Seize the throne in the age of King Arthur! Lead an army of Britons against the darkest of enemies in this epic interactive medieval fantasy novel.
Very Positive
96 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
"you might be a male hero in a world where most warriors are men and it's women who guard the mysteries of the Veiled Isle. Or you might be a female hero, and it's the women who go to war and men who talk to the old gods"
What kind of crap is this? I want to be a female hero in a world where most warriors are men. This is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.
Seriously though, it's way too short but otherwise enjoyable.
It's a choose your own adventure book, like many others from this publisher.
I enjoyed this one. I liked the setting, I liked the low magic, grimdark take on the Arthurian legend that felt historical. The choices were all non-obvious and interesting, and the story was satisfying with enough twists and turns that I'll likely play it again some time to see what other paths I could have taken. Recommended if you like this sort of thing.
“Pendragon Rising” initially presents an intriguing premise for a text-driven RPG, but its execution is fundamentally undermined by a volatile and opaque stat system. While the genre thrives on consequence, the mechanics here frequently feel arbitrary rather than earned, leading to a gameplay experience defined by frustration rather than strategy.
The primary issue lies in the game’s lack of transparency regarding character progression. Player choices routinely result in massive, irreversible stat shifts with no prior warning or narrative justification. It is common to see a substantial portion of one attribute stripped away in favor of another based on a single dialogue choice. Because the game fails to communicate these trade-offs in advance, character development becomes a matter of guesswork rather than intentional role-playing.
This leads to a jarring dissonance between the narrative and the mechanics. A character established as a fearsome, experienced warrior can effectively "lose" their combat proficiency after a single decision, becoming incompetent at the very skills they must have honed over many years. When a character ends up mediocre at everything due to obscured systems and a lack of feedback, the game ceases to be a functional RPG and instead becomes an exercise in trial and error.
Even after multiple restarts, I found that the system consistently punished experimentation. In a narrative-heavy game where your investment into the character is crucial, there has to be a very good reason why your core stats are substantially changed, but “Pendragon Rising” offers no such justification. The game is technically functional, which prevents a 0/10 rating, but its structural flaws actively strip away player agency to the point that it becomes unplayable as a serious RPG. (1/10)
another missing review =/
This one is a good one, if an older one. That is actually a good thing, as back when this was written, there wasn't as much focus on making you find and pick the right choice, or else suffer nasty consequences.
Dont get me wrong, you can make bad choices in this game, but it is also possible to "win" (if such a term even applies to a story) several different ways, so you are not stuck trying to figure out the author's one way through said story.
All of this is a bit off kilter as a review, and I am sure my original one was much better. Still, if you like King Author stories, this one is an interesting take on the legends that puts you in the driver's seat to experience in your own way.
Highly recommended.
Story was mediocre at best and the "romance" options were terrible, either be gay, date your half brother/sister or your aunt/uncle. Constantly being told you're essentially useless and nobody wants you, even though you've gathered lot's of allies and are supposedly adored, isn't great storytelling in my opinion.
I really enjoyed playing this game. It has an excellent story and some good choices to be made. Would love a sequel!
Well, this is the one that did it. This is the game that burned me out on COG-type games in general.
I had previously sort of liked them because I liked the choose-your-own-adventure style, and I like shaping the story to my own liking. But the truth is, you don't actually have a choice in these games, except at the very beginning. You can choose to play one of a very limited number of ways, and that's it. All your subsequent choices had better fall in line with that initial choice, or you're sunk.
It's the same problem with, for example, the paragon/renegade system of Mass Effect: you can respond how you want to the situations that arise, but if you don't play as either ALL paragon or ALL renegade, you miss out later because you haven't really gone full out and therefore don't have enough points to win. Only in COG games this is magnified, because in order to win you really, really need maxed stats. Pendragon Rising takes this a step further and makes the stats super ephemeral; I built up my cunning stat for pretty much the entire game, and then I made three choices that weren't deemed "cunning" enough and it was back to 50%, and then I couldn't pass an arbitrary check.
Well, maybe I didn't think being cunning was called for in that situation. Maybe I'm cunning when I think it will help, and straightforward at other times. Don't let the illusion of choice fool you, you either do what the game wants you to do or you fail. This goes for ALL of this type of game. I'm gonna stop buying them.
Playing at the female Arthur was an interesting take, not often you get 2 games that are genderbent versions of themselves.
I didn't like the gender decision if my character and all warriors are men or women. It seems like a really weird and illogical choice. I can hardly believe in such world.
I enjoyed my first play through of it well enough. The ending left something to be desired though. Maybe it was just the choices I made but the epilogue was literally a sentence. Nothing about the consequences of certain actions or how people fared the past year under my rulership as the High Queen. No real wrap up to the romance for Morgan either.
So overall I like the story but the ending was like "that's it?".
Update after finishing the game: Can't recommend it enough!
This is my first game of its kind. But I'm very familiar with the setting. I've just recently finished watching TV series "Merlin". Twice. So consider me a seasoned (or rather five seasoned) fan of Arthurian saga. Although BBC interpretation is quite far away from canon Arthurian legends, I was definitely aware of that, and I did expect this interpretation to be very different from TV show. I wasn't disappointed!
One can argue if it's a good game or not, but it is definitely a very good read, which is already more than you can ask for a price of a cup of coffee.
I haven't finished my first playthrough yet, mostly because I enjoy the way it's written and don't want to rush to the end. I already know there will be at least couple more playthroughs as I'm willing to try other choices in some of the key points of story.
Definitely recommended for those who are at least somewhat familiar with Arthurian legends. Might be a bit overwhelming at first for those who aren't, as there are quite a few characters thrown at you from the get go, and new characters keep coming in next chapters. Not quite at Game of Thrones rate, but I understand how some people may struggle to process all this information.
