Queen’s Domain
Developer: Freshly Baked Games
Publisher: Future Friends Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $19.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
Long before they were known as the developers of the Dark Souls franchise, FromSoftware spent quite a few years working on an entirely different albeit still quite challenging franchise known as King’s Field. With numerous sequels through the initial release in 1994, the developer slowly let the franchise fade away into the memories of its fans. Now two of these fans have spent countless hours looking to capture the magic of that era of game development as obviously as possible with Freshly Baked Games creating Queen’s Domain, a retro styled first person RPG with plenty of challenge and little handholding. With a two person team and a dream, is Queen’s Domain everything an indie RPG lover would adore?
Story
The player takes on the role of a prince who sets out on an adventure to try and see what happened to his father, King Gius Abraon, as he set forth towards the evil ancient queen’s resting place on the Isle of Neasied. With this queen, named Queen Siraatsu, stirring in her slumber numerous monsters have begun appearing and reviving and even docile creatures now thirst for blood. After months of silence from the island and the King, the prince sets out to see what has happened only for a powerful figure to create a whirlpool and sink his craft just before he arrives on the isle. Thankfully, he manages to survive but loses all of his supplies in the process and soon finds the few remnants of his father’s expedition team, learning that they have failed spectacularly and the King has been trapped inside of a temple, locking any potential help from getting in all while the remaining knights struggle against the rampaging fauna and undead.
With only a rusty sword and some minor clues about where to go to find other potential members of the expedition and a way to breach the temple walls, the prince is set forth into a journey that will take him far beyond the realms of what lays upon the surface, beneath the ground, and even further beneath that as more mysterious revelations and surprises continue to unfold at practically every turn. All of this starts as players first obtain the legendary holy sword Endu that serves not only as the player’s primary way of moving around but a key narrative element that we won’t spoil here. Ironically, going too much into detail about the various aspects of Queen’s Domain’s storyline would be spoilers since so many of them involve just unique revelation after revelation, and this is for a game that has barely any actual NPCs to talk with.
There are various lore books scattered around, some of which are joke references while others are notes about the current location that players are exploring, but a lot of the storytelling comes from the minimal NPC interactions who, despite having only a few lines sometimes, reveal everything the player needs to know when it is combined with the amazing atmospheric storytelling. This is especially true a third or so of the way into the game when the entire world seems to flip on its head as the new environment and enemies that players face off against, and the weapons players can obtain here, are unlike anything that one would find on a fantasy RPG island.
It is worth noting that while the game does occasionally point players in the right direction here and there, there are no actual direct hints as to where to go sometimes. This means that players may find themselves needing to search for a puzzle solution that may not even exist or instead backtracking to a previous area that now is reachable thanks to a new tool they have at their disposal, that being said, while this low level of handholding is refreshing for the genre, it also makes for a bit of an annoying time when players find themselves truly lost as to where to go next, especially since the game’s enemy respawn rate is a bit off, only for the solution to finally click after battling their way, or running, through foes that shouldn’t have respawned in the first place.
Gameplay
On the surface Queen’s Domain‘s combat is fairly simple but it is worth noting that it focuses entirely around one meter that many likely won’t expect, the stamina meter. This yellow gauge is expended whenever the player runs or dashes around and while players can run for as long as they want, running up and hitting an enemy will likely do almost no damage. This is because all damage from a standard weapon attack, and most secondary weapon attacks, revolve around how much stamina the player has when they attack, as a single swing will use up the entire stamina meter. Players can charge a swing by filling the meter up with a blue cover to deal extra damage, but otherwise stamina is the name of the game. This means that, ultimately, players will need to make sure to play a game of hit and retreat with enemies, baiting out attacks that leave them open for a counterattack at full power or even a dashing blow to finish enemies off.
Depending on the weapon type there will be various secondary attacks. For many of these they involve a simple dash forward, backwards, or downwards slam, but for fancier weapons with magical properties the secondary attack is far different. These weapons all have various “charges” that refill over time while equipped and can be utilized when one of the crystals is full. One of the first magical weapons players will gain access to for example is the Azure Torch that can throw a fireball that deals damage over time and allows players to swap to another weapon and keep fighting at the same time. Yes, players can have up to three primary weapons, three throwing weapons, and three accessories equipped at a time. Weaponry also is broken into four types, physical which is standard straightforward damage then there are weakness targeting pierce, slash, and crush types. Every enemy has various weaknesses or resistance to certain attack types, like most skeletons or golems being weak, and therefore taking bonus damage, from crushing weapons, while slashing damage does half damage.
