Expect to pay additional 300 Wii pts for Dungeon Pack to enjoy this game till the last boss. Niche game but v.addictive!
User Rating: 8 | Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Chiisana Ousama to Yakusoku no Kuni WII
It's crazy how long the title of this game is, just try counting the syllables on both hands (and feet) :|. MLAAK is a strategy business simulation set in the world of FF: Crystal Chronicles, available through 'Wiiware'. It costs 1500 Wii points for the very basic 'bones' of the game and it can be expanded upon with several payable DLC (downloadable content). My first impressions of the game was that it was expensive, however it played very much a like retail game; it was 'deep', looked good, had 'Final Fantasy' slapped on the name and it was also time consuming – considering this, MLAAK should be looked at like a cheap retail game rather than an expensive Wiiware game. Before buying the game though, don't expect it to be an RPG in which you control the protagonist who gears himself up and dungeon crawls. Instead, have an open mind and think of this as a 'Sim-city' game which involves you building up your kingdom through the power of 'Architek'. However, building houses, bakeries, Black/White Mage academies require 'Elementite' which is something you gain by defeating enemies in dungeons dotted throughout the lands. Inhabitants of your kingdom give the kingdom daily tithes (tax, money) which you, as king, can put towards RnD – better swords, daggers, shields etc (military funding :P). Keep your citizens happy, your warriors well equipped and issue behests (missions) until you work your way up to the final boss – that's the jist of the game.
After spending a lot of time on the game though, I have to say MLAAK at 1500 Wii points is 'gimped'. It suffers from one of the worst kinds of DLC, content that should be in the 'core' of the game in the first place – specifically, the Dungeon pack, featuring 11 dungeons, at 300 Wii points. The game is good and enjoyable without paying for anything else UNTIL your warriors reach around level 20 in which you try to defeat the last boss or clear the last few dungeons. I use the word 'gimped' because the game 1500 Wii points is game that isn't enjoyable to COMPLETE. The 300 Wii points Dungeon Pack however, includes dungeons ranging from level 7 or so up to around 30s, which essentially would have contributed to the growth of your warriors. A growth that is necessary to defeat the final boss i.e. complete the game without considerably slowing down the game's pace. If you were to complete the game without this pack, your warriors would probably be grinding in the same final dungeon (and falling in combat, daily) until eventually they're able to damage the final boss – which isn't exactly fun. Having said that, the game is enjoyable and incredibly addictive once you get into it but expect to pay at least an extra 300 Wii points if you want to finish the game off (without getting frustrated).
