A Tale of Crowns
Chapter Twelve has been released!
A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance with Middle Eastern roots, both on pc as well as mobile! It’s entirely text-based, with choices throughout to shape both your main character’s personality and skills as well as influence their relationships with others. There are four love interests for you to choose from, both female as well as male, each with their own stories and secrets for you to uncover!
I will release each chapter as I finish it, so the game will be a continuous work in progress. It will not be available for download until the entire game is finished.
SOCIALS: Tumblr | Discord (16+ only) | Patreon | Ko-Fi | Email
OF INTEREST: FAQ | Designing Your MC | Pinterest | Report a bug
CONTENT WARNINGS: Depictions of violence, injuries and blood, death, trauma, psychological and physical body horror, sexually suggestive content and descriptions of animal cruelty. Safe to play for those 16 years and older.
The story takes place in Arsur, a fictional empire within a fantasy universe that draws inspiration from historical settings in the Middle East. Much of it is based on Kurdish culture, drawing from my own experience as a Kurdish woman.
Your character is 25 years old and was born and raised in Arsur, where magic is considered a skill no different from reading or writing. Gender, sexual orientation, and race have no bearing on social position or class; it is instead only based on wealth and level of education.
The Arsurian Empire itself is overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the spirits of this world to be the new Crown: this appears to happen at random, as Crowns in the past have ranged from the poorest farmer to the wealthiest noble.
Their parents murdered and the previous Crown of Arsur assassinated, your character finds themselves on the run as they’ve been bestowed with the golden eyes that mark them as the new Crown.
Unseen enemies at their heels, will they succeed as the Crown, or will they lead to the downfall of the Empire?
At the beginning of the story, you’ll have the opportunity to customize your Crown’s name, pronouns, sexual orientation, and their skill in magic. You can also customize many parts of your Crown’s appearance: hair color, hair texture, hairstyle, skin color, height, and clothing style are all up to you and will be reflected in the story as well.
Their ethnicity and culture is locked in as Kurdish/Middle Eastern. The Crown is also locked in as a person of color, as is in line with the setting - their specific race is up to the player to imagine.
As for your Crown’s personality, there are twelve different character traits in total, six of which will be decided based on the choices you make in-game. This will subsequently change your Crown’s behavior during story and romance scenes.
Depending on what your Crown’s sexual orientation is, the gender of the love interests will change accordingly to match that. There are four of them in total, and each love interest will have their own route which you will get to choose from at the end of the common route.
The Sorcerer; Rêzan/Rozerîn
The Crown’s Sorcerer, widely regarded to be a prodigy and expected to become the most powerful magus in the Empire.
The Hero; Xelara/Xelef
A legendary mercenary and the leader of the Crescent Blades, whose exploits were chronicled in song. Also known as the Pale Sword.
The Protector; Ashti/Azad
Once a peerless soldier in the Imperial Army, now promoted to the Royal Protector of the Crown due to their unrivaled skill and exceptional integrity.
The General; Dara/Delal
The General of the Imperial Army, known for many strategic victories in warding off attacks from hostile nations.
Artwork of the characters done by @artbygaia!
Updated | 1 day ago |
Status | In development |
Platforms | HTML5 |
Rating | Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars (2,324 total ratings) |
Author | qeresî |
Genre | Interactive Fiction |
Made with | Twine |
Tags | Dating Sim, Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Indie, LGBT, Meaningful Choices, Romance, Story Rich, Twine |
Asset license | Creative Commons Attribution_NonCommercial v4.0 International |
Average session | A few hours |
Inputs | Mouse, Smartphone |
Links | Blog |
Development log
- Chapter 13 Progress [28/JAN]28 days ago
- Chapter Twelve Released!58 days ago
- Chapter Twelve Early Access Released!65 days ago
- Chapter Twelve Release Dates91 days ago
- Chapter 12 Progress [06/NOV]Nov 06, 2024
- Chapter 12 Progress [08/APR]Apr 08, 2024
- Changelog 8/1/24Jan 08, 2024
- Public Release: Patreon Bonus StoriesDec 23, 2023
Comments
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I discover this game totally by chance and it's incredible!
I am absolutely sure that I'll play it again with Azad (I'm currently playing with Xelef).
But it's so well written that I am sure I'll play it just to experience the other choices!
I Play with some "reading playlist" and it's even better than a série on TV. I'm totally hooked!
