Remember “Mario Party“? The super popular video-game series from the 2000s featuring Mario and the rest of his crew? I don’t know about you, but I could play “Mario Party” with friends for hours. How luck, then, that Snapchat has introduced a similar idea with its “Bitmoji Party.” Casey Newton from The Verge said it best: “it’s Mario Party for the mobile phone.”
Whether or not you have a Bitmoji, you probably know what one is. It’s your very own, tailor-made emoji created by you, for you. The cool thing about “Bitmoji Games” is that you play as your very own Bitmoji. What makes all the difference is that your Bitmoji appears more life-like, three-dimensional if you will.
How to Play
It’s super easy to join in on the “Bitmoji Party” excitement. All you have to do is choose a friend. First, find their name and open your Snapchat DM with them. Next, locate the spaceship icon in the bottom right-hand corner and tap it. Here you will be given the choice between “Bitmoji Party” and another gaming feature called “Snake Squad.”
The sweet thing about both “Bitmoji Party” and “Snake Squad” is that even when your friend isn’t available, you can still play against other Bimojis from all over the world. I have tested both the games, but will admit that I prefer “Bitmoji Party” hands down, and I bet you’ll agree.
The Game
The premise behind “Snake Squad” is to collect “power-ups” in order to grow and beat out the other players. Honestly, it becomes quite dull after a while. But, in “Bitmoji Party,” you can play a slew of awesome mini games to collect coins, which you can then spend in the “Shop” section.
So far, there are only a couple games, but they are all pretty addicting. In every individual game, there is a “Game Master,” a player who controls the fate of their fellow Bitmojis. In one game, the Game Master tries to knock down their opponents by choosing which way to swing a massive cleat. Be warned. Sometimes, the Game Master has then option to tap “Fake,” in which case players will leap into the air on instinct. This is where the Game Master has the advantage to swing the goal post and easily knock down their fierce competitors.
Can’t wait for summer? Miss the water? In another “Bitmoji Party” game, which might seem like an innocent pool party, you run from pool float to pool float, hoping you don’t fall in. On the other hand, if you’re the Game Master, your primary objective is to fling pool floaters at your competition, trying to make them take a dive.
The Business Behind the Game
“Bitmoji Games” isn’t all fun and games; Snapchat has to make some money too. The media-communication platform does this through 6-second ads, although I recall certain ads were actually 30 seconds. In exchange for watching an advertisement, loyal Bitmojis “earn virtual currency that can be spent inside games.” Later in time, Snapchat plans to incorporate “in-app purchases and other forms of monetization.”
Snapchat claims its edge is that players can access “Bitmoji Party” and play with friends through the app itself. Snapchat Product Director Will Wu shared, “It’s hard to get everybody to install the same game, then find friends to play with, and it’s hard to chat. There’s way too much friction.” Wu added that, although the mobile gaming industry raked in a hefty $77 billion last year, many of “those games weren’t easily shareable.” What’s more is that players can talk to one another in real-time using a “text chat.”
“Bitmoji Party” can accommodate up to eight Snapchatters at one time, and users can invite 24 of their closest friends to cheer them on in what is Snapchat calls “spectator mode” via a group chat.
Final Thoughts
I did not know “Bitmoji Party” existed till I opened Snap a few days ago. I expected it to be some lame attempt on the app’s part to make it more popular, if that’s even possible. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and addictiveness of Snapchat’s newest addition, and I think other users will be as well.
The company has no intention of stopping with their first version of “Bitmoji Party.” Snapchat will add new and unique features as the game increases in popularity. One thing’s for sure. “Bitmoji Party” will never, ever beat out “Mario Party.” But it’s certainly giving the beloved videogame a run for its money.
