Once upon a time, the man who created Harvest Moon and the man who thought up Chulip had a vision: they would create a Pikmin-style RTS game together, and make it look beautiful. But they would also make sure that the world they formed would be filled with unique individuals, each of whom would live his own life and have his own thoughts and opinions, much like the people in Harvest Moon. And most of all, they would give this beautiful living world its own charming sense of wonder and humor.
And so the two set forth to find the people who could help fulfill their vision. After many trials they focused on the developer Cing, who had previously made such works as Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory. And to give form to their dreams, they picked the men who had made Final Fantasy XII and the Mario RPG games. And to direct all these people towards the same goal, they chose the director of Dragon Quest VIII.
With their hand-picked band of visionaries, the creators rolled up their sleeves and set to work creating the most unique and fantastic game of 2009...
Genre: RTS/RPG hybrid
Release Dates:
Japan= September, 2009 (Published by Marvelous)
North America= July 21, 2009 (Published by X-SEED)
PAL= April 24, 2009 (Published by Rising Star Games)
Developer: CiNG
Platform: Wii
Boxart:
Gameplay details:
Little King's Story plays much like Pikmin, complete with having your character fling his followers at enemies and obstacles. For those unfamiliar with Pikmin, you directly control only a single character, but can recruit any follower you find with the press of a button. Each follower will have his own class, each of which has its own strengths, weaknesses, and unique abilities. Those followers will trail your character, and are necessary to do the many tasks your character can not, such as tearing down obstacles and fighting enemies. It's an RTS where the commander is in the field at all times.
Little King's Story takes this mechanic and adds a few changes. For starters, where each of your Pikmin was a generic minion who died in one solid blow, the Little King's followers are each individuals with their own names, routines, and families, and if you don't order them to follow you on your journey they'll happily live their lives in peace. They also each have hit points, but beware: once they're dead they're dead, and the village will mourn their loss (literally! You can even attend their funeral, complete with crying relatives!). And while the Pikmin were always loyal, even if you massacred thousands of them, the little king will find that his subjects will turn hostile if he gets too many villagers killed off...
Additionally, where Pikmin had 3 classes of followers, and Pikmin 2 had 5, Little King's Story reportedly has over 30 different classes for you to play with. In true RTS-style, most classes are unavailable until you consstruct their necessary building. Once you've chosen a class for your follower you can order them to change to a different one, assuming you have the money.
The game does not, unfortunately, use the IR pointer, nor does it use "waggle" in any way. You can play the game with a Classic Controller, if you want. It lasts for 20 hours, but can take as long as 80 hours if the player is determined to experience everything.
Story Details:
The story begins with the shy and friendless Corobo Bred exploring the forest near his tiny, remote village. While wandering aimlessly, he stumbles upon a mysterious crown. No sooner has he adorned it than Howser, the Bull Knight, bursts onto the scene. Howser informs the hitherto-lonely Corobo that he is now the King, and that he must lead his tiny nation to prosperity.
Corobo finds his task is made easier by his crown, which compels anyone he meets to do his bidding. But it's a dangerous world, filled with Unidentified Mysterious Animals ("Uma"), and turning the ramshackle collection of mud huts that he inherited into a true and proper kingdom will be no easy feat.
Nor will Corobo find any help from his neighbors: each of the seven other kingdoms in the land is hostile to the little king, and Corobo will find that the only way to live peacefully is to conquer each of his neighbors in war. But don't feel too bad: they always start it. Each of the other kingdoms has its own theme, king, and princess: depose the king, annex the kingdom, and gain the princess for your growing harem. (Yes, I'm being serious.)
Corobo Bred
The titular Little King. Having found the crown, he goes from being a lonely little boy to the destined king of the land.
King Doburohku
The always-drunk ruler of the Kingdom of the Jollies. His goal in life is to make the entire world happy all the time. It might be easier to do that if he ever dropped the bottle...
Princess Booke
The daughter of King Doburohku, she's the polar opposite of her father. She loves science and studying.
Liam
Your advisor through the tutorial and on. He handles most of the kingdom's affairs. While he's a big boy with a sassy attitude, he's also quite gentle at heart.
Verde
Another of your advisors, Verde handles all the administrative duties in your kingdom. Speaking with her is the only way to save your game.
Howser
The Bull Knight, Howser's the one who first proclaimed you king, and he serves as your military advisor throughout, pushing you to conquer the entire world, one country at a time.
Pancho
Howser's trusty steed. Harvest Moon veterans will instantly recognize him.
Onii
The cute face of evil. You'll find a tribe of these little Umas, as well as their ever-so-slightly larger ruler...Your mission? Wipe them off the face of the earth!
These are just some of the characters you'll encounter during the tale.
Little King’s Story is a game of stunning breadth, imagination and slickly implemented design, and filled with an envious degree of heart and soul. There are flaws; for example the Wii remotes capabilities aren’t used at all, organising your Royal Guard can be fiddly and losing thirty minutes of play by dying before saving can become frustrating. However, the fact remains that in grabbing hold of the Little King’s coattails, you should prepare yourself for an adventure that is unique, memorable and thought-provoking; that it manages to retain a sense of intrigue and progression throughout its 30 hours plus play-time is a testament to its quality.
