Duel Princess - Tower defense with ecchi and some yuri? Count me in.

March 4, 2026 · 4:16 PM

Duel Princess is a tower defense game with heavy visual novel elements developed by qureate and released in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows. Honestly, it probably would have flown under my radar if not for the gorgeous art style chosen for the characters.

The story centers on the revival of a demon lord who will destroy the world if left unchecked. To counter this threat, princesses from various countries in the continent embark on a journey to collect crests that will grant them enough power to defeat him once and for all.

The Aria / Zena relationship was the second best between the heroinse that I found. Zena is such a tsun.

Aria is pushy though so Zena from time to time just need to accept her skinship which is great to see.

Since the princesses do not trust one another and each wants to be the one controlling the crests, a war begins between these national representatives over who will be the one to fight the demon lord. You choose one of the heroines and progress through a series of stages until you are ready for the final battle.

This means there is no single canon main heroine or protagonist, as all the princesses fill that role. Each princess has her own story that changes the battles you face and the interactions you have with the other heroines. In every route, the demon lord is eventually defeated and peace is restored.

The mini-game scenes are basically like this one for Aria, you know what to expect from it.

Positions are different for each heroine of course, like in this one for Grace.

I use the word "war", but the girls actually have a good relationship with each other. You can mostly expect some sparring followed by an ecchi scene, in which the winning heroine claims the crest from the loser through a mini-game that involves touching the other girl. It is very yuri, which I personally appreciate.

The heroines are all extremely attractive, making it difficult to choose a single favorite. I was most interested in the yuri relationship between Barbara and Clara, but the other girls had their own great moments as well. Additionally, all the girls are in a yuri relationship of some kind with someone else.

The cuteness of the art really makes it easy to get attached to the characters and their relationship. Here showing Frieda and Eleonora.

Frieda is ready to conquer the world! Of course unless it's another girl route in which she get defeated.

The gameplay itself is similar to a tower defense game. The idea is that you summon soldiers for your army, with each princess having unique unit types, and they automatically move to fight the enemy. The objective is to destroy the enemy castle before they destroy yours. You need to choose the right units and use the super skill of the heroine at the right time.

There are additional elements that provide each run with a unique experience. As you progress through the stages, you can buy cards for soldiers and purchase upgrades that persist across routes, which will change the outcome of your battles. The difficulty is not so high that you need to spend too much time strategizing over them, however.

Dorothea is the classic chuuni girl in search for friends and it's ultra cute to see her going in and out of character depending on the situation.

There are also these 'break' CGs that happen during battle. One for each heroine of course so something else to look forward to.

Overall, Duel Princess is not a masterpiece, but it was a very fun experience for its relatively short length. It took me 16 hours to complete all the routes. If you are looking for something relaxing, this is a great choice. Try to find it at a discount on your favorite game store