Don’t let the ‘Final Fantasy’ in the title fool you; this is no RPG. My Life as a King is a city management simulator where you take control of a young king whose father left him the remains of a barren Kingdom, powered by a giant crystal in the centre. Gifted with the magic art of Architek (building construction,) the pintsize ruler, aided by his two accomplices, must restore the Kingdom to beauty and bring peace to its townsfolk. This, of course, requires both money and a material named Elementite which limits how many buildings you can create in one day.
The King, however, is too important to go in to battle himself, and with no Clouds or Tiduses living in the area, the task of going out in to the wild and collecting Elementite falls upon the town’s Adventurers: citizens specially commissioned to, well, adventure. It is your job as the player to command these adventurers in the direction of many areas outside the city gates, instructing them to explore the area, grind their experience, or challenge its boss. It is also your job to ensure that the adventurers have sufficient equipment by building and investing money in the local armouries. Throughout the day (in the game, not real life,) you’ll receive notices detailing the status of the adventurers, and eventually they will return either victorious or defeated. Adventurers are paid for their daily work, but the Elementite collected is yours to use. Clearing certain areas also unlocks the ability to create new types of and more of existing buildings.
Although the actual playing field in My Life as a King is quite small, the kiddy king has much to do each day, from chatting with townsfolk to raise morale to checking the status of the local stores. Each ‘day’ only lasts a few minutes which keeps the pace fast and fresh by continually pressing you with expansion: Do you send your party to this area or that area? Where is the best place to build the Guild Hall? Would the team benefit from another White Mage? Time flies by as you micromanage your Kingdom and you’ll be saying “Just one more day!” until 2:00AM.
The sheer addictiveness of My Life as a King is what will draw you in. With a fairly large amount of areas to send your adventurers (and even more to buy with Wii Points,) there’s always something to do, even if you’re not actually doing it yourself. It’s clever, it’s cute, it’s fun and most importantly, it’s cheap. It’s a must-have.
Rating: 
4/4 Incredible
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