Thank you! Chapter 8 is fantastic! Edit: I meant to ask: How do we change the background color? I looked but couldn't find anything. Another edit: nevermind. I see that the color is a little darker now.
They haven't been removed. If you're playing it on mobile, you need to put your browser in desktop mode before launching the game, otherwise they're not visible. The game is intended to be played on PC, so some functions like this may not always work.
Edit: Also note that this only seems to work on some mobile browsers, like Opera. The options don't seem to appear at all on Google Chrome; nothing I can do about that, unfortunately.
congratz on the next chapter release! I know how much work just goes into the writing, when you add images and choices and the coding to make that all work together it becomes real mind boggling! looking forward to playing through again this week.
Wonderful writing, compelling story, interesting universe. The UI is also very slick and modern. What engine did you use? Only compliant is that I can't view it in vertical on mobile. Really loving it so far. I especially love the little details like pronunciation guide; great extra level of polish which represents how well made this is.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I used Twine with the Sugarcube story format. Unfortunately, the UI elements would look extremely cramped in vertical view (especially images) so horizontal is the best I can do for mobile users at the moment.
Also, note that the game is intended to be played on PC so mobile layout won't be optimized any time soon.
Hello ! I wanted to say thanks for this amazing game. I loved very bit of it and I hope to read the next chapter one day. Much love !! PS: I will never be able to stop loving Xelef and Azad <3
ATOC reminded me how much I enjoy IF after years away from it. This is one of the better storytelling experiences I’ve had in any game, IF, video, board, or other form.
Alright, I've followed this project for quite a while now and I have a genuine question at this point. When you meet Perjin in the palace, there's mention of genuine body transformation, and it got me thinking. In a society that values pronouns as heavily as is shown in the game, will the genuine BTF allow the Crown to be trans? I know they technically can by selecting one sex, and using opposite gendered pronouns, but would a genuine BTF allow them to change their sex to match their identity? I didn't know if that was a thing since it wasn't mentioned anywhere as far as I'm aware, so I didn't want to take the risk of playing as a MtF Crown if some sort of transition wasn't a possibility, so I guess my actual question is if that is something present in the game? I get if it's too big of a hassle to write, but I guess my curiosity got the better of me leading to me actually asking about it. It just seems like something that would fit a setting like this, so even from a lore, if not game perspective, if it's actually a possibility for trans people in your universe?
The answer is plainly yes, but I'll add an explanation regardless:
The concepts of 'cis' and 'trans' don't exist in Arsur because no one is assigned a gender at birth. However, from our own perspective, we can obviously still label characters as trans or cis based on our standards. For example, if you have a character that would have been assigned male at birth by our standards but considers themselves otherwise, they're obviously a trans character to us, even if the concept doesn't apply in universe because they were never misgendered and socially pressured to be male.
Similarly, body transformations are also used in-universe for a variety of reasons, including to better match someone's identity even if gender assignment isn't a concern. You obviously don't have to physically transition to be trans, but the option is definitely there!
It's not something that will be explored in the game though, it's not really a focus of character development for MC: they are comfortable with their identity at this point in their life. Of course you are free to headcanon that your MC used a body transformation themselves when they were younger to fill in the gaps!
That's also why I didn't make the player specify their Crown's gender and sex in-game, only their pronouns - whatever you imagine for your Crown's gender and their experience is fully up to you and is equally canon to anything else.
From a lore stand-point, that's super cool. As a trans person based on our perception on gender and sex, it's cool to see someone who's build a whole ass universe where gender is mostly up to the individual themselves, rather than up to the general perception of society as a whole. I'm a trans woman, and although I live in a pretty liberal country in Scandinavia, there are obviously those who would always proclaim firmly that I'm a man who can't accept myself.
And although trans protagonists are becoming far more common, especially in the interactive fiction scene, I always feel like the protagonist being trans is either just handwaved away as being okay in the setting without any further explanation as to why that's the case, or them being trans just isn't mentioned at all which to me does take away some aspect of what it means to be trans. I'm by no means saying everything should have a big philosophical debate about gender and sex, but some games which even features sex scenes be they explicit or fade to black, often don't have the protagonist mention that they're trans to the love interest at all, yet they go on to have sex without it ever being brought up before or after the sexual encounter which honestly just doesn't make sense.
