King's League: Odyssey Review
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King's League: Odyssey Review

Our Review by Jennifer Allen on November 27th, 2013
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: BATTLING SIM
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Combining RPG and management sensibilities, King's League: Odyssey is an entertaining if unthreatening title.

Developer: Gamenauts
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Previously a very successful Flash game, it's not hard to see why King's League: Odyssey is so popular. It's a very accessible yet surprisingly deep strategy game that offers no true penalties. That comes with its own drawbacks; namely that every game needs consequences to incite necessary emotions, but there's still something reasonably intriguing about this curious mix of genres.

Essentially, King's League: Odyssey is part RPG, part management simulator. Think of one of Kairosoft's titles and that's not far off from what this is. Players control a merry band of warriors as they attempt to conquer new territories, top the league of rival fighters, and generally build up their army to ridiculous levels. It's ideal for playing in short or extended sessions, although the latter can highlight the repetitive elements that are instrumental in how King's League: Odyssey is played.

Despite the potentially visceral nature of the game, King's League: Odyssey is much more about dealing with things in the background. Each battle is merely a scene detailing what happens next. It's not interactive; merely informative. Instead, the key to the game is to train the team up while also questing to gain more money in which to recruit new soldiers and so forth. It all takes time, but through an in-game clock rather than anything freemium based, which would have been so easy to include here. There's a constant need to balance out training time and questing time with only so much that can be achieved before the game's league ends for another month.

There's no comeback though. Once the month and league ends, the game rolls onto a new one and the process starts anew, only with the player's team a little bit stronger than before. It's relaxing but it's also quite hollow, meaning the enjoyment factor comes from simply participating rather than reaching an end game.

That's not to say that King's League: Odyssey isn't fun, but it's not for those who want the satisfaction of completion. It should certainly be applauded for not embracing freemium gaming elements. While there are premium heroes available to buy, it's really not vital. It would have been easy to add various timers here but Gamenauts didn't, and it's made the game more enjoyable for it. It might lack consequence, but that doesn't stop King's League: Odyssey being an enjoyable simulation of a different type than many have played before.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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