High Dynamic Range Lying

I have always been a fan of both city building simulation games, and I of course have a soft corner for the Final Fantasy franchise. It seems odd, though, to see the two finally come together.

While Nintendo’s Wii console has had their retro catalogue available on the Virtual Console service since the console’s launch, but it was not until they revealed their WiiWare service that they offered the chance for gamers to download new, specially designed titles. Among the first batch of titles available to Wii owners with an internet connection are titles like Lost Wind, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - My Life as a King.

Now, unlike past FFCC titles, My Life as a King is in fact not a multiplayer action RPG. Instead, the game is set in the FFCC universe, and puts the player in the role of a child king who must rebuild his fallen kingdom, bring back villagers, and send adventurers out into the murky depths of the outside world to retrieve treasure and building materials.

The game starts slowly, but gives a lot of information in steps that make it easy to understand, even for those who may not be acclimated to a city building simulation. Before long, players are placing homes and a bakery. Homes recall a couple citizens, while bakeries make citizens happy. While some citizens remain within the kingdom’s walls, going about their daily grind, some have higher aspirations.

Every so often, new citizens will approach the castle and ask the player if they can become an adventurer. The interesting view the game gives is the financial side of the Final Fantasy universe. While past games have always placed the player in the role of the hero, travelling and battling, My Life as a King forces players to deal with the finances and management associated with groups of adventurers.

The King must hire adventurers, but each comes at a cost to the royal coffers. The player issues behests each day; quests for adventurers to undertake. Now instead of taking a quest and going about your business, you are giving such quests to brave citizens, while you maintain and expand your town.

There’s an incredible new sense of connection to each adventurer, as each one’s emotions are visible to The King. As I approached the Frog Board on the morning of the 8th day, and found an adventurer waiting to undertake a quest, I actually felt a sense of regret. They were determined to take on my behest to slay a Goblin King to the east, but I knew better. The denizens of the cave were Level 4, while she was merely level 2. When I ordered her to instead gather more EXP in an easier area, she looked dejected, walking slowly to the town’s gate to undertake a rather boring and dull mission.

City folk even express their wants and needs. I traveled by the crystal centerpiece of the kingdom to find an adventurer who looked worn and disillusioned. Upon talking to him, I found that he had feelings for another citizen, but felt that without a relaxing place like a park, there was no hope for him. It is this kind of organic suggestion that brings the game to life, and finding such suggestions among villagers is so much more rewarding than merely getting anonymous notices via the in-game interface.

Because of the game’s small size, the story will likely be fairly short. HDRL will try to have a full review of the game available by the end of next week! Stay Tuned!