I am not sure is NinjaBee’s latest XBLA title Kingdom for Keflings is much of a game, but it certainly is a relaxing and entertaining diversion. In Kingdom for Keflings, you control a giant (there are 3 to choose from or you can use your avatar) who is helping the Keflings build their town and prosper. There are no ways to lose…Keflings don’t die, there’s no danger or enemies, and there’s even abundant resources to you can never get stuck by harvesting all the resources on a map. The goal is to just keep building your Keflings Kingdom. Your giant can collect resources himself, or train Keflings to do all the work for him. However, your giant is the only one who can build components and use blueprints to construct new buildings.
Gameplay: Kingdom’s utter lack of challenge is fine and dandy and makes this title perfect for the casual crowd, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay (your giant simply moves from point A to B building/placing new parts) makes this game hard to sit down and enjoy for hours on end. It is great for short play sessions though. The depth of the technology tree is actually quite satisfying and interesting and ultimately culminates with building the Keflings a Castle (the end of the game I suppose). The gameplay actually reminds me most of SimCity… there’s always something to build and improve on in your Keflings’ Kingdom and the game can be quite endless in nature. I just wish the Keflings’ Kingdom had some of random disasters that befall a simulated city.
Graphics: The game features vibrant and colorful 3D graphics. The graphics are simplistic but work for the title. It’s nice being able to use your avatar as your giant and the season changing weather effects are very nice. My only gripes with the graphics are that the components of buildings all look very very similar and that the game world itself lacks variety.
You control a Giant who can look like your avatar
Sound/Music: The game’s music is definitely a highlight. It completely captures the mood of the game and is very catchy. You will definitely find yourself humming some of the game’s catchy tunes or booting up the game for an hour or so to enjoy the music and work on your latest building project. There are very few sound effects, but then again there are very few different things to do in Kingdom.
Lasting Appeal: Kingdom for Keflings is a fantastic casual gaming experience. It is simple to pick up and play and is great for short play sessions. While the technology tree and new blueprints certainly give you incentive to keep playing, the game becomes very tedious if you’ve been moving building pieces back and forth for hours. Despite the tedium and lack of challenge, Kingdom is strangely addictive and charming. I certainly found myself lengthening my play sessions to finish that next building or get that next blueprint.
Average: 80% Tilt: +3.00%
The charm and relaxing nature of Kingdom makes it a perfect medieval romp for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Casual gamers will just stick with it a lot longer.
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Mike Gnade (426 posts)
Mike is the Owner and Founder of Indie Game Magazine.