We mentioned the release of the new Windows Phone game World of Rabbit - The Crossing over the weekend and it made a nice first impression. The game is the sequel to the popular World of Rabbit - The Dig that landed in the Windows Phone Store a couple of years ago and shares the same entertaining game play, colorful graphics and animations as the original.
Where The Dig was more of a time management game, The Crossing takes on more of an arcade style of game play. The rabbits will take to the high seas to visit the ancient rabbit islands to collect forgotten artifacts. Sounds easy enough but the seas are infested with annoying robots that are dead set on destroying the rabbits and their ship.
Available for low memory devices, World of Rabbit - The Crossing is a nice follow-up game to the original. Plus you have the bonus features of unlockable 3D printable toys (for those with a 3D printer lying around) and World of Rabbit wallpapers.
Rabbits take the high sea
World of Rabbit - The Crossing shares the originals colorful graphics and devilishly animated rabbits. The main menu has options to launch game play, visit the game's store to pick up those 3D toys and wallpapers and access the game's settings.
Settings cover the basics such as music volume, sound effects on/off, vibration on/off and links to the game's Facebook and Twitter pages and credits. Quick note about the settings and menus for World of Rabbit - The Crossing is that the neon green can be a bit overbearing. If you stare at the screen too long, you may start to see spots.
Game play is spread out across five islands. The first is a training island that will walk you through game mechanics with the other four are progressively unlocked.
Simple, yet challenging game play
You begin each level of play at your homeport with a number of rabbits on board your ship. The rabbits will row the boat out of port and out on to open seas to head to the ancient rabbit island.
As you leave the safety of your harbor, robot insects, fish and other monsters will attack your ship. Your defense is to swipe at the screen (much like you would with Fruit Ninja) and hack the robots to pieces. Some robots shatter with one swipe while others take multiple hits to go down.
You also have green lanterns you need to collect as you sail across the sea. To be honest, I can only guess that these green boxes go towards your experience levels and unlocking additional island levels. Without a dedicated help section, this is only a guess.
You'll see markers at the halfway point of your journey and as you approach the island. Once you place the island marker, the robots will stop their attack allowing you to concentrate on collecting the artifacts.
To do so, you will have to spin a wheel of chance to collect your prize/artifact. Prizes range from larger green canisters to sacred carrots. The sacred carrots can be used to unlock those 3D toys and wallpapers in the game store. If you are impatient and want to unlock these bonus items sooner, you can buy sacred carrots through in-app purchases ($.99 to $1.99). You can also make a donation to the developers through the in-app purchase menu ($.99) if you see fit.
The only nit I have with game play is that there is an assortment of artifacts on the spinning wheel and without a dedicated help section, it's hard to figure out what is what. It appears that other than the green glowing boxes and sacred carrots, the other items are character attributes (eye styles, mouth styles, etc.). You can try to match up an icon with a game store listing but it basically takes landing on an item to uncover the mystery of what it is.
The game pace does pick up quickly and the robot attacks can be rather aggressive. Don't be shocked if you have to defend fore and aft sections of your boat at the same time. There is one level that is particularly challenging called No Mistakes where you can't sustain a single robot hit.
You also have some levels of play where the attacks come primarily from beneath the surface of the water. It can be challenging keeping pace with the robot fish as they break the surface to attack your ship.
Overall Impression
World of Rabbit - The Crossing is a fast paced, fun game for Windows Phone. It follows suit with the original World of Rabbit installment with appealing graphics, challenging game play and an addictive quality that keeps the game interesting.
Game mechanics are simple but you will need to be careful that your swipes don't extend far enough to trigger the Windows Phone buttons. I also wouldn't mind seeing bonus weapons that can be collected or purchased with your sacred carrots to help give you a fighting chance at success.
I do like the bonus lockscreen wallpapers and 3D toys but not everyone has access to a 3D printer so not everyone may share the attraction for half these bonus items.
All in all, I liked World of Rabbit - The Crossing. It is a nice sequel and addition to the Windows Phone gaming library.
- World of Rabbit - The Crossing - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link