The stat system in this one is just terrible.
It's a pretty good choose your own adventure type story. Interesting and engaging for a playthrough. Subsequent playthroughs are repetitive, however. The story doesn't change a ton based on making different decisions, based on my experience with it.
[h1]Deep Storytelling Taking You Back to the Story of King Arthur![/h1]
This was an interesting story that allows for you to develop into a hero who leads their people to victory - or perhaps you may not.
It is really one of those stories you have to pay attention to to focus on who is who and what is what, a little more than usual. It could just be the storytelling and the way it is written though. But it is intricite. While you cannot choose your hero's name since you can choose between a female or male hero, you can build who they become moving forward and leave your mark as perhaps a warrior, leader and diplomat, or legend.
I loved it, got lost a few times, but it caters to a specific audience (as these games tend to varying by game). Either way it is good and worth looking at on sale.
THIS GAME IS FREAKING AWESOME
Choice of Games can really be hit or miss, but, of the ones I have played, I would rank this near or at the top. Well written, and unique setting. If you are looking for a text based CYOA style game in a fantasy setting, this is a good one to pick.
A very enjoyable game. It brings the legends of Arthur alive, but with a roman twist at times. Not entirely a new concept, but it was executed i n a fun competitive way. The characters, esspecially Gawain/Gai, were entertaining, as Arthurian characters should be. If you play as a woman it is only woman who fight in the wars and what not....at first I thought that might seem a bit odd, but after a while it works brilantly as the writer decided not to blink with this mechanisim, and it worked great. This was pendragon rising....I wonder when or if we might get the next part of the tale. Theres a lot more legend to live, after all.
A very fun retelling of a classical welsh myth with many unique choices that will keep you coming back for aditional charecter interactions
I really enjoyed the setting. The gameplay is mostly political intrigue with a few battles and puzzles thrown in. You're trying to build a strong alliance to defend Briton from the Saxons, you also have personal goals you can pursue.
It's got a lot of problems though:
-You have companions that could have been interesting, but they stay static throughout the game. One I particularly loathed got drunk at every opportunity and slept with everyone they could. That was all they did, and the game reminds you this is as often as possible. No drama or consequences, just pointless and boring reminders.
-There's quite a few scenes where other characters are talking to each other, but you're not present. It really ruins the flow and immersion of the story. It just wasn't needed or wanted.
-There's multiple endings, but the two I've gotten just end abruptly without explaination or resolution. The first ending I got flashed to an unnamed character getting off a boat. The End. Seriously wtf?
-Your stats fluctuate wildly. Rather than build a stat up, one bar will go up and another will go down after most choices. So unless you're really good at picking out what the author thinks is the right choice, it's just a mess.
-Stats don't seem to influence the game.
-You decide if your character and all warriors are men or women. This seemed like a really weird choice, I did get use to it near the end. But I really wanted to make a female character who was a warrior in a world where mostly men are the warriors. I thought that could have been really fun, but whatever why make your character interesting.
Finale Verdict:
-It's really hard to recommend this. I think it's worth playing, but you really have to like the time period.
This is yet another story that I seriously wish that I would've taken the time to play through. It was an awesome story that had me seriously invested in it. The only thing I can hope for now is that a part two will appear down the road. I give this a 10/10.
This is a text-based game in the method of an old "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure". In this case, you play as Arthur, or Arta, the illegimate son/daughter of Uther/Utta. Through your choices, you can build alliance, and perhaps become Pendragon, or High King/Queen of Briton.
In your way are scheming nobles, a rather bitter half-sister, and the Saxons... and some of the Saxons may well have... dark magics...
It is a good read, and adventure, so I would recommend it.
Interesting and capably written, but it ends far too quickly, choices don't seem particularly meaningful, and the conclusion is deeply unsatsifying. Would consider revising this review if a sequel came out to resolve some of these issues.
Unlike the first couple of Choice of Games series I tried, this one is actually well-written and evocative of place and character. I'll be continuing the story.
It's interesting enough, plenty of action and weirdness, but it's written like some history textbook. No humor (which I find to be the centerpiece of anything I read, watch, or do, and if it's not funny I automatically like it less).
Another problem is that if you die - which I did - you have to start everything again. Also, I'm not sure if your choices have a long-term effect on the outcome. It seems that your choice will only affect what happens immediately afterwards, or maybe the course of one chapter. So basically, whatever you choose has no effect except whether you die.
Now, after being a total ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ by starting with only the bad things, let's move to the boring part - the good things: the story was interesting, I liked the villain (sadly, not for her personality - only because she's really cool), the setting was nice (medieval Britain -who doesn't love it?), and my character was someone important, which is a nice change of pace from real life.
It's pretty long - It took me 2.7 hours, and as I mentoned, I died. So I probably had, like, half an hour left minimum. I personally think that's a good thing, but you may have your own interpretation.
Deux sessions, 5 heures en tout pour en venir à bout, un mot. Magique.
Histoire très bien contée qui nous donne du Game Of Throne, avec du The Witcher, pimenté par une petite touche de Dragon Age ( Surtout le personnage de Morgan qui fais penser en de nombreuses manière à Morrigan dans Origin. )
La lecture se fais seule, encore une fois la narration est au petits oignons, le suspens est présent et pas une fois je n'ai décroché .
Un réel plaisir de voir l'histoire de son Arthur se développer .
Seuls points négatif à mon gout :
- La rejouabilité qui n'a pas l'air d'être l'une des meilleures des Choice of Games.
-La durée du titre, 5 heures içi contre plus de 14 pour Zombie Exodus pour ma part.
Et enfin, en chipotant un peu,
-Arthur, oui, le fait de ne pas pouvoir nommer son personnage .
Si vous aimez le genre, FONCEZ !
