If you've played Pikmin or love little strategy games, "The Little King's Story" is a little known gem that deserves a place in every teen video game collection.

One of my favorite Wii games, The Little King’s Story is a perfect example of why librarians and parents need to pay attention to the rating of a video game.  Both the title and the cover seem to imply that this is a game for young kids, and often times it is catalogued in the children’s section.  For a few reasons, this game isn’t a good one for young gamers, but oddly enough it is those same reasons that make it excellent for more experienced players.

In the game a little boy finds a magic crown that suddenly makes him king, giving him the ability to issue orders to residents of his kingdom.  Unfortunately for the boy, his kingdom consists of one knight and a barn.  As the game progresses the player is tasked with helping the king take over more land, expanding the kingdom and as a result giving him more subjects.  This game is deceptively strategic, one of the reasons it wouldn’t work for younger gamers.  Different subjects are able to complete different tasks.  Knights fight, carpenters build bridges and chefs cook food for the troops, just a few examples.  Before setting out to explore the world players must plan ahead and think about what subjects they will need to be successful in the mission.  Strategically reacting to different enemies and situations can be tough, making this game fun and challenging for experienced gamers but frustrating for the younger ones.

In order to expand your kingdom, gamers work their way through the seven neighboring kingdoms and rescue the princesses being held captive there.  Each has a different theme working around the ruler for each area.  The fat king has a food themed kingdom etc.  Also, boss battles are different than normal sections of the game.  One involves racing up a large mountain to reach the king while his enormous beard attempts to trap you at every turn.  Yes, you read that right, the boss has a beard to large it drapes down a mountain and attacks you.  This quirky fun permeates the whole game, from the action to the illustrations.  There are also clues spread throughout the game that seem to imply the world isn’t all that it seems, but you’ll have to play the game yourself to find out for yourself!

Unfortunately this is another game without any multiplayer, but the other upsides negate this.  The strategic thought required not only during quests but before them make players plan ahead and manage their subjects in order to be successful.  Make sure to check the rating on the game before you buy, and that the kids playing the game are mature enough the responsibly handle the content, but if they are this is an under the radar game that should not be missed.