The Cruel King and the Great Hero
Release Date: March 11, 2022
RPG, fantasy, turn-based, 2D, adventure elements, a fairy tale, side-scroll, Dragons, singleplayer
OpenCritic
RPG with adventure game elements. In The Cruel King and the Great Hero we follow the story of a girl named Yuu and a great dragon who prepares his apprentice to become the great heroine.
Videos and Screens
[2:04] The Cruel King and the Great Hero launch trailer
[2:02] The Cruel King and the Great Hero trailer #1
Daily Mirror: 3 / 5 by Eugene Sowah
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a delightfully innocent game that looks to bring in newcomers to the JRPG genre with its simplistic controls. However, I feel veterans of the genre will simply find this game way too easy with its linear and basic approach. There just isn’t enough depth within its core gameplay and becomes repetitive real quick.
Pure Nintendo: 8.5 / 10 by Sophie Hiner
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a heartwarming adventure game told in a children's storybook style. Follow Yuu on her quest to become a great hero, just like her father. Whether she's helping the monsters in her kingdom, doing good deeds for those around her, or fighting enemies to keep her kingdom safe, her tale is always charming and fun.
RPG Site: 5 / 10 by James Galizio
Despite all its charm, The Cruel King and the Great Hero is hard to recommend.
The Cruel King and the Great Hero Description
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is an RPG adventure game. It was developed by Nippon Ichi Software, whose portfolio includes the stylistically and genre-related The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince.
Plot
The Cruel King and the Great Hero takes us on a journey to a fantastic world. Years ago a hero managed to defeat a dragon called the Cruel King. However, the hero did not kill the defeated enemy; instead, he stripped him of one of his horns and let him live to redeem himself. Years passed, during which the former adversaries buried the hatchet and became close friends. When the knight was fatally wounded in battle, before his death he commanded the dragon to raise his only daughter, Yuu. Since then, the beast has been taking care of the girl, preparing her to become the titular Great Hero who will be able to face the Cruel King, and thus himself.
Mechanics
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a side-scroller. During the game we travel through the fantastic land and complete the tasks. The protagonist has to fight with monsters (the battles take place in turn-based mode, after encountering an adversary we are moved to a separate arena), as well as solve clever environmental puzzles and overcome various terrain obstacles. As Yuu progresses, she earns experience points and advances to subsequent levels. Moreover, by collecting items hidden throughout the land, we unlock access to additional content, which can be viewed in a special gallery.
Our actions are constantly supervised by a dragon, which sometimes discretely helps Yuu (for example, by destroying the barriers she encounters). In the evenings, the giant reptile and the girl spend time in their cave, telling each other about their heroic deeds.
Technical aspects
The hand-drawn graphics of The Cruel King and the Great Hero is kept in an interesting style reminiscent of illustrated children's books. In this respect the game resembles the studio's earlier work - The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince.
The Cruel King and the Great Hero Summary
Platforms:
Switch
PlayStation 4
Developer: Nippon Ichi Soft.
Publisher: NIS America
