I have put it off because of the kind of game I want to
review. Hardcore gamers will probably
hiss and slink back into their game caves but I am going to review a 'casual'
mobile game.
For those in the dark as to what defines 'hardcore' and 'casual'
games pretty much any game on a mobile can be considered casual. Hardcore games
are games on PC or Consol like 'Call of Duty', 'Mario', 'World of Warcraft',
'Kingdom Hearts' They generally are things like RPG's and Shooting games and
what most gamers consider 'traditional'. Casual games are things like 'Peggle',
'Plants vs Zombies' and the like, simple things like hidden object games.
I am really not sure how most gamers feel about casual games
but between my Zelda stints there are vast times where without casual games I
would be left unplugged. I as a gamer I do not really like being unplugged all
that often.
So with that explanation out of the way I would like to talk
about a mobile game (available on the app store and Google play store) Nemo's
Reef. A continuation on the story of
Disney's movie 'Finding Nemo' where you
help the little clown fish build a perfect reef.
I am not exaggerating when I say that this game is like a
digital form of crack for me. I literally have trouble putting it down.
So what makes it so appealing you ask. Well its visuals are
so bright and colourful that even though it's fairly graphically simple it
still looks stunning. Yet despite all the bright and varying colours it still
has a very relaxing quality. The music
is soothing and you can spend hours getting lost in the repetitive nature of
completing quests and harvesting the materials needed to progress. The game play is pretty simple (it's a kids
game so no real shock there) but it's enjoyable to watch your reef expand and
grow as you level, bursting with colour and fish as you discover new combos.
Little fish are simple enough to get with coral combos making the reef feel alive
and for any kid that gets lost watching fish tanks this game will be a winner
and keep them quiet.
So are there any downsides? Well yes. The game is free to play with a pay for perk currency and while it is very possible to play without spending a penny it will be very slow going and annoying as hell for anyone who is even a touch completion-ist . The rare fish are much more easily obtained with the pay for currency and there are some very good plants and nifty decorations to spend real cash on. One would think a company as big as Disney would not even need to have pay for perk system in their games but hey everyone likes a profit and the bundles they do are somewhat reasonable. On the plus side rare fish can be 'fed' to spit out a pearl (the pay for currency) around every three days for the cheapest and going down the more in game currency you sink in. The quests can be ignored completely but sometimes do demand use of the pay for currency which can get highly annoying. The game requires connection to the internet to play so if you have a Wi-Fi or cloud access you can enjoy it on the go or at home, it will eat through mobile data though so be warned of that. Frome time to time a chest will pop up, most of them unlock with the peals (cash based) but sometimes for the in game obtainable resources , though it is worth noting that not all the ones open-able for the in game resources give better rewards than what you need to sink to open them. The flip side is that sometimes a chest will appear with no lock and will open for free, actually genuinely for free... There is a daily log in bonus, it's not the best but you get pearls starting on the third day, the bad thing about it is it resets after five days down to a really rubbish reward whereas most games keep going up or at least keep the rewards good but if you log in all five days you can net nine pearls which is better than nothing.
So on the whole would I recommend the game? Yes I would. For parents wanting a good game for their kids this will definitely keep them absorbed. You do need to be aware that they will at some point want real money to complete things so it could be a good opportunity to teach them restraint. The way you pay for pearls is linked to your account and there is a confirmation screen but you may have to supervise the more persistent or smart child and laying down some ground rules (for any game) is never a bad idea. For adults looking for something both creative and relaxing that they can play at a whim when boredom creeps in I would say to give it a shot for gamers and non gamers alike. It may not be the best mobile game out there but it is absorbing and utterly beautiful in terms of visuals and will suck you into hours of reef building if you let it. Also the younger of my cats seems to like playing it too!