I can handwave away that all the love interest are magically attracted to the protagonist regardless of gender, but even if they are attracted to their gender, that doesn't automatically apply to their genitals. Some lesbians are more than happy to date trans women regardless of if they've had surgery or not, while some just aren't attracted to male genitals and therefor aren't interested in dating a trans woman (Which is completely fair, genital preferences aren't transphobic) and obviously that goes for gay guys too. So I feel like the protagonist not talking with them about it prior, and it never being brought up after the fact, makes the protagonist being trans feel disingenuous if that makes sense? Obviously we want a setting were our identity is accepted, but it's naïve to not at least make it a topic of conversation when it comes to relationships, because even if the setting is completely accepting of it on a social level, it can still very much make a potential relationship incompatible.
Even in a society where we're fully accepted, it's absolutely still something that's important and needs to be mentioned as a part of the story, because otherwise what's the point in making the protagonist trans? At that point, it just feels like it was added for the sake of being added. We like to pretend that we're no different than cis women, but at the end of the day we are different. Sure we're still the same in terms of our gender identity, but being trans inherently makes us different on a physical level which is something I feel like should be addressed more, especially in games that are romance heavy. It doesn't have to be the main part of the plot mind you, but an offhand line of dialogue where the protagonist tells the LI that they're trans would be enough if that makes sense? Like that I feel like when the LI is fine with it, they've accepted who we are, and established that it doesn't matter to them, which I feel like is a super important thing to establish in a relationship when one of the people in set relationship are trans.
Sorry for my massive long ass commentary on the status of trans protagonists in interactive fiction, it wasn't ever intended to get as long as it did xD. I mostly only ended up going on that tangent to show how much I appreciate your setting, due to how open they are as a society when it comes to identity and biological sex. It's refreshing that there's a deeper meaning behind why being trans isn't a big deal, and it's written in such a way where having those casual conversations about it aren't necessarily needed. It feels genuine, and not just like being trans is accepted just for the sake of making it an option, without any thought-out reason behind why it's accepted the way it is.
Not at all, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts, it's really useful insight for me as a cis game developer! I absolutely agree that it's often a topic that's handwaved away unfortunately for the sake of convenience for the writer, which can really cheapen the experience of an interactive fiction novel. That's also part of the reason why I tried to build a foundation in the worldbuilding for Arsur for why it genuinely isn't an issue, aside from me also just trying to get away from cisheternormative standards.
Also, I want to add that while MC's own experiences with gender identity are left up to the player, the way gender works in the game's culture will definitely be further touched on in future lore sections to further expand how such norms work in Arsur. While it may not be a focal point, it's also just fun for me as a writer to experiment with it!
In any case, thanks for taking the time to leave such thoughtful comments 💖
I absolutely LOVE this!! Your writing is so good, I was hooked from page 1 just because it was so pleasing to read! Currently doing Dara's route and I love him, I can't wait for more <3 All the other characters are so interesting as well! Usually there's always someone who annoys me or I just find everyone really boring, but not in your story! They're all lovely! I can't wait to read the whole story, you have a great talent for this, keep it up! <3 definitely gonna read it again several more times :')
super lucky to discover this game when several chapters have already be released, but now i've devoured them and I can't wait for me! this game has single-handedly got me back into reading. every part of it is absolutely amazing.
I found this a few days ago and I come back here every day to do a full playthrough. Love the way the story is, it is so captivating and all the characters are beautifully created. Also, I love the fact that so much research has been gone through this. Waiting for more chapters.love the game
I'm not the author or in anyway associated with them, but I thought I would offer a suggestion. If you are in chapter 4 and get "You are not close enough with X to select this option" for all the love interests, then you are going to get the bad end (in my experience). What I did was start again and focus on one romance path, choosing every single romantic/flirting option for that love interest. If you don't get close to at least one of the characters fairly quickly, then you aren't going to be able to avoid the bad end. I hope that helps!
This is good advice! Also @firelily162 and everyone else struggling with the bad end, you can find a link to a walkthrough I made in the game description above as well, it's at the bottom! It lists all the necessary choices and conditions to get a specific route at the end of Chapter 4 and avoid the bad end.
Absolutely love this game replayed about 6 times at this point now and it still doesn't get old xD Love your work! It's incredibly detailed and alluring, with great pace and most importantly I simply adore each and every character! The biggest miracle of them all - MCs personality doesn't piss me off or make me roll my eyes - shocking! a well written mature character with adequate reactions and fears, someone call Vatican, miracles do happen! I also appreciate the visual threads where we can find some inspiration on how to imagine the whole world of The crown. :) Great job! Ps. I recently found this playlist that's kind of my "official" soundtrack for this game I always put on everytime I do another playthrough :D
I was a little hesitant to start the game because it is still in development. There were quite few games that i was invested and autors just stopped updating.
