Incredibly strange and interesting action RPG built with the structure of a fighting game (??), its clear that the personality of the proto-Vanillaware team was established early on. Lavish kingdom-fantasy stories of demons and dragons, cooking as a critical mechanic, inexplicably voluptuous women. You can even see the beginnings of Vanillawares patented parallel character storytelling, quite ambitious for such an obscure gem.
In fact its surprising how competent a game Princess Crown is considering how little information there is on it anywhere online. Youd be fooled into thinking it was just some weird rinky dink game that was some studios forgettable first foray into development but theres alot to love here, it is a surprisingly robust game.
In fact its surprising how competent a game Princess Crown is considering how little information there is on it anywhere online. Youd be fooled into thinking it was just some weird rinky dink game that was some studios forgettable first foray into development but theres alot to love here, it is a surprisingly robust game.
7 Comments
I really wish this had an English patch :(
@FallenGrace
I think it does now. (Or maybe Im crossing my wires with the Racing Lagoon patch which also came out shortly after I finished playing it with my friend who read the japanese for us)
I think it does now. (Or maybe Im crossing my wires with the Racing Lagoon patch which also came out shortly after I finished playing it with my friend who read the japanese for us)
I couldn't see one looking after reading your review sadly.
@FallenGrace
ripp, poor memory gaslights me again
ripp, poor memory gaslights me again
Okay first off, I just want to say I really enjoy you putting your thoughts on Vanillaware's (and related) games out there on this site; they're such a wonderful developer and their games need more eyes, ESPECIALLY Princess Crown.
Secondly, wholeheartedly agree with the soul of Vanillaware just being totally there in this game. You even have the clearly-way-too-high-effort movement cycle for Gradriel, who darts her eyes back and forth and all over while she walks, just Gwendolyn in Odin Sphere.
I also think there's a lot of interesting stuff to unpack about George Kamitani's feeling on women, even beyond the typical fanservice reputation that precedes him: So many of his games deal with themes of matriarchy and the struggle for women to maintain their agency, and you see that on display in Princess Crown IMMEDIATELY as a badass warrior queen in full armor shows up to take care of business, only for her daughter to attempt to follow in her footsteps. It rules so hard.
Secondly, wholeheartedly agree with the soul of Vanillaware just being totally there in this game. You even have the clearly-way-too-high-effort movement cycle for Gradriel, who darts her eyes back and forth and all over while she walks, just Gwendolyn in Odin Sphere.
I also think there's a lot of interesting stuff to unpack about George Kamitani's feeling on women, even beyond the typical fanservice reputation that precedes him: So many of his games deal with themes of matriarchy and the struggle for women to maintain their agency, and you see that on display in Princess Crown IMMEDIATELY as a badass warrior queen in full armor shows up to take care of business, only for her daughter to attempt to follow in her footsteps. It rules so hard.
@TripleSMoon
Its def a treasure. And the regard for women is something I think about alot - there isnt really a place to bring this up but even when Vanillaware does more controversial designs for women, theres usually a thematic scheme going on. Women take on more salacious qualities when they align with darker arts, like necromancy, and its interesting to see something more thoughtful to what might otherwise come across as only fanservice.
Warrior Queens are def one of Vanillawares unique contributions and I hope they circle back around to it sometime in the future. There was a taste of it in Unicorn Overlord but I was left wanting way more.
Its def a treasure. And the regard for women is something I think about alot - there isnt really a place to bring this up but even when Vanillaware does more controversial designs for women, theres usually a thematic scheme going on. Women take on more salacious qualities when they align with darker arts, like necromancy, and its interesting to see something more thoughtful to what might otherwise come across as only fanservice.
Warrior Queens are def one of Vanillawares unique contributions and I hope they circle back around to it sometime in the future. There was a taste of it in Unicorn Overlord but I was left wanting way more.
@_YALP lmao I booted up the demo for Unicorn Overlord, and did a literal actual fist pump when we saw a warrior queen on screen within seconds of the first cutscene. Always makes me happy to see.
But yeah, it really bugs me that fans and detractors alike seem to only refer to Vanillaware women when it comes to their sexualized and horny qualities, and not to the larger thematic elements at play, because I think they're genuinely interesting. More fans should be talking about Gwendolyn and Mercedes and Velvet and just how cool and evocative their stories are for them as women: Stories about trauma and self-confidence and the desperate struggle for agency in a world that's damaged them so badly. Even Muramasa, when it's not being weirdly shitty to Momohime for the sake of cheap jokes, touches on such themes. It's all so interesting.
But yeah, it really bugs me that fans and detractors alike seem to only refer to Vanillaware women when it comes to their sexualized and horny qualities, and not to the larger thematic elements at play, because I think they're genuinely interesting. More fans should be talking about Gwendolyn and Mercedes and Velvet and just how cool and evocative their stories are for them as women: Stories about trauma and self-confidence and the desperate struggle for agency in a world that's damaged them so badly. Even Muramasa, when it's not being weirdly shitty to Momohime for the sake of cheap jokes, touches on such themes. It's all so interesting.
_YALP
2 months ago