Princess Covenant is a strategy RPG with deck-building mechanics developed by Lucky90Happy, an indie developer from Indonesia. Combining retro-style pixel art and a card-based battle system, the game offers a simple yet strategic gameplay experience. Originally released on itch.io and later available on Steam, Princess Covenant gained attention for its distinctive visuals and immersive gameplay.
Story & Characters
The game’s story focuses on the journey of a princess and her unique guardian, a mouse named Arlo. The two strive to protect the kingdom of Fenua from the threat of creatures called Forsakens. Despite its simple premise, the narrative is solid and presents a classic fantasy world that is easy for both new and experienced players to enjoy.
Over 50 ally characters can be recruited throughout the adventure, each with their own background and abilities. This variety not only enriches the story but also opens up a multitude of playstyles. Players can form teams that suit their strategies, making the journey more personalized and full of choices.
Gameplay
Battles in Princess Covenant combine turn-based combat with deck-building. Players choose cards to attack, defend, or activate their characters’ special skills. This mechanic makes each battle require quick decisions and careful strategy, preventing monotony.
Furthermore, the game features a vocation or class system that can be changed as needed. Changing vocations unlocks new abilities, strengthens allies, and creates deeper strategic variations. The combination of decks, allies, and vocations allows players to experiment endlessly.
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Dungeon Exploration
There are seven different dungeons to explore, each with two difficulty levels. Each dungeon presents unique challenges, from enemy lineups to rewards. Players must adjust their team composition and deck to ensure success in each expedition.
While the main story can be completed in about five hours, the dungeon structure and roguelike-influenced reward system make the game highly replayable. Each retry can yield different strategy combinations, giving players a reason to keep coming back.
Visuals & Atmosphere
Princess Covenant’s pixel art visuals are hand-drawn, giving it a strong vintage feel. The character designs are simple yet distinctive, while the dungeon environments are meticulously crafted, creating a warm, retro adventure atmosphere. This visual style is one of the game’s main attractions.
The atmosphere of the world of Fenua is designed with a light, fantasy feel that’s easy to enjoy. Simple music and sound effects complement the gameplay experience without being distracting. For players who enjoy games with an old-school aesthetic, the visual and atmospheric experience will be incredibly satisfying.
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Advantages & Challenges
Princess Covenant’s main strength lies in its combination of deep strategy, beautiful retro visuals, and accessible gameplay. New players can enjoy the clear and easy-to-understand system, while experienced players can still explore the complex strategies of decks and vocations. This makes the game suitable for a wide range of players.
However, there are some challenges that players may encounter. The relatively short story length may be a bit lacking for those who enjoy long RPGs. Furthermore, some players report that the character upgrade process can feel slow due to limited resources. However, these challenges don’t detract from the game’s overall value.
Local Developers & Game Potential
As a work from an Indonesian developer, Princess Covenant demonstrates the immense potential of the local gaming industry. Lucky90Happy successfully combines inspiration from classic RPGs like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger with a modern deck-building system, resulting in a unique and competitive game in the indie market.
With its affordable price and user-friendly design, this game has the potential to expand its fanbase, especially within the RPG and pixel art communities. Its popularity on itch.io and Steam also proves that local games can compete with international titles.
Why You Should Try It?
Princess Covenant is an engaging indie game, perfectly blending classic and modern elements. If you enjoy card-based strategy games and have a nostalgic sense of retro gaming, this game could be a great choice. Its relatively low price (around USD 2.49 on itch.io) also makes it well worth a try.
As a local developer, Princess Covenant also demonstrates that quality game creations can come from anywhere. For the Indonesian gaming community, this could be one of many examples of the success of indie developers in the country.
Try Princess Covenant on Itch.io now!
