Yipe 5
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
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Let's begin at the beginning, shall we? You name and create your character, choosing from the Sneaky, Superhero, and Brains classes. Superheroes are obviously stronger, while the intelligent benefit more from healing and can cast a magical shield; those who opt for the Sneaky path are harder to hit. Personally, I find Sneaky to be the easiest to play. There are also three difficulty levels. Once you're all set up, your noble quest to save the land of Yipe begins.
Of course, the plot isn't where you'll spend most of your time. Yipe requires massive amounts of grinding. I'm not necessarily opposed to grinding, but Yipe's gameplay is incredibly formulaic. You get a quest, find the monsters standing in your way, and realize that you're not strong enough to blast through them. The solution? Kill a bunch of baddies until you can upgrade your equipment! Combat is very simple. You have a special move (magicians can cast a temporary shield, for example) but skill points are very low—I'm talking a maximum of one or two—and the moves aren't particularly useful and never change. As a result, you mostly hammer the attack button (or, alternately, tap on the enemy monster) until one of you dies. Running away is also an option, although the monsters can strike you as you flee. So is combat dull? Yep. As dull as the rest of Yipe's mechanics, which is to say...the simplicity is a double-edged sword. You'll love it or hate it.
When you die, at least, it's no big deal. You get sent to Yipe's "Hell," and once you pay a tithe to the gatekeeper, you're back in business! Granted, this is annoying if you've racked up a lot of gold (the toll is proportional to your cash) but it's a lot more forgiving than many roguelikes. It's small things like this that makes Yipe more friendly towards newcomers.
The "Search" button is also located on this right-side pane. Hit it. Trust me. It'll describe your current surroundings, and the text is always witty and sarcastic. Sometimes the text changes, too, so it's worth a second tap. The funny descriptions also extend to items in the shop and the characters' dialogue in general.
I could go on and on about the minutae of Yipe, but, well...I suspect that many of you already know if this is a game for you. The game boils down to an exploratory grind-fest with frequent and uninteresting battles, but it's tempered by a terrific sense of humor. Add that to the nostalgia it generates, and you might be able to see why I'm hooked. If you're willing to endure the grind, Yipe is a niche treasure that will surely please you. If not? Try a more mainstream game.
Oh, yeah...be sure to check out the official website. It's a treat!