Little King's Story

About

Little King's Story is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Marvelous, Inc. and was released on August 5, 2016. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

In Little King's Story, players become a timid young boy who suddenly becomes king and must build and defend his kingdom. They'll recruit townspeople, assign them jobs, and explore vast lands to fight enemies and uncover treasures. The game features a charming story, strategic gameplay, and a unique art style for a lighthearted, yet engaging adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 522 reviews

story45 positive mentions

stability59 negative mentions

Charming and engaging gameplay reminiscent of Pikmin, with a unique blend of RPG and city-building elements.
The game features a delightful soundtrack with classical music renditions that enhance the overall experience.
The story and character design are whimsical and humorous, making it enjoyable for both children and adults.

The port suffers from numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes, frame rate drops, and audio glitches.
Controls are clunky and not well-optimized for keyboard and mouse, making gameplay frustrating without a controller.
Many players have reported game-breaking bugs, such as corrupted save files and unresponsive game mechanics.

story
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
70%
2%
The story of "Little King's Story" is praised for its charm, humor, and depth, blending whimsical elements with more serious themes. Players appreciate the unique characters and engaging narrative, which involves kingdom-building and quirky quests, although some technical issues in the PC port hinder the experience. Overall, while the story remains a highlight, the port's bugs detract from its enjoyment.
- “The story is what makes this game; every character is unique, the gameplay, the mechanics, everything about this game is just perfect in my eyes.”
- “I've always thought Little King's Story was an adorable tale, merging childhood imagination with world domination in a normally amusing fashion, and the story hasn't changed one bit in this version, retaining all of its charm.”
- “This game is fantastic; it makes good use of classical music and is full of heart. It's essentially a boy's perception of his world in a funny and moving story, everything fits well in the context.”
- “In order to even run the game without it crashing to desktop, you have to disable all in-game cutscenes, so you have to go to YouTube to actually see what is happening in the storyline.”
- “Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this particular port of Little King's Story, despite the efforts put in previously to bring it up to a workable state.”
- “And then at a certain point in the story, the game will just freeze whenever you try to load up an old save.”
graphics
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
75%
3%
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many praising the charming art style and upgraded visuals from the original release, while also noting various graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware. Some players experienced crashes and save corruption, which detracted from their enjoyment, but overall, the cartoonish aesthetic and lighthearted design were well-received. Despite the technical problems, the graphics are considered cute and fitting for the game's tone, with some users expressing a willingness to overlook issues due to their enjoyment of the game.
- “The graphics are delightful, the music is all wonderfully remixed classical music, the story is charming and actually has a good amount of depth, the gameplay is similar to Pikmin with a kingdom building element, and the humor in it still makes me laugh when I play today.”
- “The art style of the game -- just look at the king -- does shine through though and this elevates the graphics quite a lot.”
- “With a cheerful soundtrack, imaginative landscapes, and improved graphics, this re-release can stand shoulder to shoulder with similar games on the market.”
- “I found some minor graphic glitches during gameplay (like in-game fonts), but I am not sure if this is just a Linux problem.”
- “Do not buy, I am running on Windows 10, tried to set to every graphical setting and tried every Windows compatibility mode, but it always crashes after the intro movie.”
- “This port has numerous graphical issues.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
67%
3%
The gameplay of the title is characterized by its charming, intuitive mechanics reminiscent of "Pikmin" and "Animal Crossing," offering a unique blend of strategy and light RPG elements. However, players have reported significant issues with frame rate dependencies, bugs affecting boss mechanics, and control inconsistencies, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, many find the gameplay enjoyable and rewarding, praising its creativity and depth.
- “The gameplay loop revolves around you playing as a child king in a kingdom surrounded by umas - unidentified mysterious animals, a Japanese term for cryptozoology.”
- “The core gameplay is great.”
- “The gameplay is fun, addictive, and pretty forgiving.”
- “The gameplay is literally broken even with Durante's 'fix'.”
- “It will often load with no sound, will refuse to load save files and simply freeze, and the mechanics of several boss fights just don't work, which makes it incredibly hard to make progress.”
- “Some game-breaking bugs will not allow you to do boss mechanics, resulting in the inevitable death of you and your villagers.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its cheerful and inspiring classical compositions, which are creatively reworked to enhance various gameplay moments. Many players appreciate how the soundtrack complements the charming art style and overall atmosphere, making it a standout feature of the game. However, some users noted technical issues related to music playback, particularly when loading or exiting the game.
- “Honestly just buy it for the soundtrack and the humor.”
- “It's mostly classical music reworked and refined for specific bosses, areas, special moments like funerals/weddings, etc. It's incredible and so under-appreciated, and one of the reasons Little King's Story stands out some 14 years post-release.”
- “The music in this game is great and suits the art style perfectly.”
- “Much of the music and sounds are missing, and the game asked for me to press the 'a' button to start.”
- “The screen was gone, but the music kept playing (ugh!!).”
- “My only gripe is the same one I had playing the original game: I can't find a way to turn off the music!!”
