Yes, Your Grace: The Wicked Good Review
Every so often, a game comes around that helps you break down mental walls that you might’ve previously had about its genre. I don’t usually love adventure games, but Yes, Your Grace from No More Robots and Brave At Night has me more than willing to explore the genre further.
When I first heard about Yes, Your Grace – I clicked because of the art that you see right above. I love the fantasy genre, and I thought the prospect of a choice-driven adventure game was fascinating. I don’t have a PC, so I had to wait patiently for YYG to arrive on my beloved Nintendo Switch.
Starting today, Yes, Your Grace is available for Nintendo Switch as well as PC, and it is a perfect fit for both – whether you’re a fan of the genre or not. Personally, I prefer the Switch version – as the game’s art style and soundtrack fit perfectly on the portable screen or TV.
The Long Road To Glory
Yes, Your Grace puts you in the boots (and throne) of Eryk, King of Davern. Davern’s seen better days, and it is up to you to balance being a wise king, loving father, and a caring husband – all while preventing your kingdom from falling to siege or starvation.
Yes, Your Grace starts off with a bang, and you’re immediately faced with the issue of incoming invaders. You have a number of weeks to assemble an army, attract tenuous allies, and build up your kingdom’s stores to stand any chance of survival. At first, I thought “ah, this can’t be that hard”, and then the petitioners arrived.
Every new week in Davern will bring new subjects to your court, all of whom will want something of you. Be it gold, supplies, favors, promises of military aid – you’ll need to choose wisely who to help, as some will come back to help or haunt you depending on how you act.
Several times I found myself slapping my own forehead when rushing to a decision that was solely beneficial to the kingdom’s coffers or pantries, only to find out a few weeks later that a much-needed ally was no longer willing to help in my own time of need. In this way, players will probably find themselves reloading saves or starting new playthroughs (I certainly have) once they get the hang of what the game asks of you – and when.
The Good Man and The Fool
The kingdom of Davern’s military troubles are only the tip of the iceberg, as King Eryk has plenty of his own problems on the homefront to deal with. King Eryk has three daughters and a wife, all of whom will demand your attention and have different needs.
Your youngest daughter, Cedani, is the resident troublemaker and constantly attempts to trap new wild animals around the kingdom to keep as pets. She’s a hilarious source of comic relief and mischief even during the game’s most challenging moments. Your middle daughter, Asalia, is your classic middle child. She fights hard for her father’s affection and attention, and has no problem sticking it to her older sister to take her down a peg. That older sister, Lorsulia, faces a conundrum right off the bat – as two very different leaders are both vying for her hand in marriage. Lastly, there is Queen Aurelea, who has yet to deliver King Eryk a trueborn male heir – just one of the many issues (and mysteries) that plagues the Davern royal family.
Based on your choices, King Eryk will dramatically reshape his entire family, for better or for worse. As a man who’s approaching thirty years old this year, I can’t help but resonate with King Eryk’s character as he does his best to balance his duty, his family, and the respect of his peers. All of this is tied together expertly by the incredible writing in Yes, Your Grace.
A Surprise To Be Sure, But A Welcome One
If you don’t play a ton of indie titles, you may assume based on the visuals that this game won’t really immerse you or pull you into its story – but you’d be dead wrong. The sharp, witty, emotional dialogue and story beats in the game are better than most modern RPGs I’ve played recently, and I found myself absolutely hooked after just a few minutes of play. After about an hour, I found myself completely dedicated to saving Davern, keeping Eryk’s family together, and telling his snottiest of “allies” to fuck off. Once YYG’s story has it’s hooks in you, I found it next to impossible to put down.
Yes, Your Grace game is based around Slavic mythology, so fans of The Witcher and similar titles will encounter familiar myths and stories throughout the game. It tows that modern fantasy line of “is there really magic, or is it just a myth?” that we’re seeing so often, and it’s a perfect fit for anybody who found themselves fans of The Witcher (game or series) and Game of Thrones (books or series).
One thing I need to mention about Yes, Your Grace – this game is not forgiving. In the later stages of the game, you will be put to the test. Some favors and tasks may seem impossible to achieve, and there were moments where I found myself racking my brain to figure out how I could have avoided certain situations. This might be just because I’m pretty inexperienced in this genre, but make no mistake about it – YYG will get tough.
A Kingdom Worth Saving
Yes, Your Grace has the perfect mix of a gripping story, simple to grasp (yet tough to master) economy and choice system, and charming visuals. I urge fantasy fans and adventure fans alike to give this a try, you won’t regret it. Now, if you’ll excuse me – I have a kingdom to save.
The Pros:
- Yes, Your Grace’s writing is top-notch while being short and to the point, and is worth savoring every sentence.
- The gameplay is simple to grasp, yet difficult to master – making YYG a very addicting experience.
The Cons:
- YYG’s difficulty can be unforgiving at times (especially in the later stages of the game), so the option for a difficulty setting would have been welcome here.
- I did experience some the occasional stall, freeze, or other strange minor bugs, nothing that couldn’t be fixed by reloading the save.
The Verdict:
5/5. Yes, Your Grace is not to be missed by fans of the indie adventure genre, and is absolutely worth taking a chance on by any fantasy fan. Go check it out on Steam or Nintendo Switch.
