A Colorful Kingdom Fit For A King
The game progresses as you conquer surrounding kingdoms one by one with the help of your subjects. Your subjects can be given standard jobs such as soldier, archer, or farmer to non-traditional ones such as chef, merchant, and miner. Each job has its own uses in combat, and when not in your party, those of different jobs will be seen wandering around town working. After you defeat the king of another kingdom, his princess comes to live with you in your kingdom. There are seven kingdoms and thus seven princesses in total. Each princess has her own special subquest for you to do as well. You expand and upgrade your city by first beating the boss of that area and then purchasing a city plan for that area. Money is also spent on ordinances to improve the health of your subjects. Combat is similar to Pikmin in that you sort through your subjects (you can have increasing amounts with you as your kingdom grows) and send them running in a straight line towards your enemy. They swarm the enemy and do whatever their job does for attacking. You can also call them back quickly to avoid being hit by attacks. This is where all the strategy comes in with a variety of opponents.
The writing is quite amusing with some innuendos and other game references tucked in (Princess Apricot for example). Each kingdom is unique with themes ranging from candy to cherry blossoms. The graphics are very colorful and bright which adds to the overall childlike look of the game, though the game itself is not childlike. Orchestra music flows through the game and really adds to the mood and whimsy. The game's only real replay value comes from playing on a harder difficult. The only negative about this game aside from lack of strong replay is the ending, which was not very satisfying.
Final Note:
This game is one of those hidden gems that a lot of people passed over. If you like the combat of Pikmin, strategic fighting, fun and colorful graphics, and humorous writing, then this is for you.