Developer Brave At Night’s striking pixel art kingdom management sim, Yes, Your Grace, might still be some way off its 2020 release, but those eager to experience it have a chance to do so from this Friday, 15th November, when the game’s previously teased beta gets underway.
Yes, Your Grace casts players as the put-upon King Eryk, charging them with juggling their royal responsibilities in order to bring peace to the medieval kingdom of Davern. Chiefly, that involves listening to the plight of visiting petitioners – from kings and lords to penniless peasants – and deciding who deserves to walk away with some of the kingdom’s gold and resources.
“There won’t be enough for everyone,” warns Brave At Night, “but those savvy enough may be able to work out who has the kingdom’s best interests at heart.”
It all sounds like a more in-depth spin on the kind of kingly pursuits seen in flick-to-rule mobile game Reigns, but there’s more to the experience than simply responding to requests with a yay or nay. Players can hire generals, hunters, and even witches to aid their efforts, and will inevitably need to forge alliances as they prepare for the threat of battle.
And it’s not just the kingdom that needs attention; players must also hold their feuding family together as best they can, tending to the personal problems, and ultimately deciding the fate, of the king’s three bickering daughters.
Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese called Yes, Your Grace “humorous and entertaining to play” in his look at the game last month. He also charted its colourful development history, which has experienced numerous struggles and set-backs since reaching its Kickstarter goal in 2015, resulting in a long, heartfelt apology from creator Rafał Bryks earlier this year.
Those keen to lord it over their kingdom will have an early chance to do so when Yes, Your Grace’s beta commences later this week. To participate, however, interested parties will first need to sign-up via Discord. Yes, Your Grace is aiming for a full launch on PC in “spring” 2020.
