Road To Empress
Road To Empress is a cinematic adventure (FMV) which offers an experience that is nothing short of extraordinary. Perhaps due to my perfectionist nature, I can rarely make myself use the word “masterpiece” to describe a game, but Road To Empress is one of those rare times in which I can use it, and wholeheartedly so. In my eyes, it is by far the best FMV I’ve ever played and even made me feel that I won’t be able to enjoy any other FMV after it. The execution is almost impeccable, the narrative is deeply captivating, and the visuals are outstanding. If you enjoy FMVs, this is an absolute must-play. If, on top of that, you’re also a fan of Chinese period dramas, then don’t even dare to miss this gem: pick it up as soon as you can afford it.
In Road To Empress, you step into the role of Wu Yuanzhao, a young woman who enters the Taiji Palace during the Tang dynasty era as a Cairen (“Lady of Talent”) – a low-ranking imperial consort. According to history, she later became Empress Wu Zetian – the first female sovereign in Chinese history, remembered as one of its most remarkable rulers due to her competence in conducting state affairs.
In the game, she begins her journey from a rather modest position, but her talents, her intelligence, and her beauty quickly draw the attention of the royal figures. As a result, she soon finds herself caught in the dangerous web of palace intrigue. To navigate the power struggle and survive the harsh environment of the palace with its strict rules and manipulation games, Yuanzhao must use her remarkable intelligence and a bit of ruthlessness to choose the right allegiances, prevent betrayals, get revenge for the injustice made to those she cares about, always thinking several moves ahead and trying to remain morally correct while using her foes as pawns in this high-stakes game of chess.
The story becomes a dark tale of intrigue, trust and betrayal where allies become enemies and supposed schemers prove to be protectors. It’s a story of mistakes and do-overs, with each wrong decision immediately leading to one of the 100+ possible endings, which most often take the form of Yuanzhao’s untimely death. However, despite the numerous branches and endings, the game is fairly linear, as the video sequences usually have only one correct choice (the one that aligns with historical facts), while the others are used to directly trigger one of these endings. You will get killed in dozens of different ways, yet each failure feels meaningful, as the endings are designed to teach you more about the characters, their hidden motives, and how to approach future choices to avoid death. They often include a thoughtful reflection on what went wrong, sometimes accompanied by voice lines that reveal characters’ true feelings.
The game isn’t a dating sim. There’s a subtle romance layer and even a love triangle, but these are not the focus here. However, the plot leans on classic drama tropes to create butterfly-inducing moments through romantic settings, umbrella scenes, jealous looks and soft smiles that betray the leads’ inner emotions.
Road To Empress draws inspiration from real historical figures and events, although it clearly doesn’t try to be a history lesson. Instead, the game loosely builds upon these historical facts and narrates them in a dramatic way, using fiction to immerse the player in its gripping story. However, the characters feel quite realistic, as they are portrayed as morally grey. Even Yuanzhao herself is not spared from moral compromise and is forced at times to make merciless decisions to survive in the cruel palace world.
The actors do an amazing job at giving life to their characters, and their remarkable performances easily surpass any expectations. Subtle differences in expression, tone and delivery based on your choices make the different branches feel unique even in those few situations where the content of the videos played is largely the same. It sure helps that the main cast contains many established actors who we’ve seen before as secondary leads or support characters in well-known C-dramas such as Meteor Garden, Falling into Your Smile and Story of Kunning Palace. But the production values are also top-notch: from the elegant costumes to the beautifully designed sets, everything feels like stepping into your own period drama whose outcome you get to control through your decisions.
The English translation is overall very good. Though there are some rare cases of untranslated lines, they do not hinder the understanding or enjoyment of the plot. You’ll still be swept away by the story and characters. Beyond the main narrative, there are many other aspects to explore. Collectibles, character profiles and wiki entries are unlocked as you encounter them in-game or when you trigger certain branches. For the main characters, extra videos become accessible at the end of the chapter, and these reveal their inner thoughts and ambitions, providing a deeper understanding of them.
While the game technically has in-app purchases, in practice, these are just a mechanic for fans to upvote / downvote individual characters for a global “most liked / disliked” leaderboard, without providing additional content. In other words, no purchase is needed to experience the story in full.
The user interface deserves praise as well. Not only is it clean, easy to use, intuitive and player-friendly, but the menus also have a very elegant design. The branching choices are displayed in a horizontal tree-like structure that makes it easy to track your progress and explore every path. Main decisions that can affect subsequent paths are highlighted in a specific way, and unexplored options are displayed as branches without an ending node. When reaching a branching point during video sequences, past choices are marked with a little flower, making it easy for you to see what you haven’t picked yet.
The first choices you make during branching points are presented back to you at the end of each chapter in the form of a trait map consisting of a set of keywords related to the options you picked, essentially mirroring your own personality traits that made you pick those decisions. Do you have an innocent mind, or are you a scheming master? Do you tend to avoid conflicts or fearlessly dive into a fight? It’s a small but thoughtful touch that obviously doesn’t aim to replace a psychological test, but which instead provides a fun way for you to acknowledge your inner nature or maybe even learn something new about yourself. Of course, the more instinctual these choices are, the more accurate this personality map is. But essentially, this is the game’s friendly way of telling you to play it *as you want*, to be your own master of fate.
Road To Empress is an unforgettable experience, one that combines stunning visuals and outstanding performances into a gripping story of palace intrigue that keeps you on edge with every plot twist. The choices feel impactful, and the historical setting genuinely makes you feel like you went back in time to experience this journey of becoming an empress. I was completely captivated by it, and I’m confident it will enchant you as well. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
