To Be A King - Volume 1

To Be A King - Volume 1
N/A
Metacritic
89
Steam
70.38
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Release date
30 September 2022
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
89 (170 votes)
Recent
72 (11 votes)

As a newly appointed royal minister, you take your position during a time of uncertainty. Three recent assassination attempts have left the entire kingdom on edge. Alliances are breaking. In this visual novel you'll need to make the right decisions, in romance and politics, to emerge as king.

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To Be A King - Volume 1 system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows Vista or Higher
  • Processor: 2.0ghz Core 2 Duo
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Storage: 4 GB available space

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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Gus
Gus

I really enjoyed this game, but like so many others, Steam users are getting sc**wed over. Developer posts that an update is available, but there's no DLC or files to actually install an update. Seems like they copied a post or something from their Patreon here, then never followed through. Poor communication to be sure.

MDGHOST
MDGHOST

Game is no where near complete. it seems that the creator intends to milk us by leading us on claiming that the other parts of this volume are held back because they are getting "too long". but gave specific dates for release and a month later ran a sell claiming the current chapters are done 8-10 but now is witholding the content. (these are the dates he posted)
2024 Planned Release Dates:
February 23: Chapter 11
June 7: Chapter 12
September 27: Chapter 13
we are yet to receive anything past 7 but if you go to patreon you can get them.... (they even claimed that volume 2 was complete... save ya money and support any of the other creators that I might add don't do this ish

cat.lover
cat.lover

A most excellent game, lots of fun and laughs, hot girls who throw themselves at you and a HAREM! The only complaint I have is there are no animations to make the scenes complete. The stils and graphics are great, but animations would be huge boost for this captivating storyline. Will definatly buy Volume 2!

whiskyricard
whiskyricard

A hard NO to any game launched without an onscreen menu and auto forward choice. I was able to last 10 minutes before the simple dialogue bored me to tears. The supposed "story" is WAY less important to the dev than getting the MC and several women in lewd scenes as quickly as possible. The dialogue is grade school level to the extreme.

If you're looking for porn, get it for free on the internet. This POS is not worth any amount of money.

Quetz
Quetz

This is one of the better AVNs I've played. Not only is the overarching story interesting and well written, the love interests are worthwhile to get to know, each having more depth than is clear at first glance.

I played through the game twice, first was a celibate run, the 2nd I went for the full harem. No guides were needed, though two achievements were tricky to get. Playtime for 100% achievement would be at least 10 hours, which is very reasonable.

Players have choices to make, though the main story is on a railroad. The choices are mostly about which love interests to woo, or events to skip/join, others influence the relationship between the MC and other characters.

Graphically, this game is outstanding. Renders are of a high resolution. The erotic scenes are nicely done, with plenty of variety, though there are no animations in the game.

The game features a system that grants attributes to the MC, though there's no in-game explanation of what they impact. The Walkthrough DLC states it will explain this gameplay element, and while I purchased it to support the dev, I do think the base game should've included some hints or explanation of how these stats are used.

sci-fi fan
sci-fi fan

It's a fun and sexy adult visual novel.

It's also unique because not many AVNs are about a king and queen and a general and princesses.

Multiple characters to form relationships with or not since you have choices in this game.

I suggest that you buy the walk-through guide, which shows how your decisions affects the different characters. The guide also is a good way to learn more about each of the women in your harem.

Cloud & Wind
Cloud & Wind

Avant Garde in the world of A.V.N-, therefore this game in thy start is more than enough to drag players into it's plot and even more good looking 3D female avatars. I cannot wait for the sequel. Good job Devs, keep it up !

chebonaparte
chebonaparte

I love Roman history and culture, solders, war, politics.
The game starts slow and then you're thrown a new girl every chapter! lol

It tells you if your choice will end a girls route.
It is very well made with beautiful women and scenes.
You can build a whole harem of women and they don't mind.

The story gets interesting and sometimes I wanted to just play the politics
Very enjoyable.

ravensix69
ravensix69

Good story, nice characters, but unfortunately 2 big issues compared to other games of that kind. No animated scenes and after a while the scene selections are fading away and everything keeps being a click through. I had high hopes in the beginning of the game, because of the story line and praised decision capabilities but after a while it felt more like reading a bock then playing an interactive game. If those issues could be fixed I would consider replaying or even getting vol. 2 but under the current circumstances there are other games of the same kind which deliver more interaction and most importantly animated scenes.

noas55
noas55

Entertaining story overall. I liked the political drama in it. Not too many choices, but they do seem to affect the story line. I did enjoy the different attitudes of the characters. Looking forward to future content for this game.

Mr. Bunny
Mr. Bunny

1/10 just don't buy it
2/10 very bad
3/10 bad
4/10 not good
5/10 okay
6/10 good
7/10 very good
8/10 almost perfect
9/10 perfect
10/10 omg tooo godt
____
9/10

𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙

Tromper
Tromper

Volume 1 provided more playtime (18 hours) and story development than I had expected, and I definitely recommend* the game for those who enjoy adult VNs. The story, so far, focuses on political intrigue and forming alliances, and develops without extraneous exposition. Volume 1 takes time to establish a firm foundation for its world, plot, and characters.

CONS: None that I experienced.

PROS: Excellent graphics, intriguing story, interesting and believable characters. Harem and monogamy options - I enjoy when games give me both options. An additional MAJOR plus for me: confident female characters the PC can have consensual relationships with: even Valentine, who may seem to lack confidence, is incredibly confident when you consider her background and what she is striving to accomplish.

As you can probably determine by now, I really enjoyed this game and twice stayed up later than I should have (work the next day) because I had to discover what was going to happen with specific characters. :-)

*My review may change if later additions to the game decline in quality and the developer's stated focus for the game diverges (see official walkthrough for details on the latter, if interested).

