Classroom Facts

Fat Princess is a multiplayer action game, and doesn’t feature many classroom facts. The game does include plenty of scoreboards, and an easily-accessible map shows the locations every player, information that will prove vital to experienced players.

Creativity & Imagination

By the Player:

The primary creative decision players have in Fat Princess is deciding which of the game’s five jobs to play as. Players spawn as a generic villager – which is weak but does have the ability to knock items from enemy’s hands – and can switch to any of the game’s five classes by choosing a hat from one of the five machines available in either team’s castle. Players are likely quick to pick favorite jobs, as each plays very differently; mages can unleash flame attacks in a wide area, archers can attack quickly from a distance, and warriors can take more damage than any other class. Each class can also be upgraded once, earning a new weapon or ability. Because these upgrades offer such different attacks, players are likely to pursue upgrades to their favorite jobs each game.

In battle players are free to move about and attack as they choose; players can jump, charge attacks and use various terrain advantages depending on the map to get an advantage over their opponents. When the worker and mage classes are upgraded, special potions and bombs also become available that any player can pick up and carry to battle. The overall all selection of jobs and weapons is relatively small, but players get killed, respawn, choose classes and head back out to battle so often that there are plenty of chances to experiment during any one game.

By the Developer:

Fat Princess takes extremely familiar rules – team-based, capture the flag-style play – and introduces a number of clever twists that make the game into a unique experience. The fast-paced game has players constantly respawning, choosing jobs and jumping back into the constantly-moving fray. The game’s central gimmick – one team feeds the other team’s princess cake, making her harder to carry to safety – is both amusing and functionally interesting, adding another layer to the frantic class-based battles that the game provides. An incredibly varied selection of maps and some basic variant game types help add enough value to the game that it’s difficult to find it stale, even after experimenting with the different classes available.

The game features an original story told through the story mode, which is really a set of games showcasing the different game types against CPU-controlled players with brief cutscenes between that tell the amusing story of two princesses finding magical cake in a forest. The game is visually very pleasing, merging a whimsical, cartoony style with bloody combat. An original soundtrack with some notable, amusing voice work help round out the package.

Business Skills

Business skills are handled simply, but they are nonetheless a significant aspect of Fat Princess. The game includes two different resources – wood and stone – that are needed to construct various objects. Each of the five job hats is produced at a different machine; for a few pieces of wood and a few pieces of harder-to-find stone hat machine can be enhanced to offer new abilities. Resources can also be spent to repair the doors leading into a team’s castle, ladders to break into an enemy castle and catapults that can launch allies across the map. Collecting resources is done one by one and can take time, so it usually requires a dedicated player or two to max out a team’s buildings.

People Skills

People skills are an important aspect of Fat Princess. The game is made up almost entirely of fast-paced team-oriented battles, and teamwork between players is hugely important. Because of the five very distinct job types available, it becomes very important that players know how to use each job to work with others in the most efficient way possible. Knights can fend off projectile attacks, priests can heal, upgraded mages can freeze opponents in ice – each job fills a specific niche, and while players are certainly free to attack wildly they will quickly become detrimental when working as part of a team, particularly when special weapons capable of friendly fire come into play.

Problem Solving

Problem solving in Fat Princess varies from game to game and from job to job. Players are able to assess the situation at any time easily, with each team’s score, the current resources available and a map showing each player’s position readily available. This helps players to decide what to do and what class to choose each time they respawn, or whether or not to change classes on the battlefield. Each of the game’s five classes – warrior, mage, priest, archer and worker – has its own clear, intuitive strengths and weaknesses. Players generally participate in battle, fighting to control a helpful tower on the map, battling near resources, or defending allies as they attempt to capture their princess, depending on the current game type. It is most important that a team have a good mix of classes, which players can contribute toward by surveying the classes of their teammates on the map.

When in battle, players need to be able to quickly survey the situation at hand. Healing the right ally and attacking the right enemy can be crucial points in battle, and players need to be aware of this to succeed. It also helps for players to be familiar with the game’s maps; knowing which areas are crucial to defend and knowing the best ways to break into the enemy’s castle can win games. There is also a separate arena mode that allows solo players to test their skills an any of the game’s classes against numerous waves of enemies.

The worker class has its own problems to deal with; each job can be leveled up to access a new ability, and it’s up to workers to harvest the materials necessary to do this. Deciding which classes to level up is another decision that can determine the progress of a game.

Simulation

Fat Princess is not a simulation game.

Popularity

Critical reaction to Fat Princess has been mostly positive, with many reviewers noting the game’s inventive visual style, sense of humor and its simple but addictive nature. Some more negative reviews have cited balance issues as well as problems concerning the smoothness of online play.

Controls & Options

Fat Princess contains standard audio and visual options. There is an option to toggle on or off the blood and gore present during play.

Tips

Fat Princess received a T from the ESRB with descriptors for Blood and Gore, Cartoon Violence and Lyrics.