Hanako Games

Thank you so much and Long Live the Queen!

#1 by Franka - Dec 2 2012

I have nothing but praise for this game. It's challenging, strategic, intelligently written, adorable and highly addictive. I can easily spend 10 minutes planning my next move, cross referencing notes and getting lost in that little piano tune.

I've found that I've had to keep extensive notes, not just on when certain skill checks are coming up, but general notes on who's who and where they belong. The cast was very confusing for the first few games. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be kind of neat (and perhaps more confusing, so...) if the little pop up windows with personal info on characters were unlocked, or updated, by relevant skills.

There was just one thing that confused me, and that was the effect of mood on skills. I know it's in the brief tutorial, but I didn't catch that there was only dominant mood which took effect. At first I thought that each mood that deviated from neutral had an effect on skill growth, and was gnashing my teeth at trying to figure out why skill modifiers didn't do what I wanted them to. It was probably my own fault for not paying enough attention though.

I leave you for now with a successful story of Queen Elodie:
Once his daughter was secure on her throne, Joslyn returned to his birthplace to focus on his duties as Duke of Caloris.
He was pursued by many women, but showed little interest in remarrying, directing them instead to his brother, the Duke of Mazomba.
The subject of magic and Lumens remained a slightly uncomfortable one for the citizens of Nova. Perfectly fine for the Queen, who had inherited it by divine right, but not something that other people should be aspiring towards. Look at all the terrible things that happened when that power fell into the wrong hands!
As an openly acknowledged Lumen, Julianna, Duchess of Ursul, was met with public suspicion whenever she journeyed outside of her Duchy. At times, that suspicion was accompanied with thrown vegetables.
It did not matter that Elodie supported her fully as a member of the noble court. That only led the commoners to whisper that Julianna was a bad influence on their Queen.
Julianna's perpetually unmarried state was even more worrying to those with wagging tongues. What if that influence rubbed off on the Queen, and left Nova with no heir?
After the halt of the Shanjian invasion, relations across the western sea remained calm and trade flourished. Shanjia's expansionist phase seemed to have come to a halt.
Sometime later, a special trade ship from Shanjia arrived with a tribute for Queen Elodie. There was a beautiful harpsichord inlaid with ivory and pearl and golden roses, as well as two paintings, clearly made by children, depicting a pink-haired angel.
Elodie appeared disinclined to marry, instead enjoying herself with a stable of favorites, then discarding them as soon as they bored her.
Since one of these affairs did produce the all-important crown prince, the rest of Nova had no complaint. After all, she was the Queen. She could do whatever - and whoever - she wanted.
The social calendar throughout Elodie's reign was packed with games and galas, dances and competitions - not just for entertainment, but also to keep her rivals on their toes.
And thus Queen Elodie's legacy stretched into the future...

#2 by Franka - Dec 3 2012

I have a couple of questions:

1) Can you meet Charmion, Duchess-Consort of Kigal, and see a synopsis of her character (or any of their sons for that matter)? I got Severin, but Charmion seems to elude me.

2) I need a strong hint for "making a foreign duke my subject." This has to do with Talarist, yes?

Also, this was comedy gold:
Even within your castle it's impossible to avoid the whispers. The Mad Queen. The Bloodthirsty Queen. The Cursed Queen.
Your mother, your father, your aunt and uncle, your cousins... all dead. Even an illiterate peasant can read that omen.
The only family you have left now is your father's brother Armand, the Duke of Mazomba, and like many other nobles, he doesn't appear to be eager to speak with you right now.

I don't suppose there's a way to get rid of Armand as well?

#3 by hanako - Dec 3 2012

1. Nope, Charmion never appears and has no art. (Their offspring don't have any art either, since they never speak.) It is possible to catch a glimpse of Corisande's husband, though, depending on how you handle his sister Julianna.

2. Yes, it's about Talarist. If for some reason you are needing to give him an official title in Nova, he has to give up his old title in order to take it and become your subject.

And no, Armand stays out of your way too much for you to find a pretext to have him killed.

#4 by Franka - Dec 3 2012

Yes, I do have Ignatius in my encyclopedia (he was kind enough to abstain from voting at the ball). Which means the character section is probably complete now.

