Gaming On-The-Go is a weekly series that explores the mobile gaming industry, as well as uncovering the current trends, with hands-on guides for the latest smartphone and tablet games.
When Despicable Me debuted back in 2010, the adorably silly little yellow characters wearing overalls stole the show. So much so that they starred in their own animated film that hit theaters in July. With their gibberish language and hilarious stunts, people of all ages wish they had their very own army of evil followers to order around.
Luckily for mobile gamers, we can do just that.
Electronic Arts, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Partnership & Licensing released the mobile game Minions Paradise worldwide on iOS and Android earlier this month. Impressively, the game has already been downloaded more than 16 million times.
"Minions are sweet, yet subversive, and they always seem to be failing 'up' in the most spectacular fashion. I think we can all relate to that, and find ourselves wanting them to succeed in spite of their nonconventional style," Mike Rasmussen, game general manager on Minions Paradise, told Tech Times.
Minions Paradise allows players to build on a chain of islands, putting the yellow screwballs to work to stock up on supplies to build fancier buildings and decorations to throw party celebrations that will attract more Minions to join in on the fun as you expand your paradise.
"A lovable screw-up named Phil ruins the Minions' vacation by sinking the cruise ship they are all on, and lands alone on a deserted island," Rasmussen explained. "The player gets to help Phil make up for this by turning that island into the ultimate Minions paradise. By helping Phil create tons of fun things for the Minions to do, and throw Minion parties, the player can help Phil redeem himself in the eyes of his Minion buddies."
The game is similar to other town-building games where your Minion workforce must get busy so you can build more and therefore complete more tasks to advance in the game. These include things such as collecting coconuts, bamboo and stink bombs, as well as completing minigames such as water skiing with an alligator to collect these resources and the game's currency.
There are two types of currency in the game: the premium currency called Doubloons, and the game's free currency called Sand Dollars.
"Doubloons are earned as rewards for playing minigames, any time you throw a party with Phil and by participating in limited-time events. Doubloons are primarily used to speed up timers, and unlock additional slots to make building and crafting more effective," said Rasmussen.
Even though you must instruct the Minions to gather resources (by tapping on the particular building or structure, such as a hammock), you don't have to wait long periods of time for these tasks to be completed as in other games like Sims FreePlay or Jurassic World: The Game, where one action can take hours. Plus, players will earn Doubloons instantly, so its good to put your Minions to work.
You can have more then one Minion on a specific task (with some left over, sometimes), and since they are finished with collecting the resources at a reasonable speed the player can stay on the game instead of constantly leaving and coming back.
The game also features quests that will unlock new items, Minions, unlock new parts of the island for building, and help you earn the second kind of currency in the game, Sand Dollars.
"Sand Dollars are earned as rewards for quests, and by selling items that you build and craft," said Rasmussen. "Sand Dollars are used primarily to purchase buildings you can place in your game world."
While you might want to sell items to earn some currency, it's important to focus on combining the resources in order to create more buildings and other fun items like skateboards and grenades.
"This game is about maximizing the Minion's paradise that you build as a player. Players are most successful in the game when they optimize their resource production and crafting," Rasmussen said. "This will enable players to progress through the game and unlock interesting new items, and earn the Sand Dollars necessary to place those items."
As your island grows, more Minions come to join in on the party, so make sure you have your resources stocked up to refill Welcome Baskets that are located on the Celebration Station board to increase your experience.
When your army of impulsive, yet loyal, creatures (which are more laid back than diabolical in the game) completes just about any kind of action, the player is also rewarded with party points, which help you level up to get the disco ball lowered and light show action going to celebrate. Click on Phil (when the exclamation point is present), who is stationed at his bar hut to start his missions.
"As you progress in the game, it is really satisfying to expand to and unlock new minigames in the game. It is also great to unlock new 'distractivities,' which are fun activities your Minions can do in your paradise that generate fun points. There is also a mysterious volcanic island on that map that might have some interesting new ways to play the game," Rasmussen revealed.
There's certainly a lot to create with these little critters. As someone who jumps between games often during gameplay, I found myself captivated almost as much as when seeing them on the big screen. While you are waiting on your Minions, go crazy and decorate your paradise with exotic plants, statues to provide a tiki bar-like ambiance, and other fun island additions.
All that's left to say is "Bananaaaaa!"
Minions Paradise is available to download for iOS 8.0 and higher and Android 4.1 and higher for free, with in-app purchases.