GENRE
	Simulation/Management
	DEVELOPER
	Square-Enix
	PUBLISHER
	Square-Enix
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
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Reviewer's note: This review evaluates the title based on the initial 1500 Wii Points download. While we do mention downloadable content, which Square-Enix provides at cost on an ongoing basis, it was not included in our composite score.

This is not the Final Fantasy that we have known for the past two decades. Players will not be engaging in turn-based battles, summoning beasts like Ifrit or even encountering Cid. Instead, Square-Enix puts you into the role of an adolescent king. Thus, you will send adventurers out to fight your battles and spend time within the kingdom building houses and talking with citizens to improve morale. As such, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King takes a page from SimCity to produce a well-polished -- albeit slow-paced -- city-building game.

visuals

Like LostWinds, the way My Life as King pushes the graphical boundaries with such limited space puts other WiiWare developers to shame. Character design showcases the smallest details, like the king’s wristbands and his lavish, blue-jeweled crown. These visuals aspects also play out with NPCs; adventurers wear distinctive outfits, such as straw hats for black mages and dark green tunics for thieves. A beautiful kingdom will slowly emerge around these NPCs, starting with small houses and bakeries. Buildings erupt from nowhere with a wonderful sequence capitalized by shooting star and ribbon particle effects. These characters and buildings even display realistic shadows that shift throughout the day. This polish carries through to the cutscenes and the menu system that is integral with simulation gameplay.

However, the package does reveal a few sore spots. The framerate sputters whenever a new building is constructed, likely attributed to the nice effects. The slowdown continues further into the game as your town fills to the brim with houses, adventurers, travelers and townsfolk. While fluidity is not a major concern with a simulation title, it still irritates the eyes. In addition, the variety of characters is severely lacking. This title packs more and more of the same characters with simple palette swaps. Downloadable content can add some diversity to the town, although it comes at a monetary cost.

audio

Final Fantasy fans will immediately recognize the familiar chimes and music associated with the series. The soundtrack does lack diversity, as players will continually hear the same tune each day. After a hundred game days have passed, the cheery tune can grow wearisome. Also, the lack of any voice acting, even in cutscenes is a downer. On a positive note, the addition of birds chirping and lumber thumping with building construction is nicely done. Even so, the audio generally feels a little on the stale side.

gameplay

As king, your duty is to rebuild the realm that once flourished under your father, King Epitav. The young king acquires Architek magic from the massive crystal centering the kingdom, which allows for houses and shops to be created. With each house, new townspeople pack the streets and your kingdom slowly restores to prosperity. However, the resource Elementite is necessary for Architek magic and is only found in various dungeons that fill the countryside. Thus, the commissioning of adventurers to explore enemy-infested areas is vital to the restoration of the land.

The game plays out in days, each of which last approximately five minutes. In the morning, players will receive reports on the previous day through the help of Chime. Chime acts as your right-hand woman. She will showcase how adventurers fared in their voyages, along with financial info about Gil (money) and Elementite earned and lost. Finally, she gives you the ability to create behests, which decide what each adventurer does during the day. These behests can vary between simply exploring a dungeon, defeating a boss or even declaring a national holiday for morale and rest. The completion of each behest will ultimately lead to a medal awarded to a particular adventurer. While this sounds boring, the amount of depth available is astounding. Players can see each adventurer’s daily routine, with an hour-by-hour analysis of where they shopped and what creatures they encountered. The adventurers also possess an abundance of stats and attributes, similar to any RPG. Leveling up and distributing medals allows for absurd amounts of customization and is a nice hook.

During the day, players will control the king in a third-person format to talk to townspeople and build more. By shaking the Wii remote (or pressing the – button), players will call Chime for construction, morale boosts and ending the day early. Assembling houses and other buildings is very simple. Players pick from a list of different structures, which slowly grows over time. The initial lack of variety during the first ten or so days is disappointing and will leave players ending their days early. This initially plodding pace of few adventurers and minute building opportunities will not be attractive to all gamers. However, for players that stick it out, a nice assortment of item shops and distinctive job class buildings will open up. Building soon becomes more strategic. For example, townspeople next to a White Mage Academy will be more intelligent and thus better white mages. This depth is a great touch and adds to the addictive customization.

As for morale, it starts with a meter on the left side of your HUD. By talking to townspeople during the day, the meter slowly fills. Once fully replenished, players can either further advance their realm or use morale boosts to make families happier and allow the king to stay out later. Both choices will lead to additional medals for adventurers and small bonuses that keep you playing throughout the day, instead of ending it early. However, talking to the townsfolk seems outdated because their dialogue is repetitive, mainly consisting of idle chat that does not relate to prominent gameplay features.

Enclosed within this simulation title, My Life as a King also features a plot that surrounds around the titular crystal. The chief antagonist, the Dark Lord, eventually reveals himself through the crystal and speaks about the destruction of your father’s former kingdom. The plot also throws in several twists related to your father, conspiracies, and a rather amusing storying involving penguins. These aspects of the plot, along with the mystery surrounding King Epitav, demonstrate a somewhat shallow but entertaining story that gives a player more incentive to further grow the town.

In terms of length, the game will take most gamers over ten hours for the initial playthrough. This number can easily increase to gamers fixated on finding every medal or funding new abilities through weapon or items shops. Also, a second town will reward the player with stats and attributes that carry over from previous games as well as harder game modes. This WiiWare game packs a punch for longevity.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

My Life as a King is not for everybody. The sluggish beginning will detract many gamers, especially those unfamiliar to the simulation and management genres. The additional inclusion of priced DLC for more features also is disappointing, especially in regards to character diversity. However, for Final Fantasy fans and those more familiar with simulation, you cannot go wrong with the title. Players will seek to complete just more day to get that new medal or level up an adventurer. This strategic depth mixes with slick production values to create an obsessive and recommendable title.

7.6/10