Mein Freund
Mein Freund

So like, we all know the #1 reason people get this game, and yeah, it hits that part out of the park. This game also has quite an interesting story with lots of intrigue. It keeps you guessing and the right decision is oftentimes not immediately apparent. One con for me is the lack of animations. I know this game is ongoing so I hope I'm able to update this review later and remove that con. All in all, I think the game is worth the cost.

Also, Aelinia is best girl.

revansshepard
revansshepard

I highly recommend this game. The premise is very unique among all the AVNs I've played so far. The setting is well done. The graphics are good. The writing is interesting and fun. The variety of girls, and how distinct their personalities are, is very impressive. I love how they interact with each other in addition to their interactions with your character.

The only downside I can see for people when talking about this game is the lack of animations. That was a bit off-putting at first, but I quickly found myself not caring because of how much I was enjoying the characters and story developments. This is a game I found myself playing straight through. After completing the game, I immediately found the developer's Patreon and supported them for additional content. They post regularly and seem to be on a good release schedule so far.

Nightbird
Nightbird

Plenty of content, an engaging story, good characters, each with their own consistent personality, no grinding needed. So far I have logged about 10 hours and played it through to the end of the volume 1 once. I am not sure if my decisions effected the ending of the chapter, they certainly effected my relationships with major characters both romantic and political. Character design was good and consistent with things said in dialog. A lot of thought and effort has been put into this and it shows.

nitlion2
nitlion2

This is a very well done effort an interesting plot, no grinding, and very well done renderings. There are scads of sexy scenes. I agree with some other reviewers that animation would improve the experience, but it was very enjoyable without it, too. I hate to say that I am old enough to remember serials at the movies. The chapter approach to VNs is the modern day electronic equivalent. It is frustrating, but I am really looking forward to the next part. Dialog is pretty good with some real humor in a few scenes. I think the product is well worth the price.

OG Gamer Boi
OG Gamer Boi

First off I think this game was good and definitely worth a buy, I got it in a bundle and on sale. Like someone else said sure there are other AVN's out there with better writing and scenes but this does what it does good as well in it's own right. The setting and development of the characters was refreshing and as I started to play more it drew me in and found myself binge playing, which is something that happens to me frequently if playing a good AVN. Honestly didn't expect much from this game but was pleasantly surprised. Looking forward to when Vol 2 comes out. Good Jod Dev.

KillerGamerJT
KillerGamerJT

TL;DR - A very interesting story set in the Roman Empire in a fictional setting that didn't fell apart and you are top General in a crisis. If you like political stories and (or stories) set in ancient times this is the game for you.

Like I said earlier, the game is set in ancient Rome and you take the role of a top General that is sent to the capital because the safety of the royal family is compromised and you are tasked to keep them safe basically.

This is not your typical college aged AVN MC, the dev says you are about 55 ( Yeah I call BS on that because there is no way a guy in his 50s during ancient times looks this young, mid 30s ) but I believe you can make the experience more enjoyable by making him in his 30s and you'll soon see why I'm saying this. All the romantic interests are below 25 except for 2 (1 is 27 and the queen, 60 I think) which makes the 30+ year gap extremely creepy IMO so that's why in my head I made the MC 25 (it's closer to my age and being a top general this young makes the irresistible charisma you have with the ladies a lot more sense cause let's be honest here, no 55+ year old man has every girl falling in love with him because of his personality).

My only real criticism of the game is the harem part of this game that was done very poorly in the case of the princessess because you can have all 3 in your harem at the same time (there is a limit to the suspension of disbelief xD). Dev do you really think 3 spoiled princesses would be ok sharing the same man with each other? If you really want people to take your game seriously there's a limit on how much suspension of disbelief can get you.

My score:
Renders - 9/10
Story - 7/10
Girls - 8/10
Choices - 6/10

Overall score 7.5/10

Let's see what volume 2 has in store for us :)

Heimdall
Heimdall

Good story, nice change of scene and different character, looking forward to future updates as the story is not yet finished so worth waiting until it is.

It is a harem game where choices make minimal difference and every woman will sleep with the MC with little effort so if that's what you enjoy then this is a fun one.

jlockey1
jlockey1

About 4 hours in so far. The plot is very good, character models are solid, the guide is detailed and well written. I think this is a great game in this genre. I give it a solid 8/10. Worth a buy in my opinion.

themissingcard
themissingcard

I really can't fathom why this game has such high ratings.

It says it's a "choose your own adventure", but the adventure you get to choose is to play the linear story, or not.

The only choice in the first few chapters was who to start a relationship with, or not, and once you start you are locked into following that linear path completely, no successive choices. Even the relationships are just thrown at you so suddenly and without a build up that there's nothing beyond getting you straight to the adult scenes ASAP. The story might as well be about a "lucky" pizza delivery boy...

If you just want to click through a story and see mediocre adult scenes, then here's your story. If you are looking for choices, anticipation, and any kind of connection to the characters, then this is not the story you are looking for. The story it self is a good premise, but the execution isn't very good. The main character's horrible decision making is the most frustrating I've ever seen, and really had me cringing and not wanting to continue.

I'm not sure if the developer knows this or not, but the Roman Empire is not copyrighted, so just call it the roman empire. I feel like they just didn't want to do any actual historical research, they just wanted to use the idea and costumes.

