Platform: Wii™
Genre: Simulation
ESRB: E (everyone)
Year released: May 12th 2008


With the release of the Wii™ system, videogames took a bold step in a new direction. That is, they began to incorporate complex motion-controlled commands. In addition to this, the system offered various online services to gamers, such as the Check Mii Out Channel, Weather Channel, and most notably the Wii Shop Channel. This feature allowed users to purchase games from earlier home consoles and download them to the Wii system. Thus, the channel allowed gamers to get in touch with the roots of console video games. This exciting feature struck a nostalgic chord in the hearts of many players and allowed them to rediscover the basics of their favourite hobby.

As of May 2008, however, video gaming has entered yet another era. For Nintendo has begun releasing original material, known as Wii Ware, exclusively on the Wii Shop Channel. This marks the beginning of a new generation of online console gaming, and the first litter of Wii Ware titles has just arrived. However, the following questions arise: Why make the move to online titles, only purchasable through Internet? What are the advantages and disadvantages for the gamer?

I shall endeavour to answer these questions through this review of “Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King”. In addition to this, the following article will also perform the functions of a traditional review in critically assessing the value of the game.




The setting for this Wii Ware title is that of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, first introduced on the Nintendo Gamecube in the game of the same name. It is a world in which a dark presence known as Miasma has forced human beings to live in villages protected by giant magical crystals. Outside these havens monsters run amok, spurred on by the Miasma. In the first game, caravans had to set out regularly from their villages in order to secure Myrrh (a magical resin) to maintain their crystal’s power. In so doing, they explored the world and conquered its evils. They learned of the origin of the Miasma, in the process, and were able to erase it once and for all.

My Life as a King takes place shortly after the first game. The main character is a young king named Leo (Leo is the default name, thus it will be used for the purpose of this review), who has come to a new land with his faithful helpers at his side. The travelers are following in the footsteps of Leo’s father, who came to establish a kingdom prior to their arrival, but vanished mysteriously with all his people. With his advisor Chime and his defender Sir Yurg by his side, Leo enters the town that his father began to build. Strangely enough, the castle town’s buildings and citizens have all vanished without a trace. As they approach the town’s crystal however, it begins to speak. The mighty gem glows and bestows the power of Architek upon Leo; it is the power to rebuild his home. In fact, Architek allows the wielder to create objects from his memories. Leo tries out his newfound power by recreating one of the village’s small houses. With the appearance of the building, its former inhabitants come out and greet the young king, thanking him for restoring them to the town. Leo goes to sleep that night with the hope of rebuilding his new home and finding his father. Thus begins his quest to restore the nation his father created. But it will not be without peril, for monsters still roam the land and a dark presence looms over Leo’s new kingdom and its crystal.

From the beginning, the story has the potential to develop into a fun fantasy adventure with exciting plot twists and memorable characters, the likes of which Final Fantasy amateurs have come to expect. Unfortunately the apple falls far from the tree. My life as a king cannot help but disappoint on this front. Story segments are sparsely peppered throughout the course of the game and the overall story is short and simple. Were that the only fault, the game could have been short-and-sweet nonetheless, but the player is left with a bitter aftertaste. The important characters in the game, though they have individual personalities, are flat and uninteresting. As has been the case with characters from the Crystal Chronicles offshoot from Final Fantasy, they are one-dimensional and static. Not only to they present little or no change throughout the brief story, but they hardly ever interact with each other in ways that seem meaningful. Since this is a simulation-type game, like Harvest Moon, your character is in fact an extension of yourself. However, the young Leo shows no sign of life. Not only does he not speak (he merely gestures), but he and the other characters make no facial expressions. In addition to this, references are often made to the situation in the original Gamecube title. Thus, the game’s weak plot holds even less meaning for players who have not been exposed to the first Crystal Chronicles game. These points combined make for an entirely unimpressive storyline, which fails to draw the player in. Since the game is not action-oriented like its predecessor, it would have been essential for it to possess a strong story.



Since Leo is the king of this new land, he is forbidden from joining his companions in battle. Instead, he must tend to the duties of a ruler. This includes building new establishments and homes, as well as raising the morale of the populace by speaking with villagers. To do so, you control the little king as he goes through the motions of his daily affairs. Since many control schemes are available for this game, I will comment on the “Wii remote and Nunchuk” method. By using both controller mechanisms in conjunction, the game is very easy to play. The control stick is used to move Leo through the town and speak with villagers. This command is surprisingly responsive, as the king moves at relatively high speed and is easily maneuvered. The “A” button is used to address the citizens and observe other objects, and the “build” menu can be brought up on screen by simply shaking the remote. When Leo is standing over shining patches of ground, he can use Architek to create new buildings for his kingdom. As far as the control scheme goes, My Life as a King performs adequately.

In spite of this, gameplay is not altogether enjoyable. Young Leo’s day-to-day life lacks spice. The element of surprise is almost absent from this game. Other than the appearance of its rare story segments (cut scenes), the game holds none of the excitement of real life. Where other titles of the “simulation” genre hold a great diversity of thrilling and competitive events, My Life as a king succeeds only in portraying a truly monotonous existence. Leo’s life consists of issuing behests (or missions) to his adventurers, funding weapon and item research, constructing new buildings, and speaking with the citizens.