I really wanted to enjoy this game because i'm a huge fan of the arthurian legend, but sadly i did not. I played a couple of these text adventures over the last months an this one turned out to be the weakest of them.
pros:
- decent story
- good atmosphere if you have enough imagination
cons:
- very limited romance options
- illusion of choice too obvious
- very few stats
- stat changes volatile / incomprehensible
Who should buy this game? only big fans of king arthur
Pendragon is a decent game and a very good introdcution into text-based rpg games. The game had me hooked from start to finish, and immersed me into a roller coaster ride of tough choices, interrupted with comical moments. I found that the more I played, the less I looked back on those hard choices made. Despite not ending up on the path to becoming the traditional Arthur, my experience felt richer and equally satisfying. Cons: Wished that there was more development of character relationships, reminiscent of BG I & II. Also, I just wish that the game didn't end so abruptly.
I would like to have seen the Pendragon story continue for many sagas covering the whole life of Arthur.
8/10
The second time I played through, "The End" page did not appear to go with the story. It mentioned characters that were not in the story and made no sense.
I wanted to like this game, because I've played a fair number of text based games I enjoy from this company, but the stat system got too frustrating and quite honestly just take me out of the immersion. There's simply no clarity to what each action will lead to and at times make me feel like I am being punished for the choices I make. Face all my opponents singlehandedly and take them out? Does nothing for my close combat stats. Responding to an event with a shred of humility gives me a huge penalty to my warrior abilities. Okay? I guess the warrior stat is affected by more than just combat then. That's actually pretty creative.
Few scenes later, make the smart decisions and plan ahead for an attack, rally my warriors and lead the charge. Somehow decreases my warrior abilities. Why? Because I had to charge off on my own apparently. The fact that I asked one of my battlesworn friends to assist me somehow made me worse of a fighter. There's no consistency to what actions affect which stats in which way. And the thing is that I don't have a problem with ability decreases in these games because they usually mean that another ability will get an increase. Which is the case here too for 3/6 of them. On the others, you get an increase or a decrease and no increasing one does not mean increasing the other, at least not consistently.
With the cons out of the way, I suppose it's only fair I move onto the pros.
In truth, the stat system has me extremely frustrated and the main reason for that is because it takes away the immersion and enjoyment of a story I actually enjoyed. I might have rolled my eyes on a few scenes, but ultimately I found the concept intriguing. It's a rendition that tries to appeal to chronological accuracy of the saxon invasion of Briton while at the same time keeping some of the mythology and mystery that make the Arthurian legends so fascinating.
At times you must rely on the advanced medicinal knowledge of scholars trained in Rome while at other times you must rely on the native druids and their knowledge of the land. At times you must approach a mystery from a rational perspective, while at others that which seems like superstition is actually the better option. I really enjoy that, especially because most games (text-based or high budget) I've come across just do one or the other. Embarrass the silly priests with the wonders of science or silence the unbelievers with displays of magic. This game doesn't go for either direction and plays on the setting that both could have value. As I mentioned earlier, there are some moments where I rolled my eyes, mostly due to events that were no doubt meant to be shocking feeling predictable and clichéd, but I enjoyed the writing overall. I liked the pacing and the characters and I could immerse myself in their internal struggles. But the stat system just feels broken and prevents me from completing the game.
A very engaging take on the Arthurian legend that focuses more on King Arthur's ascension to power rather than the tales of him and the Round Table. Pendragon Rising frames the legend by having Arthur (or, should you choose, Arta) be involved in political intrigue in a time of war. Each character you meet is relatable and bears significant weight whether it be in that very moment or in the grand scheme of things. The story presented by Ian Thomas is well-crafted - it's told in such a manner that it does its best to avoid stepping on the toes of Arthurian historians while making it accessible to those who have no prior knowledge of King Arthur or the history of the Britons and the Saxons.
Pendragon Rising differs from other "Choice Of..." text-based choose-your-own adventures in that it's more concerned with telling a story rather than asking you, the reader, "what would you do in this situation?" Rather than explore myriad choices and possibilities, Pendragon Rising asks you instead to be the best Arthur/Arta you can be. There are choices to explore and options to be had, but ultimately some choices are better than others. It's similar to a Japanese visual novel in that there are certain events you need to trigger for certain sequences to play out optimally - otherwise you find yourself at a game over screen.
Overall, Ian Thomas's story is enjoyable and well worth the price. For those of you interested in text-based games, this is a very good addition to any collection. For those who are not but are looking for a good way to pass the time, I would still recommend Pendragon Rising for those interested in a medieval fantasy setting that incorporates magical elements.
Alors, PR, qu'en dire ...
J'enfonce les portes ouvertes comme pour tout les choice of game, jeu full anglais, sans son ni musique, sans graphismes, avec seulement du texte encore et encore.
Pour ceux qui ne maitrise pas particulièrement bien l'argo anglais il vous arrivera souvent de vous demandez, comme moi, ce que signifie tel ou tel terme ... j'aime pas vraiment quand les histoires inventent des mots ou utilisent de l'argo dans une langue qui n'est pas ma langue natale ... mais bon, à part ce défaut, l'histoire est sympa comme tout.
Si je devais en noter un bémol se serai que l'on voit les choix obligatoire arriver gros comme une maison, le genre de choix où tu sais que si tu prend pas le truc logique ta partie se termine, et je trouve ça dommage car là techniquement, je n'ai pas encore refait le jeu, mais bon techniquement y a pas des masses de fins différentes ... et c'est plutôt dommage. Mon tout premier choice of game, choice of robots, avait le mérite de proposer des fins relativement différentes, et au fur et à mesure que je joue à des jeux de ce genre je vois que le nombre de fin radicalement différentes tendent à disparaitre.
