Road to Empress I turns palace intrigue into an interactive film, with choices shaping a young woman's path and survival. At $7.11 from Steam, it makes most sense for players ready to settle into a narrative-led solo experience; a future Steam sale is only a possibility, not a promise of a discount.Compare $7.11 on Steam with $7.11 at Steam before choosing this branching, single-player palace story.
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Price History
Past 36 months · Updated daily
Historical Low~ $6.792025-09Current Low Across Stores~ $7.11Steamvs. Historical Low+5%
Prices cover Steam and 39 authorized stores; only legitimate offers are counted. The chart shows weekly market-wide lows and Steam's official price across the past 36 months.
01About Road to Empress I
In Road to Empress I, you navigate court intrigue as an unknown young woman trying to survive an imperial palace. This live-action cinematic adventure puts consequential choices at the center, opening branching story paths that can end in betrayal or death.Steam players rate it 86% across 12,013 reviews.Released September 8, 2025.
Credits
Developer
New One Studio
Publisher
New One Studio · Ariel
Steam player reviews
86%positiveVery Positive12,013 Steam reviews
Lowest recorded in 36 months
$6.792025-09-09 · SSteamBase game · same records as the chart above; USD history, not a regional Steam low.
Language support
Language
Interface
Subtitles
Audio
Simplified Chinese
Yes
Yes
Yes
Traditional Chinese
Yes
Yes
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English
Yes
Yes
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Show 6 more languages
Language
Interface
Subtitles
Audio
Japanese
Yes
Yes
—
Korean
Yes
Yes
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Thai
Yes
Yes
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French
Yes
Yes
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German
Yes
Yes
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Spanish
Yes
Yes
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Steam PC edition data · 2026-10-19
02Before you buy
Language
The Steam PC version is single-player and supports interface text and subtitles in English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. Full audio is listed for Simplified Chinese.
Play style
Real actors and sets frame a branching palace story. Choices can lead to different paths and deadly outcomes.
03Frequently asked questions
What is Road to Empress I about?
It follows an unknown young woman navigating a dangerous imperial court and focuses on the beginnings of her rise.
Do choices affect the story?
Yes. Choices shape branching story paths, and the game describes a high risk of death.
How is the story told?
The story is presented as a cinematic adventure filmed with real actors on constructed sets.
Popular Steam reviews
Native-language selection · 10 reviews
Selected helpful reviews in this language show both recommendations and criticisms. This selection does not represent the overall positive rating; opinions reflect the version reviewed.
RecommendedSteam player
this game lets me live out my fantasy of being a baddie in ancient china, having two men chase after me, and slowly taking power for myself!! there is ONE lesbian ending and ONE gay ending with a side character which i do enjoy. My main problem which really has nothing to do with the game and is more social commentary is how I hate that the women are pitted against each other, when the true enemy are the men who have put them in this situation. overall 10/10 !!!!!!!!!Show moreShow less
12 hours at review229 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I was honestly impressed by the game, the costumes and the atmosphere are nice, the story is intriguing, and the fact that almost any choice can lead to your demise kept me on my toes. When I finished the game, I decided to go through the bonus content, and my impression was ruined by a video telling the backstory of the two sisters with AI-generated images. It made me think that maybe Li Zhi is also an "AI artist" and that explains why his father was not pleased. Anyway, I cannot support game developers that use generative AI.Show moreShow less
7 hours at review179 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
SHE SOUPED ME. SHE SOUPED ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SHE POURED THE SOUP ON MY GRAVE, SHE GREW A SOUP TREE ON IT, AND THEN SHE MADE SOUP OUT OF MEShow moreShow less
6.4 hours at review221 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Eh, it's not awful, especially for the price point, but I've gone through three chapters and I would not call it a choice based game with "multiple paths". It's a game where you can choose wrong options and die until you figure out the correct path to follow. And I wouldn't mind it as much if there weren't so many dead end choices where literally nothing you do matters, you just die. A couple of those, sure, but I've already encountered so many. Why waste my time on multiple prison meals that poison me if not eating them also leads me to death?
Also the translations are better than some I've seen, but certainly not always perfect.Show moreShow less
1.4 hours at review172 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Road to Empress is the perfect game for C-drama enjoyers, making it engaging and exceptional even for fans of FMV
Writing & Plot
Road to Empress is a captivating interactive cinematic drama inspired by Wu Zetian, the only female sovereign in Chinese history. In this immersive tale, you take on the role of Wu Yuanzhao, a young woman who enters Taiji Palace during the Tang Dynasty, starting her journey as a fifth-rank imperial consort and working her way up as an empress.
As Yuanzhao navigates the palace life, she quickly distinguishes herself through her sharp intellect, talents, and alluring beauty. Her presence does not go unnoticed, and she finds herself at the center of dangerous schemes. Drawing the attention of powerful royal individuals who are threatened by her potential and use her as a pawn in their game. To protect herself, Yuanzhao must utilize her intelligence and ruthlessness to manipulate her enemies and stay ahead of them while choosing the right allegiances and seeking revenge and justice for those she cares about.
As the story unfolds, it reveals contrasting themes of trust and betrayal, where enemies become allies and vice versa. A single choice can lead to multiple outcomes, including numerous deaths, as well as some alternative endings, such as becoming a physician outside the palace. Although the game initially follows a linear plot based on historical events, it diverges in the final chapter, which, in my opinion, suggests more paths. This made me excited about how the narrative will unfold in an alternative reality.
