Saying no to a free game—especially when it’s a highly rated one—is practically a crime. Now that we’ve said it, Steam is giving away a fantastic RPG you definitely don’t want to miss.
If you’re a fan of story-rich experiences or have been wanting to try one, add The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante to your Steam library today. Developed by Schisma Games and published by 101XP, this 2021 indie boasts a 90% positive rating at the time of writing. If that’s not enough to convince you, Steam is offering the game at 100% off until July 23, no strings attached. There are no in-game purchases either, so it’s an entirely free game to grab.
In case you’re wondering what the game is about, you play as Sir Brante, born into a rigid, class-ridden society where every decision you make changes the course of his life. Set against the backdrop of family conflicts, political upheavals, religious tensions, and the realities of a world ruled by an unrelenting social hierarchy, Brante’s personal journey from childhood to adulthood makes the game an epic adventure.
As you leaf through Brante’s eventful journal, every choice you make will affect your personality, relationships, skills, and the opportunities that come your way later in life. Brante can become a judge, join the Inquisition, lead a revolution, or forge a completely new fate for himself, depending on the path you choose to take. With time, your character’s traits change, unlocking new dialogue options and story paths and making each playthrough different from the others.
Besides the branching narrative, mature themes, and richly detailed world-building, there is also a resurrection system that allows players to keep their experience upon death. This lets you experiment with different choices and outcomes over multiple runs.
Those who have played The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante already have heavily praised it for its gripping narrative, meaningful decision-making features, and exceptional replay value. The dark fantasy setting, well-written characters, and morally complex choices have also been widely praised, with several players calling it an underrated gem in the genre. The game currently has a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 89% of over 2,700 user reviews in English recommending it.
That said, many have also pointed out that the game’s unforgiving nature may not be for everyone. A good chunk of these reviews suggest that the most satisfying endings can only be achieved after careful planning (or even multiple attempts), as early choices can have significant consequences much later on.
“Despite an overall good impression, I have to state that it is not a ‘choose your own adventure’ type of game, but rather ‘calculate your adventure.’ Despite seemingly branching paths, the game is still heavily decided by the numbers you get during your playthrough. I suggest playing once for yourself to get into the game’s world and mechanics, and then use guides to read through a great, interesting, and compelling story where everything was already calculated accordingly by other players. Basically, you have 3 main paths and 2 subpaths for each of them.”
Ignore the steep learning curve, and The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante becomes one of the most engrossing choice-driven experiences out there, easy to recommend for fans of story-rich RPGs and interactive fiction.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003