Be a King 2
5
5
3
3
Excellent medieval strategy fantasy game
I love this game! It's a mix of genres that I find irresistable - strategy, medieval fantasy and city-building. It also has excellent graphics. I found it really interesting, absorbing and highly enjoyable, and in the later stages, it gets even better, because it becomes unusually challenging for a casual game.
However, I think there is some room for improvement, because the early game is a bit too easy, the hint system is a bit too "helpful", and all of the trophies relate to beating the clock, which is not my favourite approach to playing a strategy game. And also, I think the game finishes rather too quickly. I finished it in a few hours. There is plenty of scope for replayability, but that's mainly because you'll want to improve your set of trophies by finding quicker solutions. It would be fun if instead, you could replay the same levels with different goals.
The largest areas for potential improvement are really just game expansions, because this game offers such a strong enough foundation that I want a lot more of it! More levels, more quests, more trophies, and the opportunity to play the game in an alternative persistent mode, so that I could explore the city building side of things a lot more.
I think this is a really distinctive and original game, which does its developer great credit. I wish there were more casual strategy games which are as well crafted and as charming as this one.
January 23, 2012
Outstanding strategy game. Fun & addictive!
I absolutely love this game. I have had it for a long time now & find every few months I play it from scratch again. The reason I keep returning to it is it's unique, addictive and a genuine strategy game rather than straight TM. There is no other game in my vast repertoire that I keep returning to.
What is unique & what I love is that it's not about filling holes in roads & chopping trees like lots of others. Instead you are truly building a city from scratch; fortifying outskirts, establishing supplies, attracting citizens, fighting invaders. Because of this it is so much more creative than mending holes in roads. You will find where you place certain buildings impacts on how successful your village is or even whether it is successful at all.
You really do have to experiment with different buildings and tasks to see which works better. I love that. eg. inheriting certain buildings can be great on one level and a burden on another.
I found it hilarious that I couldn't get expert level on one early level, even when I reached the end with expert on every level after. This was brilliant fun returning again and again to that level to try and nut out the best strategy. I got there ... eventually!
I'd have loved some reward for gaining expert on all levels like unlocking extras or replaying in extra hard mode, building a better castle or something, but that is really just being greedy. It was exceptionally long gameplay as it was. I simply just didn't want it to end.
Unlike Dash et al, Be a King II is vastly different to Be a King (first one). The creators took the basic concept, added, tweaked and turned it into something different & fantastic for the 2nd.
This really is a very creative game and an absolute must have. It is the best of all three in the series (sadly, the third is good, but not as good as this).
March 14, 2012
Loved this - relaxing yet still challenging
I love these Be a King games.
They're somewhere in between the time management games and adventure games. I'm usually not a fan of build a lot games etc., but this one is awesome.
It allows me to relax and yet still have fun. I get excited when I play!
It's a game in between the "My Kingdom for the Princess"-kind and "Build a lot" or such. Awe-some!
May 9, 2013