Both XSEED and Marvelous Interactive have confirmed plans to bring the Wii-exclusive sim-style RPG Little King's Story to North America. Previously known simply as "Project O," the game marks the second "key" title to emerge from the companies' recent co-publishing alliance.

Not to be confused with that other game about kings and town building, Little King's Story is said to combine simulation, strategy, and adventure game elements as players build their kingdom, manage townsfolk, and conquer rival nations. The art style alone has our interest piqued, and with devs and designers from such games and series as Harvest Moon, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Super Mario RPG attached to the project, we doubt that we'll be able to resist waving the Wii remote in the air like a scepter when Little King's Story drops this winter.

Sometimes one set of hands just isn't enough to bring games stateside. At least, that's the thinking over at niche game publisher XSEED, which just signed a co-publishing deal with Harvest Moon virtuoso Marvelous Entertainment. The pair note that the agreement will help let Marvelous set up shop here in the US, while XSEED will help localize "key" titles from the Japanese studio.

While the news makes us think that we'll soon be up to our eyeballs in farming sims, XSEED has only thus far confirmed that it will help localize Valhalla Knights II, though the companies note that additional game announcements will follow shortly. The sequel to last year's PSP action RPG Valhalla Knights is expected to ship this fall, with XSEED marketing guru Ken Berry stating belief that the game "will help to set the quality standard high for all future games coming out of this deal." That's certainly a lofty expectation for a sequel to a game that was largely panned by critics last year.

The latest issue of Famitsu (via IGN) has some new revelations concerning Marvelous Interactive's upcoming Wii title Project O, now entitled Ousama Monogatari (translation: King Story).

The development staff has previously worked on titles such as Final Fantasy XII, Dragon Quest VIII and Harvest Moon, which fits perfectly with the description of the game. As a sick boy, you find a magical crown that turns you into a king. From there, you give orders to your group of followers and build up your town into a vast kingdom. You will also be required to lead troops against kingdom-razing foes such as fire-breathing dragons.

The RPG aspect of the game has not been fully revealed; all the staff has said is that it is present and that you will be privileged to "dramatic story sequences" by communicating with various characters / residents. King Story is due out in 2008; a trailer is expected to be shown at this year's Tokyo Game Show.