I hope we never justify a “Life & Suffering-like” sub-genre of adventure games. Enough with the “likes” already. I kid, but I say this because The Life & Suffering of Prince Jerian (LSPJ) is the second game in the series that takes place in the awful, brutal Empire first introduced in The Life & Suffering of Sir Brante, and there’s really quite nothing like these two games. Peak intelligent writing that attempts to dig deep into the nuance of classism, religion, and complex societies under totalitarian rule, LSPJ demands a lot of the player emotionally and strategically, but do the sliding scales enhance the narrative or get in the way for the sake of gamification?
No matter what your feelings are about LSPJ, the quality of the writing is indisputable. Tight yet sufficiently detailed, the sophisticated vocabulary eloquently describes both intimately personal encounters and Empire-altering dilemmas with refined beauty. Initially, the descriptions and introduction to Prince Jerian’s life are easily digestible, but by the third chapter, the several scenarios and robust descriptions are intoxicating. For a game completely text-driven in shades of sepia, I hadn’t encountered an addictive quality like this since Sir Brante’s debut or Roadwarden. Of course, those less inclined toward dry, text-heavy adventures need not apply, but screenshots alone should send that message.
But what are we doing here, anyway? We play as Prince Jerian from age four to his eventual demise, whenever the game decides that happens. The game announces Prince Jerian’s aging almost every year of his life, and the presented snippets match the age and psychology of the young prince appropriately. Filled with wonder and confusion, he takes the world in and must make weighty decisions about listening to adults or sating his curiosity. What appears mundane to adults is significantly profound to a child, and the writers get that. By the mid-game, in which I’m arguing bureaucracy and laws with family and councilors running the country, I sometimes wished for those simple days.
Every chapter introduces new mechanics, which adds to the complexity. Initially, we have simple events to potentially achieve depending on how we behave, and then we can alter the social standing of commoners and the elite, old and new faith, and the general feeling of justice within society. Even later, we can determine the veritable bill of rights for the Empire.
LSPJ communicates outstanding wisdom about how societal change affects all players. Do not expect the game to preach about a one-sided ideology and guide players in that direction. Rushing toward absolute equality is a surefire way to alienate a powerful demographic and end your life in rebellion. Slow and steady change will keep the good prince off the gallows. Or maybe you want to enjoy the privilege of your birthing as an Arknian has offered you and crush the peasantry beneath your heel? That’s an option, too, and the developers competently write from this perspective as well.
Without going into exhaustive detail, the general landscape within LSPJ is one in which the Arknians—blue people who have kept humans within the yoke for over a millennium—are starting to lose influence as society and technology change. They and the Old Faith desperately and angrily resist this change, oftentimes enjoying brutality as the means of damming the river. Humans, who occasionally earn their way into the nobility, remain slaves to their oppressors, and sometimes seem okay with that. That’s just the way things have always been, and that is the will of The Twins (LSPJ’s two gods). Prince Jerian’s family leans progressive and seeks a utopia in which all people are equal, but you can imagine how that goes over with the elite.
The devil’s in the details. Little magical and supernatural touches add spice to an otherwise slow, dry narrative, though I use the word “dry” affectionately. If that’s your thing. Expect serious discussions about laws, etiquette, and the appreciation for the unbearable weight of power. On the other hand, Prince Jerian must maintain relations with his family, choose a potential bride, and maintain his own sanity.
Aside from enjoying choice-making from a narrative perspective, LSPJ uses several point-based systems and sliders to determine binary qualities. Will you lean logical or passionate? Adhere to traditional Arknian values or forge your own path? Maintain law, or show mercy and compassion? The society at large hosts a similar sliding scale, with the progressive among us thirsting to max out the Equality slider, but LSPJ makes an excellent case for why absolute equality might not work out. Ideas that may be abstractly appealing may not work in practice, and while benefits may result from this, there will also be costs. Sacrifice, timing, and even compromising your own values are a large part of what this game is about.
If relationships with key people or inner qualities aren’t quite where they need to be to unlock a decision, LSPJ has a Sanity and family point system in which you can cheat and pretend you have those qualities. Sanity is a finite, limited resource that never replenishes. Use up all five Sanity, and you break down. The family points, on the other hand, come and go, though they are hard to earn. Sometimes decisions grant or revoke points, and these points help win over people that Prince Jerian may not be close enough with in conversations.
From a gameplay perspective, the deliciously torturous decisions are what make LSPJ such a satisfying experience. From a player perspective, I know where I want the game to end up, but it’s not that simple—and it shouldn’t be. So, I have three decisions, and one is absolutely awful and not what I would ever pick. Another is ideal, and the other I would be fine with. Seems simple, right? Well, LSPJ displays all of the numerical wins and losses for each decision. Turns out my ideal choice from a narrative perspective is going to absolutely wreck my relationship with a group of people and barely help my relationship with the desired group of people. The lukewarm decision doesn’t help me where I need it to, but maybe I shouldn’t neglect that skill area too much, as I may need it later. Incidentally, the awful decision has the least blowback and gives me a huge amount of those family points I referenced earlier, of which I currently have none. I loudly exhale and lean back in my chair, considering my options. Do I min-max and forego what I’m trying to accomplish? What are the realistic ramifications in the long run? Lose the battle, win the war, etc. And on and on like this. For over twenty hours. During most presented scenarios in the game. Praise the Twins, I love how difficult this is.
Visually, I have incredibly mixed feelings about LSPJ. While the stills and small animations are stylistically reminiscent of the dark, brooding atmosphere of The Life & Suffering of Sir Brante, LSPJ has an incredibly limited set of illustrations. After a few hours, I got to the point where I was essentially ignoring the right side of the book, as the images sometimes didn’t even accurately represent the text and felt like an afterthought. Musically, LSPJ has fantastic tunes that complement the writing and in no way distract; though, because of how incredible the storytelling is, I didn’t focus on it too much unless I sat back and took it in.
The Life & Suffering of Prince Jerian is a sorrowful tale about managing a society and the surprisingly awful burden being a leader can be. I guess no one wins in the Empire, and that’s how I like my stories. Compared to its predecessor, LSPJ feels weightier and grander simply by virtue of the character you’re playing, but the game feels beefier, as well. Still, this title isn’t for everyone, as the commitment that could lead to a less-than-fortuitous end may frustrate those who disagree with the design choices, but I think these endings teach us something about forcing our will and neglecting the totality of people in society. Creating a harmonious society clearly isn’t as simple as one might expect. Fortunately, we can always reload chapters and fiddle with our decisions until we get the outcome we want.
