ShipAntics: The Legend of Kiki Beast Review – 3D Puzzle Adventure

ShipAntics: The Legend of Kiki Beast is the first episode of a 3D puzzle adventure created by Studio POWWOW, developed by Odin Publications, and with the story published by StoryToys.

is the first episode of a 3D puzzle adventure created by Studio POWWOW, developed by Odin Publications, and with the story published by StoryToys. Only the most recent of several puzzle adventures currently available through the same company for iOS devices, this app offers a few simple puzzles, a cartoonish atmosphere for children, and quality animation and voice acting.

The game runs like many classic adventure games, with a different room acting as a level, and each level having different interactive elements that help players solve puzzles and push the story forward. Each level has three kinds of puzzles that rewards players with a star and alternate clothing for each of the two main characters. Players have to solve the main puzzle in the level in order to push the story further, while the other two puzzles are supposed to act as challenging, optional puzzles to solve. These other two puzzles involve finding a hidden sea creature that’s actually one of the Captain’s many pets, and a puzzle to find three secret spots in each level. There are several members of the ship’s crew that the player can speak with in each level to learn more about them, or gain hints for the puzzles.

ShipAntics: The Legend of Kiki Beast uses a cartoonish but well-polished art style that fits with the storybook aspect that the game promises. It uses bright colors and easy to distinguish shapes and characters in order to inspire interactivity from the child that’s playing. In fact, there seems to be more visual content than text and story in ShipAntics. This would seem to be a development choice in order to provide children with a cheap, short story and something to play with on a regular basis. However, this also means that the game isn’t really meant to help young reader read more, or improve their reading skills.

In the story for ShipAntics , the player follows Amanda, the daughter of the ship’s Captain Fred, as she tries to fix the ship’s engine with her friend Otto, a cheeky young octopus. They travel throughout the whole of the good ship Barnacle, and meet a host of simple and somewhat unique characters. The story is short and cheeky, and is sure to attract the attention and enjoyment of young children; aged 6 to 8 according to the iTunes app page.

The soundtrack for the app is short and sweet, using a xylophone to provide the bulk of the melody. The menu track is the most interesting, and yet is only about a minute long. The other levels have simpler, shorter tracks that exist more to fit the cartoonish theme, and serves as background and filler. The music tends to feel repetitive because of this, but with a different track for every level, players don’t have to worry about the music getting annoying. On the plus side, the music fits well with the game, and though it doesn’t enhance it in anyway, it does support the happy-go-lucky and fun-loving element within the game.

The game is quite short, taking less than an hour to get through. That being said, I’m above the recommended ages for the game, so I had a slight advantage. The game will likely take longer for a younger gamer, especially when the optional puzzles are considered. The alternate costumes that players can earn, and characters they can meet, can add a bit of replay value to the game, as does unlocking the main puzzles for free play. By successfully finishing puzzles in the story, they are then unlocked in the main menu. Gamers are then challenged to solve the puzzles as many times, and as quickly, as possible for stars. The stars earned act as scores that are then compared to others on the leaderboard.

The game is fun, but doesn’t seem all that difficult, even considering the target age group. I can’t speak for the intelligence and hand-eye coordination of every child between the ages of 6 to 8, but I can say that the game intends to offer only a minimal challenge with its puzzles. These range from finding a frog in one of three moving pots, to matching the pattern of a ripped candy wrapper with a bar that’s inside a vending machine. These puzzles are meant to be fun and easy to figure out for a younger audience. Otto actually exists to offer vague hints to the player, but it might be best if a parent plays the game with their child at first.

ShipAntics: The Legend of Kiki Beast is available for iOS devices on the iTunes App Storefor $1.99. Though the game is short, and offers a small amount of replay value, it’s still worth the asking price. Along with that, there will be two more episodes added on in the coming months, which will provide more story and puzzles, as well as extra clothes and costumes as rewards. For more information, gamers can follow Studio POWWOW on Twitterand Facebook.

Do you think there should be even more puzzle adventure games for young children? If you have an opinion about the game, please feel free to leave a comment below.