YES, YOUR GRACE
DEVELOPER Brave at Night PRICE $28.95 RELEASE Out now.
ONLINE https://www.braveatnight.co.uk/
It’s tough being a king. And a dad. How do people even have daughters? They’re so wilful. I mean, if an old man is going to bring his thousands-strong army into my war, that’s reason enough to marry him, isn’t it? Yes, I know she’s only 13, but ‘being 14’ is a luxury left to the living. And don’t get me started on every peasant, merchant and dust-dealer queueing beneath my throne, wanting something. There is simply not enough to go around, if the castle is to be fortified for the coming army. Yes, Your Grace made me want to sleep for a thousand years.
The game opens near its conclusion and, much like
Ned Stark at the beginning of Game of Thrones, you’re confronted with a deserter, without understanding the world of context that will unfold around why he is so afraid. In fact, the story borrows much from everyone’s favourite Seven Kingdoms (including its number of kingdoms, which is seven), that I could almost guess what would happen next, most of the time. Did this ruin it? No, because imagine you’re Ned Stark and you’re choosing your response to desertion, rather than being told his story.
In fact, imagine your darkest, most fancurdling moment in Game of Thrones, then decide if it really happened, or if something else happened instead. Yes, it’s the kind of dramatically divergent choice and consequence idea that you may have experienced in Telltale’s The Walking Dead, (ironically) somewhat less so in Telltale’s Game of Thrones. Often, there’s time to weigh up a terrible decision. Sometimes, you hesitate and everybody dies. There’s rarely a clear ‘good’ option and always the
Imagine your darkest, most fancurdling moment in Game of Thrones, then decide if it really happened, or if something else happened instead.
threat of disaster. It’s all extremely dire.
Except, of course, for your youngest daughter, whose procession of ridiculous pets provides light relief. Until, that is, she brings home a bear. (Deciding whether to let her keep it gave me many more grey hairs.) Meanwhile, you’re undertaking the elaborate task of listening to literally hundreds of petitioners over the course of the game. They need gold, or supplies, or your general, or hunter, or witch. Solving these tiny problems can raise revenue, like from a tavern, or unlock unexpectedly delightful increments of story. Just try to keep lords/ladies the happiest.
The second half of the game revolves around preparing for a siege and is a little weaker than the first half, in which light adventure mechanics are employed to investigate a murder. Nonetheless, it’s fun to try to sort the liars from those genuinely in need. In fact, one merchant sold me his ‘Magical Cock’ which he promised would crow when it heard a lie. It’s amazing the superstitious, and entirely useless, items one will spend gold on when things are desperate. Especially when, very occasionally, magic proves to be real. My favourite sections of the game occur when you employ your hard won resources in two very cleverly executed battles. There’s a shroud of magical mist. Who do you send in? Hounds or your witch? I’ve tried not to explain too much of the story, or mechanics, deliberately in order to preserve what surprises remain in this trope-heavy experience. Strangely enough, it wasn’t until the very end that I really understood this where Yes, Your Grace fits, in terms of genre and execution. I hope you will play this. Then I wish you a good night’s sleep.