Kiwaka Reveals the Stars: App Review!

jun 5, 2014

Kiwaka is a new astronomy app for iPhone and iPad that engages users in a fun game of bouncing elephants and firefly collecting to educate them about the stars in the sky!

The Kiwaka game, developed by LANDKA, is accompanied with the separate Kiwaka Story eBook, narrated by Son Of God actor Diogo Morgado, which fleshes out a whimsical but informative story behind the addictive gameplay.

The tale takes place in Kiwaka, a real location in Africa's Democratic Republic of Congo. Deep in the jungle of Kiwaka live four friends: Kudi the pink elephant, Tuka the rainbow bird, Shaka the sneaky serpent and Kwilu the blue crocodile.

The four friends spend every night together admiring the stars. While they're aware that the stars in the night sky come together to make constellations, they wish they could know more about them.

Tuka remembers a Mayan legend stating that fireflies carry starlight, so the pals turn to the fireflies in their quest for knowledge. The fireflies are willing to share their secrets if they can be caught one by one!

In the Kiwaka game, the player controls the elephant Kudi as he travels in a floating soap bubble, collecting fireflies along the way! Kudi rises a bit with each tap on the screen, so the controls are simple and straightforward, especially if you've played games like Flappy Bird!

While your animal friends are well-meaning, their presence can be one of the most frustrating parts of the game. Shaka's poison puts Kudi to sleep and makes his bubble move slowly, while Tuka quickly flies across the screen, potentially popping your soap bubble and sending you back to the beginning of the level!

Thankfully, Kwilu can propel him Kudi into the sky, and grabbing butterflies can also energize the elephant protagonist. That's good news, because jumping fish and lighting bolts threaten your health levels throughout the game!

Once you've finished a level, you get a chance to see the benefits of your hard work. The more fireflies you manage to collect as you play, the more constellations you unlock, and as Kiwaka sits on the equator, our animal friends have the perfect view of all of the stars in the sky!

When you zoom into one of your unlocked constellations, you get to read about the mythology behind them! The game also gives you the chance to hone in on specific stars, galaxies and clusters complete with space images from the European Space Agency, European Southern Observatory and more, allowing players to make their own discoveries!

Kiwaka is a great little game, with a cute story that works perfectly as a vehicle for education. It has a beautiful soundtrack, and should keep gamers entertained whether they want to learn about constellations for just keep busy. It also is just challenging enough to keep things interesting without driving you crazy!

Kiwaka is available in the iTunes store starting today! Check out the links below! Download it yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below, and tell us about some of your favorite apps at SweetyHigh.com!