Post by Admin on Jun 8, 2014 8:19:11 GMT
Sea Stars is a game created for mobile platform by Hothead Games.
It is a highly addictive game with catchy, bright graphics, moving in gentle curves over a double-tiered screen representing water and air. Its main character is a dolphin (icon) named Dante. The controls are simple: the game can be played using one finger, and is thus suited to people with disabilities and different abilities of nearly every kind.
In the game, Dante the Dolphin goes about collecting coins, scattered in pretty formations in the water and in the air. Dante has enemies that can kill him (thus ending a round), steal his coins, or temporarily freeze him. Funny looking Jelly Chains (chains of jellyfish) are the main enemy. They are orange or bright red colo(u)red; and often come in a set of formations that Dante must learn to navigate. And they appear more as octopi than as jellyfish. Sometimes broken glaciers appear at the water's surface. Swimming into one of these will freeze Dante in a constant position at the water's surface, as he continues to move in a forward motion. While frozen Dante has no time to dodge Jelly Chains in the way; otherwise the player can unfreeze him by tapping the screen six or seven times. Finally there is a dark red colo(u)red sea urchin (icon) that steals part of Dante's coins upon bumping. There are no further consequences to bumping the urchin.
Other elements in the game give Dante special prizes or powers: Swimming into a sea-star (icon) reveals a swimming buddy that carries Dante through its particular way of moving, which is different from Dante's. There is a blue bird called "Molt"; a grayish blue whale (icon) called "Storval"; a whitish squid called "Squinky"; and a dark red crab (icon) called "Dr. Scuttles" -- each with his own way of moving and collecting coins; each with its own coin formations and Jelly formations. This is as if playing a game with in a game: same graphics, same goals -- different way of moving. An added bonus when travel(l)ing with a sea buddy is that bumping into an enemy does not end a round but only makes the sea buddy leave, while Dante returns to his regular motion.
There are also purple colo(u)red clamshells (icons) that contain prizes: extra coins, coin multipliers, extra protection, extra speed, or simply clearing enemies for a (very) short distance. Coins collected can be used toward enhancing these prizes, or toward purchasing things in the game store -- some of which are just for show; others make gameplay easier or point accumulation faster.
In addition, each full jump performed calls in a colo(u)rful bird (icon). When seven birds (all colo(u)rs of the rainbow, more or less) have been accumulated, they come flying from behind Dante, leaving trails of coins along their path. During this time, there are NO enemies. So it is a reprieve from enemies at the same time as allowing you to collect more coins than average in such a timespan. The downside to having the rainbow birds is that the game becomes faster afterwards.
Coins earned in the game can be used to enhance coin-earning ability, as well as to purchase additional pawns and friends for the game.
The game also presents missions, which are a way in turn of earning stars, with which you can then add bonuses and power-ups to the game. (Some of the items in the game store are sold for coins; others for sand dollars.) Each mission may take between one and several rounds to complete; and is worth between one and three stars. The only way to skip a mission is to pay lots of coins for it: 5000 coins per star. Each sand dollar is in turn worth an average of seven stars -- or 3500 points -- although this varies on a cycle of 16 sand dollars between three stars for the first three in a cycle; and thirteen stars for the last two in a cycle. This makes earning the sand dollars quite boring and tedious.
There are two ways to make collection of sand dollars easier or more bearable:
(a) The game store contains a category for free offers, including free sand dollars. Free sand dollars can be earned (if you are lucky!!) through giving "likes" to the game on social media; or through watching movies. There is also a connection to something called "tapjoy", which rewards sand dollars for completion of tasks -- some less unpleasant than others.
(b) With each ten sand dollars earned, the player may purchase one "pet". Of 56 pets, nineteen have special qualities, that make it possible to complete most missions within a single round -- at times, up to three in one round -- meaning that on rare occasion (namely, when the player reaches a mission-cycle worth three stars, one or even two sand dollars can be earned in a single round.
In this way, gameplay evolves over the cycle of a game: Early in the game, accumulation both of coins and of sand dollars is relatively slow. The player can concentrate mainly on accumulating coins, which in turn allow him to purchase things in the game store (limited to the items buyable with points), which help him to accumulate even more points.
The first big change in the game occurs when the player purchases the game-pawn/character called "Niji the Narwahl", at which time it becomes possible to make a decision -- whether to complete each mission; or to earn enough points (usually between one and three rounds) with which to skip it. At this point, the emphasis turns from accumulation of points to accumulation of sand dollars, since points accumulate nearly automatically.
Once the sand dollars begin to accumulate, a player can begin to look toward earning the ultimate goals of the game. In my view, these are:
a coin multiplier worth 400 sand dollars, that doubles all coins collected.
further upgrades on the shell prizes to facilitate mission completion.
pets with special abilities that make mission completion a cinch. (unfortunately it is impossible when buying a pet to choose between regular and special qualities).
swim stars that are not sensitive to some of the dangers, which make a round last longer; or losing a coin impossible.
Nearly inevitably, gameplay becomes a bit rote at this stage, as the player accumulates the points and skills necessary to earn the objects of choice. At this point, the game may turn from an addiction into an obsession. Players who are skilled at managing their time will avoid obsession and just play for fun.