I have been replaying this game multiple times and still obsessed with it
AGHHHW BRO HOW MANF TIMES ARE THESE IDIOTS GONNA INTERRUPT ME AND RÊZAN
REASONABLE CRASHOUT!!!!
HAHA
I agree.... Man let me touch his face in peace!
EXACTLY BRUUU
Im not really a fan of visual novels like these but i love this one! I do wish that each route had a guide for them. Im so indecisive with my choices and struggle with choosing them. Was on X's route before I gave up lol. Def recommend tho!!
This is one of my all time favorite games, but I can't get it to launch from the itch app. I can launch and play it in browser just fine but when I do that nothing saves so when a new chapter comes out I have to play through EVERYTHING again. When I click launch in the itch app, it just opens a folder. If anyone knows how to fix this it would be very much appriectiated!
Hiii I think for the save you have to save to files and load from the files too! Also one thing I do is that I make sure the tab I'm using to play it on isn't closed! Hope this helps! My friend had a similar problem when she was playing this on her iPad and that's what I had her do!
Hi!! I love the game it's wonderful, I just had a question. If I wanted to make my game in the same manner as this, text based with choices, what software do you use in order to make this game? It would be great if you told me. Thanks again !!!
The credits page in the game has everything listed!
is it always 2 girls 2 guys or is there a way to get them to change to have specific characters be a certain gender
If you choose that you are attracted to "anyone with a pretty smile" then the ROs will be mixed gender but in that same choice display you can choose for them to be all male or all female based on preference :)
What the person above said is correct, and to clarify: no, it's not possible to select specific genders for each specific character. It's solely randomized if you choose that your Crown is attracted to both men and women. That's an intentional design choice on my part!
it’s so hard to choose… i’m gay and greedy i want all of themmm
i haven't finished the released chapters yet (i'm on ch. 9), but OMG I LOVE THIS GAME!! there are so many details to it, so much reading, so much background, its wonderful. There is so much content already and its all perfect. I like every character, but especially Azad/Ashti and Dara/Delal, and the side characters!
i love ashti so MUCH!!!! my lesbian heart ugghehejejj GNAWING AT MY ENCLOSURE!!!!!
Another comment about chapter 12 but here I am again re reading the entire chapter, same choices, same character, same LI, I might be a little bit hyperfixated these guys r always on my mind 😭
How can I have Lady Naza as Minister of Defense? I don't know how to get that option
I think you have to let the noble know about your assassinate attemp in the tunnel, i always choose that option and she will always appear to apply for the position.
Thank you for your advice I will try in that way
Lady Naza appreciates a bold Crown who doesn't show any fear and will put the nobility in their place with a firm hand. There are 3 choices where you can win points with her, and one of them (like the other person mentioned) regards the choice in CH5 on which factions to tell about the assassination attempt. As a hint, I will say that the person above only has it partly right ;)
If you then get a yellow tulip from her as a gift in CH6, then you're on the right track! No worries if you don't though, there are still two other choices (one in CH8 and one in CH9) that can win you points with her as well.
Thank you so much for your answer I shall test it soon!
Spoilers:
Ok so rant time... I was so worried in the first four chapters because I didn't know who I was gonna pick. It's why I love/hate these games they give you hot *cough* amazing men and then expect me to pick one of them. I was relieved and quite surprised when the game picked the A route.
I LOVE Azad
I'm sorry but he is so cute and adorable and every scene with him had me grinning like a fool and kicking my feet. I cried after finishing chapter 12 - I just...
Moving on this game has given me the most emotional distress. Every choice made me stare at the for two days logging in and logging out. I was just so worried I was going to kill someone. I did though - I killed the lady who knew about my parents after that I just laid on the ground.
Also I don't know how I got Bold as my flirting option because I don't even think I was choosing bold options. My girl was so direct I was just like, this could never be me in real life.
I don't know who's route I'll try and get next maybe Rezan's he was like my best friend and he was really cute and nice too.
But I guess I just really like this game. The political situations albeit stressful are awesome, the romance build up is awesome, the side characters are awesome. Does anyone else think that all the four main romance characters have like awesome chemistry.
How do I avoid dying to the chimes in Chapter 4? I just can´t seem to avoid it.
are you referring to the tunnel scene? i didnt even know you could die there...
