Long Live The Queen

Long Live The Queen is a narrative strategy game about a young heir preparing for her coronation. Fourteen-year-old Elodie must learn, after her mother's death, to hold her kingdom of Nova against court intrigue, political rivals and supernatural dangers. Instead of real-time battles, the focus is on which skills she learns in time and how you decide in critical situations.

Long Live The Queen first came out for computers in 2012. The Steam version launched on November 8, 2013. In July 2022, Ratalaika Games released console versions with reworked HD backgrounds and additional interface languages: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 14, Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on July 15.

The game has been released for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. PC covers the original versions for Windows, macOS and Linux. PlayStation offers separate PS4 and PS5 versions within one shared digital purchase. On Xbox, the release supports both console generations. A standalone Switch 2 version is not part of these releases.

You guide Elodie week by week and decide which topics she studies in depth. Her knowledge affects whether she survives political talks, dangerous encounters and court decisions. Some events lead to completely different outcomes depending on preparation. Mistakes can end Elodie's reign, so new attempts with different priorities are a key part of the game.

The PC version is technically undemanding. Hanako Games lists a 1.2 GHz processor and 256 MB RAM for Windows. The original supported systems are older Windows versions, plus macOS and Linux. The historical OS details say nothing about current support from the respective platform holders.

Elodie can build up diplomacy, court etiquette, economics, military knowledge and magical abilities, among others. Lessons compete for limited study time. Choosing one direction means forgoing other knowledge at first. In later events, a particular skill often decides whether Elodie spots a danger, wins someone over or controls a political development.

Elodie's mood affects how well she learns certain subjects. Free-time activities change her emotional state and therefore her learning options. The challenge is not only choosing the right subjects but also timing new skills. This ties the story to a small but important planning system.

Nobles, neighboring kingdoms and people around Elodie pursue different interests. Conversations and decisions change relationships and can open or block later scenes. The political side stays closely tied to skills: those who understand languages, history or intrigue get different options in certain encounters than a princess trained purely in the military.

Alongside worldly conflicts, magical powers play a role. Elodie's training can help her recognize such threats and deal with them. How much she learns about them depends on your decisions and study focus. The fantasy element expands the political conflicts without changing the core lesson and decision system.

Long Live The Queen has many possible outcomes. A seemingly small decision can come back to haunt you weeks later, while other plans fail for lack of knowledge in a certain area. If you lose Elodie in one attempt, you can choose different training, different allies or a different political course on your next run.

Long Live The Queen is a single-player game. The focus is on reading the story and choosing lessons, free time and dialogue options. Achievements and cloud saves are available on Steam. The Switch version also supports touchscreen controls.

The original PC version on Steam has English on-screen text. Ratalaika Games' console port additionally supports German, French, Spanish and Japanese. A German-language console version therefore does not mean the Steam version has the same translation. The consoles also add reworked HD backgrounds.