Little King's Story

 Wii
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 104
  3. Negative: 8 out of 104
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  1. Susano
    Aug 23, 2010
    10
    This charming, rewarding, deep, funny and simply awesome game offers top strategy and some of the best music on the Wii. With classical remixes, wonderful enemy design and some nice, bright graphics. Few games offer such a memorable experience, one of the best Wii games ever, and truly essential.
  2. Theday
    Jun 1, 2011
    9
    Little King's Story, if you liked the style of the original Harvest Moons, and enjoyed Pikmin or Overlord, then you'll like this game. While it does have a cutesy exterior the game is pretty tough. Taking RPG, Strategy, Adventure elements and combining them into one game. Developers Cing (makers of Hotel Dusk, and quickly becoming my favorite new developer) and Town House do an amazing job.
  3. vgb
    Oct 27, 2010
    10
    For me, this is the defining Wii game, and one of the great games of the last 5 years. Everyone comments on the charm and I have to, too - it's filled with charm. It creates such a world that you will do any task the game asks of you just to stay in it for one more hour. And then another hour. And then some more. I am often amazed at ingenuity in games, but rarely feel like I really,For me, this is the defining Wii game, and one of the great games of the last 5 years. Everyone comments on the charm and I have to, too - it's filled with charm. It creates such a world that you will do any task the game asks of you just to stay in it for one more hour. And then another hour. And then some more. I am often amazed at ingenuity in games, but rarely feel like I really, really like the people who made the game, as is the case with Little King's Story. World class product.… Expand
  4. wetto
    Oct 14, 2012
    10
    To be honest, when I first saw the game cover and the game pictures on the Internet, I thought "Wow, this childish game must suck". Well, that was one of the biggest mistakes I made in my entire life. Little King's Story indeed looks childish, but if you think you're going to play a game where there's no action, no story, and especially with no fun, you're wrong as well.

    Little King's    To be honest, when I first saw the game cover and the game pictures on the Internet, I thought "Wow, this childish game must suck". Well, that was one of the biggest mistakes I made in my entire life. Little King's Story indeed looks childish, but if you think you're going to play a game where there's no action, no story, and especially with no fun, you're wrong as well.

    Little King's Story is perhaps one of the best indie games I've played in years. It's fun, it motivates you to keep on making upgrades and EXPLORING. And damn, this is a full meal for people who love exploring maps, discovering secrets, collecting items, making new units, completing missions...

    Yes, sometimes it gets repetitive, but it's all about how well you play. If you don't play very well, you'll need to keep on doing the same actions to get money do buy upgrades. If you really know how to use your units, you'll be able to do so without grinding.

    It's a game that somewhat requires you to take a peek at walkthroughs since there are lots of parts where you'll find yourself lost or in need of help, but that doesn't makes the game less worthy of a 10.

