. Writer Yuki Wada wrote the scenario, which was more melancholy than the first game, focusing on drama and emotion over comedy. The story is not directly connected to The Isle Dragon Roars, allowing new players to enjoy it. The gamemaster is voiced by Mark Atherlay in English and Show Hayami in Japanese. A follow-up, Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden, was released in September 2022.
Reader's Guide
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden was generally well received by critics, who noted improvements to the story over the first Voice of Cards, as well as praise for the artwork and narrative. However, reviewers pointed out a lack of innovation in its gameplay. The game uses the same gameplay and world as its predecessor but tells a different, more melancholy story. Its short four-month production cycle was enabled by the team's eagerness and the reuse of the first game's mechanics. The game's central theme of bonds between maidens and their attendants informed the gameplay concept of Link Skills. The simplified approach to tabletop-style rules was intended to make the experience accessible to genre newcomers. The Forsaken Maiden stands as a narrative-focused entry in the series, with a self-contained story that expands the setting without requiring knowledge of the first game.
Did You Know?
- Creative director Yoko Taro chose Show Hayami as the Japanese gamemaster voice because he liked the sound of his voice paired with the story's tone.
- The story was written to be more straightforward and understandable than the first game's narrative.
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