by Marai Rataj

Created on: November 03, 2009   Last Updated: November 06, 2009

Video Game Review: Be a King

Rating: 4/5

Be a King strikes me as a game where extensive development combined with refining of an old system created a must play game. Yet, for the seasoned Age of Empires fan, going through mandatory Tutorial levels wasted time, and took away from the ability to jump into the game. The Adviser is redundant, and loud, but as that is the greatest knock in this otherwise well crafted Time Management and Strategy game, Be a King is still worthy of copious amounts of praise.

The game system is a point and click selection of menu items, which strung together build a complete town, with barracks, farms, houses, and heroes. The system of menus is the same as a lot of equal games, yet the option of going to forage for your own food, wood, and stone was missed. Buying everything with gold when a forest is hedged around you doesn't make a lot of sense, but it did make the game play simpler. Yet, perfection isn't quite grasped as all the action of promised quests happens second-hand. You neither see, nor experience the action, instead just seeing the effect on your gold, and other stats. This disappointed me, but shouldn't retract too much from the buy-ability of the game.

The artwork in Be a King mirrors the rest of the game in being thoughtfully well crafted. From entry sequences, to background maps, Be a King is a joy to view, a big plus to the genre which began with pixelated maps back in the original Age of Empires days. Lack of map control, and lack of freedom in game play makes Be a King feel like a list of tasks, and less of a free spirited game.

The sound fx are unobtrusive to game integration, while setting a bit more of a medieval character mood. Any soundtrack was lost to the fx, and not a lot else was going on. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means the focus went on game play and graphics, not audible accouterments. The one most annoying part of game play does tie into sound, with the Adviser, whose voice is loud and grating, and there's no way to shut him off, at times.

The design of the game is an original take on medieval simulator games, with a non-threatening cartoon flare. All around this game doesn't do anything ingenuitive per se, but what it does is give a fun, enjoyable game to play, which is worth the cost.

Buy:

- If you feel like relaxing with a simulator.

- If you like being challenged in an upward curve.

- If you liked Age of Empires, but wanted more direction.

Don't Buy:

- If you like control.

- If three levels of vocal tutorial are too much.

- If action is what you seek.

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