    Even though some people may disagree with me, this game is, in my opinion, the best video-game available on the Nintendo Wii... But it's a shame for the other consoles to miss a game this great. This is a genuine hidden diamond found among the discount bin. A long, extremely fun adventure into a fantasy world which anyone who has a Wii needs to play, and even a reason for other people to buy one.    … Expand
  5. StuartBaggs
    Jul 24, 2012
    9
    Little King's Story is the sort of game that is rarely released on a Nintendo console. This is a third party game which is just as good as the best Nintendo games on the console. The story is a funny plot, typical of a good RPG, and the games hero has the potential to become a star of Nintendo gaming. The game can be described as a mixture of the gameplay of the Pikmin games in the worldLittle King's Story is the sort of game that is rarely released on a Nintendo console. This is a third party game which is just as good as the best Nintendo games on the console. The story is a funny plot, typical of a good RPG, and the games hero has the potential to become a star of Nintendo gaming. The game can be described as a mixture of the gameplay of the Pikmin games in the world of the Animal Crossing series, along with some of the best graphics on the console. Little King's Story has a charming soundtrack which was made by the same people who compose the music for Kingdom Hearts games. You can notice this throughout the endless hours you can find yourself immersed in this essential game. I can't begin to tell you how good this game is, and a sequel would be a perfect fit for the Wii U. If you have a Wii, buy this game.… Expand
  6. HarveyD
    Oct 25, 2009
    10
    I have literally spent the last five minutes thinking about what words I should choose to describe this game. And, finally, I have settled on the thought that it is indescribable; not the game type, but what the game offers. I've played almost everything new and old across various platforms, but it really has been a long while since I've felt what this game offered. One of the I have literally spent the last five minutes thinking about what words I should choose to describe this game. And, finally, I have settled on the thought that it is indescribable; not the game type, but what the game offers. I've played almost everything new and old across various platforms, but it really has been a long while since I've felt what this game offered. One of the things that surprised me the most about this title was the mature themes that several of the stages developed. It's a reflection of life and our mortality, but delivered as visual poetry. It's gameplay mechanics are akin to Pikmin, but revolve more around unique classes in a, overall, more colorful world. The game runs about 20+ hours without taking on too many sidequests so you get your money's worth. It's a shame that games like this fly under everyone's radar and are simply forgotten. It's this generation's Beyond Good & Evil.… Expand
  7. MattR
    Apr 24, 2009
    10
    I just got this game and am having so much fun with it I had to come on here and comment. First of all, it is GORGEOUS! I love the style of the characters, and the constant humour. This game takes the piss out of itself at every opportunity... straight off there's Don Quijote on a cow as your right-hand man. :D It sounds better than it looks. The music is fantastic. I think I'll I just got this game and am having so much fun with it I had to come on here and comment. First of all, it is GORGEOUS! I love the style of the characters, and the constant humour. This game takes the piss out of itself at every opportunity... straight off there's Don Quijote on a cow as your right-hand man. :D It sounds better than it looks. The music is fantastic. I think I'll be humming the world map music for the next few weeks at least. The controls are easy to get into, and intuitive. Although there is a tutorial thing I just skipped it for the most part. Haven't had any trouble yet, and I've just built my first bridge to go fight onis. Onward to World Domination!! … Expand
  8. OllieP
    May 4, 2009
    9
    Creative, fresh, full of character, pretty and is packed with detail. It's depth of battles might put off some but they'd be missing the point. This game deserves to be bought even if it is by a mum looking for 'carnival games sports party island family fun time'.
  9. TizianoS
    May 6, 2009
    9
    The evolution of pikmin in every sense: bigger, more coloured, more classes, more things to do. it even has a nice presentation of the storyline and the sense of discover during the game will bring you inside the life of this cartoon king. AMAZING!
  10. AdamS.
    Jun 12, 2009
    10
    SUPER one of the best third party wii titiles ever charming, action packed and funny one of the most complete wii titles in a while, raise your own kingdom from a small hamlet of only 12 people, choose there class form warrior to lumberjack explore and hunt down the eight dark kings that stand in your way! 10/10 awesome GET IT NOW!
  11. LeeT
    Jul 26, 2009
    10
    This is a very fun game. While it does start out boring, there is a lot of strategy at play here. You will have to learn the various bosses' attack patterns and weaknesses to win. There are plenty of different classes (14 according to the back of the box, though I haven't gotten that far), and every one of them is useful for progression in some way. I've played about 7 This is a very fun game. While it does start out boring, there is a lot of strategy at play here. You will have to learn the various bosses' attack patterns and weaknesses to win. There are plenty of different classes (14 according to the back of the box, though I haven't gotten that far), and every one of them is useful for progression in some way. I've played about 7 hours of it and thoroughly enjoy everything it offers.… Expand
  12. gfhdfhfdj
    Sep 22, 2009
    10
    Absolutely fantastic. I love everything about this game (even the first hour which, in retrospect, is quite boring, but you're so immersed it doesn't matter) and it is paced almost perfectly. Extremely difficult in the latter 3/4 of the game, it is one of the biggest challenges of it's kind. A great game.
  13. drlowdon
    Jun 9, 2013
    8
    The more serious gamer has been treated poorly by Nintendo when it comes to the Wii console with a seemingly endless stream of dull mini-game collections and licensed drivel. Once in a while however loyal fans have been rewarded with games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Zack and Wiki which provide something not seen on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. I can safely say that, with theThe more serious gamer has been treated poorly by Nintendo when it comes to the Wii console with a seemingly endless stream of dull mini-game collections and licensed drivel. Once in a while however loyal fans have been rewarded with games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Zack and Wiki which provide something not seen on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. I can safely say that, with the exception of the two Mario Galaxy games, Little Kings Story is the best of the lot.

    Little Kings Story is not an easy game to categorise. The closest comparison is probably the two Pikmin titles but by also mixing in elements from RPGs, strategy games and town building sims it truly is something fairly unique. The story itself is fairly simple, the player taking on the role of a young boy who falls into a mysterious world and soon finds himself declared king. Unable to fight yourself the player is able to take control of a set number of villagers in the same manner as the Pikmin titles. These villagers can be lead freely around the large game world to defeat enemies and collect treasure. The income generated from this treasure hunting can be used to improve your kingdom and as the game develops villagers can be trained in a number of skills including combat, farming, carpentry and mining. Balancing the villagers you take with you is vital when traversing the kingdom as each have their own unique abilities, carpenters for example are the only ones who can build bridges to cross rivers. An extra challenge is also provided by enemies known as guardians as well as by other kings hoping to stop your world domination. Simply throwing as many soldiers as possible at the enemy rarely leads to success and the player must quickly weigh up the situation before deciding on which villager types and tactics to use.

