Tired Of Life? We Tried Out This Free, Cosy Mobile Game That Lets You Take A Break
Finally, my (in-game) plants will never die!
Kinder World is an early access free mobile game focused on helping players with pandemic burnout and loneliness
Image via Lumi Interactive (Provided to SAYS)
Kinder World is a mobile game developed by female-founded Australian game developer studio, Lumi Interactive. With the goal of making the world a better place through comfort gaming, they recently released an alpha version of their latest cosy mobile game, Kinder World.
The game's focus on mental health is backed with evidence by consulting with a wellbeing researcher, Dr Hannah C Gunderman, and psychologists to make sure that the in-game mindfulness activities work for alleviating players from burnout, tiredness, and a sense of being overwhelmed.
Once I opened the game, I was immediately greeted with an introductory cutscene of a heart falling down from the skies through lush greenery, and welcomed by heartwarming positive messages
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
The storyline follows Samy (the cutest dog ever) that needs our help with taking care of houseplants
Image via Lumi Interactive (Provided to SAYS)
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
I was given a plant card to nurture. The first plant card they gave me was a Monstera Deliciosa that I had to grow to earn stars and unlock its story. To grow it, I have to water it with either normal or enriched water.
For enriched water, you're expected to carry out a kindness activity, either daily gratitude or emotional naming.
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
In the daily gratitude activity, there will be a daily question like "What are you grateful for today?" that the player must answer before proceeding to water the plant. You'll also be able to read heartwarming messages from other players worldwide.
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
As for the emotional naming activity, you're given a terrarium to fill with a category of emotions, and the final composition of your terrarium depends on your emotions throughout the week (or whenever you play again).
With six categories of emotions and subcategories for specification, players can name their emotions before watering the plant. The game aims to help players acknowledge all emotions as something positive, including anger, sadness, and fear.
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Don't worry about your plants dying, as the game allows you to set notifications to remind you when it's time to water your cute, virtual plants. It's worth noting that, even if you leave your plants for a long time, they won't die (in the game at least).
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Once I'd earned the first achievement of growing my first ever Monstera plant, the game gifted me with a box of trinkets and decor items for me to decorate my room
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Then, the room decoration story unlocks and we're greeted by Quilliam, a porcupine that introduces you to your new room. You can decorate your room with the new items earned from your previous achievement.
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Of course, just like almost every mobile game, there are in-game purchases where you can buy more room decorations
Image via Alia Kamelia/SAYS
Overall, the experience of playing this game has been nothing but heartwarming and wholesome, as I'm able to unwind and relax with this effortless gameplay.
However, there are some improvements that can be done to further make the gameplay smoother:
- A major issue I had while playing the game was during the room decoration story, where after I put the Samy plushie on the windowsill, I got stuck in the storyline with no way to progress. This happened when I closed the game without fully finishing the mission. However, this issue was resolved after several emails to the developer, and since then, my in-game experience has been amazing. So, remember not to close your game without finishing the mission first!
- Another thing I had an issue with was the lack of information on when the other features would get unlocked, as it took me several days to unlock them. It would be nice to have a time countdown of some sort to clarify my progress and time left to unlock the rest of the game features.
Disclaimer: Do note that the game is still in the alpha testing phase, so bugs are bound to happen. However, to ease the experience of future players when they play the game, these are some of my experiences.
Watch the trailer for Kinder World below:
You can download Kinder World in Google Play and Apple App Store.
Image via Lumi Interactive (Provided to SAYS)
If you're looking for more games that help you process your emotions and issues, read this story:
Want more relaxing, minimal-effort games? Here are some suggestions:
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