Review | Cyrano

LifeisXbox’s Cyrano preview | Today we’ll be previewing the LudoNarraCon Supporter Pack featuring Cyrano as an exclusive game to the package. This package will only be available during LudoNarraCon, meaning you have roughly a week starting from April 23rd to pick this charming little gem up.

Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano follows the story of a play by the same name, following the 17th-century French poet and captain of the cadets Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano has been in love with Roxane, who as recently as yesterday wed Christian, one of Cyrano’s cadets. But Christian and Roxane’s newlywed life will have to wait a bit longer, as the Spaniards are laying siege to the city of Arras, and so Cyrano and his cadets must join the counter siege. But before they depart, Cyrano promises Roxane to have Christian, a simple man of few words, write to her every single day. And thus the game begins in full.

With Blade and Wit

As you travel towards the city of Arras, you will come across random encounters along the road. In these turn-based battles, you must best your enemies in turn-based combat. It is rather simplistic and you have no control over who your party attacks. Your actions range from a standard attack, healing yourself, and stealing or throwing a card. While I didn’t really notice the effects of stealing a card, throwing a card is the strongest move you have at your disposal, damaging all opponents significantly. It does however spend that card, meaning you will have to find it again if you want to use it in the letter writing part of the game.

Dearest Roxane

The other part of your journey will be spent musing over Christians daily love letter to Roxane. Here is where the cards you collect in combat can be used as inspiration to address your love back in Paris. The system is twofold. On the one hand, you are playing a game of poker, where the better a hand you can assemble, the bigger the experience bonus you will get from sending said letter. On the other, every card has a bit of premade text to get your creative juices flowing. Cyrano is free to write whatever he likes to Roxane, but using these cards I found increases the bonus exp.

In conclusion

Cyrano isn’t a long game by any means of the imagination. It took me as advertised roughly an hour to get from start to finish. In that hour, however, it told a bittersweet story that dragged me in before I well knew I got invested in the love triangle that had developed. So if you feel like witnessing the story and like what the good folks over at LudoNarraCon are bringing this year, then consider showing your support with this Supporter Pack.