L'histoire n'est pas mauvaise, il y a eut un rebondissement arrivé au 3/4 du jeu que je n'avais pas du tout vu venir et qui change POUR UNE FOIS ! Mais hormis ceci ... bah on se sentait tenu par la main tout du long, il n'y avait pas vraiment de liberté dans nos choix.
Mon avis est assez mitigé comme vous pouvez le voir. Le jeu est bien, mais il aurait pû être mieux !
Donc oui je vous le recommande même si vous resterez un peu sur votre faim.
I enjoyed it a lot. It focuses on war and gaining support from other kingdoms rather than romance. For now, it's my favourite from the games made by this studio. Will definitely replay this.
Have you ever read a book and wished the character chose differently, or maybe taken a different path entirely? Are you a fan of reading in general? Then maybe this is for you!
It's rather straight forward, you got a written story that you read like a book and ocasionally the "game" will stop and let you chose what happens next. The story will change depending on your choices, this is an idea we have seen a lot of recently, however, since this is a purely text based game it is much easier to make the story REALLY change since you don't need to change any graphics or voice acting.
I can't however personally vouche for how much the story changes in this case since I only finished it once - but I did get the distinct feeling that things could have been quite different, especially after reading other peoples experiences with the story.
The story itself is interesting and well written, I got the same feeling I used to get when reading fantasy novels as a teenager. Is it worth the price? If you go by the old 1$/€ per hour formula, yes, it's currently 3,99€ as I type this and I got it at sale for less than half that - and I got at least a solid 5 hours of entertainment out of it and an interesting fresh experience.
I had ONE problem with Pendragon Rising and I do not know if it's title specific or common to the genre as it's the only text based game on steam that I have tried, but I did not feel like I got a conclusive ending because I did not make the right choices. The game ended on a rather bitter note and I felt like it was basically telling me "Game over, try again" if I wanted the REAL ending.
Since I don't know where I went wrong a second attempt would probably mean I took all the same actions as I felt all of them were the ideal ones, and i'd change one or two things only in order to see if I could get a better ending which is by no means a guarantee, this basically means i'd spend hours rereading the same content multiple times trying to fish for the best ending which does not sound like much fun, and using a guide feels kind of pointless as i might as well just read a book in that case.
In the end I had to be happy with my lackluster ending and move on. So will I recommend it? Im not sure as im typing this, I would definetely recommend text based games, and Pendragon Rising has a good story - but the issue it has is a big one to me.
I will give it a thumbs up, it's good for what it is and it did provide me with an ending, albeit a lackluster one - i'd suggest to look at other text simulators before settling on this one to see if they have the same issue.
I like this game, I really do and I would recommend it. My only real issue is how fast your stats change, and I'm not taking about small changes one minute your sitting near 80 the next your down to 23 this happens often enough that you can't help but feel like your dragging yourself in the wrong direction. I've played twice and will do so again. As I stated I recommend it but be prepared for these massive changes.
A rich and immersive take on the Arthurian legend, and a worthy addition to Choice of Games' library.
Holy crap this game. Book? Visualless Novel? How can I even describe it xD?
One thing is certain.
I have NEVER enjoyed reading a 'book' this much without getting bored to the bone. It's written nigh perfectly (save for a few things that were off, and some minor text bugs) and captivates one's attention.
All in all, I just wish it went on longer a bit. I was curious to see how the story continues. Too bad I gotta start all over again xD....
Do I recommend it? Hell yeah. If it could captivate ME who hates reading text-only books, then it's worth all the money it can get.
9/10! (would give 10 if it weren't for those minor things and if it continued on longer o.o but in my eyes it's far higher than that)
A really good choice-based game, interesting story. I'm hoping for Pendragon Rising 2!
Pros:
+Good plot
+Good choices, it's actually difficult to get some of the achievements (I like a little challenge sometimes)
+Definitely rewards multiple playthroughs
Cons:
-Definitely needs a sequel--it's not quite a cliffhanger ending, but it's clear that there's more story to tell, so if you're looking for a game that's totally complete at the end, maybe wait?
Completed quite a few playthroughs, not much difference in scenarios but endings were quite different.
I'd recommend it to fantasy literature fans.
[h1]Kurzweilig und abwechslungsreich[/h1]
So spielt sich [i]Pendragon Rising[/i], ein interaktives Fantasy-Buch im Stile der alten Text-Adventures, das einen in die Zeit des sagenhaften Königs Arthur/ Artus entführt. Als Spieler übernimmt man dessen Rolle, um ihn vom verachteten, unehelichen Sohn eines relativ tumben, phantasielosen alten Königs zum strahlenden Anführer ('Pendragon') Britanniens zu machen, wobei das nur eines der unterschiedlichen Enden ist.
Das Ganze wird in Form einer spannend und abwechslungsreich geschriebenen Geschichte präsentiert, die erfreulicherweise viele Möglichkeiten der Interaktion eröffnet, bei denen man sich jeweils für verschiedene Vorgehensweisen entscheiden kann. Diese Entscheidungen wirken sich wiederum unterschiedlich auf die Charaktereigenschaften des Helden/ der Heldin aus (das ganze Spiel lässt sich auch als Protagonist[b]in[/b] - Arta - spielen, was aber am Verlauf der Geschichte selbst nicht viel ändert).
[b]Neun verschiedene Charakterzüge[/b] lassen sich so je nach Bedarf bzw. bevorzugter Spielweise (listig oder eher draufgängerisch, mitfühlend oder skrupellos, etc.) steigern.
Auf diese Weise entsteht ein [b]hoher Wiederspielwert[/b], wozu natürlich auch die unterschiedlichen Enden und die diversen Steam-Errungenschaften beitragen.
