Ahoy there me buckos! The App Pirate is back aboard his Jolly Rogers and about to make sail. Are ye up to goin’ on another fierce adventure with me and me crew – rum, wenches, booty, the occasional kraken and all that? Aye, an adventure it will be. But afore we hop on me ship, let me tell ye about this new app. Stories be an important part o’ the life of a pirate, and that be with good reason. Ya see, once all is said and done and the smart phones be at rest in our quarters, we often turn to rum and stories to unwind.
I remember this one time when me and me crew chanced upon a shipwrecked bard who regaled us with all sorts o’ stories. O’ course, we were the ones that shipwrecked the scurvy dog when we looted the galleon he rode upon, but that didn’t seem to matter to him. Anyways, once he had exhausted all his stories, we let off the nearest port, and as a reward, he gave us this fancy little app called TooniaStorymaker.
The Gameplay: Spinning Yarns and Telling Tall Tales
There is a unique feel to telling stories, and often it is because of the wonder which stories evoke. Toonia aims to make that a simpler process, and is also obviously for kids. However, that doesn’t take away anything from the inherent charm of storytelling, especially if you’re encouraging your kid to take up writing. Basically, there are multiple scenes that a kid can go through and all throughout they are treated to very well drawn characters. Each scene serves as a page in a book, which you can fill with as many little objects as you need to tell your story.
The objects in question are varied and can be dragged into the scene with ease. The scenes are also complimented by giving you the option of making little speech bubbles. This unique approach to educational gaming is quite fun, and you might even find yourself making up your own tales to tell your children. However, the game is most obviously aimed at kids that have an interest in making their own stories.
The Look
Since this is a child’s game, you can expect that the aesthetic of the game remains largely cartoony. However, that simply adds on to the charm, as the blending of the colors is pleasing to the eye, and will surely attract your kid’s attention. The unique drag and drop interface makes the game easier to play and the characters have enough, well, character to pull off the full game. The tiny little animations are also quirky, which just adds on to the inherent charm of the game.
The interface is very easy to grasp which makes it a breeze for kids to play. Together, it all melds into a pretty little storybook, which proves that everyone can make a story no matter how small they are. At the same time, since this is a paid app, there are no intrusive ads that can get in the way of the storyline.
The Verdict
There’s no reason for you to avoid this game unless you have no kids. It’s a charming game with a lot to offer up in terms of gameplay and education. The dual function of the game makes it a must have for parents that want to teach their kids early on how to make stories of their own.