I shall proceed to pursue Talarist!

#5 by Franka - Dec 4 2012

That was trickier than I expected, but while pursuing my evil minion status, Talarist bowed to me as well.

This marks my completion of checklists and deaths, but there's still more I want to see. I wish for an even longer checklist with even more obscure outcomes. But this was certainly worth the price!

Expansion, please?

#6 by Ramidel - Dec 5 2012

How did you get the ending involving a stable of favorites?

#7 by Franka - Dec 5 2012

I get this most of the time. Generally speaking, I avoid all possible marriage commitments throughout the game, dance with someone scandalous at the ball (unless this lands me Brin) and choose no one to pursue at the end.

#8 by Darksilverhawk - Dec 10 2012

Franka:

Also, this was comedy gold:
Even within your castle it's impossible to avoid the whispers. The Mad Queen. The Bloodthirsty Queen. The Cursed Queen.
Your mother, your father, your aunt and uncle, your cousins... all dead. Even an illiterate peasant can read that omen.
The only family you have left now is your father's brother Armand, the Duke of Mazomba, and like many other nobles, he doesn't appear to be eager to speak with you right now.

How do you get this? If dear old dad gets killed she doesn't want to meet with her agent, and to take Lucille out earlier you need Lumen so you can't get Joslyn to take on Togami for you. What am I missing?

#9 by hanako - Dec 10 2012

If dear old dad gets killed she doesn't want to meet with her agent

That's dependent on Elodie's mood. If you can manage to make her something other than depressed by the time that agent tries to report in, she can decide to go all VENGEANCE.

#10 by Franka - Dec 10 2012

Indeed. If you made sure to be very Afraid, Yielding or Lonely (I was terribly afraid), you can still get your Jason mask on. "Off with their heads!"

#11 by Darksilverhawk - Dec 11 2012

Haha, got it! Miserable Elodie = Bloodthirsty Elodie. That is vicious. This game really does need a longer checklist; I've long since completed it but still find new stuff all the time.

#12 by Franka - Dec 22 2012

Still having fun times with this. My pursuit of Brin finally paid off (it's so hard to just stick to one goal per game). Who's the father here, I wonder? Did Banion do the two of them a favor?

Though she received many proposals, Queen Elodie appeared to have little interest in marriage. When she was not occupied with running the country, she spent much of her time with her companion Brin, the Duchess of Hellas.
Despite her lack of husband, Queen Elodie did produce an heir to the throne - a daughter. The child was acknowledged; the father never was.

The confusing entanglements variation is kind of cruel, and that last line pretty creepy. All she needs now is to get romantically involved with him.

Elodie proposed marriage to Banion, the Duke of Maree, and was accepted. They were attended at their wedding by Elodie's father Joslyn and Banion's sister Brin, who were themselves recently wed.
The complicated family entanglements continued through the years. Brin and Elodie developed a close friendship and were more often seen with each other than with their respective husbands, and their children considered themselves more siblings than cousins.
Which meant that the future Duke of Caloris would be Elodie's half-brother, nephew, and pseudo-step-son, all at the same time.

#13 by Ramidel - Dec 23 2012

Franka:

Still having fun times with this. My pursuit of Brin finally paid off (it's so hard to just stick to one goal per game). Who's the father here, I wonder? Did Banion do the two of them a favor?

Elodie grabs a random male servant, yanks him into her bedroom and tells him to make her a baby and keep his mouth shut afterwards?

After all, she is the queen, and she can do whatever- and whoever- she wants.

#14 by Franka - Dec 23 2012

Depends on her mood, I suppose

#15 by Franka - Jan 2 2013

I may be a mean queen, but I'm a good queen, dammit!

