Analysis A World of Keflings, strategy for all audiences

Probablemente A World of Keflings no es un juego que llame por su estética a primera instancia a los jugadores más hardcore, pero me ha enganchado de tal manera que hasta que no lo he acabado no he podido parar.

The game developed by NinjaBee, was released on December 22 for 800 Microsoft Points (€10). And it has been well received in the Xbox Live Christmas campaign.

But what makes A World of Keflings keep you glued to the screen?

History

The beginning of the story places us in an icy tribe of small inhabitants called Keflings. At the beginning of the game, these characters discover a giant trapped in the ice, which is nothing more than the player’s own avatar. (For those who don’t have Xbox, the avatar is nothing more than a representation of yourself for the console in the style of the Wii’s Mii).

From that moment on, the Keflings will incorporate you into their plan to improve their cities, helping them build different buildings that will help the technological advancement of their civilization. There are 3 different worlds that we will go through: the polar tribe where we started, a city in the desert, and the typical green meadow environment. In all 3 we will have to help the city leader build his final building, a castle.

To build these buildings we will have to order the Keflings to collect certain materials that we will need to build the pieces of the new buildings. Very similar to the resources in Age of Empires. In this game these resources will be wood, leaves, snow, stone, wool, gems, metal and sand. As we progress, we will reuse these resources to create more advanced ones, such as wooden planks or refined stone.

The avatar can help with all kinds of tasks, whether collecting resources, constructing new buildings, or carrying citizens from one place to another. To help the avatar we will get some Kefling helpers who will bring us the pieces of the buildings that we create, and in some cases they will even build the houses themselves to speed up the work.

Throughout the game we will also encounter different missions that will offer us the most relevant Keflings of each world. From a pretty posh princess, a very stressed king or a very bad-tempered pirate, to a rather perverse witch. These missions are quite varied and will reward us with different materials to help us in our mission.

The duration of this mode is about 6 hours, although the experience can continue, since at the end of the story it allows us to continue playing. If I had to look for similarities, the game reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing, offering the possibility of going to another player’s world through Xbox Live and sending gifts between friends.

Another notable point is that it detects the achievements obtained in other arcade games, thus allowing you to unlock actions for the avatar and unique buildings (such as Ilo and Milo’s or Raskulls’ house).

The game is not difficult, you just have to be patient to collect the necessary resources, but there are times when a mistake can complicate everything. In my game, a bad decision in the next building to build meant that I had to demolish several houses to continue.

The function of the avatar is very successful, it is very fluid and with many actions, which are used for all kinds of tasks, from calling the unoccupied Keflings, to scaring off a dragon that attacks our town.

Note

• Presentation: It is a simple strategy game, with a somewhat childish setting. Even so, the use of the avatar and the humor of the different Keflings create a perfect set 8
• Graphics: The graphics are fair, but it is logical. There will be many moments where the load of buildings and Keflings doing things is quite large so you can’t allow for large graphical details in the environment and the Keflings themselves. 7.5
• Duration and Engagement: The story mode lasts about 6 hours, a more than acceptable duration considering that if you want you can continue playing after this. As I already said in the analysis, I was hooked from beginning to end and the 6 hours flew by**. 8
• Final Note: It is a game that has to attract you, both for its strategic section and for its childish graphics. But if it succeeds, I’m sure it’s a game you’ll love. Great proposal for the entire NinjaBee family. 8