Little King's Story feels much like a classical storybook in its quality and timelessness.
What's Bad: A few control issues, large armies can be difficult to manage in tight spaces
Little King's Story will likely end up being yet another poorly-selling, critically-acclaimed Wii game, and that's a shame. The amount of effort that Cing and Town Factory poured into this game is apparent from the very start. The entire game has a storybook theme, from the soundtrack to the visual effects, characters, and locations.
The plot follows a young boy named Corobo (whose name you may change at the beginning) who stumbles upon a magical crown one day, thus making him king of the tiny Alpoko kingdom. After fixing up what little land he had, the King begins expanding into new territory by fighting Guardians and seven rival kings. Each king seems to be progressively wackier than his predecessor, including a lazy drunk, a nervous man who refuses to leave a giant egg, and a giant pile of arts and crafts. Earthquakes become an increasingly relevant threat as the plot continues, and eventually become the main focus of the narrative. There is actually a rather large twist at the end that makes the entire plot worthwhile, and even provides some shockingly deep metaphors that will give your mind a workout.
Gameplay in Little King's Story is very similar to the Pikmin franchise, but with more variety in the units you control. As the King ("Larry," in my case), you create groups of soldiers and workers and lead them across the land, fighting monsters and seeking treasure. There are roughly 20 unique cIasses for you to work with, and each one has its own specific uses. Lumberjacks can chop down large trees, while carpenters can build stairs and bridges to help you advance through the world. By the end of the game, your party can include up to 30 members, and you may choose how many people from each cIass follow you. Optional side quests are almost always in abundance, and become your main source of money to build up your kingdom and prepare for fights with the seven kings.
Each king has a specific strategy that is used to overcome him. One battle is set up like a pinball board, another is a long and harrowing obstacle course, and so on. These battles are all varied and challenging, adding even more charm to the overall package.
Visually, Little King's Story is nothing short of charming. As I mentioned before, the entire game has a storybook motif, which is supported through vibrant colors and bloom lighting, the latter being a rarity among Wii games. In fact the lighting is often so bright and soft, the visuals become a little less sharp and crisp than they ought to be. It's a minor issue, but one that can be a bit annoying at first. The game also makes use of dramatic camera angles, which add more atmosphere to certain areas, but sometimes prove to be a hindrance with the controls. Overall, the game is far from ugly, and its art direction alone should be enough to please the eyes of any player.
Sound design in Little King's Story stays in line with the storybook theme. Most, if not all of the soundtrack is comprised of public domain cIassics that are instantly recognizable. The music choice is admittedly a bit surprising, but it fits in just fine, providing charming and moody themes for every occasion. There is also plenty of voice work used in Little King's Story, though not much of it is in English. The languages are mostly European, including French, Dutch, and German, but there are a few characters who simply speak gibberish. The voicework proves to be yet another source of the storybook motif (how many times have I mentioned this so far?).
There is nothing little about this King's Story when it comes to length. Depending on your difficulty setting (which you can adjust at any time) and your devotion to sidequests, the game can take anywhere from 25 to 50 hours or more, yet it continues to be fantastic from start to finish. The game's ridiculous amount of content is enough to warrant a full-price purchase, and it gets my full recommendation.