The Cruel King and the Great Hero

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. Video Chums
    Mar 15, 2022
    80
    It may not be the deepest RPG but The Cruel King and the Great Hero is certainly one of the most heartwarming. In fact, I adored its story and cast of characters so much that I highly recommend it to anyone with a soft spot for unconventional lighthearted tales.
  2. GAMES.CH
    Mar 8, 2022
    80
    The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a cute story-side-scroller with great music, a fantastic storyline and lovely art-style. Voicelines are only available in Japanese, but you will have English subtitles to enjoy the storyline. Its a great game for kids, but also for adults and a real feel-good-comfort-zone to escape this cruel world for a bit.
  3. Everyeye.it
    Mar 7, 2022
    75
    The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a sincere production, which does not aim to overturn the canons of turn-based role-playing games, or to amaze with who knows what technical innovation. Quite the contrary: precisely to the extent of this moderate simplicity Nippon Ichi Software inscribes a winning design idea, which - even without some structural ingenuity - manages to convey first of all the message of a light-hearted but also intimate and profound story. The most relevant stylistic figure then remains the art direction, which with such a graceful hand drawing style makes the game world a real videogame fairy tale.
  5. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 7, 2022
    75
    The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a wonderful adventure suitable for adults and children: a hand-drawn fairy tale.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PS4 Game of 2022
20
#20 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2022

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 4 out of 11
  1. Happyspelling
    Mar 18, 2022
    10
    Pros:
    -One of the most visually stunning games I have ever seen. The entire game was hand drawn by the incredibly talented director of this    Pros:
    -One of the most visually stunning games I have ever seen. The entire game was hand drawn by the incredibly talented director of this game, Sayaka Oda.
    -The music gives off a fairy tale vibe and is great to listen to.
    -The writing is amazing, with lots of charming characters and even some heartbreaking moments.
    -There's plenty of content, with dozens of side quests and a story that took me roughly 40 hours.
    -The bosses can be very challenging, especially if you don't do any sidequests. The final boss specifically took me a few tries.
    -The monster weakness system is a unique and original idea that makes combat more interesting.
    -I appreciate the simpler take on RPG's. It reminds me of Paper Mario with its combat and partners.
    -This game is only $30 for a digital copy, which is a great deal for a game that will likely take at least 30 hours. The physical edition also comes with a digital soundtrack, artbook with comments by the director, and a plush of the main character for $60. There is also the Treasure Trove edition which adds an adorable plush of the dragon king and an acrylic puzzle for $105.
    Cons:
    -Battles appear to frequently
    -I personally didn't mind, but a lot of people have a problem with fetch quests and back tracking, which this game has its fair share of in the side quests due to it's relatively small world.
    -The aforementioned acrylic puzzle in the treasure trove edition of the game is not of very good quality. The pieces didn't seem to want to fit together, and required so much force that I hurt my thumbs. The pieces also came apart easily, so I spent hours on a 130 piece puzzle that shouldn't have even taken one. Maybe the one I received was just defective, but I'm definitely never taking it apart again.
    Summary: An audiovisual masterpiece with simple yet engaging RPG gameplay and an amazing story that I'd recommend to anyone with a Switch or PS4.    … Full Review »
  2. morjito
    Apr 7, 2022
    7
    After missing out on Liar Princess and Blind Prince, had to buy Cruel KIng and the Great Hero and try the game. Already watched trailers andAfter missing out on Liar Princess and Blind Prince, had to buy Cruel KIng and the Great Hero and try the game. Already watched trailers and reviews for Liar Princess, so I know what to expect from this new game. And it sure did not disappoint, bought a storybook game and got a storybook game. Graphics are hand-drawn yet pleasant on the eyes, controls are basic and intuitive, gameplay is simple and enjoyable, story so far is well told with decent narration. Oh, and the loading times are short and almost not noticeable, unlike some other game "cough" cris tales "cough". Plus, there is a feature that minimize random encounters once the hero's level is already higher than the monsters in the area. Downside, expect the game to be short and have repetitive errands, so am playing from time to time, in between other games. Overall, Cruel King and the Great Hero is a simple and fun game, that wants the player to have a good and pleasant story time.

    Wanted to give a score of 8 but the game is just too short and not enough depth so a high 7 is good. And to show support to the devs, bought the storybook edition that comes with a hardcover mini artbook and plushie of the great hero, so the devs can continue making similar games and hopefully, the devs can add more depth to future games    … Full Review »
  3. frederik1478
    Sep 20, 2022
    6
    It looks phenomenal and is truly an awesome story to play, but the gameplay is tedious RPG stuff. It is enjoyable I found in fun it but it isIt looks phenomenal and is truly an awesome story to play, but the gameplay is tedious RPG stuff. It is enjoyable I found in fun it but it is still not what I will call an amazing fun experience, for all the things around the gameplay so good that I pulled myself through a 15 hours of it to enjoy it so much.… Full Review »
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