‘StoneAge World’ Review: A Mobile Game With Complexity And Depth

Mobile apps are a prominent way to attract casual gamers because everyone carries their cell phone and it’s easy to jump in during the day while waiting in between errands, a lunch break, or any general downtime. Netmarble has brought their beloved StoneAge franchise to the global market with their newest title, StoneAge World.
The story takes place in the fictional prehistoric world of Tectonica where humans once feared the vicious beasts roaming the land. In order to survive, they created machines to aid in their lives and protect them from dangers. They soon lost control of the Machine life, however, and if it weren’t for the bravery of a hero who fought back and sealed the threat, humanity could have been lost.
Time has passed and there are some who want to resurrect the Machine life, so it’s up to the player to take the role of the next guardian and save the day.

StoneAge World blends an extensive MMORPG with pet collection. There is a high degree of customization beginning with the selection of the trainer, the role the player assumes. There are several different options to choose from and their hair and facial expressions can be selected. Also, there is a wide selection of pets to capture and even within the families, there are further possibilities depending on the elemental attack they use.
The levelling-up system is quite elaborate as well, with several methods to improve your pets. The most basic means is through gaining experience, but also increasing specific attributes or their growth rates through power-ups and advancing skills using special items. There are even costumes that can be found that not only grant additional bonuses, they add another level of cuteness. The pets rely on the ubiquitous star system as well to indicate different strengths and evolutions where a specified combination of collected items can advance a pet to the next stage.

Combat is familiar with pets having a basic, active and ultimate attacks along with a passive ability. Choosing the right elemental properties of your party is important to exploit the weaknesses of the opponent. Fighting with the trainer is slightly different since they can be equipped with armor and weapons. They can even mount certain pets to bring in another participant into the melee.
Since StoneAge World is an MMO, there is the community aspect of interacting with other players. Some of the quests involve hunting parties, so there is a chance to team up with friends and strangers. At a certain point in the game, you can join a tribe, which can be beneficial for gathering more treasures and items. To add a personal touch, trainers can even go on dates and get married. With three islands to explore and various servers, there are plenty of other people to play the game with.

As with any RPG, there is an endless amount of quests to go on. There is the main story which is divided into chapters but also plenty of side missions that can be helpful for levelling up when stuck on a tough opponent in the primary story. A feature that really helps out is a button that can be pressed that takes the player directly where they need to go for their missions. It might takeaway from the game, but when many of the NPC’s look the same, it can really be a timesaver.
Though fun, StoneAge World does have some flaws. It suffers from some aspects of being a free-to-play RPG. Levelling up the pets and trainer can be a grind at times, although the process can be sped up by the use of microtransactions for premium currency. Some of the side quests can also feel tedious. A mission where a hunting party needs to collect 40 of a specific item comes to mind. Outside of the gameplay, I also experienced some crashing problems but that could be due to my using an older device.
Overall, the game is enjoyable and offers a lot of depth and complexity for a free-to-play game with the high degree of customization, multifaceted levelling-up system and expansive world. I anticipate regular updates will bring new content, pets and events to help keep things fresh. With so many mobile games to choose from, this mash-up of World of Warcraft and Pokémon is worth playing.