The Vagabond Emperor puts you in the shoes of a character who has had enough of the state of the country and decides to be the nation’s ruler. (They might have also had a few pints when this revelation comes to them, but that’s neither here nor there.) As you set off on your journey, the land is thrown wide open for you to tackle this challenge in whatever way you wish. If you want to build a town and increase your reputation, that’s fine. If you want to explore and convince people to join you in your quest, that’s also cool. Hell, the developer (yep, singular), Wiggling Eyebrows, have even given players the option to breed with everyone to conquer the world Dominic Toretto style – with Family.
The customisation is surprisingly deep and flows into the game play itself. The massive world is set out like a table-top RPG; the characters are represented like circular portraits and amble around the map until you interact with them. If you can’t or won’t convince them to join the quest, battles are equally flexible, either taking a turn based approach or a strategy-RPG style where two factions of cards will close in on each other and a bloody battle will ensue. Winning the battle and the remaining men will find their way onto the party, but if you lose then there are consequences. Missing limb or being given a degenerative disease are always a joy and impact the rest of the game. I had an arm lopped off early on which meant I could no longer hold a shield until I found a store to sell me an artificial replacement. It’s a great mechanic that gives a real weight to the quest.
The Vagabond Emperor tries to do the impossible, giving you free reign on the genre of game you’re playing. It is primarily a 2D RPG with elements of dungeon crawling, town creations and family building mechanics all thrown into the mix. The trouble is that The Vagabond Emperor tries to do too much. It tries to be every genre of video game under the sun, but falls flat because of it. Combat in either guise is random and requires little-to-no skill, and the exploration feels more like fumbling around and hoping for the best. If Wiggling Eyebrows had concentrated on just one genre of RPG, the results would have been incredible. The story, as simple as it seems, is engaging and well written, and the fact there are a range of options and routes it can take is always welcome. As it is, The Vagabond Emperor has good structure but is let down by mechanics that desperately tries to please everyone.