Little King’s Story was first released for the Wii back in 2009. The character design and gameplay concept was something unique and enjoyable. And because of this, Marvelous AQL decided to have this same game released again but this time on a portable video game console, specifically the Playstation Vita. Currently released as New Little King’s Story, there have been high definition enhancements to the graphics as well as incorporation of the Vita’s capabilities.
The story begins as a fourteen-year-old king named Corobo must flee his castle because of the evil forces, which also led to his guards’ deaths. Playing as this main character, you are striving to take back your castle, build up your kingdom, rescue his seven princesses, and battle off against the monsters that are running his country.
You have five followers to begin with, but as you move on further in the game, you’ll get more subjects to join your efforts. With them, you’ll either assign certain tasks to perform or have them follow you during your journey. If you want to select them and then perform a specific activity, you simply point at them and then press one of the face buttons. Along the way, you’ll be undergoing exploration, earning money and making improvements to your kingdom.
Your subjects will be able to perform certain functions specific to the building you have constructed. For instance, you’ll be able to change their roles to a farmer or carpenter depending on what structures you have in your kingdom.  Eventually, you’ll also face giant monsters as bosses, in which case you’ll engage in an epic battle. During these times, your followers will listen to your commands. Furthermore, your main character, Corobo, can be controlled to pull off some damage to these monsters. The ability to jump between locations, let’s say between your kingdom and site of battle, allows for some straight-forward controls and navigation.
New Little King’s Story does have plenty to keep players busy and glued to the screen. The game can easily have you playing for hours upon hours as you try to manage between running your kingdom and engaging in battles. It can get quite addicting especially with all the multitasking you’ll need to keep track of and execute on a regular basis. The difficulty does vary throughout the game, so there’s some variety in terms of challenges.
New Little King’s Story is anything but little when it comes to graphics. In fact, visually the game looks fantastic and pretty. There were some frame rate issues that came about. Still, the characters are designed in a way that makes them look cute and friendly making it appropriate for players of all ages. During cut scenes, the characters have an anime appearance that’s very well done. In addition, the overall atmosphere has a pastel-colored look that’s light on the eyes. It’s actually quite an art style that utilizes the Playstation Vita’s OLED screen effectively.
The sound effects, on the other hand, don’t necessarily give that much of an impression. Basically, it pulls off what it needs to do in terms of the actions that occur along with the occasional limited voices you hear. The music is somewhat melodic to listen to and fits well with the overall cute theme going on here nonetheless.
In retrospect, New Little King’s Story does have a lot going on in terms of content that will keep you busy for hours on end as well as a high definition presentation that’s pleasing to the eyes. Currently, it is available in the Playstation Network for $39.99. Considering a game of this type of caliber, New Little King’s Story ranks up there with other Vita games of a similar price. So if you’re seeking something that’s new in terms of content and gameplay, there’s very “little†reason to give this game a trial run at the very least.
