Do you have a penchant for the abominably adorable, the contemptibly cute, the shockingly saccharine? If you're not already tuning in every week to the new-and-improved
My Little Pony (or lurking the "
brony" communities daily)--or even if so--boy, does
Gameloft have something for you.
The breakout hit of a kids show (or adults show, depending on who you ask) has a game that's about to land on iOS and Android. Based on our hands-on sneak peek recently, mega fans of the show are in for a treat, but be forewarned: First and foremost, this is a mobile game that's designed with kids in mind.
On its face, My Little Pony on iOS looks like nothing more than a high-gloss city building game. With its vibrant palette dressing all of its buildings and environments and its several characters dolled up in pseudo-3D graphics, that might be true. Simply enough, players build new structures using coins to unlock new ponies to accompany Twilight Sparkle, tap those buildings (literally and figuratively) for more coins, rinse and repeat until their town is brimming with glittering, miniature equines.
Like most mobile social games, that's the play loop in a nutshell. But to debunk that assumption, Gameloft threw in a series of mini games to challenge players' reflexes and other skills. Some buildings, when finished, will unlock a new mini game to play in addition to a coveted new pony. Goofy, adorable diversions like a
Jetpack Joyride-esque flying game and one in which players collect falling apples provide more to players than precious coin and ways to show off their skills to friends.
They serve to make the world of Equestria (
obviously) feel more alive, and as a result, more like the cartoon the mobile game represents. It helps that these games, especially one in which players bounce and ball back and forth with a pony of their choice, use the touch screen in ways that children can easily pick up and adults--we're looking at you, bronies and pegasisters--can look to master.
When players eventually grow tired of bouncing a digital ball around, they can visit friends to see how adorable their Ponyvilles are. The whole "adorable" thing bears repeating. For someone who isn't a super fan, My Little Pony will be a cute overload complete with nauseating (but official) voice acting. If you can stomach the overbearing cuteness of it all, and chances are you probably embrace it, My Little Pony on iOS looks to be a treat that has great respect for the revived franchise.
My Little Pony is slated for a free-to-play (supported by micro-transactions, of course) release on iOS and Android later this year.
Are you psyched for My Little Pony on iOS? Which pony is your favorite? Sound off in the comments. 26 Comments