A Kingdom for Keflings - A Xbox Live Arcade Game

Click here if you want to be my friend!! · RabidHellBunny on Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:07 pm

Genre: Strategy & Simulation
Developer: Ninja Bee
Players: Single player mode and online multiplayer 1-4.
Achievements: 12 equalling 200 gamer score

Picture the scene: a lush green landscape filled with trees, sheep, precious crystals and outcrops of rock, one lonely building (Basic workshop), 3 platforms on the ground and 2 little villagers (Keflings) meandering around aimlessly looking for guidance, this is where you step in (well your giant avatar)!

The Keflings need a kingdom and a leader. They are hard workers just are incapable of thinking for themselves, you need to put your little Keflings to work cutting down the trees and harvesting the rocks with these materials you can then transport them to the basic workshop. The first thing you need to do is create the 4th platform to join the other 3 and create the town square, this unlocks a blueprint or two so you can build houses and fill them with love (this is what actually happens in the game) and create more Keflings to put to work. As the game progresses you will unlock more blueprints and have to create more buildings which get progressively more elaborate and require more materials, more workshops will need to be built that can process your logs into planks and rocks into cut stone and soon you will be able to create your Kingdom.

As your Keflings harvest the natural materials from around them you will be creating more space to expand your kingdom you will also find items that will help you, like belts that enable you to lift heavier loads meaning you can transport more materials from place to place.

The controls of the game are easy using your analogue stick to move your avatar around and the A button to pick things up and put them down, the RB button accesses your Blueprints and the LB button shows what components you need to make for each building.

The graphics are good and there are nice little features like the seasons changing although they can get a little jerky at times.

The one irritating thing about this game is the music, when you first start the game it is a breath of fresh air compared to other games but the repetitive guitar sounds tend to get a tad grating after about 5 minutes.

10 of the 12 achievements are gained in single player mode and the majority of these are acquired through building your Kingdom, one or two are done outside of the normal game progression like the ‘Big Bully’ achievement where you have to kick your Keflings, basically keep kicking a Kefling until the achievement pops.

The multiplayer mode of this game is basically the same as the single player except you can build you Kingdom with the help of up to 3 friends. The multiplayer achievements involve collecting banners from other players and visiting another kingdom with 20 player banners in it.

All in all it is an enjoyable game although it can get a bit tedious at times, it is a relaxing little game with little in the way of challenges so not much to get you frustrated or swearing at the TV.

Overall I’d give this game 7/10.