Our Verdict
Yes, Your Grace loses nothing in its port to mobile, retaining its enthralling atmosphere and narrative, driven forward by straightforward gameplay. You'll spend countless hours in the kingdom of Davern reflecting on your tough choices, while soaking in the wonderful design of the game.
Yes, Your Grace begins with a flashforward: on a rain-sodden, thunderous night, you (King Eryk, ruler of the small kingdom of Davern) must make a choice. One of your soldiers has fled from his post in the face of an oncoming siege. You need all the soldiers you can spare to have any hope of defending your castle, but you can’t let your subjects see you condone his cowardice before the impending battle. Do you spare his life or execute him? What kind of king are you?
As the game then continues, we go into the ‘present day’ years before the attack: a happier time. Instead of choosing between direct life and death, you spend your time juggling your responsibilities as a husband and father while figuring out how to best manage your resources. Do you keep your citizens happy or fix your buildings? With finite resources, every decision has a cost. Of course, you might already know all this: the game debuted in March 2020 on PC, with ports taking it to Switch and Xbox later that year. Now, four years later, the management sim comes to mobile. Compared to the best mobile games designed specifically for iOS and Android, how does it stack up?
Unlike in Yes, Your Grace where there are no easy answers, the answer to that question is remarkably simple: Yes, Your Grace’s mobile port is exceptional. Because Yes, Your Grace is so immersive – with its unique sims-like language and stunning visual depth – you quickly adjust to the smaller screen, and with a pair of headphones on, too, the game envelops you immediately, swallowed by this harsh and beautiful world. And, no, you don’t need one of the best gaming phones on the market to run this either. I tested Yes, Your Grace on a rusty old iPhone 11, and it runs just as smoothly as it does on any other platform.
So in the right environment, sitting on a comfy couch, or stuck on a long train journey, hours will fly by as you’re engrossed in Yes, Your Grace. The game loses none of its charm in the port to mobile because while your screen might be smaller, the story is just as enthralling as ever, and the characters are just as well-realized. Yes, you’re aware of the inevitable doom that’s headed your way as the King of Davern, but in the moments where you can put that aside, you’ll experience the coziness of the game, which is the perfect balm for the anxiety of the real world.
Something about the combination of Yes, Your Grace’s visual design, sound design, narrative work, and simple gameplay, just clicks, and on mobile that feels as good as ever.
If you enjoy management sims, you might also appreciate our list of the best farm games, or our article on the best games like Stardew Valley. If that doesn’t give you enough choice, our guide to the best Nintendo Switch games will give you all the options you’ll ever need.