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There are two things that Wii owners were excited about when WiiWare was set to launch. The first was the potential for Nintendo to give in and release a external storage device for games, but the other more realistic hype train came in the form of Square Enix debut WiiWare game. My Life as a King takes the Final Fantasy franchise in a new direction, but at times the game feels weak compared to its prestigious heritage.

My Life as a King strips away traditional Final Fantasy role playing elements and instead gives players a simplified ‘build your own city’ game. Arriving with your trusty assistants, you as the little king gain the power to create buildings from the ground up. With this new power, you set out to build homes for villagers and populate your kingdom. When not constructing homes, you are assigning adventurers to go collect resources and defeat monsters outside of town. It can feel rewarding to watch your town grow and see people walk around, but more than often players will grow tired of the repetitive nature of the game.

Controls in the game are quite traditional. Controlling with just the Wiimote is easy once adapting to using the directional pad to move in a 3D world, but nunchuck support is also available if desired. Shake the controller once to summon your assistant Chime to help you create buildings. For a company that was bragging all about the potential of the Wii controller, Square Enix has remained quite conservative in designing My Life as a King.

By the third chapter, there is a heavy feeling of repetition emitting from the game, and in the case of this game that’s not a good thing. Routines are outlined very early on. Start off checking out the previous days reports, advertising quests for adventures, and spend the rest of the in-game day talking to your villagers. You will find yourself skipping the recycled text faster than it appears out of pure boredom. The main problem with My Life as a King is that its formulaic experience doesn’t give users enough options.

One of the more pleasing elements of a Square Enix title is production values. Character models that are on par with the past Gamecube Crystal Chronicles game bring a much needed charm to the game. However limited animations and interactivity do dampen the experience, but considering the limitations it is a fair trade. Sound design is pretty weak, again thanks to the limited storage issues. But what is on offer is still pretty forgettable, which is rather strange considering the people behind the game.

One of the biggest factors that comes into judging a WiiWare game is the price. Square Enix have somewhat missed the mark in this area too. At 1500 Wii Points, My Life as a King is the most expensive launch game available. Coupled with lackluster downloadable content, the game comes in totaling at 3100 Wii Points (AU$45). When you compare what else 3100 points can buy you on the Virtual Console or WiiWare channels, this game comes up extremely short.

Looking at My Life as a King from a critical standpoint, it often raises the question ‘If this did not have the Final Fantasy name, would it still sell?’ After completing the 6-8 hour game it is clear that the Final Fantasy name is all that drives this pretty, yet dull WiiWare title. Only die hard Square Enix fans should dare approach this game, but first they should consider what else they can do with such a large amount of Wii Points.

Platform reviewed: WiiWare

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