HyperBeard is back with yet another fun, casual game that is guaranteed to excite cat lovers everywhere. If you have played and enjoyed some of HyperBeard’s most popular games such as Adorable Home and the Kleptocats series just to name a few, then you will most likely get hooked on Kiki’s Vacation.
Kiki’s Vacation is a uniquely relaxing casual game that leaves no room for pressure or dedicated hours. With a cute and child-friendly art style, coupled with a simple non-linear gameplay that revolves around exploration, the game can cater to just about anyone although it does have some contents that may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13.
As the title suggests, Kiki’s Vacation follows the sweet and colorful life of Kiki following her decision to take a long break from stressful work and the city life. As you begin a new life in a new and exciting world within Kokoloko Island, your day-to-day activities only revolve around fun and relaxing activities that involve discovering new things and meeting a lot of new people. As shells are considered as the only currency within the island, collecting them becomes part of your routine as well.
Residents of Kokoloko Island are very much engaged in their own social medium called MeowLife and as you meet new people and engage in various activities, special moments are captured and posted in it. Various events take place at different times of the day and the game reflects actual time in your location. There is much to be discovered in Kiki’s Vacation but you can freely do so at your own time and pace.
There is not much complexity as far as controls and mechanics of Kiki’s Vacation are concerned. Interaction requires a simple tap and whether it is people or objects, you can easily identify which ones are made for you to interact with. As a casual game, Kiki’s Vacation initially leaves you with very few things to do as a lot of experiences and events follow purchases, which naturally require certain amounts of shells. Kiki’s Vacation is designed in such a way that progress can be minimal but sufficient.
If you want to make a good amount of progress in the game and some help in discovering all entries in your MeowLife feeds, then stay with us and read our Kiki’s Vacation beginner’s guide for some useful tips, cheats and strategies!
1. Interact With Everyone You See
As a newcomer to Kokoloko Island, one of the most important things you need to do is get yourself acquainted with as many of its residents as you can. Expectedly, you would want to have as many friends as you can but do not be surprised if you discover that some characters are not as friendly as can be when you first encounter them.
Pay close attention to what each character you interact with tells you. While some of them may just share with you some introductory stories, some actually provide hints as to how you can share a special moment with them, or more importantly, how to add more milestones for you to post something new on your MeowLife feeds. Make it a habit to tap on characters you interact with more than once as they will often have something different to say the second time around or may even trigger a unique scenario after a long conversation.
For the most part, most characters have a triggered response based on the items you have in your inventory and on top of what they are saying, you can also get some hints from each item’s description. It may happen as well that some characters will have a different response later within the day or on another day so as part of your daily adventure, make sure to converse with each character you see.
While some of the colorful characters will be in different locations or performing different actions at times to hint a unique event, some will be a little more subtle. In some cases, conversing with one resident may not make sense on its own so it is up to you to try and relate it to what other people are saying consecutively.
2. Collect As Many Shells As You Can
As shells serve as the exclusive currency in Kokoloko Island, you need as much of it as you can have to enjoy all the amenities the island brings as well as to improve your experience within it each day. There are many regular sources of shells within the island and you can also obtain some from the daily rewards you receive. As far as expenses go, there is the shop that sells a variety of items each day, a food van, and a spa that each can unlock a photo moment you can upload to your MeowLife Page so chances are that you will find it easier to spend shells than earn them.
To start off, shells continue to wash ashore just right next to your shack. You can initially collect as many as 99 shells every hour although after collecting several times within the day, the waiting time grows longer and longer. Crabs and kiwis scattered across the town will often hold up something for you to pick up when you click on them. You can get as much as 15 shells if you are lucky but sometimes all they have are garbage. It may be hard to notice at first, but some of the shrubs you can find in town shake whenever you tap on them. Very rarely, these shrubs can earn you a shell, some trash, or other items.
Some crabs and other characters may also present you an opportunity to earn 100 shells at the cost of watching a short video ad. These opportunities do not come so often so if you have the time, be sure to take advantage of it. On top of that, you may often see planes pass by that drag an ad banner behind them. Click on the planes as well to watch a 15 to 30-second video ad that can earn you some more free shells.
You can also click on the “+” button at the left side of your shells on the upper right side of the screen. This will take you to the store where you can purchase additional shells at the cost of real money. Do not worry, though, as there is also an extra set of opportunities for you to secure more shells.
At the top of the page, you can earn 30 shells after playing a 15 to 30-second video ad. You can watch up to 5 times in a row and as soon as you watch one a countdown begins as to when the chances will replenish. If you are in need of some quick shells without much effort, then be sure to take advantage of this opportunity on a regular basis.
3. Purchase Items From The Shop Regularly
Some special events may take place in Kiki’s Vacation without you having the need to spend shells at the shop. There is a limit to it, though, and for the most part, you will need to collect a wide variety of unique items to trigger certain events from happening. These events do not happen outright as you will have to wait a few hours or, sometimes, even days before it initiates. In other cases, you need to have a specific item in your inventory to initiate a unique conversation with some of the locals.