Kjas
Kjas

I liked the game. One of my complaints about these games is that they have no real plot. Just a slide show of people making out. This game has a plot and a pretty good one. My next complaint is that every girl the main character meets falls for him 5 minutes after meeting him. No explanation usually just zap they are in bed --no romance no flirting and no suspension of disbelief because the real world does not work that way. This game gets around that because the main character is a Rock star general in the Roman empire where successful generals were rock stars. The choices just determine how big your harem is and there is no failure possible unless you choose it which cuts both ways. No suspense which is a negative but no zap you are dead which is a positive. I prefer a vn where if you use common sense and clues in the game you can make good choices and succeed. In this game they tell you if a choice will block off a route so there is no suspense at all. I would buy it for the plot even if there was no sex in it. Hope this helps people on the fence.

kinggenesis0315
kinggenesis0315

T.B.A.K. -

Is surprisingly excellent; let me explain,...
for an (avn) it does not feel like an "avn".
What the game feels like is a truly fleshed out
story of knights, sabotage, infidelity & more.

Bullet points:

Graphics - Excellent to superb (check screenshots).
Art/Animations - Acceptable.
Story - Well-written to excellent.

Overall i'd say that this was a well invested
game considering it comes off as another typical
"avn" at best; But in reality it leaves you wanting more.
Bring on volume 2...

michaelglennmoore
michaelglennmoore

There is a lot of freedom of action in the game, and there is a hint of noyaux in the nobility as if trying to emulate the greatness of the past and paying more attention to the forms than the substance, quite adroitly written and cast in this world. I played through to the end of Volume 1 twice, once with a dissipation of romantic attention and once with focus, the second time with only the eldest princess (not consummated) and the goddess as objects of interest. Most likely, I will not be playing Volume 2 as the movement to Unreal Engine 5 puts the game in a category of games I have downloaded then asked Steam to remove because I could not start (most with unreal engine crash handler messages). But the game is worth investing if your comp will run it.

elfseeker
elfseeker

Aside from the fact that the game as-is do not permit you to (rightfully) sit on the throne, it's a game I would warmly recommend for the girls. and a bit of story near the end that genuinely surprised me a number of times. :)

jongreen36
jongreen36

Have to say that in terms of story and choice making, this is definitely one of the better novels available right now.

It's a welcome change for the protagonist to be of the older generation and not just a horny confused teenager trying to get in his mother or sisters pants.

As mentioned by a few other reviews, there are no animated scenes that might be the only let down to what otherwise was a good story.

Looking forward to Volume 2.

jones3196
jones3196

OK. This one is just fun! The only drawback is that the scenes have no animation, but otherwise, this is top notch. The story is excellent. You feel a sense of intrigue with several different characters. the models are beautiful, and even without animation the scenes are sexy. Definitely looking forward to future updates or volumes.

Anonymous
Anonymous

This game is probably the one that convinced me to start getting into VNs. Interesting story, plot twists worthy of a Hitchcock movie, and characters that develop and you grow to love as the story moves on. It's a really interesting alternative history idea, like a new Roman Empire after the fall of the actual Roman Empire, yet the outside scenes are very much Roman in appearance but the interiors are mediaeval. I love looking at the background detail, though the foreground action is often a little distracting! I wait with bated breath for the next instalment!

Tsudonhim
Tsudonhim

The Good:

1. All the models look nice. Normally there are one or two in these types of games that look like excels from the uncanny valley, But I haven't found any of the models in To Be a King to be unattractive.

2. The music is nice. It reminds me of Final Fantasy sometimes. I wouldn't put it on a playlist, but it's not the worst I've heard in an AVN.

3. The dev seems to try a lot harder than some other AVN developers to find or create assets that at least somewhat look like they belong in the story's setting.

4, The guide for the game is well-designed and offers some interesting insights into the dev's thought processes while creating a part of the game.

The Not So Good:

1. The lewd scenes are way too few and far between! I'm sorry, this story is not compelling enough without either more sex or some other gameplay mechanic involved between scenes. which leads to my next point.

2. The character dialog is repetitive and boring. Characters end up repeating what they just said to one character to a completely different character way too often. for example, there was a conversation between the MC and one of the girls to discuss a kidnapping. The MC says, "Hey, should we wait for the other person who is supposed to be here to talk about this?" The girl says, "No, we'll just explain it again when they get here." and they literally do just that. The MC tells the girl what they know, then we are forced to read the same information a second time, just told to a different character. And this is not a one-off incident. This happens many times!

3. The dev wants to have a complex political thriller set in an ancient Rome-like kingdom but doesn't have the skill to really make it interesting on its own. on top of having characters repeat themselves verbatim to multiple people, the rest of the writing is just dull and unexciting. It's also a little tonally confusing. For the majority of the story it's trying to evoke a serious story like Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven, But then there is an anime waifu goddess character with a wacky stuffed animal sidekick who makes all the girls horny for the MC. Just...why though?

These last two points are really just nitpicking, but I'm going to say them anyway.

4. While all the models look really good, their personal grooming is way too modern. There should be a lot more bush and other body hair is all I'm saying.

5. I do like the guide, but launching it from the game keeps the game running on steam even when you close the game itself. So the playtime you see here is inflated somewhat. Not sure by how long, maybe like 5 or so hours.

Final Thoughts:
To Be A King is just average. It doesn't really make me feel one way or the other about it. It feels like the game is crying out for something else. Like some management of the armies, giving orders to the city watch, or even some turn-based tactical combat. Something to help hid the meh story and dialog and make the time between lewd scenes less boring.

croakiejoe
croakiejoe

This is definitely one of the better AVNs out there, there are points where you wish there was an option to make a different decision and the sheer number of women can get overwhelming but over all it's a good story. The renders are great and it moves along easily enough the only real recommendation I'd have for this is the addition of a Skip button that stops at new dialogue so that replaying the game to make different choices isn't endlessly rapid-fire hitting the space bar to progress the story and not really being sure if you are missing something new.

