‘Reigns: Her Majesty’ Swept Right for a 2017 Release

A matriarchal sequel to everyone’s favorite silly Tinder-inspired existential kingdom-management game, Reigns, has been announced for a 2017 digital release for the App Store, Google Play Store and PC/Mac systems.

In Reigns: Her Majesty, as the title suggests, this time around we take control of a line of Queens cursed to rule their kingdom for eternity, lest they can somehow escape this cycle, all the while managing a kingdom (which is a more confusing and deadly business than one might expect).

Like in the original game, you will encounter all sorts of characters in the course of running your kingdom, and it’s up to you to swipe left or right on what they have to say, suggest or how they act, while making sure that a balance of contentedness is met for everyone.

With each failure, you’ll hopefully learn how to approach each interaction and problem that your ancestors might have faced before you, and be able to (as the press kit states), “navigate the increasingly complex politics and personal relationships of your dynasty”.

Long live the Queen! No, wait, wrong game.

Though I was initially skeptical of the gimmick, playing through the original Reigns was an unexpected blast. I found the game to be perfectly crafted for a cellphone experience, (personally I played it on an Android phone) which isn’t a surprise considering how it is built. The “Tinder” comparison, while apt, is only skin-deep and undermines the actual depth and scope of the gameplay.

I found myself thinking about all the different tactics I could implement to reach my goals when I wasn’t playing the game, forming a sort of mini-obsession for a while. But, you know, in a good way! So, considering Her Majesty is technically more of an expansion on the original than a sequel, I am looking forward to badly running my kingdom and shirking my responsibilities once more.

Like the original, the game is being developed by Nerial and will be published by Devolver Digital. Look forward to the game at some point before the end of this year.