Game Review: Little Kings Story

Boston Herald

"LITTLE KING'S STORY"

XSEED Games for the Nintendo Wii. Rated T for teen.

Grade: A

"TREASURE WORLD"

Aspyr for the Nintendo DS. Rated E for everyone.

Grade: C

Nintendo is like the movie studio Pixar - both make all-ages entertainment that genuinely appeals to all ages. Few developers pack as much heart and charm into their games as Nintendo, and fewer still do it as elegantly.

That doesn't mean other companies don't try to duplicate Nintendo's recipe. Sometimes they even succeed. Recent third-party releases "Little King's Story" and "Treasure World" give Nintendo a run for its family-friendly money.

Don't let the cutesy art style fool you. "Little King's Story" is more grownup than it looks. In many ways, XSEED's role-playing game is more mature than most M-rated games. Instead of sex and swear words, "Little King" focuses on responsibility and self-confidence, but without belaboring either point.

A real-time strategy game in the vein of Nintendo's "Pikmin," "Little King's Story" starts with a lonely young boy suddenly becoming the ruler of a fantasy fiefdom. Our young monarch expands his kingdom by bossing around a village full of citizens with different occupations. Engineers build bridges and staircases, bow- wielding hunters attack from a distance, and lumberjacks clear trees to open up new territories. The key is knowing when and how to best utilize your various subjects while conquering rival kingdoms.

"Little King's" deep strategy and beautiful art would be noteworthy even if the game otherwise failed. Thankfully it also sports a great sense of humor and a surprisingly poignant story, making it one of the best games on any system this year.

"Treasure World," an interesting new title for the DS, has a great hook. You use the system's wireless connectivity to hunt for treasure - or random items and clothing for your character. It's like the collectible elements of Nintendo's "Animal Crossing," but entirely dependent on the Internet. Every Wi-Fi hot spot gets you something new, but only the first time you connect to it.

Basically, "Treasure World" forces you to wander around with your DS looking for hot spots. That's fine for kids or the supremely self- confident, but those leery of whipping out their DS in public might have to pass.

Unfortunately there's not much more to "Treasure World." High production values don't inherently make a game fun. A music- creation minigame is briefly diverting, but far too convoluted.

Unlike "Animal Crossing," which compensates for its lack of traditional gameplay with a variety of tasks and charming characters, "Treasure World" just lets you accumulate stuff. It's a primer on how to become a weird obsessive collector.

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