Domo, the square-bodied, saw-toothed creature who was hatched from an egg, is the star of an exciting and epic adventure in Domo The Journey. He embarks on his altruistic trek upon his buddy Bear Boy’s abduction by the big bully known as Hungry Bear.
While Domo’s mission is to save his friend, can he also succeed in rescuing players of the 2D-platform game from boredom? Find out after the jump.
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Mapping Out Domo’s Journey
Domo doesn’t waste any time trying to save his friend, but Hungry Bear — despite his massive size — is a fast mover. A map that pops up in between stages tracks his progress as he travels through any given environment.
Start your quest in Domo The Journey
As Domo, you’ll move from spot to spot attempting to conquer each stage and trying to catch up. But each stage offers plenty of diversions from your mission that will try to slow you down. For example, some not-so-friendly creatures, such as the cutest spiders you’ll ever see and mean-mugging squirrels, will attack Domo as he moves through the forest, the scene of the first level. There are also some deep holes that can be pitfalls for Domo and some well-placed cacti that can put a thorn in your journey’s progress. And no platform game would be complete without some hovering patches of ground, which make it tough to successfully plant your feet.
Follow Hungry Bear’s trail with the in-between-stages map.
Save Yourself with Simple Moves
With all of these perils facing Domo, it’s a good thing he comes with an arsenal of simple moves that will help him stay safe and save the day.
Using the direction pad, Domo will move forward and backward, but the up and down keys help him look before he leaps. Tap up and Domo will put his hand to his brow to scope out what troubles hang out above his head. Tap down and Domo will crouch a little and scan what lies beneath. As said before, these are simple moves, but they can prevent you from being attacked or facing death-guaranteeing drops.
Look up (or down) to see what dangers lurk above (or below).
Another power in Domo’s possession is the ability to jump very high. Hold down the jump button and Domo will launch himself skyward, high enough to reach seemingly out-of-the-way cliffs and ledges, and often high enough to collect items that will restore your health or coins that will fill your bank. This skill is also helpful for getting over pesky cacti that have been placed throughout a level and even some of the low-hanging villains.
Fighting Back
A hero cannot run from, duck to avoid and jump over his enemies for long. At some point he’s got to fight back. On the offensive side, Domo will find a few weapons throughout stages that he can use to scare off bad guys.
Use a camera to scare of enemies.
The first that he encounters is a camera. Once you have collected it, you can tap its icon when an enemy approaches. As the camera flashes, blinded enemies will run away in the opposite direction.
A guitar is another way to attack bad guys.
There is also a guitar. When domo plays the right chords, a wave of musical notes extends from the instrument, which, much like the camera, sends the bad guys running scared and running away from you as fast as they can move.
Earning Extras
Throughout the stages, not only will Domo find weapons such as cameras and guitars, he’ll also come across some items that are beneficial to his health. A heart represents Domo’s life gauge; whenever he comes in contact with a bad guy, he loses a bit of that life. To replenish it, look for food items that randomly show up throughout the environments.
There is also a way to gain more lives for Domo. When scouring the forest and other environments for Bear Boy, baseballs are scattered around stages. If Domo collects a certain number, he’ll earn an extra life for his efforts and will be able to keep on his quest to rescue his friend.
Collect more goodies throughout your quest.
As previously mentioned, there are also coins in Domo’s world. Collect enough of them and he’ll be able to shop in the game’s store for weapons, extra lives and more. You can also make in-app purchases that will get Domo more coinage that can be for used for power-ups in future levels.
Fun for All Ages?
Domo follows in the tradition of many of its 2D-platform predecessors. The jumping, the attacks, the simple controls, the nonstop action — Domo The Journey has it all. The familiarity of it all is partially what makes his quest as much fun as it is.
Another aspect that makes Domo The Journey an enjoyable way to pass the time is the group of characters themselves. Domo is quite lovable and there’s really no other being out there that looks like him. He’s frightening, but surprisingly lovable and somewhat huggable. Just watch out for those teeth.
What ties everything together is just how challenging Domo The Journey is. Sure, it starts out easy enough, and the tutorials provided in the first stage make it seem like the game is a walk in the park, though one filled with squirrels with anger issues and sneaky spiders. But keep moving through the levels and the cuteness of the characters wears off and your focus diverts to strategy. That’s something that’s not always found in games based on kids’ characters, but here it’s quite noticeable and inspires paying attention so that you can take Domo to the next levels. Yes, the game is fun, but it’s a sure bet you’ll take it seriously in order to conquer the stages and rescue Bear Boy.