The narrative does not serve as a historical lesson; instead, it creates an authentic and engaging fiction based on historical facts to immerse the players in the experience. The script is thoughtfully written, offering a broad range of dialogue depending on the players' choices. For instance, the protagonist faces difficult decisions where she must choose between being ruthless and using an ally’s weakness to control them or showing mercy, hoping they will choose to support her willingly. This dynamic makes the protagonist and all characters feel realistic. Furthermore, the actors deliver a remarkable performance, conveying the story through subtle expressions and tones that reflect the players' selections. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3713216720
Aesthetics & visuals
The cinematography and visuals in Road to Empress are stunning. Given that it is a Chinese drama, the production quality is impressive, making it enjoyable to watch in 4k resolution. Set in the Taiji palace, the game beautifully captures the vibrant scenery of historical settings, with cherry blossoms gently falling and birds chirping among the trees. It contrasts sharply with the mischievous and scheming royals, adding a layer of irony to the breathtaking palace surroundings.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3713219763
Gameplay Mechanics
For an FMV game, the UI is easy to navigate and offers a variety of options, presenting four main menus: Storyline, Characters, Collectibles, and Leaderboards.
In the Storyline menu, you can view your progress represented in a tree structure that illustrates the branching choices you have made. The structure highlights the current path you are playing in gold, accompanied by a butterfly icon at the exact node or scene where you left off. Explored branches are displayed in a darker color, making it easy to identify the routes you have already taken. Additionally, the tree structure views unexplored options with branches that do not have ending nodes, allowing for effortless discovery of unplayed routes.
During video sequences, quick time events are present, offering different outcomes based on your performance; missing or completing an action can lead to varying scenes. Moreover, past choices are marked with a flower icon on the left side, which helps you to identify the options that you haven't selected yet. You can also revisit all chapters by clicking a button below in the menu. The game even rewards you with coins for fully exploring each chapter. If you encounter a normal or bad ending, you can listen to voice messages from the characters, which sometimes reveal their evil nature and ambitions. Additionally, you can spend your coins to obtain tips that can guide you towards making better choices. At the end of each chapter, there is a trait sketch map based on the first choice you make during key route events. This map analyses your personality and provides you with a set of keywords and a final extended result at the end of the game. While it is not an official psychological test, it adds an impressive and fun element. I think it serves as a thoughtful way to praise the players, and I was touched by the result I received.
The characters' menu presents a summary of each character and contains additional scenes and flashbacks. Some videos showcase events from a particular character's perspective and provide cheat information, such as learning an enemy's weak spot, as well as bloopers from the DLC. The collectibles menu displays the items featured during gameplay, which may include hairpins, amulets, and books. These provide further information or insights about their significance, along with some historical entries found in the wiki section.
In the leaderboards menu, you can upvote or downvote the characters with eggs and flowers, which brings up the small microtransaction part here. Beyond voting, it does not provide anything else, so it’s safe to say no additional purchase is needed to enjoy the game. There is also a feats section, which is an in-game achievement that rewards you with coins, flowers, or eggs if you achieve a certain mission in the game, and most of them you get while progressing.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3722420063
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
If you’re a c-drama fan, eager for subtle romance and palace intrigue, then this game will captivate you as it did with me. There is so much to explore and enjoy as you get eager for the alternative endings. The music perfectly sets the tone for the setting, and the performance is outstanding, featuring familiar actors here. I can’t recommend it enough because it’s elegant in its presentation of the customs of the period, its plot, and its cinematic scenes.
Follow for more detailed recommendations on my curator page Raghad's Favorite.<𝟑 .ᐟ
Follow our Curator page, Summit Reviews, to see more high quality reviews regularly.Show moreShow less
22.2 hours at review190 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
When it says "choices matter" i expected there to be actual choices and deviating paths to success, not simply right and wrong answers. Whats the point in having wrong answers that lead to instant death / game over when I can just restart the conversation until I guess the right answer? That's not a fun mechanic.Show moreShow less
0.3 hours at review142 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Look, I'll give it a recommend, but please go into it knowing it ends in a cliff hanger. For a game called "Road to Empress" you do not end up as the Empress in the end.Show moreShow less
5 hours at review144 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Writing this after I noticed other people mention it in their reviews for Road to Empress II, but this game has undisclosed generative AI usage - in particular the extra scene for Consort Yang of Elegance called "Sister's Past" is very obviously AI generated and is also distinct in not being filmed but rather, are generated images based on traditional chinese painting stylistically.
Reason I am writing this review now is because I could not find anyone else talking about this when I finished the game, so was unsure about posting it in a review. However, after reading the reviews for Road to Empress II, I saw people discussing that the generative AI usage in that game gets a lot worse, so I thought I should give people a warning on this game as well, since the steam page fails to disclose this fact.Show moreShow less
8.9 hours at review84 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
This game gives you the experience of being a transmigrator (thanks to the immersion). Now I know that if I transmigrated into an Imperial China webnovel, I’d probably die within two cutscenes.
Jokes aside, this is my first FMV and I love it sooo much. I really hope Road to Empress 2 gets released soon. If anyone knows a similar game (FMV, female-oriented story), please leave a comment 🥹 Thank you!Show moreShow less
8.2 hours at review129 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
The gameplay is gorgeous as heck. Enjoyed the hell out of it. I will not lie on that front.
HOWEVER, I absolutely do not recommend people playing the game... if you don't like the use of A.I. in the paintings.
I cannot excuse is the use of A.I. in the artwork portrayed. I never knew it was A.I. up until one of my friends pointed it out. After we all went through each "painting" depicted in Consort Yang Jr.'s backstory and the backstories for Du Ruo and Xi Xin, we all confirmed that there has been A.I. used. When I checked the storefront, it DOES NOT state that they used A.I. for creating "paintings" that depicted the backstories for the three characters, which feels very scummy to me. As good of a game this was, A.I. is not real art.Show moreShow less
7.9 hours at review80 people found this helpful
Source: original Steam user reviews. Helpful votes are an archived snapshot, not live data. Last collected: 08/15/2026.