But 'A tale of crowns' is something else! I am glad i gave it a shot!
The story is immersive and well written. Characters are interesting with their own personalities. And i was really surprised about chapters length, this is amazing!
The only regret i have that i found this story now and not when it was fully finished, because i just hate to wait😅
just gonna drop a comment to say how much i love this. it's genuinely amazing - the world is so interesting and the characters are so unique, and honestly some of the writing has made me laugh or smile stupidly at my computer lol. thank you for doing what you've done so far, i'm excited to see more chapters :D
So I don't usually comment on things, but this was too amazing to not! The story and characters are well thought out, and the writing is just beautiful. I played through it maybe 5 or 6 times because I just loved it so much!!
This has kind of inspired me to make my own interactive fiction game as well! I have been planning a game for a while, but having never made any games before I was worried about it not being any good. I didn't really think much of interactive fiction before, but its a good way to practice, and show off your world building/story skills!
…Just realized I was rambling...oops...
Anyways, as I said before, this was amazing! I'm excited for what is to come!
This is the first time I played this kind of game. And I must say. Wow.
First, the writing is so amazing that would put even most bestsellers to shame. The settings, descriptions, world, characters, everything are so rich in detail that just make you see and feel it. I can't express enough in words how much I loved and lost myself in this new world.
About the characters. I loved them all, but in special, Rozerîn. I don't think I ever felt so happy regarding an LI like I am with her. She became easily one of my all-time favorite LIs so far and some scenes with her, especially a certain very important one on CH7 are just, wow.
Now to wait for the next chapter and then the others. Thank you so much for this game.
I’m normally not into fantasy kind of things but this may just be the single greatest thing I’ve ever read in my life. The dialogue is natural, the plot is interesting and the romance is unparalleled. I love this IF and everything about it
Heya, same as the comment below me, this is one of the best IF I have ever played. The characters, settings, scenarios all flow together smoothly from beginning to end. Or rather "End", as I was enjoying this game so much I don't even know how I suddenly had a Bad End at chapter 5 LOL. Probably because I made the romance option pretty vague without choosing any single one. Thus I will be repeating this one from the beginning and I hope I'll be able to avoid that unfortunate end for my Crown.
Thank you so much, comments like these and the one before are so appreciated!! 💖
Haha yeah, I would recommend focusing on a specific RO to get points with since they each split into separate routes after Chapter Four. I also have a walkthrough for how to avoid the Bad End if that would help, linked in the game description at the end!
Wow! Thanks for replying! Lol I saw what you wrote in the description, now I don't know if I feel proud or ashamed that I'm probably the few, hopefully not the only one who didn't need a guide to get the bad ending!!!
I dont know where the start . This had to be one of the best interactive fiction games I've EVER played , for you to write so much in just a single chapter? This could very well be a book. I'm not used to chapters being so long at all , even just one chapter seems to have enough words for 3 , its amazing. The characters are REAL , real people who dont open up easily and who react the way anyone would. Everyone seems so fleshed out and unique they all left an impression on me , I've already done the hero romance route but now I'm definitely replaying for everyone. Thank you so much for writing this story and you can bet I'll be here for the ride
Riveting story, I've enjoyed it a lot so far! Looking forward to the next update, but I also love how replayable it is due to the various routes + personality traits that I can try out in the meantime! Thank you so much!
hello! I’m playing on chrome on my iPad and have trouble with saving, I requested desktop mode as suggested but when I try to save on the disk the long wall of text appears and nothing is saved 🥲
I'm afraid I'm not sure how the game works for iPad as I designed it primarily for PC and mobile! You can try a different device or a different browser, and see if that helps.
Yes and thank you for replying! I really enjoyed reading your story and Dara is currently my favorite 🥰 i love your writing and the way you write slow burn romance is just chefs kiss, I couldn't find smth like that since the times of wayhaven and fallen hero 😮
I've commented here before but rereading the story, I've found myself absolutely in love with it once again <3 Super excited for future updates!
Also, I adore the main cast, although chapter 2 makes me wish we could also give Heval and Tûjo big smoochies 🥺 I'm sure it is quite a lot to ask but I will silently hope for some more fun scenes with them!