Thankfully since players can have, basically, six weapons equipped at a single time and can change equipment even during fights, it is entirely possible to always be on top of an enemy’s weakness. One thing that is also very useful in combat is the aforementioned throwing weapons. Unlike melee weapons, throwing weaponry such as daggers, needles, chakrams, axes, etc. work on a cool down system that automatically refills over time. This means players can start throwing daggers at an enemy while backpedalling, swap to their needles to kill the enemy or, if it is still alive, close in for a finishing melee blow. It also helps that there is an absolutely ridiculous level of weapon types and variations to go off of. This includes throwing weapons that refill slowly but automatically home-in on enemies, poison daggers, health draining daggers that refill the player’s health with every successful hit, melee weapons capable of throwing screaming magical skulls out to target an enemy, send out a wave of flame when smashed into the ground, and more.
A number of these weapons can even “evolve” when players use them enough as not only do players level up but their weapons do as well. While most weapons, with the exception of one specific blade, have a level cap of 10, there are some that evolve at this point into stronger versions of their original selves, often containing a unique skill to go along with it. This includes the Holy Sword Endu which players will be using for far more than just fighting as it is also one of the game’s main ways to maneuver around the world. Initially when players obtain Endu, they will have one “Wind Gem” that provides an air-dash that can bridge small distances that players cannot jump on their own. In many ways there are some small “metroidvania” elements to Queen’s Domain since, as players obtain more wind gems by progressing through the game they will also obtain the ability to bridge insurmountable gaps that contain special treasures, collectables, or even hidden rooms as this is a game that rewards exploration unlike any other.
Not only will players find things such as eggs to return to a mourning fish queen for various rewards, they’ll be able to track down necklaces from fallen raiders, and most importantly special meals tucked away in all random places throughout the world. Many of these are just off the beaten path or tucked away on a ledge somewhere that only inquisitive players will find while others are literally hidden behind walls that will lower once players interact with them. It is interesting to note that some of these hidden walls are indicated by skeletons pointing in their direction but this isn’t always the case, so players will want to keep an eye out for anything off looking or out of the way since there is usually a good reward for doing so.
One thing that is worth noting is that once players start to get into a decent “groove” of the game’s mechanics, level up their character and weaponry, and gather a solid collection of healing items, the challenge level won’t feel quite so daunting but it must be said that Queen’s Domain is not an easy game by any means. Enemies will hit like a truck early on and barely leveled gear will require multiple hits to take down even the simplest foes. To make matters worse, the game features save points only and these are scattered fairly sparsely throughout the world. So sparsely in fact we went nearly an hour exploring a new zone never to find one, ultimately backtracking to the previous save point to preserve the unlocked shortcuts, obtained items, and various levels. It is also worth noting that the game only supports the simplest of “fast travel” possible and this is done through specific teleportation circles in each of the main locations in the game, meaning players can’t simply warp whenever they want, though the option of burning a “crystal shard” to return to a save point is also an option.
Saving at these locations is essential but these areas also serve two other purposes. One is, eventually, the shop. This shop will take ancient coins and allow players to buy extra healing items, better weaponry, extra accessories, and sometimes even more throwables for newly obtained throwing weapons. Players can also sell treasure here for more coins as treasure, dropped from specific enemies or found in chests, are only useful for selling. The other purpose is to rest and restore the player’s health or remove status conditions, like poison, a condition that lasts for far too long in its current form as it can drain a fully healed character to half health or less if left untreated.
Now the negative part of resting is that it will respawn all of the enemies that players previously defeated except for bosses but this is where Queen’s Domain has an issue. Traveling too far away from defeated enemies, even by going too far into the same dungeon sometimes, will automatically make them respawn anyways. This is an annoying issue especially if player are utilizing health items to try and make it as far as possible without resting to keep a location clear for exploration only to find it refilled with enemies anyways.
Audio & Visuals
The developers really must be given credit for how authentic they have tried to stay true to the retro art style that has inspired Queen’s Domain. Every weapon has a different appearance, there are well over a hundred different enemies with many of them featuring completely different appearances compared to simple reskins, though there are more than a few that are simple color or size swaps, and as mentioned before the environmental storytelling is top notch. In fact, thanks to this art style, the draw distance is so immense that players can clearly see other sides of the island if they happen to be high enough on a tower or mountainous area. It is also nice to note that the game’s visuals aren’t afraid of being a bit comedic at times either through the skeleton poses as they point out clues or hints to straight up referencing a popular anime series.
It is worth noting that while NPCs will talk with the player there is no voice work of any kind throughout the game which is a bit of a disappointment even if it remains true to the game’s roots. Thankfully the title makes up for it with some outstanding background music that varies depending on the location players are exploring, from mysterious or tropical music while traveling along the beach to a quacking theme song of the store, or even complete silence when something dangerous might appear in the next room.
Overall
Queen’s Domain could have simply tried to ride on the coattails of being inspired by a solid franchise from the past but instead not only has this indie team managed to surpass all expectations, they’ve surpassed even the original games themselves outside of a few issues here and there. With challenging combat that gives players countless ways to approach their target, so many hidden secrets, pathways, and treasures to uncover, and an interesting world that only grows more mysterious the further players dive into it, and Queen’s Domain becomes a must play RPG for anyone willing to take the challenge.
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