Join the Gold Rush with Klondike Online
A game that taps into the spirit of adventure and settlement is Klondike (Online), which remains a strong favourite in our list of free-to-play games. You can try it out quickly and easily in your browser here at Gaming Impact, or hang around and read our quick blog highlight about it...
You don't even need to register to start testing out this absorbing game.
Welcome to Blue Peaks Valley
Type in Klondike in Google and you'll get a wealth of information about the famous Klondike Gold Rush that pulled in a load of hardy folk to Canada in search of gold fortunes. The reality that awaited them was a little different, but this game is a mix, opting for a much more charming angle. Bright graphics and detail bring the game-play vividly to life, and it still taps straight into that desire for adventure and starting over, digging out an captivating blend of city building, farm management and voyage and discovery, that challenges you to be careful with resources for new explorations.
How else can we sum up the delights of Klondike Online in just a few sentences? Well, from the outset you'll be bound to balance farming, gardening, building houses, hiring help and interacting or trading with local people, before you can begin to set out on new expeditions, that are tied to the ongoing legacy - and mystery - of your father's fate. Don't worry! You'll have lots of help starting out, as the friendly interface guides you about the buttons and menus. The game's current incarnation is titled The Lost Expedition.
The inherent mystery spurs you on in discovering your own skill in the game, as well as its historically-inspired story and depths. But be warned, Alaska and the Far North can be a dangerous place, so exciting expeditions to expand your knowledge of the territory will have to be carefully planned. Sometimes it's better to visit the settlements of friends or neighbors, and uncover some valuable resources or treasures first.
What Lies in Store
Your new home on the Klondike is Blue Peaks Valley. The territory is alive with animals, vegetation... and hunger for gold. Knowing your surroundings and its inhabitants will come in very handy. This includes the warm-hearted, wandering folk of wild Alaska to the local, gold-hungry miners. It's as dangerous as its beautiful. Eagles swoop gracefully from the snowy mountains and water thunders and falls down deep valleys.
First up, you'll need to get some kind of prosperous settlement going, before you can fund expeditions or hire help for forays into unknown areas of Alaska. Before you can manage others, you'll need to prove or find your skills in looking after animals, breeding them, planting and trading or exchanging your produce. Then you can look to hiring some extra hands.
The good news is that your work can be done quicker, since nearly every task can be helped with by hiring local Invites or your online Friends to help out.
This groundwork will enable you to prepare your own expeditions. It's worth bearing in mind that the only way to get hold of better equipment to explore deeper is to make your home-base more successful.
Two Major Components
Klondike creates a beautifully-designed atmosphere that is a unique blend of adventure and resource management simulation.
The first component is laying down a strong foundation or settlement. This includes simple jobs like clearing stones and chopping trees to more complicated ones like building houses for workers and storage buildings to trading with friends.
Neatly interwoven with all of this, is the more exciting; that of discovering new map areas that unlock new clues about the fate of our hero's gold-miner father.
Get Ready for an Expedition
What kind of expedition will you take and how will you get there? From the outset, dogs and sleds are the normal method, both of which can be enhanced for wider explorations. Later on, you'll have the option of taking a plane to travel quickly and in style above the wild lands.
Players can also decide if they will make their expedition a permanent settlement or only a temporary way-station. Temporary ones are great for garnering pure resources for home-base improvement, but permanent ones are more important, as they connect to the central narrative.
All this is why we think Klondike stands out; by combining in a great way these different elements. At the same time, it remains an educational and accessible game for a wide age-group, or any game-playing family to discuss and explore together, or via chat on separate accounts online.
Are you ready to set forth and start working in the name of your lost father? Start packing up for the long journey; if not gold and fortune, then plentiful, colourful challenge and adventure lie in store! You might be proud of what you can achieve, and discover about this period of North American history.
Join the mighty Klondike gold rush, as the game is well worth digging deep into, and we intend to keep it featured here on Gaming Impact.
