Reigns: Her Majesty
A standalone sequel adding items and a queen protagonist.
Reigns: Her Majesty is a strategy video game developed by Nerial and published by Devolver Digital. It is a standalone sequel to 2016's Reigns, set in a fictional renaissance world where the player rules a queendom by swiping left or right on advisor cards to accept or reject suggestions. The game was released digitally for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows in December 2017, and later bundled with its predecessor as Reigns: Kings & Queens for Nintendo Switch in September 2018.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Reigns: Her Majesty
- Developer
- Nerial
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Android / iOS / Linux / macOS / Microsoft Windows / Nintendo Switch
- Released
- Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows · 6 December 2017 · Nintendo Switch · 20 September 2018
- Genre
- Strategy
- Modes
- Single-player
- Designer
- François Alliot
- Artist
- Arnaud De Bock
- Writer
- Leigh Alexander
- Composer
- Jim Guthrie · J. J. Ipsen
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Reigns: Her Majesty retains the core gameplay of its predecessor: the player swipes left or right on cards depicting advisors to accept or reject their suggestions, with each decision affecting four societal pillars: the church, the people, the military, and the economy. The queen's reign ends when any metric becomes too high or too low, and the game continues with the player controlling their heir. The game features between 1200 and 1300 different cards, up from 800 in the original game. A new gameplay element is the addition of items, which the player can collect and use in certain situations to bypass choices or offer new options. Throughout the game, players may experience scripted or decision-caused events, some with one-time or recurring effects, such as causing the death of the next advisor if their suggestion is rejected.
Reader's Guide
Reigns: Her Majesty was described by critics as a 'smart and surprising' sequel with 'fun and minimalist' mechanics and an 'improved and captivating story,' though some noted it suffers from repetition. The Verge praised the game for allowing experimentation across different lives and for making each life feel unique while carrying progress over between playthroughs. Kotaku commended the game's approach to sexism, calling it 'a fun friend, laughing with you about all the irritating little things that happen to you when you're a woman.' Game Informer, however, disliked the gameplay, stating that the sequel 'largely follows the formula of the first game and fails to evolve into something special.' The game was compared to services like Tinder due to its swipe-based decision-making. A third entry in the series, Reigns: Game of Thrones, was released in October 2018.
More in Video Games of the 2010s, Part 3 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced