Really nice if you like raising a civilization.
Sound-8/10
The music is pretty good, and some tunes are catchy. It fits the atmosphere well, and it doesn't really get boring. On the other hand, it won't blow you away. There isn't much diversity to the music though, considering that you don't go to many different places. On the whole, the music is great.
Story- 7/10
Well, you won't have too much story, but it shows little tidbits here and there just to keep you playing. You are a young king, and you raise your kingdom that was passed onto you by your father after a war. You build structures with a magical property called Elementine, which you get from this magical stone. As you raise your civilization, you get more and more people in your city/town. As more people move in, they come along with children that wish to be adventurers. You recruit these children and they explore dungeons. Not the best, but not horrible.
Graphics-8/10
Good. The graphics are smooth, crisp, and I can't really see any error in the graphics. You can tell that the king has blond hair, that boy on that rock has blue eyes, etc, etc. They are even good on a scale with other systems. It really gives you sort of a feel. If you're feeling a bit down, many portions of this game are sort of like a "pick me up." The graphics are bright and cheerful, and makes you say "let's raise this kingdom to be strong."
Gameplay-8/10
This is the most important part of the game. Now, as I mentioned before, you cannot fight. The king is too valuable to be killed, so you hire adventurers to go for you. They get Elementine for you to build more stuff, they may unlock bonuses by doing certain tasks, and etc. It sounds bland now, but you get to do lots of stuff in town. You build a variety of buildings, such as a temple, a gaming joint, and etc. You could house people in buildings, train your adventurers to be different classes, and much more. This game really does succeed in making your feel like king, even to the point where you take care of financial problems of the kingdom. Sounds like a chore, but it isn't so bad.
Replayability-9/10
This is really good to replay. I mean, you keep making your civilization more and more powerful, and you get deeper and deeper into the story. It's pretty good. You can also buy extra races (like different warrior types) clothes, buildings, and many things on Wi-Fi with WiiPoints. Really fun, but get ready to spend some WiiPoints. Don't fret, however. The game is more than playable without purchasing these bonuses.
Buy or Rent?
I don't really see how you can rent this game, unless you play it at a friend's house. Anyways, I would recommend sampling it at a friend's house first. 1500 is a lot of points, so I wouldn't want you to waste that on a game you don't like.
Final Recommendations
I recommend buying this game. It has smooth graphics, addicting gameplay, and quite frankly, a much needed break from the usual RPG style gameplay of the Final Fantasy series. Let's hope the Final Fantasy series has another great game next time.