Genocide has never been so adorable!
At the start of the game, the titular king has just a derelict castle and a single ambition - total global domination. But he can hardly be expected to tackle other kingdoms without one of his own, and here's where the first half of the gameplay comes in. All the treasure you find is converted into the game's currency, Bol, which can be used to buy new buildings in your kingdom. At first the expansion is a little limited, but as the kingdom starts to grow so do your options.
There are loads of upgrades to buy - you can train your subjects to make them more proficient in combat or to perform specific tasks, attract more citizens to your kingdom, or purchase various options to streamline gameplay. Many of the buildings are purely cosmetic, and since there seems to be a large emphasis on player preference when it comes to your kingdom's expansion it's confusing that you can't choose where to put your buildings. All locations are preset, and it would have been so much more fun to decide what the kingdom looked like for yourself. It would have provided a stronger emotional attachment to the world, and it's a disappointing exclusion.
But I did certainly feel attached to my kingdom's many citizens. Cing has put no small effort into making your subjects endearing and fun. The way they scramble to see you as you pass and shout 'Hail!' in their adorably squeaky voices is guaranteed to make you smile. They will send letters of praise or mild complaint via the kingdom's suggestion box, attend church services, and occasionally fall in love and get married. They're surprisingly well-crafted and treated with more attention to detail and TLC than anyone ever would have expected, much like the rest of the game. I loved my little minions so much I would go as far as restarting the game after leading too many of them to their untimely deaths.
And they will die, all for the good of their great kingdom. To expand, you must venture out into the world and do battle with the land's Guardian boss, some of which are truly formidable foes who will give even the most seasoned gamers a run for their money. This is the second half of the gameplay cycle. Once an area is pacified, it can be built on, allowing for new job centers. After teaching your subjects new trades, you can use them to access new areas to be conquered, allowing for you to build new job centers. It's a beautiful symbiote.
There's much, much more to the game, though. There are too many sidequests and distractions to count; you can record locations for your first wife, find the lost fan-art carried by a bumbling courier, or treasure-hunt to continue expanding your kingdom. The Suggestion Box also allows your subjects to drop lines about hidden treasures or Guardian rumours. I can easily see a person spending a good forty hours with the game; there's just so much to do, and all of it worthwhile. It sometimes feels like the world isn't big enough for all this content. Backtracking is frequent, especially since the only way to save or heal is by returning to your castle. I've often had to abandon a quest halfway through to go back to home base and rest.
The combat in Little King's Story certainly owes a lot to Nintendo's own Pikmin. Though the King can fight himself, he's rather useless. It's your loyal army who will do most of the fighting for you. It's tough to find specific units at the beginning of the game, but a podium is soon available for purchase and it can be used to summon troops instantly. Once your forces are amassed, they can be sent charging at the enemy.
At the beginning of the game, there's not a lot of strategy involved - army charges monster, army beats on monster, army kills monster. But as the game progresses, players are forced to multitask - maybe groups of enemies will rush the King, or debris will need to be cleared away. It can be very challenging, especially in the epic boss battles. But a few taps down on the D-Pad will cycle through job classes quickly, and a sort-of lock-on system makes it easier to get your troops where you want them. The aforementioned Guardian boss battles are some of the best on the system. These fights range from basic brawls to races and even a pseudo-pinball game. But they all have something in common - they're hilarious, and the boss designs are fantastic.
There are a few lingering issues, though. It's confusing that, as a real-time strategy game, Little King's Story makes no use of the Wii's IR. It would be so much easier to direct your troops with pointer controls. Using the analog stick feels downright sloppy. There's also no way to call back only certain characters; if you send someone the wrong way and want to get him back, you'll have to call back your whole army. In the heat of battle, this can make the difference between victory and defeat.
There may be some weird gameplay choices but Cing has in no way skimped on the presentation. I've already touched on a little of the game's personality - and really it was just a little. Every tiny detail in Little King's Story has been so lovingly crafted it's astounding. Though it's not the most technically impressive game on the system, the art direction in Little King's Story is fantastic. It looks like a story-book come to life; some cutscenes even have a hand-drawn look that reminds me of Okami or Valkyria Chronicles. The characters all have disproportionately large heads a la Animal Crossing. Each character has a distinct look, and they're instantly lovable.
The soundtrack is great as well, featuring beautiful arrangements of classical tunes such as the William Tell Overture and Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Some argue the licensed soundtrack is a bit of a cop-out but I think it fits the game world wonderfully. The sound effects however are awful. There are far too few, especially when it comes to combat. Since some enemies or barriers take upwards of fifty hits to fell, you can expect the dull thunks of swords to be ingrained in your mind for all eternity.
Petty criticisms aside, Little King's Story is a great game; it's fresh, original, and occasionally daring. But considering the history of fresh, original, occasionally daring third-party games on the Wii, it's likely Little King's Story will sell a grand total of twelve copies stateside. It would be heartbreaking to see this happen, the game really is deserving of your attention. It may not be perfect - far from it! - but it's the most fun I've had with any game released this year and it's managed to restore my faith in Nintendo's little white box. Hail to the king, baby.