A Tale of Crowns is a work of epic proportions by Cherry, a skilled and masterful storyteller who has evidently raised the bar for interactive fiction. Before ATOC, I had not read many IFs outside of perhaps Ace Attorney, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. Little did I know that ATOC would soon pull me into a richly defined world of court intrigue, meaningful choices, and fully realized characters. The most striking aspect about ATOC is just how clearly it is a labor of love, a heartfelt declaration of Kurdish pride. Before reading ATOC, I was unaware of the existence of the Kurdish, which speaks to geopolitical concerns beyond the scope of the game. To those who plan to play ATOC, I ask that you pay due respect to Cherry's culture and seek to understand its Kurdish context and existence in the real world.
The prose of ATOC possess a quiet power, smoothly weaving each scene with an effortless ease. Cherry writes confidently, in a way that makes it evident that the story is crystal clear in her mind. Particular lines and entire scenes stand out in the story to a devastating degree, ensnaring the heartstrings and provoking genuine emotions and intense reactions in readers (some of which I've seen expressed in the ATOC Discord server). Beyond the prose, I am impressed by how Cherry balances multiple story threads with a well-developed cast and memorable interactions. She is a master of foreshadowing, a skill difficult to cultivate in the genre of interactive fiction and rarely even used at all.
The setting and worldbuilding of ATOC is some of the best that I have ever seen in an IF. Cherry even provides a map to the audience, showing a real commitment to reader immersion. She establishes the lore of the Arsurian Empire with a deft hand, making it clear to the Crown, ATOC's main character, that their role in the story is much bigger than they may have expected at first. I could go on and on about how much I adore the magic system in ATOC, but then this review would never end.. Let's just say that I adore how Cherry took inspiration from the real world and turned the classic elemental magic on its head.
Speaking of our MC, I am duly impressed by the extraordinary amount of variation available for the Crown. You can experiment with a multitude of traits based on choices made within the game, and experience different scenarios with the chosen RO/LI. The customization for appearance has a great deal of variety as well, and I especially enjoy the galaxy-brained way that Cherry handles the matter of gender and sexuality in the context of ATOC. Over the course of these seven chapters, I have replayed the game with different combinations and different LIs to experience this game over and over. There is a huge replay value to ATOC, due in no small part to the incredible range of variations written into the story itself.
Now, as for the main cast of ATOC... can I just say that Bisexuals (fondly) have immaculate taste. Cherry has somehow pulled off making four different ROs who are all equally compelling and magnetic in their various charms. While I have certain biases, I enjoy learning more about each RO and witnessing their interactions with each other. The ROs have richly defined backstories and lives outside of their potential romance with the MC. They demonstrate values and motivations that establish the individual strengths of their character arcs. I also love that there is no real difference between the male and female ROs. They are the same height, essentially look like fraternal twins, and possess the same personalities. As a silly lesbian, I so dearly indulged in being surrounded by capable women.
What I appreciate most of all about ATOC is that Cherry wrote this with purpose and intention. Every word is carefully picked, every thread of the plot is carefully drawn, every choice carefully considered for its future consequences. A Tale of Crowns is a creator of color's love letter to her Kurdish culture, the strong and resilient people that have been unfairly subjected to oppression in the real world. How lucky and fortunate we are that Cherry has given us this work from her heart of hearts.
All said, A Tale of Crowns has firmly carved a place out in the upper echelons of interactive fiction with its mesmerizing storytelling.
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Thank you! Chapter 8 is fantastic! Edit: I meant to ask: How do we change the background color? I looked but couldn't find anything. Another edit: nevermind. I see that the color is a little darker now.
Excuse me while I die because chapter 8 has been released...I love this game too much 😂
Is there any way to not get 'blunt' and 'charming'? I don't know if there is like a shy or timid option but if there is I don't know how to get it😭😭
Oh wait nevermind I already found out the character traits!! If anyone is also curious simply just go to cherry's tumblr
Love the story and characters! 😍
My only question is whether the new update was supposed to remove the "load disk" and "save disk" options on the saves menu.
They haven't been removed. If you're playing it on mobile, you need to put your browser in desktop mode before launching the game, otherwise they're not visible. The game is intended to be played on PC, so some functions like this may not always work.
Edit: Also note that this only seems to work on some mobile browsers, like Opera. The options don't seem to appear at all on Google Chrome; nothing I can do about that, unfortunately.
Thank you for clearing up that. Love the lore behind the chapter.
Glad you enjoyed it 💖
congratz on the next chapter release! I know how much work just goes into the writing, when you add images and choices and the coding to make that all work together it becomes real mind boggling! looking forward to playing through again this week.
I got the bad end first playthrough. Didn't even know there were multiple endings. Well done.
What do you mean bad ending? What happened huh?
