Ahoy mateys, I be havin’ a hell o’ a time here with me iPad at sea. This new game I be tinkerin’ with gets me underpants up in a twirl while good old Calypso blows her wind our way. Aye, they be twirlin’ alright. Whakan, this brand new game app is really something. Let me tell ye what me thinks about it.
Whakan, an iOS-based app, is nothing short of spectacular. Aye, that would be my verdict right off the bat because, honestly, there is no needs to dilly dally about it, right? Yup, just take it for what it is – this game that features a cool mixture of RPG and card battle elements is just plain fantastic.
What is Whakan?
As previously mentioned, Whakan is a game that combines the turn-based, card battle elements found in popular games such as Pokémon and the thrilling and somewhat addictive meanderings of a basic RPG game. However, do not expect to see cards anywhere in this game. Nope, there are no cards – instead they are called spheres, and your main character – the one you control – will gain and make use of these spheres in order to defeat your enemies.
The game begins with a typical backstory where your world is threatened by an evil plague. The Whakan God, who is an elemental by the way, has chosen you to be Whakan’s savior by appointing you as the Keeper of Spheres. As you go on your journey ridding the world of evil, you will learn to master the secrets of the Spheres as a typical warrior shaman would in the same situation. Some of those spheres can boost your attacks, heal you, or give you massive defense bonuses as you battle each and every foe placed in front of you, so yes, they are quite critical in moving forward in this game.
Turn-based Fun
Alright, it seems that the story isn’t original, but the actual gameplay is quite interesting and somewhat unique. As you go through the storyline, you will begin to notice that the game is similar to Final Fantasy where each battle you enter pegs you against a foe in turn-based style action standoff.
To help you in each battle will be the Spheres. Unfortunately, not every Sphere you have discovered (or bought through the Whakan currency, raindrops) and mastered will be available in a timely fashion during a battle. Like typical turn-based card battles, there is an initial random draw configuration to decide the lineup of your cards, in this case spheres.
Graphics and Audio
The game is actually well-designed and has very little flaws. And once you really pay attention to the detail placed into its graphics engine and sound effects, you will begin to realize that this game is way above anyone’s expectations. The artwork is phenomenally intricate. The soundtrack is composed of music and effects that won’t really get tiring as you forge on with your adventure.
Conclusion
I can’t stop myself from singing high praises about this game because, honestly, I was hooked from the get-go. Unfortunately, like every new release, some bugs can be found. For instance, a lot of minor glitches come up during the tutorial phase and follows on through to the game itself. Hopefully, the developers, Forever Young Studios, can patch these up, which should push the status of this app over the top. This bloody Pirate is sure they will though!
Whakan is priced at $2.99 at the App Store. Some may find it a bit pricey, but if you enjoy these kinds of multi-genre apps, you will realize that the cost may well be worth it.
