Kingdom Tales 2 (iOs) Review
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It’s a never ending battle – finding just the right games to make your commute, doctor’s office wait, study hall, and so forth be not just tolerable, but entertaining even. The age of the smartphone has put entertainment at our fingertips, but there are so many apps to choose from that finding the ones that […]
It’s a never ending battle – finding just the right games to make your commute, doctor’s office wait, study hall, and so forth be not just tolerable, but entertaining even. The age of the smartphone has put entertainment at our fingertips, but there are so many apps to choose from that finding the ones that will captivate you without breaking the bank is not an easy task. Luckily for you, we’re willing to wade through the masses of games to find the ones that are worth your time - and money.
In Kingdom Tales 2, a young princess is doted upon by her barbarian father. Though many have come to seek the princess’ hand in marriage, none have been deemed good enough by her loving father. And yet, the princess has already found love, unbeknownst to both the father and her kingdom. When her father finds out, he grounds her (which seems a little off for a medieval tale, but whatever). The problem with her secret love is that he is no prince, but a lowly blacksmith. But the father sincerely loves his daughter, so when she pleads with him to allow her to be with her love, he devises a plan to help the two come together.
The king announces a contest: the suitor who is able to expand the kingdom most effectively will win the hand of the princess. It gives her young love a chance, at least, to win the right to marry her – but he certainly isn’t the only one trying for her hand. Most notably, a greedy old (and evil) count will do everything in his power to win the princess’ hand, and with it her money. You’ll play as the young Finn, working diligently to build up the kingdom from a smattering of broken bridges and lowly huts to a thriving community to be proud of.
To do so, you’ll need to clear paths, build houses and construct production buildings, and generally just keep the villagers happy. There are a lot of little things to keep straight, from manufacturing building supplies, to growing enough food to keep your villagers fed, to using magic to heal and banish monsters. The game introduces you to the concepts a little at a time, with each level adding a little bit more to your list of things to handle. This keeps it from getting overwhelming, without being too easy. By the time you near the end of the game (which is forty levels long), you’ll be frantically tapping and building as you try to keep everything straight – and using a lot of strategy as well, as often you can only build a few things to start with. If you choose the wrong ones, you may not be able to finish the level at all.
As each level begins, you must start your expanding anew. You start off with a little money and a few building materials, but it certainly isn’t enough to accomplish all of your tasks. Each level has goals that you must reach in order to finish the level, and you’ll often have to go through quite a few hoops to accomplish them. For instance, constructing fully upgraded huts requires a lot of both money and materials. You earn money by collecting taxes from your existing huts, so the more you have built, the more you will earn. But you can’t build without supplies – which cost money to construct – so it’s a constant struggle of setting the right priorities to finish the tasks in the most efficient manner. Sometimes other things might hold you back, like thieves blocking your path, broken bridges barring the way, and even an errant griffin here and there.
To advance in the game, you’ll need both resources and money – and plenty of it. In addition to collecting taxes, you can also earn money by finding the hidden treasure that is buried in each level. This isn’t exactly hard to find, because it periodically sparkles to give you a hint to its location. However, stopping to look around the cluttered edges of the levels means you aren’t paying attention to what’s going on in the village – collecting taxes, feeding villagers, etc. – so it’s pretty easy to just plain forget to search for the treasure. When you get farther into the game, you can also explore caves for buried treasure, but even that is a gamble. You’ll need to spend money to send someone in to the caves, with no guarantee that there is any treasure to be had.
Kingdom Tales 2 is, for the most part, low on frills. It’s pretty basic resource management stuff, without a lot in terms of adding something new to the genre. That being said, it’s a solid game that has a lot to offer to those who enjoy this type of game. It has a passably interesting story line that is told in small parts so as not to detract from the gameplay, and overall just keeps you engaged throughout all forty levels. With different difficulty levels to choose from and a colorful environment, it’s a great choice for gamers of all ages.