It is a highly addictive game with catchy, bright graphics, moving in gentle curves over a double-tiered screen representing water and air. Its main character is a dolphin (icon) named Dante. The controls are simple: the game can be played using one finger, and is thus suited to people with disabilities and different abilities of nearly every kind.
In the game, Dante the Dolphin goes about collecting coins, scattered in pretty formations in the water and in the air. Dante has enemies that can kill him (thus ending a round), steal his coins, or temporarily freeze him. Funny looking Jelly Chains (chains of jellyfish) are the main enemy. They are orange or bright red colo(u)red; and often come in a set of formations that Dante must learn to navigate. And they appear more as octopi than as jellyfish. Sometimes broken glaciers appear at the water's surface. Swimming into one of these will freeze Dante in a constant position at the water's surface, as he continues to move in a forward motion. While frozen Dante has no time to dodge Jelly Chains in the way; otherwise the player can unfreeze him by tapping the screen six or seven times. Finally there is a dark red colo(u)red sea urchin (icon) that steals part of Dante's coins upon bumping. There are no further consequences to bumping the urchin.
Other elements in the game give Dante special prizes or powers: Swimming into a sea-star (icon) reveals a swimming buddy that carries Dante through its particular way of moving, which is different from Dante's. There is a blue bird called "Molt"; a grayish blue whale (icon) called "Storval"; a whitish squid called "Squinky"; and a dark red crab (icon) called "Dr. Scuttles" -- each with his own way of moving and collecting coins; each with its own coin formations and Jelly formations. This is as if playing a game with in a game: same graphics, same goals -- different way of moving. An added bonus when travel(l)ing with a sea buddy is that bumping into an enemy does not end a round but only makes the sea buddy leave, while Dante returns to his regular motion.
There are also purple colo(u)red clamshells (icons) that contain prizes: extra coins, coin multipliers, extra protection, extra speed, or simply clearing enemies for a (very) short distance. Coins collected can be used toward enhancing these prizes, or toward purchasing things in the game store -- some of which are just for show; others make gameplay easier or point accumulation faster.
In addition, each full jump performed calls in a colo(u)rful bird (icon). When seven birds (all colo(u)rs of the rainbow, more or less) have been accumulated, they come flying from behind Dante, leaving trails of coins along their path. During this time, there are NO enemies. So it is a reprieve from enemies at the same time as allowing you to collect more coins than average in such a timespan. The downside to having the rainbow birds is that the game becomes faster afterwards.
Coins earned in the game can be used to enhance coin-earning ability, as well as to purchase additional pawns and friends for the game.
The game also presents missions, which are a way in turn of earning stars, with which you can then add bonuses and power-ups to the game. (Some of the items in the game store are sold for coins; others for sand dollars.) Each mission may take between one and several rounds to complete; and is worth between one and three stars. The only way to skip a mission is to pay lots of coins for it: 5000 coins per star. Each sand dollar is in turn worth an average of seven stars -- or 3500 points -- although this varies on a cycle of 16 sand dollars between three stars for the first three in a cycle; and thirteen stars for the last two in a cycle. This makes earning the sand dollars quite boring and tedious.
There are two ways to make collection of sand dollars easier or more bearable:
(a) The game store contains a category for free offers, including free sand dollars. Free sand dollars can be earned (if you are lucky!!) through giving "likes" to the game on social media; or through watching movies. There is also a connection to something called "tapjoy", which rewards sand dollars for completion of tasks -- some less unpleasant than others.
(b) With each ten sand dollars earned, the player may purchase one "pet". Of 56 pets, nineteen have special qualities, that make it possible to complete most missions within a single round -- at times, up to three in one round -- meaning that on rare occasion (namely, when the player reaches a mission-cycle worth three stars, one or even two sand dollars can be earned in a single round.
In this way, gameplay evolves over the cycle of a game: Early in the game, accumulation both of coins and of sand dollars is relatively slow. The player can concentrate mainly on accumulating coins, which in turn allow him to purchase things in the game store (limited to the items buyable with points), which help him to accumulate even more points.
The first big change in the game occurs when the player purchases the game-pawn/character called "Niji the Narwahl", at which time it becomes possible to make a decision -- whether to complete each mission; or to earn enough points (usually between one and three rounds) with which to skip it. At this point, the emphasis turns from accumulation of points to accumulation of sand dollars, since points accumulate nearly automatically.
Once the sand dollars begin to accumulate, a player can begin to look toward earning the ultimate goals of the game. In my view, these are:
a coin multiplier worth 400 sand dollars, that doubles all coins collected.
further upgrades on the shell prizes to facilitate mission completion.
pets with special abilities that make mission completion a cinch. (unfortunately it is impossible when buying a pet to choose between regular and special qualities).
swim stars that are not sensitive to some of the dangers, which make a round last longer; or losing a coin impossible.
Nearly inevitably, gameplay becomes a bit rote at this stage, as the player accumulates the points and skills necessary to earn the objects of choice. At this point, the game may turn from an addiction into an obsession. Players who are skilled at managing their time will avoid obsession and just play for fun.
