Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
Platform: iOS/Android
Time spent in-game: 4 hours.
Rating: 3/5
Kim Kardashian is a casual point-and-click game with somewhat plastered-on RPG mechanics like levelling up and an inventory system. There are two in-game currencies, one being the dollars that you earn after jobs and the other being the silver KimK stars that you use real life Google Play currency ($$$) to buy. This game reminded me of the usual point-and-click games like Criminal Case on Facebook, where they use energy points behind each action which in turn give you money that is spent behind buying new stuff for the aforementioned actions. It's a vicious circle but at least no Day 1 DLCs! Oh and compared to the other “free” games, the KimK stars spawned more frequently which felt like a nice change.
You start of as a nobody toiling away in a Downtown LA boutique when Kim Kardashian pops up all of a sudden to buy a dress and you help her out with that. Kim K is then left mesmerised by your style and she encourages you to become a model. You complete photo shoots, buy new clothes, pay your rent (only once), buy clothes, network/date with people and so forth. The photo shoots or jobs involve tapping on actions that just fill a progress bar and no animation whatsoever from your in-game character, which was rather disappointing. After completing the action, you earn stars for your overall quality of the job, money and XP which you crawl on the ground to pick up. The networking and dating option again left me a bit disappointed as most of the cases required you to invest valuable KimK stars. A fun addition to the game was tapping on random objects like bottles and fire hydrants to discover loot (XP, money or energy). The game, ultimately, does not feel clunky at all as opposed to other point-and-clicks. It's well thought out and actually has a storyline instead of just unlocking new activities. You have your agent Simon, your PR person Maria, and Kim Kardashian being unusually benevolent when she finds time for the player out of her busy schedule with Kanye West, Kanye West's ego and her selfie compilation book. There's an achievement system which rewards you with energy points, if unlocked. That was a nice addition. As you level up, you amass fans via the game's own social network and you move up from an E-list celebrity to a D-lister and so forth.
As much as I would've loved to play the game for two straight hours, the game wouldn't let me unless I spent money to buy energy or KimK stars. Either it was that or I played the Russian Roulette game of tapping on fire hydrants which may or may not give me energy points. There was the achievement system but since I didn't have enough energy points, it wasn't possible. While my energy points were replenishing, I left to play other games on my PC or just got busy with stuff and forgot to play the game, which may happen to a lot of people trying this game out. But to those who can actively invest time into the game, it will be an addictive experience. Two of my friends are already A-listers while I'm still stuck in the D-list.
Does the game deserve the scorn it receives from the general crowd? No. Is it a well-made game? Definitely. If it's okay for a randomer to be the saviour of the universe in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested fantasy land, then I think we can stretch our imaginations a little further and allow Kim Kardashian to be a benevolent philanthropist in a game.
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