Queen’s Domain Is Finally Here After 300K+ Wishlists

The highly anticipated FromSoftware-inspired RPG, Queen’s Domain, has finally been released, and it already has over 300K wishlists! The game has been slowly building hype since December of last year, and it has everything an old-school RPG fan could want and more!

What Is Queen’s Domain?

Queen’s Domain is a retro fantasy, first-person RPG that focuses on old-school, traversal-based exploration and slow yet brutal combat. The game’s premise is that you wash up on the shores of the Isle of Neasied and set out to find your father while uncovering the island’s secrets.

Right from the get-go, Queen’s Domain’s personality, art style, and environments are all stunning. The world is just outright gorgeous, which is great because the game really encourages you to explore. Within my first few hours, I found that there are so many little secrets tucked away in smaller corners, including places you might never think to look.

Especially early on, finding these secrets can be crucial. You might stumble across some spare gold, healing items, or perhaps even new weapons. All of these are tucked away pretty well, so you’ll want to keep your eyes open.

Speaking of weapons, there are over 50 melee weapons to discover, each with different damage types and effects. You might think you’ll just want to get attached to one weapon, but you’d be wrong. All enemies have their own damage resistances and weaknesses, so you’ll want to keep a handful of weapons on standby.

A Real Living World

Another aspect of Queen’s Domain that really stands out is how little the world holds your hand. There are no quest objectives or strict arrows telling you where to go. Instead, the tools and clues you need to figure out your next destination and overcome the next hurdle are already there.

This adds even more to the worldbuilding. One example I can give is finding an allied soldier resting against a locked shrine gate. He mentions that you should check the wreckage you washed ashore with for anything valuable. I backtracked to where the game starts but found nothing aside from a few healing items I had missed.

I wandered around the coast until I found a dagger belt, which finally allowed me to deal with some of the more annoying enemies that stay out of reach. It also let me hit switches that opened the way into a dungeon where I could find the key.

It’s moments like these that would have been undermined by a simple quest marker. Queen’s Domain is perfect if you love exploration, old-school combat, and want something that scratches the same itch as the King’s Field series.

You can try out the extensive demo before buying or grab a copy while it’s on sale. Stay tuned for our more in-depth review!