Since being unveiled, Fat Princess had garnered a lot of attention – a lot of it positive, some of it negative and more concerned with trying to demonise the tongue-in-cheek subject matter. This negative nonsense aside, if it isn’t the gloriously non-PC title that grabs you, then it’s the charming, colourful style and if you’ve read anything about the game previously then you’ll know that it’s a mixture of RTS and action which plays things rather fast and loose.
The main goal of Fat Princess is to capture the portly monarch-in-waiting from the opposing side by storming their castle and making off with her like some sort of chunky Capture the Flag. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because, while the Princess starts out rather trim, each side can bulk her up by feeding her bits of cake, making her more heavy and requiring more people to make off with her.
Players are given the choice of a number of different roles that they can swap between by changing class hats. These range from the standard soldiers who are strong in combat to archers who are weaker but can strike from a distance. There are clerics who can heal other players and fire and ice wizards who attack with powerful magic. There’s also the worker class who is utterly essential to ensuring success. This handy class can grab resources to top up and repair defences, or make holes in the enemies own fortifications and provide a way into their castle. Whatever your playing style there’s plenty of scope to keep you happy, but it’s also well balanced enough to encourage people to play outside of their comfort zone and perhaps pick a class they typically might not. Each character style has it’s advantages and disadvantages, with the game often turning into a very complex (and far more entertaining) version of Rock, Paper, Scissors.
From the moment you start playing Fat Princess the game is best described as frantic. If it isn’t the A.I. controlled characters running around your own castle, then it’s the mob of enemies rushing across the map trying to capture strongholds to gain the advantage, or storm your base and make off with the precious dumpling inside. Since the player isn’t locked in to playing a particular style and can change class hats at any time, it’s also incredibly easy to adapt to the circumstances as the advantage swings back and forth. If you think that your side needs to be pushing ahead in a full frontal attack then you can switch to the solider class to cut a swathe through the enemy, leaving plenty of blood and gore in your wake (don’t be fooled by the cutesy exterior, the game really revels in some cartoony ultra-violence). If you think you need a concerted push on resource gathering, then you can switch classes and lend a hand. And if you think the Princess isn’t yet fat enough to be borderline Diabetic, you can just grab some more cake and turn her into a Weight Watchers nightmare.
While the single player mode has the A.I. to help you along, the finished version of the game will also feature mutliplayer for up to 32 people, meaning it will be just as frantic. While we didn’t get the chance to try it out, it’s very clear that the game’s design will make it utterly essential for players to work together. Too much hogging of one class or lack of co-operation means even a slightly more organised side will walk all over you.
Fat Princess may not bring much new to the genre but it’s implementation and comedic style means it more than makes up for that. It’s shaping up nicely (pun not intended this time) with all the potential of being a thoroughly enjoyable title for people who like their RTS a bit more footloose and fancy-free. Be sure to take a look when it launches in a few months time, exclusively on the PlayStation Network.
