oday I had a chance to sit down and spend some quality time with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. Henceforth abbreviated as My Life as a King in order to avoid a mass of unnecessary long sentences such as this, the title is Square-Enix’s first endeavor into the realm of digital downloads. Created for Nintendo’s upcoming WiiWare channel – which is set to launch in the United States on May 12 – My Life as a King is a brand-new chapter in the Crystal Chronicles saga.
As for many Final Fantasy fans out there, it’s always unnerving to test out a new game in the established franchise that strays exceedingly far from the standard RPG formula. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the debut direct-download title considering its basic premise and gameplay structure are unique to the series. My Life as a King unfolds the story of a pre-pubescent king on a mission to rebuild a kingdom his father – King Eptiav – once ruled. The story takes place after the events of the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, where advancing Maisma destroyed the once-flourishing city. It appears that the royal family and citizens alike scattered across the world, displaced by the menacing force. Years later, after a long journey, the young king finds his way back to the location his family once ruled. All that remains are an abandoned castle and an eerily glowing magic crystal.
Traveling with his companions – advisor Chime and guardian Hugh Yurg – the young king approaches the greatly neglected crystal at the heart of the city. The crystal has persevered well enough to recognize him as the former ruler’s son and bestows on him the power of Architek. Architek allows the little king to manifest memories into reality; to use his memories from before the Maisma assault to recreate the town as he once saw it. At this point in the game, we are still unaware as to what fate fell on the previous king, but it is implied that seeing the city thrive once more is according to King Epitav’s will.
The game is a fantasy city-building and simulation game at heart. The unique thing about My Life as a King is that you don’t play a hero in the traditional sense of the word. As the name implies, you live the life of a king and leave the hero work to others. Your little guy goes about his day issuing behests, collecting tithes and keeping up the morale of citizens. While all of these activities are vital to the growth of your new establishment, it is somewhat bizarre sending others out to traverse dungeons and defeat foes in your place.
Right off the bat, you’re allowed to test your new Architek abilities. After being granted the power of Architek by the ancient crystal – your advisor Chime instructs you in the art of building reality from memories. The little king can recreate structures from the past as long as a fragment of recollection still dwells in his mind. Being that he is only 10 years of age, it is understandable that at several points in time his memory slips a bit. When that happens, he can call on the help of other citizens of the town to help jog his memory. But first, there must be inhabitants present to interact with. Constructing dwellings is easy enough – simply select a plot of land from a predetermined grid, choose your orientation and confirm. At first you’re only able to build small houses, each with two residents to help boost your kingdoms population.
However, after creating two structures, you run into a problem. Using Architek is not free; it requires a necessary resource – Elementite – in order to fuel the process. At this point in time the future economy of your realm begins to flesh out. Fortunately for you, one of the citizens transported back with a recently revived dwelling is a young man with the heart of an adventurer. You work out an exchange; he’ll travel outside the kingdom walls and take on the dangers of local dungeons to gather Elementite for a fee. This seems like a reasonable partnership to both Chime and Hugh Yurg, as the lifestyle of an adventurer is much too dangerous for a king.
The very next day your newly hired adventurer leaves the safety of the kingdom walls and explores a nearby dungeon. It is at this point in time the player most likely realizes they won’t be exploring outside the kingdom walls in My Life as a King. The realization may be disheartening for some, but in my experience I found that the responsibilities of being a king are more than enough to keep the game engaging. While you go about your daily activities you’re updated with information about your commissioned adventurers via short messages at the top of your screen. You’re aware when an adventurer reaches their destination, engages an enemy and accomplishes their task. You’re even made aware of the outcome of battles. You can anticipate the return of a disheartened adventurer who was bested by a foe and try to help lift their spirits.
If left to their own devices, adventurers will keep themselves busy by visiting local dungeons and collecting resources. However, you also have the ability to direct them explicitly, telling them to engage specific bosses in specific locations. This is where you must be careful, because it’s easy to accidentally send them to a site above their skill level. Day by day, if you don’t have a specific mission for your adventurer, you can send them out with the simple instruction to gain experience, which will ultimately unlock more areas to explore.
Why are adventurers of such high importance? They’re essential to the economy of your city. The game follows a somewhat straightforward formula. As you build structures inhabitants move back into their homes. As the city grows, more citizens come forward with the hopes of becoming adventurers. Because your Elementite resources are depleted each time you build a new structure, these adventurers are necessary to keep the resource in stock. The adventurers are paid by you, and you gain your money through the daily collection of tithes from your citizens. This is the basic cycle. More townspeople equals more collected taxes, which allows for and pays the salary of additional adventurers. Adventurers collect Elementite which permits the creating of more structures which brings about more citizens.
While the game may sound formulaic at this point, it’s not simply about the economics of your soon to be bustling establishment. As a sympathetic young king, you can control the morale of your growing city. Morale boosts not only make a citizen willing to donate extra tithes, but it helps encourage stronger relationships between neighbors and family. Icons above your citizen’s heads indicate what kind of mood they are in. An exclamation mark implies they have something to say, and a smiley face implies they are up for conversation. Giving the inhabitants of your city a chance to chat with their king daily is a great way to keep morale high.