If you don't get enough relationship points with at least 1 of the love interests by the end of Chapter Four, you get an early bad end 😔
oh thx
I am so happy I found this game, The story and characters are just wonderful! I cant wait for the next chapters, keep up the good work :D
Wonderful writing, compelling story, interesting universe. The UI is also very slick and modern. What engine did you use? Only compliant is that I can't view it in vertical on mobile. Really loving it so far. I especially love the little details like pronunciation guide; great extra level of polish which represents how well made this is.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I used Twine with the Sugarcube story format. Unfortunately, the UI elements would look extremely cramped in vertical view (especially images) so horizontal is the best I can do for mobile users at the moment.
Also, note that the game is intended to be played on PC so mobile layout won't be optimized any time soon.
I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless 💖
Hello ! I wanted to say thanks for this amazing game. I loved very bit of it and I hope to read the next chapter one day. Much love !!
PS: I will never be able to stop loving Xelef and Azad <3
ATOC reminded me how much I enjoy IF after years away from it. This is one of the better storytelling experiences I’ve had in any game, IF, video, board, or other form.
I have no words... I just want to keep on reading this amazing work!
Can't wait for the next update.
Just finished the latest chapter and my cats have had to put up with my screeching!
I have so many theories Im losing my mind!!!
Alright, I've followed this project for quite a while now and I have a genuine question at this point. When you meet Perjin in the palace, there's mention of genuine body transformation, and it got me thinking. In a society that values pronouns as heavily as is shown in the game, will the genuine BTF allow the Crown to be trans? I know they technically can by selecting one sex, and using opposite gendered pronouns, but would a genuine BTF allow them to change their sex to match their identity? I didn't know if that was a thing since it wasn't mentioned anywhere as far as I'm aware, so I didn't want to take the risk of playing as a MtF Crown if some sort of transition wasn't a possibility, so I guess my actual question is if that is something present in the game? I get if it's too big of a hassle to write, but I guess my curiosity got the better of me leading to me actually asking about it. It just seems like something that would fit a setting like this, so even from a lore, if not game perspective, if it's actually a possibility for trans people in your universe?
The answer is plainly yes, but I'll add an explanation regardless:
The concepts of 'cis' and 'trans' don't exist in Arsur because no one is assigned a gender at birth. However, from our own perspective, we can obviously still label characters as trans or cis based on our standards. For example, if you have a character that would have been assigned male at birth by our standards but considers themselves otherwise, they're obviously a trans character to us, even if the concept doesn't apply in universe because they were never misgendered and socially pressured to be male.
Similarly, body transformations are also used in-universe for a variety of reasons, including to better match someone's identity even if gender assignment isn't a concern. You obviously don't have to physically transition to be trans, but the option is definitely there!
It's not something that will be explored in the game though, it's not really a focus of character development for MC: they are comfortable with their identity at this point in their life. Of course you are free to headcanon that your MC used a body transformation themselves when they were younger to fill in the gaps!
That's also why I didn't make the player specify their Crown's gender and sex in-game, only their pronouns - whatever you imagine for your Crown's gender and their experience is fully up to you and is equally canon to anything else.
From a lore stand-point, that's super cool. As a trans person based on our perception on gender and sex, it's cool to see someone who's build a whole ass universe where gender is mostly up to the individual themselves, rather than up to the general perception of society as a whole. I'm a trans woman, and although I live in a pretty liberal country in Scandinavia, there are obviously those who would always proclaim firmly that I'm a man who can't accept myself.
And although trans protagonists are becoming far more common, especially in the interactive fiction scene, I always feel like the protagonist being trans is either just handwaved away as being okay in the setting without any further explanation as to why that's the case, or them being trans just isn't mentioned at all which to me does take away some aspect of what it means to be trans. I'm by no means saying everything should have a big philosophical debate about gender and sex, but some games which even features sex scenes be they explicit or fade to black, often don't have the protagonist mention that they're trans to the love interest at all, yet they go on to have sex without it ever being brought up before or after the sexual encounter which honestly just doesn't make sense.
I can handwave away that all the love interest are magically attracted to the protagonist regardless of gender, but even if they are attracted to their gender, that doesn't automatically apply to their genitals. Some lesbians are more than happy to date trans women regardless of if they've had surgery or not, while some just aren't attracted to male genitals and therefor aren't interested in dating a trans woman (Which is completely fair, genital preferences aren't transphobic) and obviously that goes for gay guys too. So I feel like the protagonist not talking with them about it prior, and it never being brought up after the fact, makes the protagonist being trans feel disingenuous if that makes sense? Obviously we want a setting were our identity is accepted, but it's naïve to not at least make it a topic of conversation when it comes to relationships, because even if the setting is completely accepting of it on a social level, it can still very much make a potential relationship incompatible.
