Adventure World: A Zynga Game With a Goal
By Jared Newman | Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 11:00 am
At a glance, Adventure World looks most other Zynga games — colorful, cartoony, isometric, with lots of things to click on. But Adventure World has a rare quality among Zynga’s social games: you can beat it.
Zynga is best known for open-ended simulations. In Farmville, for instance, you cultivate an ever-expanding plot of land. In CityVille, you cultivate an ever-expanding metropolis. In Mafia Wars, you cultivate an ever-expanding criminal empire. Whereas these games provide a sandbox, Adventure World offers structure — and a break from Zynga’s usual theme of resource management.
I haven’t played Adventure World, but I got a hands-off demo of the game with Nabeel Hyatt, General Manager of Zynga’s Boston studio. This is the studio’s first effort under the Zynga Boston moniker–it went by Conduit Labs before the acquisition–and it’s also Zynga’s largest game yet, at 40 times the size of previous Zynga titles.
Adventure World is the first of what Zynga refers to as “social adventure games.” You play as a member of the Adventure Society, in a search for the lost secret of El Dorado. Each level of the game contains traps to avoid, enemies to fend off and a collectable idol at the end, which acts as part of a key to the lost city. And once you’ve completed the game’s five areas, there’s not much else to do — at least until Zynga releases expansion packs with more levels.
How quickly you move through each area depends partly on skill. In another rare move for Zynga, players can take damage from traps or foes, reducing their energy meters. Every action in the game requires energy, so when the meter drops to zero, players will have to wait for it to recharge to progress further.
As with Zynga’s other titles, Adventure World doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. Up to a dozen players can work together simultaneously, hacking through obstacles and solving puzzles. Over time, players can upgrade their tools and unlock new ones, so players with little experience will want to recruit veteran adventurers with better gear. The more work you distribute among friends, the less energy you’ll have to consume.
Of course, Adventure World will be free to play, with the option to buy new tools and upgrades. And it’s a Facebook exclusive, underscoring a new dilemma for Zynga: With the launch of Google+ Games, Zynga will have to split time between two social networks. For ambitious new launches like Adventure World, it’s an easy choice–Facebook has way more users–but I assume Google won’t be happy if Facebook keeps nabbing all the new IP. Hyatt wouldn’t comment on how it’ll divvy up games from now on.
Admittedly, I’m the kind of gamer who turns up his nose at most Zynga’s titles, but I think much of that has to do with my aversion for open-ended simulations. (I never fell in love with Sim City, either.) With Adventure World, I’m glad to see Zynga head in a new direction — one with that combines structure and plot with a social hook.
The game will launch within weeks, but no release date is set yet.
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September 1st, 2011 at 10:16 am
The problem with most of the Zynga games is not just their open-endedness, but also the big reliance on the social aspect (or paying $ for virtual items) in order to progress in the game. In order to advance, you can harass your friends for multiple parts to build things (almost comical how many times you have to do that), or you can just fork over cash and "instantly" complete the quests. Or the third route, in which you look for other FB strangers who are playing the same game, "friend" them and then do the harassment thing.
I agree that the "you can finish the game" aspect is different, but that could cause many people to just quit after that point. I think a better scenario on social gamins is what Firaxis Games is doing with their CivWorld game – you can play that solo pretty reasonably, but when you team up with other players, you do better in the game (without needing to constantly send messages to them, too). The game definitely has a beginning, middle and end as well – the game I'm currently playing has been going on for about two weeks, and will probably last another week before they reset and you can start again. It's a lot more enjoyable than the open-ended, "collect 5 fence posts to build a pet run" Zynga games.
September 1st, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Great point. I regret not asking the folks at Zynga whether cooperation will be required to progress through the game. My guess is that it won't be — you'll just progress much more slowly without help — but we'll have to see.
September 5th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Or you can make a profile for your cat and play with yourself. That's what my mom does.
November 11th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
There is another option. It was an option I have never ventured into before, however once I did, it has been amazing. You can go out and invite people to friend you… yes, total strangers who are just as into the game as you are. Now, I know this sound nuts, and I thought so at first BUT I have "met" some of the most wonderful people and have become chat pals with people from all walks of life and from all around the world and it has been pure heaven. I have been fascinated with how this has evolved for me and have been warmly surprised and rewarded by the contact with others. Nuff said. Annette R
September 5th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Looks good
October 6th, 2011 at 9:11 am
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October 11th, 2011 at 5:50 am
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November 13th, 2011 at 3:57 am
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December 26th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
With the millions of Farmville and Mafia Wars players online, Zynga could attract some of its most loyal supporters to try out this game. However, seeing that this game has an end, I doubt it will enjoy the same insane success that the previous 2 games has enjoyed.
January 4th, 2012 at 5:33 am
Reminds me of Indiana Jones 😛 Muay Thai Combinations | Muay Thai Kick | Martial Arts for Children
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