Get lost in the world of Ledgerbound, a tactical combat, dating, and resource management RPG
Few games in recent memory have been as ambitious as Ledgerbound, a thrilling combination of narrative, tactical combat, dating, and resource management RPG — that still manages to be so, super queer.
Ledgerbound centers on Rayna, the harried (and eternally awkward) adjustor for her world’s top insurance corporation, Heroes United Life Group (HULG). In a setting filled with elves and monsters Rayna works hard to make sure her company never has to pay out any valid insurance claim. And when they discover that their biggest clients have died fighting an ancient evil — and that their families are looking at a bankruptcy-worthy payout — Rayna must embark on her own adventure, working to prove that this evil can be vanquished and save her company from financial ruin.
Where this game instantly thrives is in its visuals, with every scene introducing gamers to a beautiful, warm rendition of this magical world. It’s this unreal setting that makes it so hilarious when players realize they’re engaging in the high-stakes world of insurance adjusting, with Russ Nickel, CCO at Ledgerbound’s developer OmniMegaSuperCorp, saying, “I love a flawed protagonist…by placing [Rayna] in this morally questionable job, you give yourself a hero who not only has to become a hero externally by going on a quest and saving the world, but also has to become a hero internally by reexamining her values and figuring out what’s right.”
It’s a comedic juxtaposition that exposes viewers to the best part of Ledgerbound: the gameplay. The game embeds players in a loop of narrative story, dating sim, combat, and resource management, with each fight being followed by a ‘resterlude’ where Rayna can square away the necessary paperwork and interact with her growing party.
While each of these elements thrives, the combat proves to be the most addicting; the battles are filled with unique goals that give players things to work towards besides just defeating all enemies. These can range from having one character land the killing blow to moving your party from one side of the mp to another, adding great dynamism to the simple Water – Fire – Grass type combat system.
This combat — along with almost every aspect of Ledgerbound — is framed as a professional priority of your company’s shareholders, ethereal (and extremely kinky) beings who want to dominate Rayna into being the best corporate drone she can be. The moments when Rayna meet with them are as hilarious as they are scintillating, and they epitomize the amazing voice acting that makes Ledgerbound so immersive
Rayna’s travels introduce her to numerous charismatic companions like AURA the healing robot or Hobknob the rat-catching hermit, with each soon-to-be hero coming loaded with a wide set of unique, hilariously authentic voice lines. It’s these lived in performances that make viewers feel the dire stakes of every situation — a pained scream from Rayna during a jaw-dropping during an early ‘power-up’ scene literally made this writer jump — and the queerest aspects of the game shine, with Rayna being able to explore romance with any of these folks no matter their gender identity.
This LGBTQ+ representation is made all the better by the fact that each character was voiced by an actual performer…a context that has unfortunately become necessary to mention in the growing world of games using generative AI.
“It wasn’t even a discussion,” stressed Russ, when discussing whether any non-human voices would make it into the game. “We were always going to hire the most talented voice actors we could find to help bring these characters to life, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the cast we ended up with. The game is about humanizing deeply flawed characters, and the level of pathos we knew we needed to achieve wouldn’t be possible without actors who were able to connect to their characters and imbue them with their own humanity.”
It’s an important decision the highlights what truly makes Ledgerbound so enjoyable: it’s humanity. Because even in this story of gods, heroes, and monsters, Rayna’s status as terribly relatable individual makes every moment of gameplay hit so much harder. You feel inspired seeing Rayna learn her own power because you’ve seen her grow from believing she had none. You watch her finally realize the flaws in her unhealthy work-life balance (something far too real for many folks today) and work to change it. And, especially for the LGBTQ+ nerds out there, it is so affirming to watch Rayna flirt with others — not only developing the confidence express her for to them, but growing to know that she deserve love in return.
All of this is not to say that Ledgerbound is perfect. While the voice acting is sensational, an emphasis on long interactions can completely drain the tension the story is developing. And while its many mechanics add to the immersive gameplay, the time management system has a variety of factors that can leave players confused, unaware that some rarely mentioned rule was violated and they can’t take any actions during their rest period.
These, along with some minor glitches, can easily be remedied in future updates of the game. And they don’t detract from the fact that Ledgerbound is an overwhelmingly fun gameplay for all. It synthesizes so many fan-favorite genres to create a showcase of amazing narrative and endearing characters. It’s great whether you love dating sims or want nothing more than to beat up baddies, cementing Ledgerbound as one of the most comprehensively enjoyable projects we’ve seen recently.
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