Enigma Lemonade
Enigma Lemonade

Enjoyed. Story is good and graphics better than adequate?

No animations in this one at all, fair warning, if that is a deal breaker.

The audio is minimal, voice acting is just very short snippets of the grunt variety, no actual voice acting of any dialog.

Got through to the end (Chapters 1 thru 7 in Vol. 1) in roughly 13 hours of play.

jfoytek
jfoytek

Okay I have just finished Chapter 1 of this game and I can quickly see the type of "Book" this game is...

It really annoys me when a VN - Makes claims about Choices that Matter and then GIVE YOU NO CHOICES

After an ENTIRE first Chapter I has so far had ONE choice..... If I should jump into the sack with a character or not....

Now maybe this game get's better, I will trudge on but I am leaving a negative review because this game IS NOT as good as the Ratio or Positive Review's make it out to be... If you simply want a book to read then this might be your thing but I expect a game to be a game not just a book... I expect to I don't know make a choice every couple of sentences... NOT 1 choice after an entire chapter?!?

Again if the game gets better I will adjust this review, but I have a feeling based on chapter one that this is not a VN type game I can recommend because nothing annoys me more then Visual Books like this that don't give you any ability to interact with it....

So after reaching the end of this Volume of the game, I have come to the conclusion that its a pretty well written book.... and I am looking forward to finding out how the story ends. However I still feel the game is lacking in an adequate amount of interaction with the player, yes you do get some more questions in the latter chapters but its typically (You want to sleep with this one) choices... They don't feel like choices that matter to the story line.... So I am going to leave this review as negative only because its current ratio is too high and while its a decent enough story its not as good as the reviews make it out....

Fractal
Fractal

An interesting power fantasy set in the court of alternate Byzantine-era empire. Plenty of romance-able characters with varying and competing interests. While solo romance routes are available - until the narrative completes in a future volume, the generous harem route works better overall.

I hope the next volume has dark and deadly consequences for the protagonist, antagonists, and love interests; since this is a rare opportunity for a Game of Thrones style AVN.

stella
stella

Fun story and a unique setting. If you enjoy medieval/roman stories, this will be a great choice. The characters are entertaining and there are enough romance options that it can at times feel overwhelming.

The artwork is beautiful and the ladies look fantastic.

Beyond the obvious reasons for playing, the dialogue tends to be pretty good, and there were several moments where the game made me laugh out loud. If you are looking for a fun visual novel with a historic twist I highly recommend this game.

Prof Bob
Prof Bob

Finally VIN with sex and a story. The Great Story is the main part, with some lovely women as rewards. I admire the roman period of history........... Lots of backstabbing "you too Brutus" in and out of Rome..... Trust very very few. And that includes the women too.

Pacheto
Pacheto

AVN game that is very well made. It has everything from the genre - story, nice visuals, lewd scenes, cloud saves, Steam achievements. Scenes and gallery replay function.
I still think the price is a bit high as you get only 7 chapters, volume 2 seems DLC (extra price) and not sure if there are better options for same price tier. Lust Academy, Being a Dik, Amnesia, Chasing Sunsets, FreshWomen, Lust Theory, Helping the Hotties, Milfs of Sunville, The Swordbearer.
Overall recommended ONLY if you get it on huge price discount (i.e. 50%) or somewhere around 6-8 EUR as fair price range for TBK Volume 1.

Ace42
Ace42

A pretty standard Daz RenPy VN. Typical 4 hour playthrough; typical anti-climatic serialisation as part of the Patreon monetisation; typical presentation of H-scenes.

So far, so mediocre.

The game's setting is particularly creative

An interesting spin on classical antiquity, and a fertile setup that the game makes good use of. It does a decent job of wringing out drama from the court intrigues the protagonist is thrust into, and does manage to create a degree of drama.

The romantic plotlines are decently interwoven with the main story, although as is typical for games like this - the main narrative does tend to overshadow the relationship drama. Which is unfortunate, as the relationship drama is literally the only thing that matters in an erotic VN; but at least in this game this is far less noticeable than in other comparable titles. It's no way near as bad as Deliverance when it comes to skimping on the relationships to focus on the dull pulpy plotting, for example.

The romantic scenes are ok, but could be better

The game does a decent job of establishing relationship stakes: With the different princesses being aware of your familiarity with their sisters, and that leading to jealousy and interpersonal tension. This is where the game is at its strongest, but it's also something that's not brought front-and-centre to the point where it's particularly valuable.
It's not really an element where there's a lot of player agency. Instead of getting to seduce / manipulate / corrupt the various gals, play them off against each other, encourage jealousy, or whatever - it's all rather linear and perfunctory.

The sex scenes themselves are all also pretty mediocre and end up feeling a bit inconsequential. They all do a tolerable bare minimum of what's expected of them, but the emotional and practical significance of what's going on seems to be largely coincidental to the storytelling.

The presentation of them is fine, the writing is a bit workman like, but it's fine. It's all a bit low-kink though.

The writing's tolerable

Hard to tell if the writer is a native speaker, or whether they have good translators. No quirky phraseology, or misspellings - it's pretty fluid. But it's also very perfunctory and formal, and it's hard to tell whether that's a deliberate attempt to evoke a courtly foreign language from a different age - or the absence of a personal style from the writer.

It does the job as well as could be expected; and the plotting and pacing works far better than in a lot of competitors of varying quality.

The main problem with the game is the perennial problem of serialised releases

There's just no way to avoid it: Four hours is too brief for a satisfying VN experience. Paying for a story and only getting the first act harms the experience on a fundamental structural level.
This game is far from being the worst offender; but it's also done nothing to show the audience that it's not going to end up on the same unsatisfying trajectory as College Kings. It's every bit as anticlimatic.