Banion, Duke of Maree, Earl of Serenitatis: The vote of Maree is for change.
Joslyn, King Dowager, Duke of Caloris: Caloris stands with the Queen.
Laurent, Duke of Merva: She is my sister's child, and I her stated heir. I cannot vote. I abstain.
Armand, Duke of Mazomba: Mazomba stands with the Queen.
Julianna, Duchess of Ursul: Ursul stands with the Queen.
Severin, Duke of Kigal: Kigal stands with the Queen
Lieke, Duchess-Regent of Sudbury, Countess of Dis: Sudbury votes for change.
Corisande, Duchess of Mead: This process is distasteful. I abstain.
Arisse, Duchess of Lillah: Lillah stands with the Queen.
Fabian, Duke-Regent of Elath, Earl of Titan: Elath agrees with Lillah.
Bennett, Duke of Hellas: Hellas stands with the Queen.
You do a bit of quick tallying in your head and realise... you've won!
Elodie, Crown Princess: The votes have been cast, and I remain Queen.
Elodie, Crown Princess: And you remain a traitor to the realm.
Elodie, Crown Princess: One who has just attempted to lead a coup.
Elodie, Crown Princess: Your life will be your apology.
Elodie, Crown Princess: GUARDS!

#16 by Hazel - Jan 2 2013

Do you know what made Lieke turn on you? In almost all of my no-confidence games, Banion ends up being completely humiliated before his public beheading. I think I once lost a vote of no confidence, and that was just because Elodie only studied things like swordplay and horseback riding.

Do you always choose Intrigue over Divination? By and large I think it's better, but you don't get the scene with Fabian at the ball.

#17 by Franka - Jan 2 2013

That was just a test run to see the effects of being the Dancing Queen (throwing balls every week) on noble support. The only negative I did was to execute Brin to force the vote of no confidence.

I've only done the Divination scene once, to get it for the check list.

#18 by Hazel - Jan 3 2013

I see. I think I should try sending an Elodie to the ball with nothing but music and animal handling at her disposal. You know, for science.

#19 by Franka - Jan 4 2013

I love this game.

In the dark of night, a young girl, bound and gagged, was carried from the royal dungeons to the docks and loaded onto a ship. There she was joined by the Lumen Queen and her trusted priestess. Together they sailed west to the region where the kraken had last been spotted.
The ritual was carried out, and the sea monster was banished.

One of the young queen's closest confidants was Briony of Mead, whom Elodie formally appointed as her royal Lady-in-Waiting, and less formally, as the Lady of the Royal Bedchamber. The two carried out a very public flirtation, complete with moonlit serenades under balconies and the ritual slaying of imaginary dragons.

#20 by Ramidel - Jan 5 2013

In that game, you cooperated with Kevan, right? Piss Kevan off, or get engaged to Talarist, and Arisse and Fabian turn on you.

re: Lieke: If you surrendered the province, she's against you for being totally useless as a Queen and for not giving her anything. If you executed Brin, she's against you because you killed her family-by-marriage. If you turned Brin into a commoner, she's for you, because you put her husband in control of Hellas.

The only skill that matters if Banion launches his coup is Public Speaking, since if that's high enough, you can stop the vote from ever taking place. If you get to a vote of no confidence at all, your skills have no effect on it. The nobles aren't voting for or against Elodie based on her competence (if Elodie were a competent ruler, Banion wouldn't have gotten this far to begin with), they're voting for their interests.

#21 by Franka - Jan 5 2013

I was hoping that the hidden noble_approval stat had an influence on the vote, somewhere.

#22 by Hazel - Jan 8 2013

Giving away territory to Ixion causes Lieke and Brin both to vote against you. This might have been the only time I didn't have Bennett in the vote. Naturally, Bennett owes you for making him duke and presumably will always vote in your favor.

#23 by Ramidel - Jan 8 2013

Franka:

I was hoping that the hidden noble_approval stat had an influence on the vote, somewhere.

Sadly, no.

Maybe you should try having the Dancing Queen repeatedly anger Arisse; the stat might affect that situation.

#24 by Franka - Jan 8 2013

Yes, it's a fine way to avoid civil war. But then I actually find it rather hard to consistently start a civil war in the first place.

#25 by Franka - Jan 8 2013

Best line in the game?

Agent: No common revolutionary sent you those poisoned chocolates. I would wager that the motive is more... personal.
Elodie, Crown Princess: (Personal? A romantic gift of death? Great.)