Manchmal allerdings entpuppt sich die Auswirkung einer Entscheidung als ziemlich willkürlich und fatal, was u. a. dazu führen kann, dass durch eine falsche Entscheidung z. B. die Diplomatiefähigkeiten dramatisch einbrechen.
[b]Fazit: Eine kurzweilige und abwechslungsreiche Fantasy-Geschichte. Eine klare Empfehlung für den nächsten Steam-Sale![/b]
P.S.: Für alle, die ein 'perfektes' Spiel für ihre Steam-Statistik suchen, gibt's einen von mir erstellten Leitfaden für sämtliche Errungenschaften.
It's not the old king Arthur story that we know, wasn't what i expected at all in a good way. The story is brand new but there is bit here and there that still relate to the old myth. However, it do feel like another game cause it is not the well know story, it kind of feel like those other person who have the same name but doing different thing, and the personality of each character is also different than how you expected.
I'm personality a bigger fan of queen Guinevere, then Arthur acturally, so that was a down side for me, cause there are no sing of Guinevere in the story at all.
But over all, it is a great game like the rest of the "Choice of Game" games, totally worth buying, it is just fun reading it as well. I do wish there is more of it, cause the story feel kind of left off in the middle, without fully explane or express itself.
I am a fan of "Choice of Games". And this one was among the most boring games I have ever played.
The stats in this one are a real chore to manage. The relationships are basically none. And the story itself is way too mundane to entertain.
Of all Choice of Games products, this will be one of the few that I would not recommend. There are simply better ones out there. Try "Champion of Gods" or "Samurai of Hyuga" for something truly amazing.
With [i]Pendragon Rising[/i], you can play a Choose Your Own Adventure Game in which you take on the role of a young Arthur or Arta, just having returned to your homeland of Britain after your education in Rome. Against your will, you get caught up in the war with the Saxons, and unwittingly become the Warleader of your people. Will you be able to gather enough allies to help you stand against the Saxons? And what kind of leader will you be -- a fearless warrior or a more peaceful diplomat? But the most important question of all: will you eventually take the crown for yourself?
[h1][b]Pros[/b][/h1]
+ The atmosphere is fantastic; it oozes mythic warriors of long-forgotten times
+ The author obviously knows a lot about Arthurian lore
+ The relationships between the characters were superb; I felt really invested in my protagonist's friendships
+ Despite it being shorter than most CoG games in length, it feels just as rich as the others
+ You actually get to pick choices that are not "canon" in Arthurian legend
[h1][b]Cons[/b][/h1]
- Despite the relationships feeling so real, there was no stat for them per character
- No save points
- Limited romance options (be warned of the famous incest relationship if that freaks you out)
Great game, and I was invested in my character and their relationships right from the start. Recommended for fans of interactive novels with Arthurian themes!
Note: choosing to play as either the male Arthur or the female Arta swaps all the main characters' genders around to match that of the protagonist (except for Morgan/Morgana). Playing as Arta, it was actually really cool to imagine all those massive armies of women marching through old Britain!
Ever get bored of promised graphic updates only to be disappointed? Fret not, for Pendragon Rising (And other games from Choice of Games) lets you use your imagination to power their stories. Pendragon Rising is a well written story that urges the reader to quickly come to grasp with the lore of the world, which there is quite a bit to learn on every playthrough. The romance system in the story isn't at all what you've seen in other CoG games, but personally I find it refreshing and a tad bit more relatable. My only complain about the game is how short it can be- it took me roughly 2.5 hours to finish it in my first run, shorter if I hadn't restarted it twice. But it does have high replayability if you're willing to read through some of the other mandatory texts.
Previous reviews have mentioned the good things about this game, so I will mention the bad.
1. My main gripe - No saves. There is literally no way to go back and see what a different choice would have done without doing ALL the choices over again. Which means in order to do everything, to see what your decisions do, you need to make your own flowchart, because you can make multiple saves to do divergent paths.
2. My second gripe - Achievements. The achievements are listed as not just being something you successfully did, but as having a "point value". This implies that those points could be used for something. They can't. Period.
3. While you *can* fail, it seems like you can only really fail at the end, or very close to it. Even intentionally making the stupidest of decisions will leave you alive for quite some time.
Don't take these things as me saying the game is horrible, it isn't. But these are the main issues I have with it.
[b]Cons:[/b]
-no checkpoint system
-does not appear to have a relationship system typical to the Choice of Games franchise, however, the story plays out so that it doesn’t matter
-limited romance options
[b]Pros:[/b]
-very strong story and equally well-written
-your decisions have great impact – if you fail to gain allies you will most likely fail
-stats matter – if you try a diplomatic option when you are known for taking the warrior route, there is a chance things will backfire
-interesting characters with many different scenes to increase replayability
-added religious element – if you so choose, you can honor the old gods or embrace the new Roman God
A fantastic title in the Choice of Games franchise, try it out if you enjoy choose-your-own-adventure text-based games and want to role-play as Arthur (or his female equivalent)
I recommend!
Cheers,
DJSF [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/djsfsroguereviews]@DJSF's Rogue Reviews[/url]
[url=http://theroguereviews.com/]My Website[/url]
The story is more about war, fighting, ally-making, throne inheritance, and supernatural stuff. The characters are well-written, as their personalities are unique and have specialties that make them stand out. The story doesn't quite change much, but your choices influence the outcome of the endings. The ending is rather short, though. Like, really short. Kind of wished there was more of an exposition in the end, but the meat of the story was rather filling. [spoiler]Plus there a little bit of incest with a character. Why oh why...[/spoiler]
Zumindest bei meinem ersten Versuch hatte ich das Gefühl das die Story nach "hinten" etwas komisch wurde. Aber bei einem Spiel mit Zeilen wie dieser: "Sorry, Father—Art accidentally became Warleader of Britain. We won't do it again!"