stability
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and save corruption issues. Players have experienced significant performance problems, including frame rate drops and freezing, even on lower settings. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the port is poorly optimized and plagued by bugs.
- “I think if it was just the occasional crashes and odd graphics glitches I'd just accept it, but I keep having saves corrupted, enemies glitch and get stuck to my character, or even get stuck in the castle before the game even starts.”
- “Besides the literal game-breaking bug, there are visual glitches, audio glitches, the game will crash on you if you do not have it on the right settings and even then it still will crash on you, just not as frequently.”
- “At the end of one particularly buggy and difficult fight, my game crashed and has refused to start since.”
optimization
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
61%
22%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues such as freezing, crashes, and high GPU usage, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some patches have improved stability, users still report ongoing bugs and the need for manual adjustments to settings for smoother gameplay. Overall, potential buyers are advised to consider their system's capabilities and possibly wait for sales before purchasing due to these optimization concerns.
- “Fun game, basically Pikmin didn't have an issue with performance on this port.”
- “Thanks to the recent update, this game should have no performance issues even on the lowest specs.”
- “After having played it for several hours, I can say that up till now, I have not really been plagued by any notable performance issues.”
- “Bad port, it has performance issues; while my PC can run it, it consumes too much GPU resource.”
- “The poor optimization causes a rather unfortunate conflict with the fact the game was not meant to run in 60 FPS anyways.”
- “Total lack of optimization (this game is a port from Wii), constant problems with loading saves, black screens, freezes, etc. Sometimes you have to reload the game twice or thrice to actually play it.”
humor
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and cleverness, blending light-hearted and dark elements reminiscent of titles like Earthbound and The Phantom Tollbooth. Players appreciate the funny dialogue, quirky characters, and the overall delightful tone that adds depth to the gameplay experience. The combination of cute graphics and a whimsical narrative contributes to a fun atmosphere that keeps players engaged and entertained.
- “It's a delightfully charming game with a fun sense of humor and a whole lot of interesting boss battles.”
- “The story is admittedly rather simple, but the dialogue is funny and there's lots of humor and parody.”
- “This game is a lot of fun, has a charming sense of humor, and is addictive.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting the exceptional art and character design, which they rate as 10/10. The creative character design complements the enjoyable plot and music, contributing to the game's overall charm and engaging mechanics.
- “Great character design, fun mechanics, great monster design, music is really nice; this game oozes charm like you wouldn't believe.”
- “Creative character design and enjoyable plot.”
- “The character design fits the music.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some find it tedious and mediocre, others enjoy the challenge and look forward to investing more time to enhance their kingdoms. The slow camera movement can add to the frustration, but the overall experience is seen as rewarding for those willing to put in the effort.
- “The game itself is mediocre at best and tedious at worst.”
- “The camera is also a point of mention, it turns so slowly that I end up overshooting, and when I simply want to make minor adjustments, it can get quite tedious.”
- “Excellent game which I'm looking forward to spending more hours on grinding to have the most beautiful kingdom there is!”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is characterized by a wholesome and heartwarming tone, juxtaposed with an underlying sense of mystery and darker themes, creating a unique emotional experience that blends charm with elements of tyranny.
- “The tone of the game is far more wholesome, but it retains the sense of mystery of a world that is much more than it seems.”
- “A charming and heartwarming game.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its uniqueness and creativity, providing players with a distinctive and engaging experience.
- “The game has an absolutely unique atmosphere, filled with really creative elements.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world like nothing else.”
- “Every detail contributes to a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, leading some users to seek refunds and vow not to purchase from the developers again.
- “This seems like a cash grab by the devs. I refunded and will make sure not to buy anything else from them.”

Skip Critic Reviews

60%Critics’ scoreBased on 11 critic reviews

Skip Game Offers

Buy Little King's Story

9h Median play time

11h Average play time

3-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Little King's Story

90%503reviews

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

2017

Role Playing

77%672reviews

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

2010

Arcade Action Adventure

79%2kreviews

No More Heroes

2021

Hack and Slash

75%4.3kreviews

Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition

2015

Role Playing

66%1.6kreviews

CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION

2022

Role Playing

More games like Little King's Story

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Little King's Story is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Little King's Story is available on PC, Windows, Wii, PlayStation and others.

On average players spend around 11 hours playing Little King's Story.

Little King's Story was released on August 5, 2016.

Little King's Story was developed by Marvelous, Inc..

Little King's Story has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Little King's Story is a single player game.

Similar games include Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, No More Heroes, Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition, CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION and others.

Little King's Story

Platforms

Same adorable game, now with better graphics: Little King's Story on Steam