Even in a society where we're fully accepted, it's absolutely still something that's important and needs to be mentioned as a part of the story, because otherwise what's the point in making the protagonist trans? At that point, it just feels like it was added for the sake of being added. We like to pretend that we're no different than cis women, but at the end of the day we are different. Sure we're still the same in terms of our gender identity, but being trans inherently makes us different on a physical level which is something I feel like should be addressed more, especially in games that are romance heavy. It doesn't have to be the main part of the plot mind you, but an offhand line of dialogue where the protagonist tells the LI that they're trans would be enough if that makes sense? Like that I feel like when the LI is fine with it, they've accepted who we are, and established that it doesn't matter to them, which I feel like is a super important thing to establish in a relationship when one of the people in set relationship are trans.
Sorry for my massive long ass commentary on the status of trans protagonists in interactive fiction, it wasn't ever intended to get as long as it did xD. I mostly only ended up going on that tangent to show how much I appreciate your setting, due to how open they are as a society when it comes to identity and biological sex. It's refreshing that there's a deeper meaning behind why being trans isn't a big deal, and it's written in such a way where having those casual conversations about it aren't necessarily needed. It feels genuine, and not just like being trans is accepted just for the sake of making it an option, without any thought-out reason behind why it's accepted the way it is.
Not at all, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts, it's really useful insight for me as a cis game developer! I absolutely agree that it's often a topic that's handwaved away unfortunately for the sake of convenience for the writer, which can really cheapen the experience of an interactive fiction novel. That's also part of the reason why I tried to build a foundation in the worldbuilding for Arsur for why it genuinely isn't an issue, aside from me also just trying to get away from cisheternormative standards.
Also, I want to add that while MC's own experiences with gender identity are left up to the player, the way gender works in the game's culture will definitely be further touched on in future lore sections to further expand how such norms work in Arsur. While it may not be a focal point, it's also just fun for me as a writer to experiment with it!
In any case, thanks for taking the time to leave such thoughtful comments 💖
I absolutely LOVE this!! Your writing is so good, I was hooked from page 1 just because it was so pleasing to read! Currently doing Dara's route and I love him, I can't wait for more <3
All the other characters are so interesting as well! Usually there's always someone who annoys me or I just find everyone really boring, but not in your story! They're all lovely!
I can't wait to read the whole story, you have a great talent for this, keep it up! <3 definitely gonna read it again several more times :')
super lucky to discover this game when several chapters have already be released, but now i've devoured them and I can't wait for me! this game has single-handedly got me back into reading. every part of it is absolutely amazing.
wanna thank this game for introducing me to the wonderful world of interactive fiction <3
Literally my favorite game on this site- the story is so investing and the characters are so well done I love it!
Fantastic job! I look forward to new chapters in the future!
an excellent read/play! looking forward to the rest!
I found this a few days ago and I come back here every day to do a full playthrough. Love the way the story is, it is so captivating and all the characters are beautifully created. Also, I love the fact that so much research has been gone through this. Waiting for more chapters.love the game
I love this so far but iv'e like gotten the bad end in ch 4 like 3 times....like idk what i'm doing wrong
I'm not the author or in anyway associated with them, but I thought I would offer a suggestion. If you are in chapter 4 and get "You are not close enough with X to select this option" for all the love interests, then you are going to get the bad end (in my experience). What I did was start again and focus on one romance path, choosing every single romantic/flirting option for that love interest. If you don't get close to at least one of the characters fairly quickly, then you aren't going to be able to avoid the bad end. I hope that helps!
This is good advice! Also @firelily162 and everyone else struggling with the bad end, you can find a link to a walkthrough I made in the game description above as well, it's at the bottom! It lists all the necessary choices and conditions to get a specific route at the end of Chapter 4 and avoid the bad end.
i really like the story and i don't even read that much, but like, I'm pretty investeddd :'D
Absolutely love this game replayed about 6 times at this point now and it still doesn't get old xD Love your work! It's incredibly detailed and alluring, with great pace and most importantly I simply adore each and every character! The biggest miracle of them all - MCs personality doesn't piss me off or make me roll my eyes - shocking! a well written mature character with adequate reactions and fears, someone call Vatican, miracles do happen! I also appreciate the visual threads where we can find some inspiration on how to imagine the whole world of The crown. :) Great job! Ps. I recently found this playlist that's kind of my "official" soundtrack for this game I always put on everytime I do another playthrough :D
This game just illuminates my life. I'm so happy for this discover. I can't even talk about how much I appreciated to play and read the story.