Wie kann man da blos keine Lust haben? Es scheint auch so als gäbe es doch zumindest die Möglichkeit auf Zahlreiche, interessante Enden und Geschichten.
10/10
[b]Do not buy this expecting a game in the common sense of the word[/b]. It is interactive fiction. The author obviously knows quite a bit about Arthurian legend and pre-Medieval Europe, and they have used this knowledge to weave a well-written narrative with compelling characters. If you enjoy reading and fantasy fiction, I highly recommend this. People looking for visceral and visual action should look elsewhere.
Realmente muito bom! A história é envolvente e da uma vontade de estrangular alguns personagens kkkk ainda não terminei a história, mas posso garantir que não consigo mais fechar. É muito viciante! Mistura perfeita se você gosta de jogos onde suas ações te consequencias, se gosta de coisas históricas e ainda por cima adora ler.
Is the story not a total rip of the King Arthur Legend, yes it is. Can you see some of the plot Twists coming if you know a bit about King Aruther, yes you can. Is there any thing that is bad about this game, I dunno, if you look hard enough you can find it, but that is only if you want to. Do you get some choice in the game, a lot, but also a few, you can choose to do many things, at times it also feels like it is just the same as if you did one of the other choice. I spent about 9hrs on this game trying to see all the endings I can get, that are not bad. (I screwed up and got them)
Is this game worth it's price, yes it is if you actually read through it and choose your words carefully, then you will take about 2 hrs or so, depending on how fast you read. (You can just skim it in like 30 minutes once you've played through it easily)
I will give this game a thumbs up for it has tried to do a bit more with King Arthur than I expected it to, I do hope you enjoy it.
SPOILERS if you're a fan of incest, this is the interactive book for you.
Incredibly well written, very, very well-edited, and packed with choices that matter deeply. The game expects you to either know the setting, or to learn it very quickly. Making a misstep is always significant, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself.
Took about 2.5 hours to get through a quick pace. I'm looking forward to playing through again as a re-read, to see what else is possible.
8.5/10
Ever wanted to take part in the Arthur saga? Now is your time to change one of britains most famous stories.
While it differs in quite some things from the original (naturally), it catches the dramatic events of Arthurs way from bastard son to Ruler of the Kingdom in it´s war against the evil Saxon invaders.
Offering a special treat, Pendragon Rising includes the option to change the whole main cast from male to female, which also presents a different take on the story itself.
Will you strive to make peace via diplomacy wherever possible or be a revengeful ruler without mercy? An opportunistic coward or a true hero, who inspires your folk with brave speeches?
The writing is also enjoyable enough to fit the theme, while friends of the classic adventure topic, where you rally your allies together with your close group of friends should feel right at home.
Conclusio: This has to be one of my favourite CYoA books up to now, as the atmosphere is really enjoyable, the characters likeable/hateable and it has enough content, to play it more than once, and even get a fully different setting.
Rating: 8/10
This game is hopelessly stupid. Stats of your character are awfull. At the start of the game I'm warrior with stat of warrior about 80 %. And after few leadership choices I'm 50% warrior. After some more time I'm great leader with about 90% leadership and 30% warrior. So This game is telling me that I can't be warrior and leader because of lousy programming and idiotic game concept. It would maybe be fun If I had more choices than fight/lead/negotiate.
As a game, Pendragon Rising has a variety of advantages and disadvantages. As far as advantages are concerned, you can really enjoy the process of the game. It is like reading a new book (or even writing your own) and using your imagination to rule the turn of the plot and the minds of the heroes. There is a great plus because you feel free to choose what to say and do. One more advantage is that plot-based structure of the game develops your memory and attention. So, you have to think not only about your actions but also about their consequences.
Among the disadvantages I can name only one thing. Sometimes the game ends too fast. On the other hand, the twists and turns of the plot are different and have several versions. So, if one choice of the steps brings a player to fast anding of the story, he always have a chance to build up a new story line and change the order of things.
I enjoyed this but there is big BUT. Main character, choices and story could have been better. Not the worst but certainly not even the best. For me 5/10.
Eigentlich ein solides Game nix wirklich Neues.
Ich Empfehle dieses Spiel deshalb nicht weil mich das/die Ende/n nicht wirklich überzeugt haben.
这样的游戏模式还是小学的时候跟朋友一起yy的时候经历的。现在真是不想再重温第二遍，还是花了钱的，在电脑上。喜欢多结局小说的可以来试试。但是对我来说，无画面而只有一篇篇的描述实在让人抓狂。
Choices aren't really choices all paths lead to the same ending no matter what you do very bad play.
Incest can't save this title.
Pendragon Rising was an intense ride. I second guessed myself so much in this game, whereas in the others I was comfortable with my choices. There's no real clear path, and every single decision could fundamentally change the outcome.
Beautifully written, well worth the price. 9/10
Nice storytelling, combined with a low price. It's not very long, but your choices matter and more important, you have the feeling that it matters.
I expected a realistically written story placed loosely in medieval times that was spiced with romance and fantasy just enough to make it interesting. I admit to having expected bit much.
I call this sort of genre fantasy-war-trash. The "romantic" options are so out of place in the game that I wonder if they were added as an after-thought. If you choose to play as a heroine, the story is suddenly about amazon woman warriors with men being the weaker sex, who follow their leader women from the sidelines. Who wants to read something like that? I speak solely for myself of course, but I thought this change in plot was of very bad taste. Where was the part of princess? Medieval times! This game could have been much better.
The story was short and the plot was kept rather narrow no matter what decisions you made. I tried all sort of things, because I really tried to like this and not to regret purchasing it. I cannot think of anybody whom to recommend it.
More than worth the £2 I paid for it, if your a fan of choose your own adventure books then this is perfect for you, though for better impact I would have added some artwork/background music to help set scenes (this is after all only a few hours per read through). All in all it was a good, fairly original time filler while I waited for real games to download.
