Introducing Ape In: Island Hopper

Last week, we introduced Ape Builder, the new off-chain experience that allows users to generate and mint their very first Ape Island Ape characters.

Now, we are excited to share the first major game title within the Ape Island Metaverse: Island Hopper, a rogue-like RPG where users assemble a crew of Apes to complete quests in order to collect Chadium-12, the rare metal resource of Ape Island.

Island Hopper Lore

Legend tells of a mystic island hidden amongst the fog; with the promise of many riches, primarily Chadium-12, to be plundered. Upon its discovery, Apes from all over would begin seeking it, in hopes to claim its riches. Unbeknownst of the danger that awaited them, Ape crews docked the Island.

As the crews disembarked, they noticed catacombs scattered all around. Inside they would find deposits of Chadium-12 ore and treasures to bolster themselves with. What they did not expect to find, however, was a native inhabitant that would become known to them as The Fin Tribe. The Fin Tribe were not fond of the Simian invaders, and met them with resistance. They fought to preserve their riches.

The underprepared Apes struggled to thwart the heaping masses of The Fin Tribe. Many crews vanished without a trace. The few that managed to evade and escape danger were lost to the bottom of the bottle recounting stories of the mystic Island. At least… that’s what legend tells.

Is your crew brave enough to return to the Island and unravel its mysteries? Do you have what it takes to claim the treasure and face the threat posed by The Fin Tribe?

Island Hopper Gameplay and Details

Island Hopper features three major elements: crew management, a dedicated battle system, and in-game item crafting. Here, we will provide high-level details on what to expect with each element with more information planned to be released as the game development progresses.

Crew Management

Boarding Your Ship

Whenever you load the game, you start aboard your ship. It is populated by the many Apes you own in your Ethereum wallet. This acts as the hub for the rest of the game.

Navigation

As the captain of the ship, it is your responsibility to determine where the ship goes. You are provided a map of Ape Island and neighboring known lands. As the game updates, more islands are added to the world for you and your crew to explore.

From time to time, certain quests might appear on your map that reward you with additional treasure, if you dare venture to the uncharted lands.

Selecting your Crew

After you mark your destination, you must choose the crew that will embark on your mission to recover Chadium-12. You are allowed to select up to six of your best Apes for the job. These Apes can be selected from the various seasons of Ape Island.

Every island has different enemies (factions of The Fin Tribe) which require a unique gameplay strategy, making it extremely important to have a diverse set of Apes to accomplish any goal. After you choose your crew, you must equip your Apes with the best items that you have acquired or crafted during your time on Ape Island.

The Battle System

Stats and Modifiers

As your crew encounters a group of enemies or an obstacle/trap, the Apes’ stats are used to determine how well they can either fight the enemies off or disarm the trap respectively. These stats and their meanings are:

• Health determines the vitality of your Ape. If it hits zero, the Ape will faint and must be revived to continue fighting. If your whole crew faints then they surrender the fight and backup must come to save them. All progress on a mission is lost and some Chadium-12 they were carrying will be lost too. This stat is calculated by the sum of a formula comprising all of their stats and a modifier determined by the armor your Ape is wearing.
• Attack determines your Ape’s power. Attack score works as a modifier during battles and increases damage dealt by your Ape.
• Defense determines the stamina of your Ape. Defense scores work as a modifier during battles and decreases damage your Ape takes.
• Speed determines your Ape’s chance at being first to attack during a battle and the chance an enemy’s attack misses.
• Intelligence determines how proficient your Ape is at using items. Certain items can only be used if your Ape possesses high intelligence. Additionally, certain items may use intelligence as a modifier.
• Ability determines the chance an Ape’s attack lands on an enemy and the chance it lands a critical hit while attacking an enemy. Additionally, ability can be used as a modifier for parrying attacks.
• Nature determines your Ape’s courage. The higher a nature score, the lower the chance critical attacks will land on your Ape. Additionally, nature scores increase the chance your Ape withstands fatal blows and survives with one health point. Furthermore, nature plays a large role in determining your Ape’s health points.

Determining Who Goes First…

Every round during a battle, attack order is determined by ranking Apes and enemies’ speed in descending order. Afterwards, exceptions like surrender are moved to the top of the queue.

Battling

At the beginning of every round, players must choose each Ape’s move for the round. Choices range from attacking, surrendering, parrying, and using an item:

• Attack: This option allows your Ape to choose an enemy to deal damage to. The chance your attack lands is calculated by your Ape’s ability stat and the enemy’s speed stat. If it lands, the damage dealt is calculated and it subtracts from your opponent’s health.
• Surrendering: During each round, each Ape is given a chance to surrender. If you choose to surrender, a dice is rolled using your speed modifier and your opponents’ intelligence modifier to see if you got away. If there is a successful surrender then the whole party returns back to the ship and no penalty is dealt. Else if the surrender fails, the whole party is forced to stay and the Ape who surrendered loses that turn. Additionally, surrendering is prioritized over attack order.
• Parrying: During each round, each Ape is given a chance to parry. If an attack is launched at an Ape then the Ape’s ability score will be checked and if it is greater than the opponent’s attack score then the opponent misses and the parrying Ape has a chance to land a counter-attack which is calculated as a normal attack. If no attacks are launched at the Ape then nothing happens and the parry fails.
• Using an Item: This option allows an Ape to use any item they are holding.

Winning the Battle

Once the opposing side has all fainted, your crew is rewarded with a small drop of Chadium-12 and items from the enemy. After the reward is collected, your crew is allowed to continue on their quest.

Losing the Battle

On the other hand, if the opposing side wins and your whole crew has fainted, you will lose a small portion of Chadium-12 and all progress on that particular island. Back on the ship, your crew will wake up with full health and strength, ready to fight again.

Item Crafting

Chadium-12

Integral to the Ape Island experience is the ability to craft special, in-game items that exist first in the app-layer with the option to be minted as NFTs for greater flexibility.

These items include, but are not limited to, weapons, armor, consumable power-ups, rafts, and more. To craft items, users must spend Chadium-12, which is obtainable via direct gameplay. As the Ape Island metaverse progresses, so will the scope of the crafting mechanics and the accessibility of the economy.

Timeline

The single player version of Ape In: Island Hopper will be available in closed alpha in 2021 with a planned full-release in 1H 2022. Given the flexibility of the open economy system enabled by decentralized technology, we will be introducing interim experiences while Island Hopper is in development to drive engagement.

All updates to the progress of the Island Hopper and the larger Ape Island metaverse can be found on the official Ape In Twitter and website.

About Ape In

Ape In is an NFT-driven experience that features a series of mini-games that are designed to offer a consumer-friendly approach to decentralized finance (DeFi). These games function to introduce crypto-centric concepts such as farming and vaulting to a broader audience while forwarding the industry’s thinking around the utility of NFTs.