We've all been burnt by "part 1!!!11!" VNs before, and their disappointing "sunk cost fallacy" DLCs of equally brief duration. And it's impossible to recommend a title that looks like it's going to pull exactly the same trick on its audience, even if its setting and execution is marginally better than them.

superando11
superando11

There's no denying this first volume of the game was made by someone passionate about this genre: playing it is like a little but pleasurable escape from reality.

Having almost every woman at your feet (literally) is quite unrealistic but that's exactly why this game ends up being fun: you take at least partial control of the action without giving too much thought about the consequences, just for fun and to find out what your decision will lead you to.

In the graphics department every single detail looks great: sex scenes are believable and the women that will accompany you throughout the adventure all have different personalities and will make the whole story more intriguing.

One little change I'd make is about some women being thrown at the player without them receiving a proper background, an issue that I encountered mostly in chapters 3 and 4 (you may even end up forgetting who a certain girl is once she pops up againg on your screen after the first brief encounter you had with her).

Rather than that, this game is extremely well made and I hope the author will be working on the next chapters with the same care and passion he put in this first volume.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Amazing game, one of the most engaging stories that I've seen in a game. Rich and detailed, the choices you make are meaningful, the characters are facinating (even the non-romantic ones) making you want to know what's going to happen next and keeps you wanting to play more! The scenes are well done and well distribuited along the game. Wish more novels could be this well done!

Marcus Arcturus
Marcus Arcturus

This was slow to get into but the story of palace intrigue (in the 2-1/2 hours I've played) is exceedingly engaging. The renders are second class for the genre but the story is top of the shelf. I'm not sure which decision will keep the MC from ultimately being executed or not. Very engaging!
I've begun to feel affection for the characters I've chosen to trust and their own agendas. In the end the quality of the renders is trumped but the quality of the story. Highly recommended.

ninjetey
ninjetey

3/5 stars

Pros:
-Cool alt. history setting (post Rome early dark ages)
-RPG elements & Game Mythos
-Multi-Choice aspects
-Gorgeous adult elements
-Valentina

Cons:
-To many romantic options (what?)
-Suspension of disbelief often broken
-Some chapters have to few choices
-Some sections drag

Overall, this is a strong alternate history fantasy game set in the early dark ages shortly after the fall of Rome. It has strong adult elements that are simply breath taking to say the least, coupled with wonderful and often whimsical romantic options, such as mulitple princesses, a goddess, various noble women, and more! While the setting is not strongly consistent and the alternate history is often over taken by fantasy or artistic liberty, there is a vague roman feel to the game, and the various comentary talks about the fall of the old empire, so I place this game probably somewhere in the 400s or so. For the most part the setting is consistent-though certainly not strongly so-though sometimes there are obvious flubs such as the princess talking about carbon dioxide...um....maybe alchemy existed back then? Advanced chemistry? Nope. So you'll have to excuse some instances where suspension of disbelief is ravaged, but overall I found those shrug worthy and the plot and content engaging enough to continue. While some sections of the game are low on choice points, other areas have plenty, though I do wish more were not romantic based as I feel like court intrigue was only given a half gesture and could be stronger. That said, there is plenty of intrigue and drama to dance with the non-stop adult romantic content. And what content-to much, though it is explained in the actual plot if you follow the goddess route, but still it would have been nice to narrow it down a bit after a while. Also would be nicer if we had more agency to champion our favorite paramour or paramours, as often the prot will just stand silently by or even pile on when a favored RO is being verbally assaulted by other NPCs....so in short, not a perfect game, but a strong game. Overall the adult content, romance, and medieval intirgue were more than good enough to grant a postive rating, thus my recomendation. Looking forward to the second volume and hoping we get to lead an army or something, as this city is seeming a bit crowded. Still, there are a lot of myseteries unsolved and a lot of NPCs in danger-hoping the update arrives sooner than later as I can't wait to find out where the story goes next.

Kais
Kais

I really like this game. Enough to support the maker elsewhere in addition to getting it on Steam.
Pros:
The setting is nice and from a fascinating era. A sort of "what-if" in the later stages of the Roman Empire.
The backstory is really well done in most details. Political intrigues, imperial administrative challenges and military/logistical problems make for a much more interesting plot and script than the prototypical college score-every-Babe VN, that has some kind of make-work problem or challenge tacked on.
The characterizations are a high point of the game, in my eyes. There are realistically different traits, attitudes, methods, goals and etcetera. Many VNs take 2 to 4 shallow characterizations and use them for 10 to 20 NPCs. There is a lot more depth to this VN than there is in the vast majority of others, and I attribute it in large part to the differing personalities written into the cast in this one.
Related to the previous paragraph, I don't remember seeing any of the cast of this game in other games. That is extremely unusual, IMO. They are well done, with a wide spread of appearance. Val and Cass look baby-faced, but they are under 20 years old. Girls that young look like you're better card them in real life as well. Diana is is obviously well-preserved practically beyond belief, but her face betrays some of her years, as does Helena's.
Though I'm not a fan of polytheism, it did and does exist, and during runs of the Grecian and Roman Empires, among others, it was largely an everyday way of life. In this game, it handily explains how the MC can be exceptionally successful in his main job, and have so many of the opposite sex willing, and sometimes frighteningly enthusiastic (that's right Valentina, we're all looking at you right now), to get into a relationship with him.
This VN is pretty literate for this day and age. Sticklers like me may sigh here and there over linguistic gaffes, but it doesn't make me grit and grind my teeth while playing like so many others do.
The creator of "To Be A King" obviously is familiar with the time frame in that, so far as I have seen, all of the place names referenced are real, or were in that era, for instance. A really great bonus that maybe a little extra boning up on history was done, and time was taken to make it part of the game. It certainly makes it more interesting to those of us that like history, and makes it obvious the creator did some work rather than just randomly making up location names and faking up some geographical references.