#26 by Hazel - Jan 9 2013

My favorite lines are from Fabian and Kevan, respectively. If you pass the court manners check in the trial for Corisande's attempted murder, he sheds some light on what Briony wrote in her coded letter: "dead and buried and not much missed." Really, unraveling that mystery was both horrifying and fascinating.

#27 by Franka - Jan 10 2013

Hadn't seen this ending before. It's sweet.

Freed from the need for secrecy, the Duchess Julianna and the Priestess Selene were able to announce their shared magical powers and their love. At Elodie's prompting, the lovers pledged their devotion to each other in a private ceremony, after which Selene retired from the priesthood to accompany her wife to Ursul.
As neither of them intended to bear children of the body, Julianna made arrangements for her niece Briony to be declared the next heir to the duchy of Ursul as well as the inheritor of her crystal. Briony's mother Corisande hoped that the training necessary to make her flighty daughter into a future magical girl warrior would keep her out of worse trouble.

#28 by Hazel - Jan 10 2013

Finally! I enjoyed my success far too much.

Despite their attempts at secrecy, there were many who had caught some glimpse of Charlotte during her captivity, and some who suspected exactly what had become of her. But you had to be careful who you shared such rumors with. If even that sweet-looking young Queen was a blood-drinking Lumen witch, how could you trust anyone?

...and also...

Elodie loved the feeling of power at her fingertips. She studied the legends of Lumens of the past: in particular, their weapons and their wars. Just how had the Old Queens summoned immortal shadows and bound them to their will? And could she do it again?
The people of Nova learned to fear their queen, who ruled with a wicked whimsy. Anyone who dared to displease her might be whipped, or beheaded, or worse - set free to spend the next month in a panic waiting for the sword to fall. Her rise to power had shaped Elodie into a cruel woman who took pleasure in the suffering of others.

Dreadful, wicked girl.

#29 by Franka - Jan 11 2013

You did it the hard way, then. Good show.

#30 by Hazel - Jan 11 2013

I did that foolish thing where I accidentally doubled up the unlocking, so I executed everyone and also went to the trouble of hiring a bard. All those points pumped into horse riding for nothing! Well, not for nothing. I have an irrational affection for the animal skills.

My current game has Arisse as a mentor but I don't know if Elodie will get her Lumen skills up in time to survive. Not sure what to try next, maybe a militant princess who leads the fleet without a single point in Lumen skills, just to see if there's any shot at it. Maybe a pretty princess who wins the approval of the commoners. Maybe just pick all the least useful skills and maximize them, and see if it's even possible to survive.

#31 by Franka - Jan 11 2013

Hazel:

Not sure what to try next, maybe a militant princess who leads the fleet without a single point in Lumen skills, just to see if there's any shot at it.

It's fairly easy if you know what you're doing.

Interesting things I've done, also related to my personal Extended Checklist:

Spoiler:
- Explored magic and faith with Selene as mentor. Many scenes are different.
- Held Briony hostage for fun & profit.
- Fun with agents and commoner uprisings.
- Min/maxing money.
- Sunk fleets with 4 Lumen in the circle. And paid for it.
- Assassinated Arisse.
- Picked off Laurent, Lucille and Charlotte, one by one, in separate events.

#32 by Hazel - Jan 12 2013

I find that executing Banion at the Grand Ball is so entertaining that I've lost all interest in making Brin marry an Ixionite. I am starting to favor surrendering territory to Ixion in order to secure them as an ally for later on. It's amazing how so many options that fantasy stories have conditioned me to see as "weak" provide such delightful results.

How many commoner approval events need to be triggered in order to get the approval boost at the end of the game?

#33 by Hazel - Jan 14 2013

Managing a country is always a juggling act, but Elodie had mastered the art of being one step ahead of the game. Her information network allowed her to predict the moves of her enemies and outmaneuver them, allowing Nova to gain a little more power and prestige every time.

Intrigue really is the best skill.

I still can't manage to avenge Joslyn. Perhaps if I hadn't executed the entire Merva line? Although the consequences for that were, once again, deeply entertaining.

#34 by Ramidel - Apr 1 2013

Unfortunately, Joslyn can't be avenged. He only died because you were too weak to do something about it, after all.