"A potentially great franchise limited by the WiiWare system"

Square Enix has a reputation for having high production values with its video games. Even forays into genres other than RPGs - which the company is known for - boast impressive visuals, engaging design and comfortable playability. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King falls into this category as a new venture for Square Enix into the town building/simulation RPG. The major downside is the limitation this WiiWare title has on what could be a potentially long lasting franchise.

The story of My Life as a King is simple - after the events of the Gamecube game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, a young king must rebuild and repopulate his town, all while fending off what evil remains within the world. Players need not be familiar with the prequel, as the characters do a good job of introducing the world and legends.

The gameplay revolves around building the town - no fighting to be had by your avatar. You manage and micromanage til your hearts' content within your kingdom walls while AI controls your adventurers and citizenry. Some gamers may miss the action and control of typical RPGs to get into this, but remember, the game is a simulation town builder - it's about delegation and supervising.

The game progresses as you hire your citizens to explore dungeons and destroy bosses. You don't actually see any of the fighting, but after each game day you can view a report that shows the battles that took place in a text format. Each

This WiiWare title suffers from true greatness. This review shouldn't hamper on about what-could-be's, but a full-fledged Wii version of this game could deliver so much more than what is currently presented. The lag that occurs during late stages of the game and the overall lack of space create an annoyance, and the options in the game eventually run their course as repetitive.

For the most part, building is limited in its own right. For obvious reasons you are prevented from building everything from the get-go. But there are some limitations that just don't seem to make sense - especially in a New Game+, where the option to build more than just a few buildings initially would be highly enjoyable.

All in all, the game itself is addicting and well worth the time and money it should be given. This spinoff of a spinoff could potentially be a high selling new franchise for Square Enix. So while you wait for the full fledged version, this game definitely makes for a more than adequate demo of what's to come.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/10/08