A fantastic text adventure, multiple paths and character builds. You can build your character (male or female), as either a warrior, diplomat, or leader, or maybe even a mixture of those three. Build alliances with other kingdoms, fight in a seemingly hopeless war, rise in political power.
*Wipes brow of sweat.* I just finished chapter 5.......
This is the type of game that makes me wish there was a "meh" kind of review button. It is a good game, however, like others have mentioned, there is a lack of choices and replayability, something that is expected in a choose your own adventure type game. There also could be more closure in the ending, I for one am intrigued to figure out what happens to the incest baby. The plot is enjoyable however, especially if immersiveness and general setting/story is of more value to you than just sheer action and bad-assery. Though don't get me wrong, there is still action and bad-assery (THERE ARE SAXONS IN IT FOR ♥♥♥♥'S SAKE, OF COURSE THERE IS STILL ACTION) to be had.
I give it a 7/10 overall.
Captures the old "choose your own adventure" feeling. Very immersive story. I love the presentation of all of the characters particuarly Morgan and Emrys. Your choices not only change the story but also change your character enabling or disabling certain choices all depedent on earlier made decisions. A simple but fun game worth the 2-3 hours to read it the first time. Afterwards, the repeat playthroughs are fun to see different character choices and reactions to change your results.
I highly recommend this one especially at <$5.00 prices.
V/R,
RPC
I don't often play games like this but it was a fine ride, worth the price in my opinion.
I was honestly a bit baffled about the fact that this, Pendragon Rising, was sold as a game. In my eyes this is a book, not a game.
Well, terms aside, I really liked this one. The story, even if written hundreds of times already, was fairly well constructed. I don't know about the choices' effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, nor do I really care. It certainly doesn't feel like a game you'd be willing to play over and over again in short period of time.
It is a text-based adventure. What can you say about it? Story was good, extra points for option to lay with your sister. My only disappointment was the length. I wish it had been longer!
Pendragon Rising is a super fun, super engaging interative fantasy adventure where your choices have a very real sense of consquence - that is to say, the effects of your choices feel meaningful, subtle and consistent. The writing is very good, the characters memorable, and most noticably the story is paced very well with moments of, yes, conflict and magic, but also intimate spaces where you explore Arthur/Arta's place in the rapidly changing landscape of dark age Britain.
Choosing gender is also a matter of simply choosing which sex is the dominant one in Britain at that time. It is very well implemented, with consequences to being female that feel true to the nature of womanhood while also not diminishing it unecessarily. There are a few gender / name replacement typos, but they are little more than a distraction.
The game lasted only two or three hours long, but at £2 it's still a steal. I was gripped thoroughly and played it in one sitting. Also there is some sense in replaying it - how would a less diplomatic, more violent Arta turn out? Ultimately I don't want to because I have a very clear vision of my version of Arta, but the choice is still there.
One downside was the lack of sound. There isn't any sound at all - music or otherwise. I put on a Celtic music playlist and it sufficed, keeping in line with the lore.
Fans of dark age mythos and history, or even roleplayers, should really enjoy this. I sincerely hope that I can continue Arta's adventures in the future.
This is the first interactive novel I have ever played, and I can do nothing but praise it.
It adheres quite closely to the Celtic interpretation of Arthur, but still manages to incorporate familiar elements from medieval tradition. It conveys the atmosphere of a fractured, post-Roman Britain quite well, and although it has some fantastical elements, these are quite subdued for the most part and maintains a more realistic approach.
I found the writing to be engaging and enjoyable, and quite a few of the choices you make are recognized later on the in story, meaning that my decisions actually had some weight to them.
SPOILERS INCOMING!
I also greatly appreciated the fact that the game allowed you some flexibility in terms of the outcome. You do not have to stick to the classic Arthurian story. I actually deliberately avoided becoming king and prefered to work behind the scenes. You are not railroaded into taking the throne. You have the option of stepping down and supporting someone else instead, and this enhances the role-playing element.
Im only a few hours in and i love it.
ppl will say,"way isnt there any artwork"well in my mind its more of a "book" then a game. Now i love games like alot but i also like to read which ppl are forgetting exists along with imagintion.
just play the dam book/game its under 5$ so you cant really say much who knows you might really like it or just have a good read or you hate it and go back to call of poopy. any way i say 7/10 atm havnt ended it yet
Less of a Game, more an interactive story. Reminds me of those Choose Your Own Adventure books, but without the tedium of finding the right page. The story was great, and drew me in. Great game!
A fairly decent game. Well written and a very intelligent choice making system. Worth a few playthroughs for the different story lines.
I have played many 'choice of games' and this one baffles me. No matter what you choose it seems there is always the same outcome.
"yes" you die in pain.
"no" you die in a different kind of pain.
"maybe" you die in an even different kind of pain.
I love these games, there writting is great, a few typo's, but i like the style. My main problem is the lack of choices, now matter what it seems this or that is the outcome, sure there are outcomes that you can only get if you do this and that, but the majority of choices have the same outcome wether you choose choice one two or three.
This is like one of the best gaming experience in my life. I could play a pirate version - but this trully worth my money. Hope more games like this are coming.
DONT BUY IT IF(!!) you dont like books, you want art, sound, or anything moving other than your imagination.
BUY IT IF you like fantasies, have a sense of humor, and would like to try yourself as a bastard son in a medieval era.
Very good story.
Feels like i'm playing witcher 3.
Loved the companion characters But i'ma bit sad at how it ended. Maybe its only because of my choices.
