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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: RPG Developer: Marvelous Interactive Publisher: Xseed Games |
It is amazing how the most harmless looking game can sometimes cover very adult themes. When players are presented with a game
full of global conquest, genocide, religion and urban expansion, they will realize that this game is extremely deep and cleverly
depressing. This of course will sneak up on players because the game is constantly waving flowers in the player’s face, all while the
game focuses on murdering a tribe of creatures in the name of expansion. There is nothing little about “Little King’s Story” and this is
one game that players won’t want to ignore.
Players take the role of the Little King, where they are asked to bring Alpoko, a kingdom in shambles, back to its former glory. Currently,
the city is bankrupt, the residents are lazy and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It is at this point that Howser Oreganostein, a
retired knight, hands off the keys to the kingdom. What follows is a slow moving adventure that players will enjoy taking their time with.
They will find treasure, earn money, build infrastructures and give people jobs.
Once players learn the controls that go along with the game, they will notice things begin to move a bit fast. They will find areas that they
can’t quite reach, objects that seem to have no use and a tiny portion of the world that stretches much further than the kingdom’s
boundaries. It quickly becomes apparent that the final goal of the game is world domination, as instructed by Howser. This is just the
beginning of the long road the game offers.
The key to expanding the kingdom relies heavily of the townspeople. The game has a sophisticate jog based system for defining
abilities, and it is up to the player to form a group comprising various jobs that will enable players to complete certain tasks. Before
players are able to assign jobs to the people of Alpoko, they must build a workplace. In the beginning, there are only a small number of
buildings that are available, farms and barracks, so players are very limited. However, each job class has its own abilities. Farmers
are able to dig holes very quickly, while soldiers won’t dig but they are strong fighters. Suddenly, there is a bit of strategy that goes into
creating a team to escort the king around the land. Though it will continually change, it is useful to always have at least two farmers in
the group, in case some treasure needs to be dug up.
It will take players many hours and a lot of Bol, the in-game currency, to unlock the majority of jobs and buildings that are available in the
game. This is a large RPG and it takes a while for it to show off everything that it has to offer. Roughly five hours into the game players
will have at least unlocked the entire map, but probably haven’t even started to eliminate rival kingdoms. There are also the group of
collected princesses that are housed in the Princesses Quarters of the castle, enjoying the lap of luxury. This will leave some players
wondering, how old the king is and how many wives a single man is allowed to have in this city they call Alpoko?” Honestly, it doesn’t
matter, but this game has a lot to offer players.
The longevity of the game comes in the form of the quest system. Early in the game, while players are still learning how to play the
game, a suggestion box gets throw into the mix. In this box players will get fan mail, complaints and new missions that the people of
Alpoko need help with. Some are story questions that further the plot of the game, while others revolve around the princesses and there
constant need of gifts to keep them happy. Other missions have players manage the kingdom, setting wages and keeping the public at
peace. There is a lot going on all the time, and by the time players have explored a small portion of the map, it will feel like a huge
accomplishment.
The in-game landscape is vibrant and saturated, simply textured and instilled with small touches that show that a lot of effort and
attention to detail was put into creating the world in this game. One example of this is after each boss battle when the kingdom is
transformed into a celebration for the latest defeat. Players will see confetti litter the ground, the villagers dance and chase each other
around wearing masks. Players will also notice great use of lighting and atmosphere, as well as a constant depth of field haze, giving
the game a bit of a storybook feel. IT is not the most technically impressive game, but the graphics and care for detail make up for any
shortcomings.
For a game that offers game play similar to games like “Pikmin” and “Harvest Moon,” the game is shockingly original in execution.
