If there’s a game equivalent of a “hear me out” then A World of Keflings is definitely mine.
I first encountered this little release from Ninjabee back in my Xbox 360 days. In a break from the Halo Reach lobbies we usually found ourselves in, a friend and I somehow landed in this oddly captivating little co-op kingdom builder.
At first we thought we’d play for 10, maybe 20 minutes, get bored and turn it off. That’s how pretty much every game that used Xbox avatars went (Doritos Crash Course not included of course). But fast forward several hours later, and we had entered a flow state like nothing I’ve ever experienced since. We completed the main story by the next day, and again a few months later, something we’ve repeated often enough, that it’s become our annual ritual. Once a year (missing a few during COVID sadly) we get together and once again build a kingdom for Keflings from start to finish.
The Plot
World of Keflings follows you, as your Xbox avatar, being accidentally thawed from the ice of a frozen landscape by little human-like critters known as Keflings. After some (frankly not enough) time to warm up after that ordeal, you’re quickly enlisted by some of the larger Keflings to help them build up their small snow village, a task in which you’re taught the basic gameplay loop.
After building a hall for the Chief and shooing away a dragon you unlock access to the main hub of the game, a large open area of green in which you’re tasked with building a kingdom for your new friends.
Without spoiling too much from there, you build up the kingdom for the king, visit distant lands in fun side adventures and meet a whole cast of unique Keflings who never get bored of reminding you that you’re like, waaay big.
Gameplay
The gameplay revolves around constructing the required facilities to satisfy the many requests of your tiny friends. Building is achieved by using the various crafters at your disposal to create components and arranging them in the correct pattern on the floor to create the desired building. You discover the layouts and components needed for each building by acquiring blueprints as you progress the story.
The larger Keflings I mentioned earlier can help you too. While they’re not as big and strong as you, they’re still pretty hefty for Keflings and can carry your building components to you, saving you the time you’d otherwise be spending walking back and forth between your crafter and your build site. You’ll unlock more of these guys as you explore the various Kefling lands, making the build process quicker as a reward for progression.
The other side of the gameplay (which honestly I didn’t have to deal with much in co-op, that was my friend’s job) is resource management. You’ll need to task the smaller Keflings with gathering the necessary resources to build the components you use in your building. But it’s not as simple as just getting them to chop down trees for wood, you’ll need another kefling to take that wood to the crafters too, and sometimes you need to get yet another kefling to transport between crafters to make more advanced components. It may sound like a lot when described on paper, but the game does a good job of easing you into it, and it never seems like a chore.
Overall, it’s a pretty simple gameplay loop that keeps you engaged by always introducing new buildings to work towards creating and rewarding you with little quality-of-life improvements, making you feel like you’re becoming more skilled as a builder over time. You’re never left with feeling like you have nothing to do and as I mentioned in my introduction, it’s almost dangerously easy to enter a time-sucking flow state, walking around maintaining your transport connections and high-fiving Keflings as you build your way up through the blueprint tree.
Visuals
The simple cartoony art style is pleasant and serves the game well for lasting the test of time. The bright colour palette and the simple designs mean it still looks clear even when scaled up to modern resolutions.
The character design reminds me of MySims in its simplicity, but while those characters are very round, Keflings tend to be more angular. The unique NPCs you encounter stick to their own distinct colour palettes and have very recognisable silhouettes, which is vital when trying to tell apart these tiny guys and girls from up on high.
A nice touch I found was that the look of the main hub world changes with the seasons. Winter will cover the usually lush grass in snow and autumn will turn the trees orange. I wouldn’t usually expect this kind of detail in a game as small as this but it’s certainly a welcome addition.
Sound
The music that is here is pleasant to listen to, it’s bright and energetic and fits the tone of the game well. It’s just a little short for my liking. The full soundtrack for the game, all totalled up, amounts to approximately 26 minutes long. This short length means you’ll be hearing the same music over and over again as you play. Thankfully, it does loop well, and the tracks are changed out with the seasons, so they don’t feel nearly as repetitive as they could be. Overall not a bad soundtrack, I just wish there was more of it.
Is it worth playing today?
I think you already know my answer here, but yes absolutely if this sort of game appeals to you and you own an Xbox then you really should check it out. It’s still sold on the Xbox store and nearly always on sale.
For those who don’t have an Xbox, not all is lost. Very recently Ninjabee announced they will be bringing the game to Steam. Although it will be missing the iconic Xbox avatars, it’s otherwise going to be the same fun little game, and everything else I’ve said still applies.
And if you still need convincing, here’s the official trailer:
