In a press release yesterday, publishers Marvelous Entertainment and XSEED Games have announced that they will bring the Wii-exclusive Little King's Story to the US in the Winter of 2008.

Little King's Story, previously known as "Project O", stars a young boy named Corobo Bred, who finds a mysterious crown that grants him the ability to charm any person he wants and make them follow his orders. As such, he now becomes the King of his village, and must help the village grow and prosper, while keeping his subjects happy. While there will be city-building sim elements not unlike Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, there will be adventure RPG elements, as Corobo is able to accompany adventurers as they head into dungeons or unknown lands.

One of the major parts of Little King's Story is the star-studded cast of developers and designers who are working on this game. When Project O was first announced, this made waves through the internet:
Executive Producer: Yasuhiro Wada (Harvest Moon)
Producer: Yoshirou Kimura (Harvest Moon, Chulip)
Character Design: Hideo Minaba (Final Fantasy XII)
Monster Design: Kazuyuki Kurashima (Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)
Game Design: Norikazu Yasunaga (World Neverland)
Director: Youichi Kawaguchi (Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King)
Composer: Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts series, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)
The development studios involved are Cing, Town Factory, and Marvelous Interactive.

With enticing gameplay, and a great development team, Little King's Story is sure not to disappoint. The game will also appear at E3, being one of XSEED's games at the summit, alongside Valhalla Knights 2 for the PSP.

[Image Credit: IGN]

Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games jointly announced today that the second videogame title in their co-publishing partnership agreement will be the fantasy adventure RPG title formerly known as “Project O”, Little King’s Story. Designed and developed by some of the most respected names in the gaming industry, Little King’s Story will ship in the US market Winter of 2008, exclusively for Wii™.

“Little King’s Story has an art style that is very ‘story-book’ in look, and that we feel will be universally loved,” stated Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment Inc. “The game has a fairy tale quality that will intrigue and delight gamers the world around.”

“Little King’s Story is a game we felt very strongly about offering to the United States,” remarked Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. “The game truly reflects the high quality gaming experience, uniqueness, and game design creativity that we look for, with the ability to appeal to a wide audience while providing enough depth for seasoned gamers.”

Little King’s Story begins with the story of young boy named Corobo. Shy, and without many friends, Corobo stumbles upon a mysterious, powerful crown while walking in the forest near his village. He soon discovers that the crown grants him the ability to charm any person, and make them follow his orders. Suddenly, Howzer, the bull-knight, appears, informing Corobo that he is now King of the village, and he must not take this responsibility lightly. Returning to his sleepy village, as a King instead of a shy little boy, Corobo begins a quest to turn his small hamlet into a noble, fantastic kingdom.

The storyline, visual look, and lyrical music of Little King’s Story, work in concert to transport players to an interactive, enchanting, fairy tale world. By combining gameplay elements from life-simulation, real- time strategy, and adventure genres, the many aspects of creating a vast kingdom come to life! As King, players will manage and involve their townspeople in the goals of creating this new territory; enlist them to dig for treasure, build new buildings and otherwise better their community. Of course, leadership is a two way street, so as King, players will try to conquer rival nations to create a single unified kingdom, as well as grant the requests of townspeople at whim. With the Wii Remote™ as a royal scepter, this Winter Little King’s Story allows players the chance to be the best king in the world!

Akira_EX via xseedgames.com »