MrTiki
4.62
RATE IT:
.: Style
MrTiki is a fresh take on the BBMMO space that uses a very stylized approach to a somewhat tired medium. They use a soft color palette, island tones, and campy tongue-in-cheek humor. The site is easy to use with a simple sign post navigation. Looks can be deceiving, as there are tons of hidden secrets.
What's nice is that these guys don't have "pet" in their url. They've at least taken a step toward being original. They do, however, use the "Pet" vehicle to propel players through the world. They call them "Spirits" and they are the only physical representation players have while journeying in Tiki Island.
In general, the whole thing is pretty easy to navigate around and they employ heavy use of Flash to allow for interesting map navigation, including scrolling, animation, and even music (which optionally can be turned off).
The colors, art, and style of the site are professional grade, and are amongst the best that can be found in the BBMMO space.
.: Plot
One of the first things new players say attracted them to MrTiki is the way Plot is integrated into the site. Something most players notice immediately is a small meter that appears on the top right of the screen, representing whether you are more "Tiki" or more "Woo".
The plot itself is vast and amazing. Every Monday a new chapter is written, illustrated, voice acted and released to the public. The stories are written linearly and could easily be published and released as a long terrific book series. The art for each chapter is breathtaking, each one a special work of art, incorporating beautiful colors and tones. The audio chapters have a high production value, including sound effects and music, although they are all done with one reader. The stories often accompany new features, games, or activities being released on the site.
Overall, plot is well integrated into the site and as you explore what Tiki Island has to offer you are reminded of moments in the story when the main characters visited the very locations, or even encounter some of those amazing characters yourself!
.: Safety
MrTiki is C.O.P.P.A. compliant, which means anybody under 13 years old will find themselves unable to communicate with other players. They will be able to INTERACT with things like auctions, user shops, stocks, multiplayer games, etc., but cannot actually communicate messages.
There is no personal information revealed by the site to other players, in profiles or really anywhere else, and the sign up process asks a minimal amount of demographic information, including minimizing questioning once it detects you are under 13.
One thing that is nice is the optional (defaulting on) 'interstitial' exit pages. Any time players are linked to external sites, even by other players, it directs them to a confirmation page warning them of where they are being sent to, showing a screenshot of the site, and allowing them to choose whether to continue or abort.
.: Gameplay
As of this writing MrTiki has about 13 single player games, 3 multiplayer games, and a variety of discoverable 'activity' games such as Fishing, once a day digging games, and so on.
Each game is a very different genre than the previous, from action, to puzzle, to twitch button smashing. The multiplayer games are fun, including live battle, a 'Boggle' clone that seems to be the most popular, and a pattern matching race game.
Most games have custom written music and it far exceeds anything out there. Period. I have never heard of a Virtual Petsite or BBMMO that had this level of detail in music alone. They have even setup a site for those who wish to listen to the music when they aren't playing the site. You can get to it here.
Fishing in and of itself is an exciting experience worth mentioning... when you have a pole and bait, you choose which to use, cast your line... and... wait! After a little time passes you'll get a bite, and the game and music quickly go from quiet/serene to an intense struggle as you battle the fish! It is a combination of equipment and skill... where better equipment can make it easier, but you still need to be able to skillfully catch the fish. A fun part of MrTiki is finding new places to fish and trying to catch new fish or see what different baits attract.
.: Community
MrTiki has an active community and message board system, and players often congregate in some of the multiplayer chat areas just to talk with eachother.
There is a strong sense of players-helping-players on MrTiki, as many groups will work together to try and solve mysteries, quests, or discover hidden things such as avatar 'coconuts' that the admins hide around the site.
MrTiki sends a welcome email including several items to help get started on the site, and from what I hear, it is not uncommon to sign up on MrTiki and immediately be greeted by one or several members of the site offering help.
4.00
What's nice is that these guys don't have "pet" in their url. They've at least taken a step toward being original. They do, however, use the "Pet" vehicle to propel players through the world. They call them "Spirits" and they are the only physical representation players have while journeying in Tiki Island.
In general, the whole thing is pretty easy to navigate around and they employ heavy use of Flash to allow for interesting map navigation, including scrolling, animation, and even music (which optionally can be turned off).
The colors, art, and style of the site are professional grade, and are amongst the best that can be found in the BBMMO space.
.: Plot
5.00
The plot itself is vast and amazing. Every Monday a new chapter is written, illustrated, voice acted and released to the public. The stories are written linearly and could easily be published and released as a long terrific book series. The art for each chapter is breathtaking, each one a special work of art, incorporating beautiful colors and tones. The audio chapters have a high production value, including sound effects and music, although they are all done with one reader. The stories often accompany new features, games, or activities being released on the site.
Overall, plot is well integrated into the site and as you explore what Tiki Island has to offer you are reminded of moments in the story when the main characters visited the very locations, or even encounter some of those amazing characters yourself!
.: Safety
5.00
There is no personal information revealed by the site to other players, in profiles or really anywhere else, and the sign up process asks a minimal amount of demographic information, including minimizing questioning once it detects you are under 13.
One thing that is nice is the optional (defaulting on) 'interstitial' exit pages. Any time players are linked to external sites, even by other players, it directs them to a confirmation page warning them of where they are being sent to, showing a screenshot of the site, and allowing them to choose whether to continue or abort.
.: Gameplay
4.00
Each game is a very different genre than the previous, from action, to puzzle, to twitch button smashing. The multiplayer games are fun, including live battle, a 'Boggle' clone that seems to be the most popular, and a pattern matching race game.
Most games have custom written music and it far exceeds anything out there. Period. I have never heard of a Virtual Petsite or BBMMO that had this level of detail in music alone. They have even setup a site for those who wish to listen to the music when they aren't playing the site. You can get to it here.
Fishing in and of itself is an exciting experience worth mentioning... when you have a pole and bait, you choose which to use, cast your line... and... wait! After a little time passes you'll get a bite, and the game and music quickly go from quiet/serene to an intense struggle as you battle the fish! It is a combination of equipment and skill... where better equipment can make it easier, but you still need to be able to skillfully catch the fish. A fun part of MrTiki is finding new places to fish and trying to catch new fish or see what different baits attract.
.: Community
4.00
There is a strong sense of players-helping-players on MrTiki, as many groups will work together to try and solve mysteries, quests, or discover hidden things such as avatar 'coconuts' that the admins hide around the site.
MrTiki sends a welcome email including several items to help get started on the site, and from what I hear, it is not uncommon to sign up on MrTiki and immediately be greeted by one or several members of the site offering help.
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