Conclusion:
Little King's Story is unassuming in appearance, but under its veneer of cute and cuddly monsters and bright colors hides a beast that's ready to pummel you over your head.
This is not a quick jaunt in the park. It's long, involved and has enough quests and content here to keep you busy for quite some time.
You are the king of a small broken-down shack, tasked with rebuilding a once-great kingdom. Controlling an ever-expanding band of subjects, you'll navigate the world, kill monsters, free territory and build your town. Your kingdom is built on the back of listless citizens that you can mold into lumberjacks, soldiers, magicians and a number of classes that can battle and clear terrain to expand the kingdom.
The game really shines when you're out opening and exploring new territories and progressing the story. However, discovery requires moving around and controlling your people in this game is nothing but a chore. After playing Overlord: Dark Legend for the Wii last month, I saw how well you can control swarms of minions. This game didn't choose that same path.
Instead of pointing and directing your people, you'll have to line them up with cumbersome controls. It only makes situations go south quickly when instead of attacking a fearsome enemy, a twitch sends your people running right past the enemy. It's not the worst control system I've seen, but some refinement could have really changed this game.
No matter how many deaths and restarts and lost time this game threw at me and no matter how unfriendly the controls seemed at times, the game's got moxie. Its charm, look and style are enough to make you want to see your small hamlet grow into a thriving kingdom.
Decision: Buy