There really isn’t another RPG available like this game, and in an increasingly boring RPG market, this is a game that renews interest
in the genre again. “Little King’s Story” is a compelling and complex game that offers a deep and rewarding experience and will
continually surprise and entertain players. There are very few other games on the Nintendo Wii that can really share as much praise as
this game. While the game does have a few flaws, it is a small blemish on an amazing game. Players will want to ignore the box art
and the cute presentation because “Little King’s Story” is a game that everyone will want to explore because of all of the themes that it
covers.
full of global conquest, genocide, religion and urban expansion, they will realize that this game is extremely deep and cleverly
depressing. This of course will sneak up on players because the game is constantly waving flowers in the player’s face, all while the
game focuses on murdering a tribe of creatures in the name of expansion. There is nothing little about “Little King’s Story” and this is
one game that players won’t want to ignore.
Players take the role of the Little King, where they are asked to bring Alpoko, a kingdom in shambles, back to its former glory. Currently,
the city is bankrupt, the residents are lazy and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It is at this point that Howser Oreganostein, a
retired knight, hands off the keys to the kingdom. What follows is a slow moving adventure that players will enjoy taking their time with.
They will find treasure, earn money, build infrastructures and give people jobs.
Once players learn the controls that go along with the game, they will notice things begin to move a bit fast. They will find areas that they
can’t quite reach, objects that seem to have no use and a tiny portion of the world that stretches much further than the kingdom’s
boundaries. It quickly becomes apparent that the final goal of the game is world domination, as instructed by Howser. This is just the
beginning of the long road the game offers.
The key to expanding the kingdom relies heavily of the townspeople. The game has a sophisticate jog based system for defining
abilities, and it is up to the player to form a group comprising various jobs that will enable players to complete certain tasks. Before
players are able to assign jobs to the people of Alpoko, they must build a workplace. In the beginning, there are only a small number of
buildings that are available, farms and barracks, so players are very limited. However, each job class has its own abilities. Farmers
are able to dig holes very quickly, while soldiers won’t dig but they are strong fighters. Suddenly, there is a bit of strategy that goes into
creating a team to escort the king around the land. Though it will continually change, it is useful to always have at least two farmers in
the group, in case some treasure needs to be dug up.
It will take players many hours and a lot of Bol, the in-game currency, to unlock the majority of jobs and buildings that are available in the
game. This is a large RPG and it takes a while for it to show off everything that it has to offer. Roughly five hours into the game players
will have at least unlocked the entire map, but probably haven’t even started to eliminate rival kingdoms. There are also the group of
collected princesses that are housed in the Princesses Quarters of the castle, enjoying the lap of luxury. This will leave some players
wondering, how old the king is and how many wives a single man is allowed to have in this city they call Alpoko?” Honestly, it doesn’t
matter, but this game has a lot to offer players.
The longevity of the game comes in the form of the quest system. Early in the game, while players are still learning how to play the
game, a suggestion box gets throw into the mix. In this box players will get fan mail, complaints and new missions that the people of
Alpoko need help with. Some are story questions that further the plot of the game, while others revolve around the princesses and there
constant need of gifts to keep them happy. Other missions have players manage the kingdom, setting wages and keeping the public at
peace. There is a lot going on all the time, and by the time players have explored a small portion of the map, it will feel like a huge
accomplishment.
The in-game landscape is vibrant and saturated, simply textured and instilled with small touches that show that a lot of effort and
attention to detail was put into creating the world in this game. One example of this is after each boss battle when the kingdom is
transformed into a celebration for the latest defeat. Players will see confetti litter the ground, the villagers dance and chase each other
around wearing masks. Players will also notice great use of lighting and atmosphere, as well as a constant depth of field haze, giving
the game a bit of a storybook feel. IT is not the most technically impressive game, but the graphics and care for detail make up for any
shortcomings.
For a game that offers game play similar to games like “Pikmin” and “Harvest Moon,” the game is shockingly original in execution.
There really isn’t another RPG available like this game, and in an increasingly boring RPG market, this is a game that renews interest
in the genre again. “Little King’s Story” is a compelling and complex game that offers a deep and rewarding experience and will
continually surprise and entertain players. There are very few other games on the Nintendo Wii that can really share as much praise as
this game. While the game does have a few flaws, it is a small blemish on an amazing game. Players will want to ignore the box art
and the cute presentation because “Little King’s Story” is a game that everyone will want to explore because of all of the themes that it
covers.
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