    Interestingly Little King's Story doesn't actually make any use of the Wii's motion controls but while many reviews have commented on the difficulty of selecting and commanding villagers I found that it only took a little practice to get used to the controls. The graphics, whilst perhaps not as crisp as they could be, are also colourful and vibrant helping to create an interesting game world.

    In fact there are very few criticisms I can level at the game and they are all so minor that they easy to overlook in a game provides well over twenty-five hours of deep and rewarding gameplay that, much like the Mario Galaxy games, offers new ideas from start to finish.    … Expand
  14. juanandesign
    Jul 18, 2013
    9
    Wow, what a beautiful surprise that I got with this game! Nice graphics, really original, the game makes you think and gives your the feeling that you game is unique. You will need more than 50 hours to complete it and it will be really worthy. Pretty and funny, but not easy at all. It is a pity that this game has not it´s own saga, but maybe is better like this, because the game is unique.
  15. XV_
    Jan 2, 2020
    8
    A thing that I like the most in Little King Story is that it feels and plays like a true videogame, without trying to be a movie or other.

    After you boot the game, the first thing that appears is the opening sequence which features classical music and a nice introductory sequence to the general theme and mood of the game and does it wonderfully, after that you only need to do the    A thing that I like the most in Little King Story is that it feels and plays like a true videogame, without trying to be a movie or other.

    After you boot the game, the first thing that appears is the opening sequence which features classical music and a nice introductory sequence to the general theme and mood of the game and does it wonderfully, after that you only need to do the tutorial stuff, pretty straight forward, fun and entertaining, to get the hang of it.

    The story can be a little weird and some aspects may also feel uncomfortable at first, like the art style that it looks aimed for little kids but a lot of stuff can be more mature that it seems (It's rated T after all) and that's a thing that I commend to this game, is never afraid of doing what is doing or not explain anything at all, at least in a direct way. At first, I was a little confused but as I progressed almost 3/4 of the story everything seemed to make sense and the finale pay off, I'm being nebulous about it not because this game has huge spoilers, but it demands that you have your own interpretations.

    As for the gameplay and the main reason you'll be playing this, it's a lot of fun. It is a simplified RTS game, its mechanics are simple and have a nice progression system that rewards backtracking in a smooth way. You start with basic units, then with combat specialized units and then with specialized jobs for construction or demolition of several things. My biggest issue comes with the gameplay tho, the selection of your team is quite cumbersome and clumsy and even you start with a clumsier version of it, also, when you're fighting enemies, the control and selection of units can be at times frustrating, this problem is more pronounced with the boss fights, it is never that bothersome but is also consistent and it will be with you through all of your campaign.

    Boss fights are in my opinion, the cherry of the cake of this game, they're so unique from one another and even twist the genre of this game for good, you'll be surprised with the inventiveness of them, and speaking of boss fights, the music is in charge of Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and even Street Fighter fame, there are original compositions but mostly you'll find classical tunes (arranged to this game) which in my opinion were a perfect selection for the general mood and combat, so even when you face frustrating moments given the gameplay or at times tough fights you'll never lose the rhythm or even the adrenaline of this game.

    As final comments, Little King Story is a solid game that has aged so well in a lot of aspects, you may encounter some serious challenge and at times some technical nuisances but they never are too big to give up this great game.    … Expand
  16. BlazeyBoy
    May 30, 2020
    10
    I LOVE this game, this game is adorable and challenging which is just perfect!! I lost this game and last time I remember playing it was almost seven years ago, I myself can't believe I still remember the name. Probably because IT'S AN AMAZING GAME!!! GET IT!!! Trust me you'll love it
  17. Deadweight_MK2
    Sep 30, 2020
    10
    Quite literally the best game I've ever played. Engaging gameplay, a rich world with quirky yet developed characters, beautiful presentation and music, emotional storytelling, and so many more surprises and story twists than you would expect. This is one of those games that doesn't look like much, but that's what makes it all the more special. It's best played as blind as possible, sinceQuite literally the best game I've ever played. Engaging gameplay, a rich world with quirky yet developed characters, beautiful presentation and music, emotional storytelling, and so many more surprises and story twists than you would expect. This is one of those games that doesn't look like much, but that's what makes it all the more special. It's best played as blind as possible, since the gameplay is very approachable and unlikely to get you stuck (especially since it has three difficulty options that can be toggled at any time). It also supports 6 languages and is very cheap first hand even 11 years later. All I've got left to say is PLAY IT!… Expand
  18. Amiiban
    Jun 2, 2021
    10
    This is literally the best wii game ever made don't @ me like if you haven't played it yet then in the words of scott wozniac

    get the f*ck out of my face
  19. NorwayGamer
    Aug 9, 2019
    8
    a truly uniqe game in the strategy/rpg genre, you will probably never play anything like it. it is also quite deceiving, since it looks very kid-friendly, but it is actually very challenging, and recuires a lot of strategy in order to beat the various enemies and bosses scattered across the land.

