Continuing with the roguelikes featured in this year’s Jingle Jam Games Collection, The Royal Writ is a tactical one. Developed by Save Sloth Studios, this card-based game is one of advancing on the enemy. They will never attack, but there are still plenty of dangers to face. Such makes this a fun tactical game to play, with the roguelike elements adding just enough randomness to keep a player second guessing their tactics.
The story goes that a king settles problem by writing letters to his foes. However, he also sends an attacking force to make sure that letter reaches who it is meant to. As such, the problems get sorted without the letter being seen. Each new battle has an introduction revealing the problem the king will solve. They offer a nice flavour, but can otherwise be ignored.
The main meat of The Royal Writ comes from the battling. With each battle, the movement screen features various things that will happen on the route to the boss. There’s a few branching paths, making the choice of where to go important if there’s something I wanted to visit. Spaces include shady deals, wonder wheels, shops, gifts, and others which will give me new cards, equipment, and abilities.
Certain spaces will be the actual battles where the cards are used. The battlefield consists of a grid, with cards played on the left and enemy bases on the right. Each card has a power value which affects either the base power or the multiplier. In attacking, all cards will move forward one space right. Battles progress until the enemy has lost all its health or I have no more cards that can fight.
On each progression, cards will gain boosted power the closer they are to the enemy, as indicated at the top of the grid. In certain spaces will be affects that can help or hinder, such as a well that will make a card unconscious. Unable to move, it will need to be fed to recover, or become a corpse and eventually die. Death is something that happens when a card reaches the enemy, which is why it is vital to keep a deck well stacked. Though there’s a limit to the number of cards that can be played in a battle.
A card equipped with armour can survive once, with other affects such as being able to place a card anywhere on the battlefield provided with other equipment. Some cards can have abilities, such as an archer I fought would be good, with a base power of 12. But whose ability meant its power could never be changed, even with the advancing boost. Being able to freeze a card also helps to stop a row of cards advancing for one turn. There’s many tactics on offer owing to all the effects that can be given.
Each battles rewards gold, which can be used at the various spaces. Or saved for the tactician space that comes before a boss. Here, there’s the ability to increase the deck limit, change advancing boosts to multipliers, and provide a positive effect on grid spaces near to where cards are played. All of that can really help when it comes to later battles, where enemy health has now increased to be in the thousands.
With the end of a run, new cards are unlocked that can appear in future runs, along with seeing stats and the best card. Then, it’s onto another run. Always trying to build a great deck of cards which will be effective in the battles to come. Like any roguelikes, I’ve yet to complete a full run. But the fun doesn’t falter as I keep trying, seeing what new experiences The Royal Writ holds in terms of strategies and the upending of them.
The presentation of everything feels nice. Card power value is clear to see, along with how much damage all cards will deal once the attack button is pressed. The artwork is simple but effective in showing the characters on the cards. Being fashioned as a game set in the past, weathering and fading have been used to achieve an almost-parchment like effect on all cards, buttons, boxes, and portraits.
The Royal Writ is an effective roguelike. It’s got some good strategy, and doesn’t mess with the randomness too much. While still there and with the possibility of upending any strategy, the fun is in trying to overcome that. With a good range of ways to increase the odds in your favour, easy to read screens, and always accessible help, The Royal Writ is easily recommended.
The Royal Writ is part of the Jingle Jam Games Collection. Jingle Jam, running from 1-14/December, is a charity event that helps support various charities each year. Various fundraisers are streaming across these two weeks, all to help raise awareness and funds for the charities. For donating £35 or more to the cause, you will get the Games Collection, which features this game along with 14 others. And a few extras, such as a Fanatical Wheel Spin.
Images Taken From:
The Royal Writ | PC