Cons:
This is a work-in-progress, so there's some waiting around for new content and completion. That's the nature of the business model these days, so I don't mean it as a negative comment about this VN, by any means.
I'm kind of ambivalent about the music. It's better quality than a lot of what comes out, but like the manner of speaking in the game, is not really conducive to transporting your mind to the era portrayed. Eh, that would be a tall order to fill in any case.
While not as nauseatingly overdone as in many AVNs, big boobs are not lacking in this one. None of them strike me as just plain old grotesque, except for Aelinia's, in certain renders. I'm sure I am the exception to the rule on this issue, as pertains to male players, so take this "con" with as many grains of salt as you deem wise. I'll leave that at that.

I highly recommend this game/AVN. I've put a lot of hours into playing it just because of the characters, setting/backstory and so forth. I like the overall quality of the NPC renders, and mainly that they are not stock NPCs that a lot of creators buy because a huge number of other VN or AVN creator choose them.
Because of the nature of this type of game, I don't feel any dissatisfaction that there are not currently any animations. What would they add to this AVN? Nothing, unless simulated movement in simulated sex scenes between cartoon characters is a must-have. I'd rather see the time and effort invested in the positives this VN already displays.

hirrusark
hirrusark

Visual Novel with story decisions, graphically nice game, likeable characters and a story in the fantasy Middle Ages, of course some erotica. As is clear from the title, this is the first part - you can finish it in about 2 hours, if you don't read all the dialogues in detail.

Duke
Duke

Disclaimer - If at first you are anxious about playing an 18+ game with titties, just make a second steam account.
Case and point I did. You will also definitely j/o to it at least once.

---
So played a few AVn now, this one was a nice change of pace.

Pros:

- Not some college fuck boy
- Nice selection of varying ladies to indulge in
- Decent story arc, do you want to be hand of the King and plough? Then have at it
- Multiple endings and ways to navigate
- Good Quality smut scenes and with the time period suits the theme
- Great sound track and music

Cons

- All stills no animation (though this doesn't bother me it may others)
- Small personal annoyance the character name font is a pet peeve
- Plenty of romance choices and decisions, but no real say on being hand of king. Would like more options to do X instead of Y as 'Hand of King'
- Could use some free roam elements, lacks that at all compared to other AVN's

Volume 1 is a solid 7.5/10

I eagerly await Volume 2 and I will be replaying a couple more times to pursue different paths. This review is after first play though. 6 Hours the story took me first time, and I enjoyed it immensely. ;)

spiti
spiti

Men of Culture, we meet again.

Wanna find more NSFW games? Follow my Curator page here!

Renders, mechanics & overall quality

Render quality is fairly good and the characters look beautiful. Facial expressions are well done and that helps bringing the characters to a more realistic level. There are some "voiced" bits or should I say "voiced expressions" that helps bringing the characters and scenes alive.
Animations are sadly not part of this title which can be a bigger minus to some people, but there is still good amount of different still images/renders and angles in the lewd scenes.
There is good amount of save slots, which is important when you want to try out different routes / choices or hunt achievements.
Scene gallery is also present where you can recap your favorite scenes. There is also some bonus renders present but im not sure if they are from the guide DLC or in the base game.
Overall the game is well written and feels like a finished and tested product.

Soundtrack & Audio

Soundtrack is really hitting the Medieval vibe and is very fitting to the whole atmosphere of the game. As mentioned before the voiced "expressions" are a nice touch to the game that helps you immerse more into the story.

Length

The game consists of 7 chapters and has a fairly good chunk of content in it. There is replay value with different choices and multiple love interests. Fully clearing the Volume 1 will last good several hours.
More seasons will be shipped in DLC format in the future.

Conclusion

Easy recommendation for anyone that enjoys adult visual novels or wants to start playing them for the first time. Has a well written dialogue that is easy to follow and not some boring blabbering.
Only con is that it is indeed missing animations but if you can ignore that "flaw" then it is a good purchase.
Price is also fair since it is an quality product.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2869455653

Mischa
Mischa

Graphics and women are beautiful, but static (which does save memory). The start is painfully slow with massive dialogue thinking the story needs more solid background, character, and setting, but good readers will get the point a lot sooner with much less fuss and muss. I pray the evil in the palace isn't too obvious with some decent red herrings, and a twist or two. We shall see. Tally ho.

Dimebag
Dimebag

A well written visual novel based in the times of Ancient Rome. A more mature MC with multiple women available to pursue.

Graphics are very well done , great renders and graphics.

Recommend for anyone into these types of games or even if you want to dip your toe to see what it is all about.

AniMule
AniMule

GG
Plot and characters are introduced well
Has that game of thrones house of dragons political drama vibe with even more tiddies
I got to the end in 3 hours but i didnt explore all the options
lots of beautiful models
be warned, nothing is animated
personally i wasnt disappointed
id say wait for the sale if youre on the fence but imo this game is worth supporting
looking forward to volume 2

zanthianw7328
zanthianw7328

It is a good game. The story is different from any I have played, though its simple enough that if a player wanted to only half read they could get by. The conversations are good. There are enough choices. For the players that are only in it for the Lewd, those scenes are all stills and I suspect some people will not like that. I am not as much of a fan of how the ladies seem to almost all want to be with the MC, but it is written into the plot and is not bad. It is not a finished story, so if a player wants to finish the story they may want to wait for a completed game. Overall so far it is a 6.5/10. If a second play through is unique enough I would go 7.5/10, but I am not going to play for that right away.

under
under

Super enjoyable game. I really like that you can play the main character and stay true to only one love interest or. . .have at it if that's your idea of the main character - and I really like that the writing actually invites you to play again and learn thru other relationships what is happening or might develop around the kingdom. Fabulous job, great renders, and really fun uniquely written characters.

starlimitz2
starlimitz2

You get what you paid for in this game. It has medieval stuff and it has sex with naked women. You'll get your fill, but it is not perfect. It's pretty much what you come to expect when you get these visual novels. You start out with three princesses to choose from or, thankfully, you can have all three at the same time. This will make things more complicated, but it's not too hard to pull off.