Yes
You need enough points for one of the love interests to save you. Trust me, I got that ending the second time going back because I ended up getting D to save me, which surprised me. I changed some choices and got a bad end after. Make sure you know which love interest you want and don’t split between points for others. Be dedicated to the one you love ahah.
you can look at guide
https://ataleofcrowns.tumblr.com/post/627362513923768320/walkthrough-unlocking-an-lis-route
Thank you for the help.
this game so quickly and adroitly captures my full attention...i join the fever of other commentors in saying I AM EAGERLY [and patiently] WAITING FOR MORE
im hungry,,,i need more MORE GAME MORE FOOD AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Im laughing on my floor right now, this game is amazing
I can't tell you how much I love the R route, I love Rêzan lol
it's impossible to express the squeal of joy i just emitted after coming back here :D
Does anyone know when the full game will come out? (I'm new)
Nope! As of right now its still in the works but there is an estimation of how many chapters which is 25 currently however you can find more content by supporting the author in her patreon or kofi and get early snippets and chapters! This is most of the information I have at the moment.
Oh okay thank youu! i would've responded earlier but i kinda forgot my password..
I do request some help if it's okay. I seem to try each time, but I can't give my D a high in a relationship and am wondering if you all have suggestions since I'm only able to repair it near the end of 10, but I want to try making them happy from the beginning :') much thanks!!
I think it's plot relevant to make us have not high relationship point with D. Perhaps it was part of the character? Because I already played this demo so many times, I forgot what flavor text I got for D's relationship bar, but it was "they feel reassured" or something by chapter 10.
Yeah that makes sense since D's route is like a slow burn of us trying to pull and help with obstacles while navigating the relationship and trying to convince D.... sigh poor D 😔.
ty also for the info 🙏
you can get a high romance route for D from what i know, i do not know how to achieve it though.
i recently found this out tho, so i think your best option is to try every route possible until you have a relationship that isnt unsteady
once you get there, your relationship with D should be described as 'they want to be there for you'
I think since he is a general, our political choices also affect him so I might try different choices. Kinda similar to how the 10th crown relationship worked
Also when he asks us questions maybe different combos affect it more since I did change one of my answers one time and I wasn't able to repair the relationship after
ty for the info 🙏
...I did it...but at what cost 😭
HAHA it should say your relationship has been progressing well, i didnt realise there were two versions! this is a direct quote from the person i learned it off and it may be spoilers, do not read if you dont want spoilers to it lol.
'The main decider seems to mostly be the choice you make at the coordination, when Kham speaks to D—, I haven't gone back and tested everything, but I consistently failed when I clicked ||"It's isn't your fault, nor is it your mother's",|| and our relationship went up when ||I allowed them to remain bowing and told them that "it wasn't their fault"|| I can't remember the result of asking them to stop bowing, but only telling them that it isn't their fault
I think what tripped me up was that if you fail this, your relationship doesn't go down until like two chapters later when D— voices their opinion during court with the Stewart.
Roughly every other choice seems to be pretty flexible, or at least, you'll know the impact of the choice on the relationship immediately after, making it easy to go back a choice or two'
🫡 Thank you so much for your input I shall test it soon, as I am determined to have a happy ending with D
you are very welcome, i hope you and D get your happy ending !
I LOVE ALLLLL OFFF THEMMM OMMMGGG😭😭😭😭
i've been anticipating each update this game comes with since i discovered this gem back in the pandemic days. good luck with the new chapters!!
AAAHHH R ROUTE AT CHAPTER 12 IS SOO??? OMG
I CANT THANK U ENOUGH FOR FEEDING MY DELUSIONS BCUS AAAAAAA R IS SO PRECIOUS
YOUR WRITTING, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IF IS PERFECTION!!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK :DDD I CANT WAIT FOR MORE STUFF IN THE FUTURE <33
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this game! The story is s wonderful <3 I just finished R's route, and wow, I'm hooked.
I'll be playing the other's routes next. Eagerly waiting for updates! Thank you for making this wonderful tale!
I'm not an English speaker, I'm using the translator, but, being a person who doesn't usually get hooked on a story easily, I can say that I LOVED IT. The interesting background, the magic system is incredibly entertaining, the tension of not knowing how much your decisions will influence the future, this game has really made me pause and have to reflect on what decision to make haha, the characters are interesting and I like that the romance develops gradually and naturally. Anyway, it's pure art. As a last comment, X is just another level, ZIRYAN PLEASE, 5 MORE MINUTES AT LEAST
ME TOO! ITS ILLEGAL
Literally my words mate 🙏 LIKE WHY ZIRYAN WHYYY
We love Ziryan....just maybe not as a romantic block...but its okay...the boy is trying his best 🥺
Completely unrelated to how beautiful and engaging this story is (and how much I absolutely LOVE it), but every single play-through I always find myself kinda wanting Tujo- (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
this is me rn, its my first playthrough and im only at chap 3 but mannn, Tujo is smt to me
New chapter is great!
