Most post-apocalyptic games are with zombies, mutant creatures, hardened survivors, and in a barren wasteland. Now take everything about that, remove the undead, throw it into a radioactive ocean, and you get Tarvana: Hungry Sea Monsters. Developed by HeatherGlade Publishing and available for mobile download, this briny dungeon crawler will test your patience and your survivability. It’s a fish eat fish world out there and you could very well be next on the menu.
There is no sugar-coating this game as your chances of survival and success are only as strong as your efforts. With most of the world destroyed and vicious sea creatures prowling right outside one of the few last remaining remnants of civilization, it’s going to take more than a few upgrades to get by. The aquatic life that constantly surrounds you isn’t your run-of-the-mill animals either. Instead you will come face to face with beasts that have adapted to the fallout and are more dangerous than ever. Carnivorous planktons, Nanoshrimp colonies, and even giant clams that look like tiny spawns of Cthulhu, are just a few examples that you will eventually face off. Even if you don’t encounter the lethal wildlife, the ocean around you can just as easily kill you as explorations can prompt encounters that will either provide for you or suddenly poison you with more radiation.
Despite the interesting title screens with scenes of high-intensity action and the game’s fascinating premise, the actual gameplay is slow. Almost every action has a wait period and is dependent on the level and task. If you want to speed up the process to advance your playing, you must spend the in-game currencies in the form of gold, fuel, or cowrie shells. This leads to quickly running out of your spending material as these very same currencies need to be used for basic equipment purchases, repairs, or bodily upgrades. The goal of most mobile games is the encouragement of users to spend real money to obtain in-game money and advantages. Nevertheless, this feels blatantly obvious here and the price really begins to add up.
If you don’t want to spend your money to quicken your gameplay, be prepared to wait in between travels, battles, repairs, and research. The best way to efficiently use your time is to multitask, such as simultaneously studying your foes while you continue to travel through the seascape. However, there are just some parts of the game that you can’t seem to bypass this wait period. When purchasing equipment or selling supplies in the store, the transactions tend to have a 2-3 second pause, which wouldn’t be that much of a problem, unless you were doing multiple transactions.
Exploration of the horrifying watery abyss, that is the ocean, is also a laborious and slow process. Nine times out of ten, you will have to fight before you can continue your adventure. There isn’t much you have to do except select which combat route you want to partake, possibly use a chem to boost your stats, and hope for the best. There is an option to skip watching the bout, but aside from your first choice, there is not much you can do then wait to see if you survive or if you will go belly up. If you die, you will be sent back to your home base and start the survey from the beginning.
This was exciting to begin and the limitless possibilities to enhance, upgrade your character, and explore a wide, dangerous environment was thrilling. As time dragged on, however, all the waiting and the slow advancements staled the game. Tarvana: Hungry Sea Monsters has potential, it is just weighed down with tedious time-suckers and battle mechanics that seem to be more based off of luck.
PROS: Cool graphics and premise, and great monster designs.
CONS: Slow, easy to die, and interests can quickly fade. Personally, not a fan of the ambient noises.
Check Out the Taravana: Hungry Sea Monsters Trailer:
Tarvana: Hungry Sea Monsters is available via the App Store and Google Play.
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Video games have always been a huge influence in my life and have definitely shaped me to who I am today . Some of my best memories growing up were the many adventures and stories I was able to experience and become immersed in. If my hands aren't either covered in clay, typing, editing, creating, or helping shoving food in my mouth, they would either be gripped to a controller, tapping away at the screen of my phone, or clicking away on my PC. I am always up for trying something new because why live just one life when you can live many.
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