The Eagle's Heir

Choice of Games LLC

Contains adsIn-app purchases

About this game

Defend Napoleon's heir in this steampunk alternate history game of political maneuvering, airship adventure, and romantic intrigue! Will you bring liberty to France, or plunge Europe into bloody war?

"The Eagle's Heir" is a 200,000 word interactive novel by Amy Griswold and Jo Graham. It's entirely text-based, without graphics, or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Since Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, seventeen years ago, Europe has enjoyed an uneasy peace. While the great empires of Austria, Russia and England have tried to stem the tide of revolution, France has mastered steam power to conquer the air and sea. Now, Napoleon’s health is failing, and France is torn between his legitimate heir, Franz, and his illegitimate son Alexandre.

Luckily, Alexandre has you, his loyal bodyguard and childhood companion, skilled in the arts of the duel and the ballroom, and ready for anything from diplomacy to airship combat!

It's brother against brother as you choose who will rule France, and how. Will France have a king, an emperor, or become a republic? Can you guide your lifelong friend Alexandre to the throne, and keep not just your prince but his revolutionary ideals alive? Or will you throw your weight behind his half-brother Franz? Will you defeat France’s enemies with the thunder of airship guns or forge a marriage alliance in gaslit ballrooms?

• Play as male, female, genderfluid, or non-binary; gay, straight, or asexual
• Race airships across the English Channel
• Find romance with a journalist or a lady's maid, or ménage a trois at the Tuileries Palace
• Join a motley crew of actors in the revolutionary cause, or spy on them for your allies
• Duel aristocrats to preserve your and Alexandre's honor
• Plan a scandalous elopement which sends Europe into an uproar

When swords cross before the throne, who will be the Eagle's Heir?

Ratings and reviews

Really solid game. Tons of opportunity to do little side things and small choices impact story flavor. The alternate universe is super fun and I love the steampunk aesthetic. I also love the freedom with character creation and particularly how you can choose to be trans, and the option to be closeted or not. Very neat and tactfully handled. Lots of replayability, though it does feel a bit rushed in places, particularly the ending.

One of the better interactive stories I've read, but the ending felt a bit rushed. It had a good pace up until the heir is named, then everything just ended. I also wish there were more moments to raise your stats. It appears that once you choose your initial abilities, you're pretty much locked into whatever percentage you have with no opportunity to increase anything

This was totally one of the very best stories that Choice of Games has ever published. It has great dialogue, great choices, and great writing. However, I will say that - right as there was about to be a climax - it all suddenly stops and tells you what happened after your (spoilers) character dies. Personally, even though I know that it might be a heavy burden on the writer, I think that you should have played out the battles and the sequences of events - like diplomacy with Britain or Prussia and also try to lead some battles against the Austrians. Overall though, I loved it.

What's new

Bug fixes. If you enjoy "The Eagle's Heir", please leave us a written review. It really helps!