SPOILER
Did anyone choose to ally with the historians?
Or to eithet take the merchant to court or use as leverage? Does this affect relationships?
eh....kinda depends.
a bit of a spoiler
view rest and scroll if you don't mind such.
I think its good to ally with the historians as they record much of the history and have dirt on the nobles which we may need for the Steward W later on due to the info from chapter 12, as for the merchant I thought it would be beneficial to let Kham deal with it since, it gains favor from her and her mother in the sense of a debt to us and does please Kham which is beneficial but that aside, up to you I mean it seems being on the political opposite of the Peris, especially Kham's mother may lead to more trouble down the line after this. However, it still in progress so hard to say but best to get as many allies and build relations as that might help for a good ending and also with the benefit of the past crowns relations with the Peris to keep up political relations.
A side note though
Spoiler...
you do seem to also get close to her if you pick a certain option and depending on your previous choices she will come to find you a "kindred spirit" in her words such as herself
sooo brownie points 👍 :)
however say you pick another option you do find out she may have more knowledge than she may lead on perhaps :^
Its all very in the air so you do what you want though you do get a bit more insight into some of her opinions if you play D's route
this is a huge achievement. the setting is vibrant and breathing, the descriptions are enthralling--its very immersive. also i can pine for other men just as i do irl.
SPOILER!!! In chapter 9 when dealing with minister of justice has anyone been able to choose the third option? I've tried everything other than completely snubbing the nobles in order to unlock it.
That's the way to go, I think (snubbing the nobles). That's how I always get that option at least.
I: told everyone about the assassination attempt, planned a public coronation (open to public and nobles), had festivities only for the public. Not sure if those are all the options you get, but choose ones which benefit the public the most.
Potentially spoiler, but it's just discussion about who would be the assassin.
Kham getting more sus in each chapters, but Idk, maybe because I decided to not trust her at the first place. But, consider this; why peris want to assassinate the Crown, if Crown was chosen by the spirits? The personafication of the nature itself. Peris are part of nature. At least, that's my theory. An IF theory. She getting even more trustworthy when I chose not to suspect her. I owe her an apology after these 3 years🤣
Spoiler~~~!
In chapt 12 it depends but apparently our favorite sentient tall bacon tree might be holding something from us soooooooooooooooo it is in the balance of what is Kham's possible further motive here
When I decided to trust Kham by choosing choices that not suspect her, she really friendly to MC. Even ... (Spoiler)
Showing her human form. So Idk if it's part of her facade, but after playing both route (trust and no trust), it seem like she just PLAYING with our suspicion if we don't trust her and only being genuine if we trust her. Typical fae behavior 🤦♀️
AHHH EVERY INTIMATE MOMENT WITH X MAKE ME GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEETS. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! Thank you so much for this beautiful work qeresi and happy New Year to you too!
could you provide some help on what gets the high romance with X? i've tried many things but seem to be stuck on "your relationship has been unsteady lately"
I think you gotta pick the choices where you placed trusted in him that he will be back and respected his boundaries, I hope this could help and goodluck on getting it!!!!
Anyone know what determines the mc’s cursive? I got a different font one run but another on a different and i picked all the choices i always do 💀
It's related to your Crown's intelligence/intuitive and blunt/charming traits!
thanks for the reply! You write beautifully btw thank you for sharing your work with us ♥️
this guy's right about the value of eggs tho lol. they're so expensive where i live and i loved this little bit, it was hilarious! happy new year, readers and qeresî! <3 will be replaying and trying my hardest to get high romance for all four ROs, wish me luck i'm actually struggling sm :')
Same lmao. Eggs are very expensive in here too
I'm late like 3 daysss. Literally played every ROs while waiting back then so to indulge myself, I will be playing from the start. Thank you author for this storyT^T
this was SO GOOD OMIGOSH I LOVE R SMMM
I LOVE R MY SWEETHEART THEY ARE SO CUTEE🙁
Just played high A route... brb gonna cry bc they're so fucking sweet
I played all 4 routes because I can't choose between the ROs :))
How many chapters will there be? I actually loved the story :3
She said on tumblr there should b ~25 chapters if i remember correctly ^_^