Crown Guard

You are the last checkpoint before the Crown. Read the dossier, then swipe: left turns them away, right lets them through.

Crown Guard puts you at the Obsidian Gate as Warden, the last checkpoint between the city and the Crown. Every night a queue forms. Each petitioner presents a dossier containing a name, house, sigil, seal and a short history that may or may not reveal what matters. Then you decide. Swipe left to refuse. Swipe right to admit. The controls are simple, but every decision requires attention. THE EDICTS CHANGE EVERY NIGHT Each night begins with new Crown edicts. No steel past the arch. Wax or nothing. A particular house may be barred. Summons may be required, while certain petitioners can still pass under another order. Follow the current rules and your standing rises. Make the wrong decision and you may lose coin or attract the court's attention. When edicts conflict, you must determine which rule takes priority. THREE INVESTIGATION TOOLS The Register checks seals against official records. The Glass helps you examine the petitioner rather than the paperwork. The Search reveals what they are carrying. Each investigation consumes lamp oil, and only a limited amount is available each night. A discovered detail can completely change the correct verdict, so choosing when to investigate becomes part of the challenge. FOUR METERS Favour represents the Crown's opinion of you. Intrigue shows how closely the court is watching. Nerve represents your remaining composure. Order measures the security of the palace behind your gate. Your choices affect these values throughout the vigil. Allow one of the critical conditions to collapse and the current path can end immediately. A STORY THAT CHANGES WITH YOUR DECISIONS Twenty-eight verdicts contain additional developments revealed after your initial decision. Orders may contain unexpected contradictions, identities can become uncertain, and discoveries from one night can change how you understand events that follow. Some petitioners return multiple times, allowing previous encounters to influence later decisions. Story scenes branch according to discoveries and choices made earlier in the game. 54 PETITIONERS, 20 SCENES, 14 ENDINGS Meet fifty-four petitioners across a branching narrative containing twenty major scenes. Fourteen endings, including two secret outcomes, are determined by your meters, discoveries and previous decisions rather than a single score. The Chronicle records endings you have discovered and provides hints toward paths you have not yet completed. PROGRESSION THAT CHANGES THE RULES Advance through eight ranks, from Gate Hand to Crown's Shadow. Seven relics can be obtained from the vault using earned coin. Instead of simply increasing statistics, relics modify specific rules. A relic may prevent refusals from reducing Nerve, slow the growth of Intrigue or provide a free investigation each night. The game also includes twenty-eight marks of office and a record of completed vigils. MEDIEVAL INSPIRED PRESENTATION Crown Guard uses historical visual references inspired by medieval objects, textiles, manuscripts and decorative art. Interface elements draw from period materials, heraldry, illuminated decoration and traditional pigments. Petitioner portraits are generated at runtime from individual seeds, allowing characters to retain consistent appearances across encounters. Additional decorative elements such as filigree, coronets and drifting embers are rendered within the game. Crown Guard supports iPhone and iPad in portrait and landscape orientations, with layouts adapting to the available screen. USE YOUR OWN BACKDROP Optionally take a photograph with the camera or choose an image from your photo library and use it as the background behind the gate. The image is adjusted to keep dossiers and gameplay elements readable. Camera and photo library access are optional. Crown Guard can be played entirely offline. No account or sign-in is required.