Here’s a list of what we need Keflings;
22 x Wood
15 x Ruby’s
8 x Wool
22 x Brick
13 x Cloth
Get to work!
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The above list is something that you will be thinking of a lot when you play the Xbox LIVE Arcade game A Kingdom for Keflings.
A Kingdom for Keflings is one of the first arcade titles to make use of the new Xbox LIVE avatars, and this simple feature adds to the fun of the game itself. If you don’t like the look of your avatar you can use one of the other characters, but where’s the fun in that? Your aim in the game is to create a wonderful kingdom for your Keflings. You start on a piece of empty land using small blueprints to build things, such as houses to home your Keflings and a basic workshop to store your resources. Then over a period of time you will gradually be able to create bigger and more complex buildings with the aim to create the very pinnacle of your kingdom, the Kefling Castle. Each building demands a different amount of space and resources to complete (see above list for examples of resources). More complex buildings require resources that aren’t so natural, so you will often have to build buildings that convert resources into other items, like turning wool into cloth or stone into bricks. But this task is too big for 1 giant alone, so here’s where your borrower-like Keflings come into play.
To dumb it down you are the master and the Keflings are your slaves. Yes you are building a kingdom for them to live in, but you are the one in charge and you are the one who can order the Keflings to do whatever you want. Get those Keflings chopping trees for wood, shearing sheep for wool (yes wool is a vital part in the structure to any building), cutting diamond rock for diamonds or just plain slavery by having them transport resources around from building to building. If the Keflings don’t obey you (which they always do), and you feel like they need to be taught a lesson, simply pick up the Kefling and give them a good kick up the arse. Although I can be really funny at first the novelty wears off, as kicking them doesn’t actually do anything apart from making them walk funny for a few days.
The above paragraph is the basis to the whole game. Choose blueprint, collect the right resources, use your resources to build the specific part to the building, according to the blueprint, then once all placed correctly in terms of the blueprint, boom, your specified building is built. This has a knock on effect too, as doing this often unlocks new blueprints for more complex designs. The whole process is repeated and repeated and repeated, but believe it or not the game doesn’t feel repetitive, in fact it’s more addictive.
I’m not to sure where my addiction for this game comes from, but I have concluded that it must be the reasons set out before you. First of all the music. You either love it or hate it. It’s gentle and allows you to amble along without realising how long you have actually played. I managed to rack up 3 hours in my first sit through, just ambling along trying to get new blueprints – of which there are over 30. The next addictive point is that you always want to build the next blueprint to unlock bigger blueprints. You can’t help it. It’s just the way the human brain works. I often said to myself “I’ll just play for 20 minutes or so”, then 2 hours later I would still be playing.
Addictiveness aside the game’s detail is very easy on the eye. The graphics aren’t “oh my god look at how good the graphics are”, but they are certainly bright and colourful. Everything from the trees and stone, to the houses and Keflings, it all just seems to be how you would expect it.
The game does offer an online aspect to things, although this is exactly the same as the single player, with the exception that you can play with up to 4 other giant avatars. It’s lag free and gives you the ability to get blueprints for the castle quicker as you have 3 other friends helping you.
All in all A Kingdom for Keflings is a great game where many hours can easily pass by without you noticing. Making use of the avatars is a great way to introduce them into the world of Xbox LIVE Arcade, and for 800 MS points it is not to be sniffed at. If I was you, I would go and get it now!
