After the heavy The Point Of No Return, I was curious to see what the developer’s next project would be. Turns out two games are in development currently, with each of them taking a different route to storytelling. Today we'll discuss the medieval game, all about diplomacy and love.
STORY
In the historical lands of Thessaralia, a peasant farmboy grew up in taverns among mercenaries. Taught at the Imperial academy and eventually expelled, his luck ran out after a thieving score went wrong. One day, he is at the receiving end of a nobleman’s pester. The young man steals the nobleman's identity, while aiming for a new life elsewhere.
The Art of Diplomacy… And Love is relaxingly paced, which works well for its fantasy setting. Your goal is to live a life of opportunity while faking to be Lucius of Fuerto, troublemaker and third son to the baron of Fuerto. You are offered an apprenticeship at the castle of Khalifa, and through it, learn about noble life in the area.
While the game is only a few days long as of yet, DS23G made sure the writing is faithful to the environment. Like in earlier days, Noblemen care little for peasants and servants humbly roam the castle. The game’s focus is literally in the name; you learn about diplomatic measures, solve conflicts and engage in loving behavior with servants and other fair maidens.
Whether you are taught in diplomacy by Beleghor or visit the enchanting House of Joy with many distractions, it all serves to sell the fantasy of life as a nobleman. Fancy getting frisky with servants? Seeking to corrupt an innocent virgin? Or perhaps lust for the skilled pleasure of the women of joy? Although the game states there can be consequences, many things are too fun not to try.
While most men are fairly dominant and most women are slightly submissive due to the social structure, each love interest has her own story and way of dealing with the main character. Bodyguard Neela and servant Alycia are rather easygoing, while Apprentices Gyla and Aleta as noblewomen have a mind of their own.
It is too early to tell how the plot will further influence gameplay, but the dev takes all the time necessary to properly tell stories. Sometimes small in the form of a heated argument, other times long in the form of a budding romance. Mastering them is truly an art to the main character.
Special mention must be made for the Encyclopedia you can acquire at the Scriptorium, the local Library. It contains a lot of backstory on the lands, the many people and other interesting topics. DSG23 has thought out the world far beyond a ‘servant simulator' and it shows in the characters presented and stories told.
PRESENTATION
By 2025’s standards, The Art Of Diplomacy…And Love’s renders look a bit basic. There’s a certain 2000’s style to the renders, not to mention the UI is in full Medieval style and writing. The first 15 minutes might feel rough, but thereafter the game grows on you like a well brewed ale.
While the names of characters can be hard to read for people who are not proficient in Olde English, the base font used for writing works well and adds a handwritten personality to the look. Same goes for books, scrolls and menus in-game.
The MC looks like your typical medieval young adult, while characters like the count and teacher all have their ‘important and wealthy nobleman’ looks going for them. It works to sell the story, in combination with the lore and writing.
A love game isn't complete without fair lasses. The game offers quite a bit of diversity in love interests, ranging from a pink haired elves to dark skin white haired humans. The fantasy element really comes into play here, while servants actually look like they came straight out of a medieval painting. There's also room for a bit of intimacy with women who are not on your love interest list, but you'd do best to find that out yourself. Just know I had quite a challenge finding sexy screenshots that don't expose bodyparts.
Environments are detailed and recognizable. These include a luxury bathhouse, a dining hall, several bedrooms, the courtyard and many other places you can get into trouble at. The frequent use of wooden furniture against masonry really helps sell the world, even if fantasy characters pass by unbothered.
The game has some nice traditional medieval background tracks which add to the medieval vibe, and stop-motion animations made of a couple frames stitched together. Intimacy is on display here, although most of the women are pretty reserved about sexuality as of now. You are able to influence the women, so this will most likely change over time. Before you get to any of them, you can admire them from afar a few times.
While the game overly depends on medium shots and more variety would be welcome, the renders work well to sell the fantasy and show us details of the world the characters live in. The presentation might feel a bit ol fashioned, but only because it fits the vibe of the game. TaoDaL is graphically sound and works well to convey the temptations of the empirical life.
GAMEPLAY
TAoDaL is a visual novel that expands into a sandbox-type game after roughly one hour. The main character has multiple personality- and skill scales, which change depending on your in-game choices. Your choices will allow you to become anything between a ruthless, corrupt tyrant or a chivalrous, honest nobleman. The game currently isn't long enough to actually experience a huge difference already, but it's subtly noticeable.
The sandbox element works as a series of location buttons that you can click to visit, like the Bathhouse or the Scriptorium. Enabling tips in the settings will show you which character is currently where, as well as point distribution for the choices you pick. That might feel like a bit of cheating, but it helps to keep things manageable for those who like to play light. Each sandbox day is made up of a daytime, evening and night schedule, which all allow you different activities.
Each of the current love interests have their own personality scales, in addition to an affection scale that you influence through loving actions towards the love interest. The personality scales add an extra factor to the gameplay, allowing the MC to influence and change their love interests. The big question is, do all these sliders matter?
Yes, you will almost definitely miss out on content and need at least one extra playthrough to see the other side of things. Because the affection stats are based into the story, I don't think it'll be possible to experience that same path at a later moment in the game. Unless the developer finds some kind of way to start a convincing day loop, which probably won't work at this point.
The combination of gameplay elements creates an intriguing nobility simulator as DS23 mixes the diplomacy decisions with the evolving love stories that our main character gets involved with.
OVERALL
The Art of Diplomacy… And Love is an intriguing game, trying its hand at showing you the life of a peasant who gets lucky. If solving deadly conflicts and charming maidens of a medieval kingdom sound great to you, TAoDaL is a good time. We’re looking forward to see what the future holds for our new fake noble.
Rating: 7.5/10
Developer: The Art Of Diplomacy...And Love by DS23G