One of the main problems with this game is that it keeps stacking up the girls more and more. Yes, that sounds like a good thing and sometimes it is, but not in this constant state of stacking. You've still got a story to concentrate on, but then it goes off to another side to throw another woman at you to ogle. This happens so many times, you will start to lose track of them unless you're just that good at remembering faces.

Then there's the story. It's so obvious that you will have it figured out several chapters before they actually get around to doing anything about it. Until then, you have to deal with smug, snarky jack asses that think they're so smart but little do they know that you're just waiting for all of the characters to wise up. That part gets monotonous, you simply want to steer everyone in the right direction, but it's like steering a battleship through a maze.

There's plenty of sex along the way, so it's not a real loss. I just feel like they could have sped things a long a bit and gotten more content out of it rather than sitting around and waiting for characters to grow a brain stem. There are times your character says things that you probably didn't want them to say and I kind of wish that they gave you more options on dialogue in certain spots, but that's really not much of an issue. This game is worth it, but there's a lot of red tape along the way.

dmitrigoldenleaf
dmitrigoldenleaf

For sheer fun factor, I'd rate this AVN quite highly. There's other, better written AVNs (Leap of Faith, Acting Lessons, Being a D**, just to name a few), but To Be A King is a delight to play if you have interest in historical period pieces and political dramas. The comparisons to Game of Thrones are accurate - the game does a quite good job of conveying that atmosphere of skullduggery and subterfuge across, and I found myself more interested in the story than the sax scenes (though those were fun, too).

Also worth noting: Unlike the legion of AVNs where you play a college-age student (teen or someone in their 20s), here you play a middle-aged veteran military commander. And that's frankly a refreshing change of pace this genre sorely needs to expand its player base. The dialogue is also tonally and syntactically appropriate to that age group.

I personally don't care that there's no animations, but for those who do, they don't exist - stills only.

In fact, the only true drawback I can think of is that sometimes the dialogue gets repetitive (constantly talking about the same thing over and over) and there's one or two instances where it might be read as referring to something that didn't happen due to a choice you made (or didn't).

Even at the $13 full price, it's worth picking up (I got it 15% off on the introductory sale). And by the end of my first playthrough, I found myself eagerly awaiting future chapters.

bushe0327
bushe0327

i skipped though for about 10 minutes and saw no action, or anything that looks appealing. idk if it's the format that it's in or what but it wasn't appealing at all

ammopackrat
ammopackrat

This is a very well done visual novel that allows you to pursue the harem path readily with enough of a reason behind being able to do exactly that baked into the story. The story may seem like slow a bit in getting to sexual scenes, but that appears to be done in a way to show growth and character development with a fair amount of the tropes that are out there for folks that want them.

What is nice is you are not locked into having to select any specific love interest into your harem. You can even (albeit why you'd want to considering what the game is) choose not have any at all. The author developed the game thoughtfully to balance the amount of content between the love interests so you don't miss out in volume of content per love interest. And for the ones you chose to be flings it seems to be a sufficient amount to remain satisfying. The writing is developed enough to maintain a sense of tension along the main story line to keep you interested in what will happen next and to tie in interests to it that your thoughts about what may occur next may change with who you are involved with, and of course this is balanced with humorous moments that will make you chuckle as you know from real life what seems to about to happen in certain situations.

Overall an enjoyable story, satisfying numerous sexual scenes, significant character develop of the MC and interests and compelling writing to keep you coming back for repeat play-throughs to try other combos as well as to see what the next volumes bring. The author knows how to end with cliffhangers to make you want more. 10/10 in my opinion

Anonymous
Anonymous

Maybe I've been overly selective in my past AVN purchases, but this game doesn't hold a candle to games like Leap of Faith or Lust Theory or Acting Lessons. The renders are excellent, but everything is static and there are NO voiceovers. So for me, it was just static and boring. If I want pretty pictures I can pick up a magazine.

IowaDirt99
IowaDirt99

This is a fun game to play. I've gotten over 12 hrs into the game and have yet to finish the first play through. This has a good story line and attractive female characters. You have the choice to sleep with manly or few as well marry more then one if you chose that path. Be mind full of the choices you make though out the game since this will change how things play out.
If are are hopping for animation sex scenes there are not but there is sex scenes. You have music to listen to while you play and some miner voice sounds and emotions but that's it.

Rommel
Rommel

Well because of no animation I wasn't gonna get this but I'm
glad I did. It's a beautiful game with a great story and great graphics!
And plenty of sex lol! and I'm not even close to the end yet. Well worth
the money for the amount of content lovely girls and story! Great job Dev!

