Reigns Reviews

Reigns is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Unscored
Sep 8, 2016

Reigns is glorious. The power of choice, distilled to its essence, heavy with consequence, and a game that clearly delights in its cloistered malevolence. May it reign forever. But… maybe on your phone rather than on your PC.

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8 / 10
Aug 25, 2016

For a game that’s so simple, Reigns is very easy to get absorbed in. Your kingdom evolves in a much more subtle way than your traditional management sim, but also in a more meaningful way. While there’s a lack of variety in cards that tend to crop up, there’s also enough depth and variety in general to keep you going for quite some time.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 13, 2016

Reigns is shrewd and playful, with a straightforward interface and a handful of terrific twists thrown in for good measure. Whenever things risk getting too stale, a new event or set of cards can turn up to keep one hooked, and a single playthrough won’t uncover all the secrets, as well as the ways to meet some grisly fate.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Sep 7, 2016

Swipe left and right to guide your kingdom to victory or die trying, in a simple, charming but sometimes infuriating mobile game

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Sep 5, 2016

Reigns is a Python-esque text adventure rougelike played out with the swipe-mechanics of Tinder. If that sounds at all appealing, then Reigns is absolutely worth the small investment. Light and undemanding, it offers short, great bursts of play perfect for the mobile platform.

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Aug 17, 2016

Reigns provides hours of entertainment for a cheap price. Presenting more of a balancing act than a moral dilemma, it can be equally as satisfying as it is frustrating at times. One thing it always does, though, is keep players interested.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 20, 2016

Small in scope, this card game is well polished. Simple mechanics and complex choices combine to make an intriguing, amusing and very enjoyable game in Nerial’s Reigns.

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70 / 100
Aug 11, 2016

While there isn’t much to do after your first playthrough, Reigns is a short and sweet micromanagement adventure game filled with quirky characters and amusing conversations.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2016

My favorite moments in Reigns came from making a critical mistake and watching my regime crumble before my eyes. The knowledge that no error would bring my experience to an end kept me entering every situation with an open mind, rather than trying to preserve my kingdom. I sent a lot of good men to their deaths in Reigns, but I still feel better about myself than if I had spent that time on Tinder.

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Liked
Feb 1, 2018

Reigns has a unique blend of humour and game mechanics which are perfectly suited to mobile play. It is accessible enough to dip in and out of, but once you’ve played through it a couple of times, you’ll have seen pretty much everything it has to offer. That said, for those few hours, Reigns is definitely worth swiping right for.

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MMOGames
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 19, 2016

Reigns relies on a combination of humorous wit and discovery to hook the player, and it is extremely effective at first. The frequency of discovery early on makes it genuinely fun experiencing new interactions. However, the simplicity of the game becomes its downfall after a while when challenges become more difficult and obscure.

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Unscored
Aug 17, 2016

The real strength of the game is the crisp and enjoyable writing that's full of sly jokes, which play on your expectations and tell a novel story in a completely new way.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jan 11, 2022

Reigns is a great game, however, it's only so in short bursts. Funny and whimsical writing makes for enjoyable and befuddling scenarios I was fond of that got a chuckle out of me.

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Mar 24, 2017

A wonderful dip-in, dip out strategy game which appears very simple at first but has a surprising amount of depth, addictiveness and intrigue. Perfect for mobile but still good for longer sessions on desktops.

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Digitally Downloaded
Lindsay M.
Top Critic
Aug 11, 2016

I’m not entirely sure what I expected when I began Reigns, but I am certain that it wasn’t a humorous yet dark trek into my own psyche. In the end, I came out on the side of lightness though: I can now enjoy ruling my people at a leisurely pace.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2018

This game is definitely more suited for mobile play due to its Tinder-like mechanics. Swiping with your mouse definitely feels like more effort than the game requires and because it’s card-based it’s perfect for a mobile phone screen. Using a mouse definitely doesn’t hinder my enjoyment of the game – the writing makes sure of that! But if you were looking to buy this game then I would absolutely recommend buying it for your phone.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 12, 2017

I blame Reigns for its mistakes. Its repetition, its maybe too hidden story behind random cards and a choice system maybe not as exploited as it deserved. But I don't blame it for being short. Reigns may not be a very polished experience but is a unique one, and that's worth more than the money it costs.

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80 / 100
Aug 11, 2016

Despite the fact that you can easlity bored with Reigns, it sould be noted that this game was a lot of fun to play. Each you play, you are a little wiser and know what you will need to do in order to keep the kingdom balanced. $2.99 is a great price for a game that tests you on many different levels.

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3 / 10
Nov 30, 2016

Reigns posits a view of politics divorced from context or meaning, where the wants and needs of the public are both all that matters and entirely dismissible.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 13, 2016

It's worth checking out if you want a more casual game and enjoy that time era as you get to see the evolution of your kingdom.

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