The main issue I have with Kiarosoft games is shortness, as it only took me two days to finish Dungeon Village, and I was bored of Game Dev Story after a few hours.

They’re usually good games to start with, but after a while they wear out their welcome.

Beastie Bay, their first free game for the iOS, however has enough meat in it to keep someone busy for days.

Essentially the game is a poor man’s Pokémon, ripping off much of popular game series’ trademarks.

It features over ninety creatures, ranging from simple house pets such as a cat and a dog, to more outrageous ones such as a snowman, a Godzilla like monster, and a broccoli tree.

Unlike Pokémon, the battle system is much more simple, featuring only six elements; rock, thunder, water, fire, wind, and normal.

Because of this, the battle seem to be glorified a game of paper-scissors-rock (Sheldon Cooper style). Unlike Pokemon, Beastie Bay also has a SimCity styled element, a characteristic seen in most Kiarosoft games.

This is where the game shows it true addictive colours. You begin with basic structures such as houses for both island residents and monster.

But as you move through the game they keep adding in more structures, such as farm and wood land, to shops and hotel for tourists.

The game does a good job at keeping you interested, and you’re constantly updating and renovate your island, making sure your buildings are placed in the right position, so that you can gain the maximum amount of resources and money.

Although there’s some form of the plotline in this game, a rare thing for Kiarosoft, compared to other games its rather poor and uninspired.

There’s a few jokes and pop culture references, but not enough to keep you interested in the story. You also have the ability to upgrade to remove the ads and allow the game to be play on landscape, but the steep price of almost $7 doesn’t make it worth it.

Despite that, Beastie Bay is a well thought out game that will keep you hooked longer than you’d hope for.

Rating: 4/5

Benjamin Matthews