ChrixZavr
ChrixZavr

There is a lot of story to this AVN and a lot of very well rendered scenes with many beautiful characters. It's a harem game, so no real negative consequences noted (by the conclusion) with committing to all the girls. Each character has a fairly distinct personality and I appreciated the variation. There is a gallery and scene replay. My only negative was the lack of animations, but it is a minor since the renders and scenes are so varied and well executed. The DLC walkthrough wasn't necessary, but it did help understand some of the mechanics of what was going on and was very well done with a lot of additional art, story summary, and character descriptions. Both the game and walkthrough are worth the coin, IMO. Looking forward to Volume 2!

zodac01
zodac01

3/5 stars

Pros:
-Cool alt. history setting (post Rome early dark ages)
-RPG elements & Game Mythos
-Multi-Choice aspects
-Gorgeous adult elements
-Valentina

Cons:
-To many romantic options (what?)
-Suspension of disbelief often broken
-Some chapters have to few choices
-Some sections drag

Overall, this is a strong alternate history fantasy game set in the early dark ages shortly after the fall of Rome. It has strong adult elements that are simply breath taking to say the least, coupled with wonderful and often whimsical romantic options, such as mulitple princesses, a goddess, various noble women, and more! While the setting is not strongly consistent and the alternate history is often over taken by fantasy or artistic liberty, there is a vague roman feel to the game, and the various comentary talks about the fall of the old empire, so I place this game probably somewhere in the 400s or so. For the most part the setting is consistent-though certainly not strongly so-though sometimes there are obvious flubs such as the princess talking about carbon dioxide...um....maybe alchemy existed back then? Advanced chemistry? Nope. So you'll have to excuse some instances where suspension of disbelief is ravaged, but overall I found those shrug worthy and the plot and content engaging enough to continue. While some sections of the game are low on choice points, other areas have plenty, though I do wish more were not romantic based as I feel like court intrigue was only given a half gesture and could be stronger. That said, there is plenty of intrigue and drama to dance with the non-stop adult romantic content. And what content-to much, though it is explained in the actual plot if you follow the goddess route, but still it would have been nice to narrow it down a bit after a while. Also would be nicer if we had more agency to champion our favorite paramour or paramours, as often the prot will just stand silently by or even pile on when a favored RO is being verbally assaulted by other NPCs....so in short, not a perfect game, but a strong game. Overall the adult content, romance, and medieval intirgue were more than good enough to grant a postive rating, thus my recomendation. Looking forward to the second volume and hoping we get to lead an army or something, as this city is seeming a bit crowded. Still, there are a lot of myseteries unsolved and a lot of NPCs in danger-hoping the update arrives sooner than later as I can't wait to find out where the story goes next.

Malcom13
Malcom13

recommend? yes, but... maybe later episodes will make choices matter. Its really, just a glorified novel so far, with a sense of big decisions that so far, matter little. This would be a great story, if we added elements of base building, skill/leveling, and/or strategy. Imagine a strategy game with such content... but alas... just a decent story progression and a flat 'ending.'

Z O R
Z O R

Difficult - Normal
Graphic - 4/5
Story - Good one
Replayability - For Achievements and Different Scene

wthompson7
wthompson7

This is a well written visual novel with great graphics . Loved the story. Only negative is not enough choices for the game player. There were lots of opportunities missed, other I loved it.

77.ScarletWitch.HyperX♋
77.ScarletWitc…

Finally I finished this game Chapters 1-7 (Around 8-10 hours depends how fast your read)

My score 8/10
This game can get more if fix and improve negative opinion from me.

***Positive : (+)

1. Story : One of the best for Medieval era ( romance and intrigue politics, Lore from story) ✔️
2. Character : Every women have character the background story and described quite clearly ✔️
3. Graphic : Most of them great renders and few of them pretty decent ✔️
4. Achievement 39 total (You can collect pretty easy) ✔️
5. This novel can go to Harem route with not really punishment too hard, so we can enjoy without think impact story and hessite when choose option ✔️

(For me is fine sometimes you just want enjoy the game, I know it is not everyone preference)

6. A ton of beautiful women, you can pursue your romantic harem route ✔️
7. A ton of sex scene 36 total ✔️✔️✔️
8. Every Princess and side girl have a lot of pretty dress this very entertaining and spoil your eyes ✔️✔️✔️
9. There is sound in this game , ex : ( Moan, Footstep, Chuckle, Giggle, Laugh, Cry, etc...) ✔️
10. Soundtrack very easy listening and match with To be King ✔️✔️✔️
11. Price pretty fair and you can get walkthrough if buy DLC bundle which can help you a lot for finish the game✔️
12. There is two type girls one with shaved and still have pubic hair ( I prefer this, not all shaved)✔️

***Negative : (-) hope will improve in the future : important to note ***

1. Sadly and unfortunate with beautiful renders and character there are not a single animation for sex scene , this make me sad and broken heart 💔🛑 ⚠️
2. Face of the MC very very ugly for me and I hate see Him to be honest 🛑 ⚠️
3. Queen's body not to be realistic, need more wrinkles on face and body, Here body right now similar with her daughter still too tight and a little youthful🛑 ⚠️

***Can't wait :

1. Next chapter absolutely ⭐
2. Steam Trading Card maybe soon updated in steam⭐

Aoza162
Aoza162

Ngl this is quite possibly the weirdest game i've ever played. But for some reason I finished the entire volume. If you're into having sex about 2x a day with 10 different women. Then by all means give this game a try. It has some story in it too XD

Anonymous
Anonymous

I love this game. It made me realise that we often don't see the best thing in life, even if its right before your eyes. Truly a game with a very good story behind it. I cant wait for the next episode.

solarias34
solarias34

Puts the novel back into AVN. Story, character development, plot. Not just mindless, half-dimensional caricatures stumbling from one sex-scene to the next.

Beautiful pictures. Sadly no animations, at least as of Chapter 5. Plenty of lovely partners to choose from, and the game outright tells you when a choice will end a romance. Kind of ruins the immersion, but at least it doesn't force you to go searching the Internet for a walkthrough.