Sending adventurers on quests holds all the excitement of watching grass grow. The player simply receives reports of his comrades’ exploits without ever having the opportunity of engaging in these wondrous adventures himself. This is all the more difficult for gamers who experienced the first Crystal Chronicles title and remember its dungeon crawling and exploration.

When funding weapon and item research from the gold in his own coffers, Leo enters one of the shops, pays the owner to research, and leaves. The following day, the list of goods sold in that store has changed and adventurers can purchase them before completing missions. This action is also unfulfilling. If you are familiar with the Final Fantasy universe, the names of various objects in shops are recognizable but you can neither see nor wield them. Your adventurers cannot be observed in action either. Thus the fruits of your labors, in this respect, remain entirely intangible.

Constructing new buildings is the only redeeming feature of gameplay. Though it is the feature, which is most rarely used, it is satisfying, because it adds life to the town by creating tangible new establishments, which can be visited by the player. Building different shops, as the tale progresses, adds some much needed diversity to an otherwise tedious game.

Finally, speaking with the citizens is a necessary task that leaves the player with mixed emotions. At first, the commentary of each villager is interesting and new. Each conversation adds to the feeling that you are ruling over real people, with concerns and opinions of their own, Unfortunately, this impression soon fades away as you begin to realize how repetitive the process is. Only a small amount of dialogue was included in the game, forcing gamers to read the same messages day after day. They change at certain key points in the story, but not sufficiently to make it captivating. Since it is the only way to improve kingdom morale however, the player must put up with it.

As for the online component, it is a menu from which players can use Shop Channel Points to purchase additional material for the game. Most of this bonus material unlocks supplementary buildings in the game. This adds more variety and makes the game more interesting. However, this raises the question: “Why not include theses features in the game from the start?” It seems that they are merely a moneymaking ploy by the publisher. As the game is first downloaded for a whopping 1’500 points, the gamer has no idea that to unlock all of its potential he will be required to exceed the 2’000 points contained in a Wii Points Card, which can be purchased for 20$in various stores or online. Thus I must conclude that this game’s online functionality constitutes a genuine disadvantage for the player.






Graphics are FFCC’s strong suite. Nevertheless, they are not without faults. My Life as a king sports a colorful, vibrant, and cartoon-like graphic style. Its environment is simple and pleasant to navigate. Though surroundings are not highly detailed (nor are they meant to be), they project a kind of warm splendor, which is always fun to observe. People come and go, discussing with each other and purchasing items, creating the semblance of simple village life. But in the villagers also lies the graphics’ first flaw. There are only a few different appearances for each character type (male/female, child/adult)! Thus, a large number of characters appear exactly alike. This ruins the entire atmosphere. It eliminates all feeling of individuality and leaves the player to contemplate a shocking lack of originality. Even more upsetting is the fact that your adventurers, the youths who are most important to your success also look alike. Three or four of them may have the exact same appearance! This leads players to consider the characters, not as human beings, but merely as mechanical appliances.

Whereas the first flaw subtracts from gameplay and story atmosphere, the second poses a purely graphical problem. As a large number of buildings are built, and the game approaches its end, the game’s frame rate begins to deteriorate. Where Leo could run through the streets of his town smoothly and quickly at first, he can now only travel through a jerky city. My Life as a King maintains its charming and vibrant appearance but images begin to move choppily. This is most probably due to the fact that buildings can be placed in an entirely random arrangement and the game has difficulties loading these images in real time. This basic flaw in graphics display, gives players the feeling that they are playing a computer game on a sub par system. I cannot help but wonder if this is due to the fact that the game must be downloaded via Shop Channel. Perhaps the programmers made a simpler (and lower-performance) game in order to facilitate download.








The sound of My Life as a King is one of the game’s redeeming features. It follows a long tradition of exquisite music present in many of Nintendo’s longstanding franchises. The game’s themes set the mood for all that transpires. Most often, the music is light and upbeat while young Leo goes about his business in his new kingdom. The surroundings project a feeling of hope and joy, and the music reflects this. When confronted with obstacles, the tone becomes menacing or moving, but this occurs only in the game’s story segments. Overall, the game’s sounds are repetitive but will meet with the expectations of most gamers.


To conclude this article, I would like to leave you with my final thoughts on My Life as a King, and the new Wii Ware market. Overall, the game is playable but tedious. I would not recommend this title to anyone but the dedicated fan of simulation games or the Final Fantasy universe. Its mediocrity in storyline and gameplay is too strong to ignore. As for replay value, the game offers additional difficulty levels, but leaves the player with little or no desire to try them.

As for its online aspects, they are unnecessary. The main advantage is, of course, the ease with which the game can be downloaded. It also costs less to purchase than a disc from a store. However, My Life as a King’s online content encourages you to spend more than you had planned to in order to make up for some of the game’s general dullness. The experience leaves me puzzled as to where Nintendo is going with its new line of Wii Ware games. If it will result in simpler games with lower performance, than I see no advantage, other than the low cost, in purchasing any such title.



1-Story: 3/10
2-Gameplay/Controls: 5/10
3-Graphics: 7/10
4-Music/Sound: 8/10
5-Replay Value: 4/10

Total Score: 5.4/10

Review written by Cybershadow.

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