I was a little hesitant to start the game because it is still in development. There were quite few games that i was invested and autors just stopped updating.
But 'A tale of crowns' is something else! I am glad i gave it a shot!
The story is immersive and well written. Characters are interesting with their own personalities. And i was really surprised about chapters length, this is amazing!
The only regret i have that i found this story now and not when it was fully finished, because i just hate to wait😅
just gonna drop a comment to say how much i love this. it's genuinely amazing - the world is so interesting and the characters are so unique, and honestly some of the writing has made me laugh or smile stupidly at my computer lol. thank you for doing what you've done so far, i'm excited to see more chapters :D
~the eyes in background~
eye1:"ah- crap. its her again"
eye2:"what the hell.."
eye3:"isnt it like, the 12th time this month?"
eye1:"yep, thats her"
eye2: "ugh she's so creepy..."
eye1: "just ignore her and maybe she'll leave"
eye2: "dude we're literally eyes glued to her screen"
eye3:"I wanna quit this job"
Yeah, I feel your stares judging me 👁️👄👁️ but I aint leaving!
The only thing bad about this is that now I have a permanent need for a Xelef in my life 😔
So I don't usually comment on things, but this was too amazing to not! The story and characters are well thought out, and the writing is just beautiful. I played through it maybe 5 or 6 times because I just loved it so much!!
This has kind of inspired me to make my own interactive fiction game as well! I have been planning a game for a while, but having never made any games before I was worried about it not being any good. I didn't really think much of interactive fiction before, but its a good way to practice, and show off your world building/story skills!
…Just realized I was rambling...oops...
Anyways, as I said before, this was amazing! I'm excited for what is to come!
This is the first time I played this kind of game. And I must say. Wow.
First, the writing is so amazing that would put even most bestsellers to shame. The settings, descriptions, world, characters, everything are so rich in detail that just make you see and feel it. I can't express enough in words how much I loved and lost myself in this new world.
About the characters. I loved them all, but in special, Rozerîn. I don't think I ever felt so happy regarding an LI like I am with her. She became easily one of my all-time favorite LIs so far and some scenes with her, especially a certain very important one on CH7 are just, wow.
Now to wait for the next chapter and then the others. Thank you so much for this game.
I’m normally not into fantasy kind of things but this may just be the single greatest thing I’ve ever read in my life. The dialogue is natural, the plot is interesting and the romance is unparalleled. I love this IF and everything about it
Heya, same as the comment below me, this is one of the best IF I have ever played. The characters, settings, scenarios all flow together smoothly from beginning to end. Or rather "End", as I was enjoying this game so much I don't even know how I suddenly had a Bad End at chapter 5 LOL. Probably because I made the romance option pretty vague without choosing any single one. Thus I will be repeating this one from the beginning and I hope I'll be able to avoid that unfortunate end for my Crown.
Thank you so much, comments like these and the one before are so appreciated!! 💖
Haha yeah, I would recommend focusing on a specific RO to get points with since they each split into separate routes after Chapter Four. I also have a walkthrough for how to avoid the Bad End if that would help, linked in the game description at the end!
Wow! Thanks for replying! Lol I saw what you wrote in the description, now I don't know if I feel proud or ashamed that I'm probably the few, hopefully not the only one who didn't need a guide to get the bad ending!!!
I dont know where the start . This had to be one of the best interactive fiction games I've EVER played , for you to write so much in just a single chapter? This could very well be a book. I'm not used to chapters being so long at all , even just one chapter seems to have enough words for 3 , its amazing. The characters are REAL , real people who dont open up easily and who react the way anyone would. Everyone seems so fleshed out and unique they all left an impression on me , I've already done the hero romance route but now I'm definitely replaying for everyone. Thank you so much for writing this story and you can bet I'll be here for the ride
Omg thank you so much!! That's such high praise, I really appreciate it and I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed it so much 💖💖💖
Riveting story, I've enjoyed it a lot so far! Looking forward to the next update, but I also love how replayable it is due to the various routes + personality traits that I can try out in the meantime! Thank you so much!
hello! I’m playing on chrome on my iPad and have trouble with saving, I requested desktop mode as suggested but when I try to save on the disk the long wall of text appears and nothing is saved 🥲
I'm afraid I'm not sure how the game works for iPad as I designed it primarily for PC and mobile! You can try a different device or a different browser, and see if that helps.
