I’ve lost another knight, failed a journey, and because of it, a crucial alliance with a neighbouring state has fallen apart. Just a few cycles remain before a fearsome opponent comes back knocking, with both the knight and alliance being critical pieces of my plan. Now what? Continue on and hope that new pathways reveal themselves for a last-minute swing in the right direction? Or do I seek out the demon in the basement, run back the clock, and try again? I have no idea what abusing the demon’s powers leads to…but maybe just one more time.
Sovereign Tower, the new management RPG from WILD WITS GAMES, is a constant wrestling with temptation. It asks you to take the role of the Sovereign, a new ruler of a kingdom that’s been left without a leader for years. Rebuilding your round table with knights is part of the challenge, but so is managing the different groups that call your kingdom home. The scholars need more paper, the merchants struggle with taxes, the nobles…well, the nobles need someone to trim their hedges.
Balancing all these pieces a truly great Sovereign makes, but each choice isn’t just about making one group happy. Some choices will increase your ranks with one group and drop them with another; it’s impossible to make everyone happy. Raising these ranks is important too, as they can lead to potential choices and upgrades that require a certain standing. At the same time, how much do some of these choices go against the inherent role-playing? My Sovereign was much more concerned with the safety and well-being of the commonfolk, pissing off the nobles at every turn that I could.
“Sovereign Tower, the new management RPG from WILD WITS GAMES, is a constant wrestling with temptation.”
It was all fun and games until my actions led to an uprising of the nobles. They declared war against their own leader, the ungrateful fools, but luckily I had recruited a neighbouring knight noble to my Round Table. Marriage with that knight assuaged them, and war was avoided. If I didn’t have that specific knight in my employ, things would’ve taken a darker turn.
Building out your Round Table comes with the same ebbs and flows as running your kingdom. You can have a crew full of nobles and wealthy knights, but they get upset when you let refugees take shelter in the castle. You can fill your roster with miscreants and criminals, but that makes your castle staff uneasy and unhappy. Mixing different personalities means managing big ideas, and if you don’t, it can quickly lead to knights dying and failed missions.
Each knight has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, which go hand in hand with the missions you send them out on. Taking on a group of bandits needs knights who are stronger and more agile, while ejecting a ghost from a haunted bathroom requires more magical knights. Send the right people for the job, and you’ll succeed and grow your legend, sometimes getting new relics, items, and influence. Fail, and the knights lose HP and can even die, leaving your court without a person-at-arms.
“Building out your Round Table comes with the same ebbs and flows as running your kingdom.”
And if it doesn’t go right? What if someone goes wrong and one of your favourite knights dies? One that had specific stats that others don’t, or one that you grew to like and was a possible romantic option? Well, then the demon in the basement rears its head and comes calling. Sovereign Tower has a time travel mechanic that lets you roll the clock back and make different choices, send different knights, or do something to change the way things are going.
The issue here is that Sovereign Tower doesn’t tell you what the cost of that time travel is at its introduction. Nothing seems to happen when you use it, no drawback or consequence, and that oh-so-friendly demon is all too content in goading you to use its abilities.
It’s a constant piece of narrative tension that’s electric in action. I was totally comfortable in my decision to ignore its dark powers until I lost my favourite knight. Just one roll back couldn’t hurt, right? Well, I’ve done it once; what’s another time? A slippery slope that took my feet out from under me, and before I knew it, the demon in the basement was my best friend, potential consequences be damned.
Each choice, each knight brought in, alliance won or failed, every time travel roll back coalesces into a gripping story that is full of replayability. The trailers show conversations, knights, and situations I never even saw, meaning they were at odds with my own choices. I’m incredibly curious to dive back in to try and avoid my demonic basement-dwelling comrade entirely, or abuse it even more to dive back even further in the past with new knowledge. New conversation options and choices are even tied to time travel, making it a tempting option.
“Sovereign Tower is fantastic and shouldn’t be missed, a gripping experience that will have you coming back cycle after cycle.”
The art style of Sovereign Tower is also excellent, with hand-drawn imagery that’s charmingly rough and full of personality. Each new character design is eccentric and memorable, a perfect fusion of writing and art that elevates the experience even farther. The Dragon Knight is threatening and menacing upon his arrival, while the sneering, punchable face of the noble Gwendan is an annoyance, but his gold armour is a solid reflection of his abilities. Marry that with the tight and creative writing that gives each character their own flavour, and Sovereign Tower makes each day feel brand new.
Sovereign Tower is a fantastic experience with plenty of depth, strong writing, and choices that genuinely matter. The constant balancing act is full of tension, one where one potential option leads to disaster as much as it does a new comrade. It’s also incredibly funny, with ridiculous situations and quirky characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. The core temptation of the time travel mechanic is expertly implemented, with some choices still taking up space in my brain as to whether I made the right call. Sovereign Tower is fantastic and shouldn’t be missed, a gripping experience that will have you coming back cycle after cycle.
