As its name suggests, this is a tale of a kingdom, a second tale developed by Cateia Games. It’s a a kingdom ruled by a fair king, Arnor whose daughter Dahla is the most beautiful and cleverest in the land. As the tale goes, noble lords from many kingdoms begged the King for his daughter’s hand. But no one was good enough for his Dahla. However, in absolute secret, young blacksmith Finn and Dahla were in love. But the King does discover the secret and forbids them to see each other. Dahla begs and pleads until the King decrees that for Finn to win Dahla, he’ll have to succeed in being the one to most successfully expand the kingdom.
If time-management simulation in the form of building a kingdom to lively orchestral music amuses you, then Kingdom Tales 2 HD is definitely for you. I loved the music the gameplay is set to, making dashing around building huts, clearing rock and collecting taxes quite fun. Each level after the tutorial is timed and whether or not you achieve each challenge in the allotted time determines the number of stars you earn. The more efficiently you plan and build, the better your chances of finishing with the maximum 3 stars.
There are three difficulty levels: Relaxed, Normal and Extreme. Relaxed mode does not have a time limit, but some achievements are not attainable. If you collect all the gold stars in Normal Mode, there’s a harder time limit challenge in Extreme mode. You must work with the King’s builders and architects, like Olgar, who introduces you to any new challenges to help you along the way, while competitors like Count Ohlin and his spies try to thwart your progress.
More and more casual games make me realize just how much music comes into play in the enjoyment of a game. Many become repetitive and annoying, making the mute button my friend, but the music composers of Kingdom Tales 2 HD helped make a more immersive experience with the right amount of whimsy and playfulness. I didn’t even mind keeping it on in the background when I wasn’t playing the game. Listening to it while writing actually made me feel like I was in Disneyland. So now imagine how fun playing a game to it is!
Available now on iPad and iPhone, as well as PC and Mac.
4.5 stars out of 5