    some downsides are the map, and the difficulty of navigiating through it when you get a    a truly uniqe game in the strategy/rpg genre, you will probably never play anything like it. it is also quite deceiving, since it looks very kid-friendly, but it is actually very challenging, and recuires a lot of strategy in order to beat the various enemies and bosses scattered across the land.

    some downsides are the map, and the difficulty of navigiating through it when you get a little further in the game. it also takes quite a long time to upgrade & build your "kingdom", since money is a little hard to come buy, at least when you have progressed a bit.

    all in all, a very unique and fun experience, which you'll probably never play anything like again. definitely worth a pick-up if you're into the genre, it's also quite cheap now.    … Expand
  20. dagtasticdag
    Aug 25, 2009
    5
    The problem with Little King's Story is it is too slow and awkward to play. I appreciate the gameplay concepts, and in fact underneath the terrible controls is a fairly decent game. One of the issues is that the game adds too many game elements for your individual "pikmin" to conquer. So you spent most of your time collecting and releasing villagers rather than exploring game The problem with Little King's Story is it is too slow and awkward to play. I appreciate the gameplay concepts, and in fact underneath the terrible controls is a fairly decent game. One of the issues is that the game adds too many game elements for your individual "pikmin" to conquer. So you spent most of your time collecting and releasing villagers rather than exploring game content. Also using the button and thumb stick control scheme to try and wrestle your way through the map, selecting various villagers, targets and commands is just plain tedious. And that is what is truly, truly bizarre about this game, and what is ultimately frustrating. I don't understand why a game developer develops what is essentially a point and click game, for a device that is made for the point and click mechanic and doesn't implement it. If this was a gamecube game, I would have forgiven the terrible control choices, and if this was an N64 game I would have forgiven the silly save/mission system, but we should be beyond this by now.… Expand
  21. Tgopher
    Aug 16, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't know where to begin with Little Kings Story. It is one of the best games I have ever played. From the cute art, to the amazing characters , to the fantastically unique boss fights to the exploration. This game is packed with side quests which are most of the time rewarding. The soundtrack is all modernized classical music which was a feature I loved. I can't seem to find a flaw to point out in this game because it is so beautifully constructed and the ending is fascinating.… Expand
  22. TimH.
    Nov 13, 2009
    9
    Fusion gameplay at its best, thievery and homage at its most blatant. Buy it, even if it's a little baggy. You'll grow into it.
  23. anonymous
    Nov 9, 2009
    9
    Very fun game, just a blast to play almost like a mix of animal crossing, pikmin, and an rpg. I do have one comment though it has to do with metacritic, how does 1up.com's score of B- equal a 67 on here that doesn't make sense
  24. JasonH.
    Jul 29, 2009
    8
    Little King's story is very good, but it's not the masterpiece its made out to be. It's very similar to pikmin, but there's more micromanaging. Citizens have various amounts of life, different names, equipable items, and a variety of classes. The party sizes are much smaller than in pikmin, and Corobo is necesary for more tasks than olimar. This is all fine, but Little King's story is very good, but it's not the masterpiece its made out to be. It's very similar to pikmin, but there's more micromanaging. Citizens have various amounts of life, different names, equipable items, and a variety of classes. The party sizes are much smaller than in pikmin, and Corobo is necesary for more tasks than olimar. This is all fine, but despite the fact that littleking's story is more detail oriented, the controls make directing Corobo's army more difficult than it needs to be. An example would be that there is only one attack button and one retreet button, and there is no option to attack with all your army at once, or to retreat only specific unit. Still, it's an awesome game with amazing style and presentation.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best Wii Game of 2009
17
#17 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2009
16
#16 Most Shared Wii Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Nintendo Gamer
    92
    Funny, exciting, intelligent, weird and rewarding. This is what happens when great minds dare to be different. [May 2009, p.42]
    Read full review
  2. Edge Magazine
    90
    Every moment feels like it's been lavished with attention; Little King's Story is as rich as it is long, and it's a very lengthy game indeed. [May 2009, p.90]
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    91
    Funny, charming and a real meaty challenge, there's nothing else like it on Wii. [May 2009, p.81]
See all critic reviews »