Choices aren't really choices. There are multiple options which lead to the same ending. After the 1st playthrough this became quite apparent. Of course there are some events that matter, but for others you could pick 3/4 options with the same results... Mystifying... I understand the game is 2.99 but cmon. If you're too lazy to program different results for different choices, just make it 2 choices Aor B. Not ABC with the same result and choice D as something different... Makes the game to appear to have more depth than it actually possesses.
Nice story. The achievements provide a challenge I think.
测评不少，但是没有中文的，我也来说两句
+这不是传统的PC游戏，更像是一个在PC上玩的跑团游戏，但是只有1个玩家和1个城主
+故事性很强，选择也很有意思，喜欢西方传统奇幻的人不容错过。
+看起来像做题一样的玩法可能会吓跑不少人，但玩进去之后发现和RPG里面的选择对话没什么区别
+正统的亚瑟王传奇，可以选择女性亚瑟王这一点也很正统
+很重要的一点，英文内容简单，过了4级就可以开着辞典玩了
虽然说这是个文字型的游戏而且和galgame比起来没有配图，但是只要13软妹币绝对值回票价了。比同样内容的一本英文书便宜多了。
This will be the first review I've written for a game on Steam. So bear with my rough assessment.
Pendragon Rising an old style text-based adventure where nearly, if not every decision you make matters in some way to the story. Unfortunately I missed the age of Text based games, so playing this as my first pure experience was quite fun.
As expected, the roughly 3 hours (per read-through) of gameplay consists solely of making decisions, leading to what kind of King Arthur/Queen Arta you will be. This consists of these main traits. Leadership, Diplomacy, Warrior, Compassion v. Ruthlessness, Bravado v. Cunning, and Old Religion v. Roman Christianity. But regardless of what kind of ruler you are, you are almost positive to get a rich story.
Pros:
+Great and immersive story.
+Fun experimentation with choices. Each one truly feels unique.
+Romances (Or flings) feel pleasantly tasteful.
+Writing is very strong, I don't recall seeing any spelling errors.
Cons:
-Personally wish the read length was longer.
-There was a choice or two I found were hard to understand what was meant in context.
Taking everything I've said I strongly recommend this game, with a solid 9/10. If you've got a few hours to spare, or even more for several read-throughs, it's definitely worth the humble price of $4. I'm looking forward to more stories from this developer!
Maximized Bravado and Ruthlessness, minimized Cunning and Compassion, fought in the dirt, made everyone angry, became a warleader, and slept with Morgan.
11/10 - would pull the sword again.
Very much a big Choice Of Games fan, but I wouldn't recommend this particular one as an example of their output.
The setting is interesting and seldom used, but compared to their better-composed RPG-style games I just couldn't get into this one; your character stats are in perpetual flux, so you cannot seem to make any decisions without undoing your other stats with no particular rhyme or reason.
E.g. You've chosen to be a mighty Warrior thus far, then in the set-up for a battle you choose a solid not-too-crafty strategy option - come the finale for that scene you might be shocked to find suddenly your low Leadership and high Warrior scores have completely switched, meaning "challenge their leader one-on-one" puts you on the receiving end of a almighty whupping.
It is - as ever - a robust game regardless, I just found this one quite flawed in terms of supporting role-playing.
A solid 9/10, one of the best among Choice of Games.
had fun would recommend if you like these sorts of games
It gets better and better with each chapter. Ponder about how each choice will affect your story and shape your character.
One or two typos. A few parts that could have been written more clearly but over all a quick fun way for any fantasy lover to kill two hours.
A well-paced story based somewhat on the Arthurian legends.
A few side characters would be improved with more story development/better introduction, but overall well worth the price of entry if you like this sort of fantasy stories.
This was a disappointment. Choice of Games never fail except this was less customisable less options no chart displaying realtions with other characters and the story COULD of been good but. As a fan of all most every other Choice of Games's novels I feel this game was a real disappointment and it hasn't lived up to the standards of its predecessors. This was just terrible and a waste of my time.
A nice mix of RPG and strategy (all text obviously).
Better than I expected. I'm not finished yet but I'm enjoying it. I'm not a huge fan of the text adventures but it was cheap and I was bored. It's worth the money and I'll be more open to text adventures from now on.
I have just finished my first playthrough and I plan on doing more to see what other endings I could find, though it did not took me very long, just over 3 hours, it was time very well spent and engaging enough to make me want to come back to it for another round which is rare for me. I will say that going into it I didn't expect much as my past experience with text based games was not great, however I am happy that Pendragon Rising was able to reverse that. It had some great reveals and for the most part delivered on the promise of the choices you make being something that matters. It is by no means perfect as sometimes I felt a lack of depth in the alliance building you can engage through diplomacy, but as I've only got 1 playthrough under my belt I bet that there is a lot I missed.
Over all for the price it asks and the replay value I would suggest to pick this game up you won't regret it.
Damn 3 hours passed,
Great if you like the genre and text based rpgs
interesting developments. worth the money
Another great product from COG. An alternate take on Arthur's legend (I think). A great story with political intrigue and battles. Had fun playing as it also worth my money and time.
8/10 Incest. Ah, the good old medieval times of shagging that will make Cersei proud. Although I was not aware of it. Blame my lover-stealing father for that.
Bought it due to my love of the show Merlin, and did not even realise it was a text RPG at first. Tried it out regardless, and I definitely do not regret these past 3 hours.
It's very immersive if you do read it through, and definitely worth a second, or third, or fourth playthrough, to see what would happen if you were a pious madman, or a greedy bastard, or a humble bastard trying to avoid the throne.
All the choices you make will affect the things that happen to you, how people will respond to your actions, and so on. Sometimes, if you think you're making the wrong choice for the wrong reasons, you end up making the right choice for the wrong reasons... And sometimes it's the wrong choice for the right reasons that ends up being the reason your potential ally is now your enemy!
Great, short game, worth the money. Live through Arthur's fight for the Kingdom.