I switched to safari and saving to disk works there 😅
Ah, it must have been an issue with Chrome then. Glad it worked out!
Yes and thank you for replying! I really enjoyed reading your story and Dara is currently my favorite 🥰 i love your writing and the way you write slow burn romance is just chefs kiss, I couldn't find smth like that since the times of wayhaven and fallen hero 😮
I really liked the part when they fight over bread, who eats half the basket? also how many chapters are there going to be
Really loving this! My only issue is that saving isn't working through itch, but hopefully I can figure it out (fingers crossed!)
I know it can be a bit of a hassel but it really helped me to just download my save files :D
This was a great suggestion - thank you!
The writing for this is so good! I especially love the banter between the characters.
I've commented here before but rereading the story, I've found myself absolutely in love with it once again <3
Super excited for future updates!
Also, I adore the main cast, although chapter 2 makes me wish we could also give Heval and Tûjo big smoochies 🥺 I'm sure it is quite a lot to ask but I will silently hope for some more fun scenes with them!
A Tale of Crowns is a work of epic proportions by Cherry, a skilled and masterful storyteller who has evidently raised the bar for interactive fiction. Before ATOC, I had not read many IFs outside of perhaps Ace Attorney, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. Little did I know that ATOC would soon pull me into a richly defined world of court intrigue, meaningful choices, and fully realized characters. The most striking aspect about ATOC is just how clearly it is a labor of love, a heartfelt declaration of Kurdish pride. Before reading ATOC, I was unaware of the existence of the Kurdish, which speaks to geopolitical concerns beyond the scope of the game. To those who plan to play ATOC, I ask that you pay due respect to Cherry's culture and seek to understand its Kurdish context and existence in the real world.
The prose of ATOC possess a quiet power, smoothly weaving each scene with an effortless ease. Cherry writes confidently, in a way that makes it evident that the story is crystal clear in her mind. Particular lines and entire scenes stand out in the story to a devastating degree, ensnaring the heartstrings and provoking genuine emotions and intense reactions in readers (some of which I've seen expressed in the ATOC Discord server). Beyond the prose, I am impressed by how Cherry balances multiple story threads with a well-developed cast and memorable interactions. She is a master of foreshadowing, a skill difficult to cultivate in the genre of interactive fiction and rarely even used at all.
The setting and worldbuilding of ATOC is some of the best that I have ever seen in an IF. Cherry even provides a map to the audience, showing a real commitment to reader immersion. She establishes the lore of the Arsurian Empire with a deft hand, making it clear to the Crown, ATOC's main character, that their role in the story is much bigger than they may have expected at first. I could go on and on about how much I adore the magic system in ATOC, but then this review would never end.. Let's just say that I adore how Cherry took inspiration from the real world and turned the classic elemental magic on its head.
Speaking of our MC, I am duly impressed by the extraordinary amount of variation available for the Crown. You can experiment with a multitude of traits based on choices made within the game, and experience different scenarios with the chosen RO/LI. The customization for appearance has a great deal of variety as well, and I especially enjoy the galaxy-brained way that Cherry handles the matter of gender and sexuality in the context of ATOC. Over the course of these seven chapters, I have replayed the game with different combinations and different LIs to experience this game over and over. There is a huge replay value to ATOC, due in no small part to the incredible range of variations written into the story itself.
Now, as for the main cast of ATOC... can I just say that Bisexuals (fondly) have immaculate taste. Cherry has somehow pulled off making four different ROs who are all equally compelling and magnetic in their various charms. While I have certain biases, I enjoy learning more about each RO and witnessing their interactions with each other. The ROs have richly defined backstories and lives outside of their potential romance with the MC. They demonstrate values and motivations that establish the individual strengths of their character arcs. I also love that there is no real difference between the male and female ROs. They are the same height, essentially look like fraternal twins, and possess the same personalities. As a silly lesbian, I so dearly indulged in being surrounded by capable women.
What I appreciate most of all about ATOC is that Cherry wrote this with purpose and intention. Every word is carefully picked, every thread of the plot is carefully drawn, every choice carefully considered for its future consequences. A Tale of Crowns is a creator of color's love letter to her Kurdish culture, the strong and resilient people that have been unfairly subjected to oppression in the real world. How lucky and fortunate we are that Cherry has given us this work from her heart of hearts.
All said, A Tale of Crowns has firmly carved a place out in the upper echelons of interactive fiction with its mesmerizing storytelling.
Thank you so much Jay, this is super thoughtful and so extensive, I really appreciate it 🥺💖💖💖