It is a given that items appear randomly at the shop and only become available for a limited time. Some are a lot more expensive than others and some are obviously needed. It is likely that you will already know what you need to buy especially in the case of interactable objects and people that already tell you what you need specifically.
As an example, there is a radio close to your shack that initially has more static than sensible messages. After clicking on it a couple of times, Kiki will realize that she needs tools to fix it. As such, you will know that a screwdriver, a hammer, or a toolbox from the shop will help you fix the radio. The radio can be fixed easily but will continue to break every once in a while. In any case, be sure to tap on it whenever you are around as it can unlock a variety of unique events.
In any case, be sure to read through each item description carefully. If you can afford to do so, explore a bit more around the island before deciding which item to buy before the day ends. It would be best if you make it a habit to save some shells for emergencies like when the item you are waiting for is currently unavailable at the shop. Every so often, an opportunity for you to add more items to the shop will be presented and all you need to do is watch a 15 to 30-second video ad to have the items refresh immediately.
4. Treat Yourself At The Spa And The Food Van
Two equally good source of moments to capture and post to MeowLife are the treats you can purchase off of the food van and the various rejuvenation sessions you can undergo within the spa. Each option carries with it some costs, of course, but if you do have shells to spare, be sure to check each one out at least once.
Yoga sessions will require you to have a towel which can be purchased at the shop but for everything else, you only need to pay the corresponding fees. It may be best to make it a habit to taste new food whenever the van is open but for the spa sessions, the options remain constant all throughout so you can afford to leave it at the last priority and only when you have a lot of extra shells.
5. Go Fishing To Kill Time
One great feature that serves as a mini game within Kiki’s Vacation is the fishing activity. You can partake in it anytime as long as you have obtained a fishing rod from the store. While most items you purchase end up within your inventory, some of them can be found on your shack just like the broom and duster you will have to clean up your place.
Once you have the fishing rod, you will see it at the smaller shack just beside the radio. You can tap on it to initiate the fishing session and you will see Kiki, resting on the platform to the left of the shack. There are a couple of random elements active in the fishing mini game. For starters, a bite, or so to speak, indicated by the exclamation mark bubble above Kiki’s head indicates that you need to tap on her to reel in your catch. Once you tap on her, you will see a constant circle and a bigger one that continuously closes in on the first.
Once the bigger circle touches the edges of the smaller, constant circle, it will turn green. You should only tap on it when the green is circle as doing so before and after will make you lose your catch. In any case, it only takes a few seconds for the exclamation mark to pop up above Kiki’s head so feel free to spend as much time as you can fishing as you might even discover some new things and events worth posting on MeowLife.
Naturally, fish is not the only thing you can catch from the sea and for the most part, you will be reeling in trash instead of actual marine creatures. A bait can also be purchased from the shop to increase the chances of catching fish. We have only been fortunate to see and purchase a basic one that attracts common fish but perhaps there are more expensive baits that will attract some unique items from the ocean.
6. Check In At Different Times Of The Day
Kiki’s Vacation does not actually require you to spend a lot of time on it in one go. Typically, playing for 5 to 10 minutes at a time should already be enough for you to claim free gems and engage in a couple of activities as you explore more of the island. What is more important is to consider visiting the game often, more specifically, doing so at different times of the day.
There are not that many complex differences in time so long as you get to visit during the day and at night. You will notice a big difference in the people between day and night and if you have some new items in your inventory, then checking everyone out on different times of the day may help you discover more special events faster.
7. Save Up Shells For The Beach Expansion
You may notice early on the sign at the far right side of the town leading to the beach. When you enter it, it will be littered with trash, forcing it to close down until everything gets cleaned up. You need to actually donate 2,200 shells for the crabs to clean the place up and while it may take you a while to save up that many shells, you should continue to do so moving forward.
The beach is actually a big expansion that is almost as big as the town with about as many new folks to see and interact with along with new experiences to gather. Once you have donated the needed shells, it will take 3 days for the whole cleaning operation to finish.
In any case, be ready to also frequently talk to each character in the beach just like the town. You will come to find that a lot of them will again give you ideas on which items to target next at the shop while some will remain a mystery or a surprise if ever you chance upon a new item at the shop that would trigger a special event.
8. Playing Offline And Using The Time Travel Cheat
You might find it a surprise but Kiki’s Vacation is actually a game you can fully play and enjoy offline. The only time you actually need to be online as you play the game is whenever you need to play a video ad for some extra shells. With that, then you should know as well that the in-game clock is set to reflect your device’s time contrary to a server-sided universal time that stays consistent regardless of what time your device is set to.
If you want to enjoy Kiki’s Vacation entirely without cheats, then you should stop right here as we will proceed to unveil a common exploit when it comes to offline games that have time-bound aspects or features. While it presents an opportunity to gain an advantage for you, especially as far as earning shells is concerned, it also comes with its own set of disadvantages and threats.
To start off, the shells at the beach, the daily login rewards, the store, and time-released features such as the unlocking of the beach after you donate, can all be affected by the time travel cheat. To ensure less hazards once you choose to engage in the activity, it is best to plan well ahead of time adjustments or jumps before attempting to do so. Another thing you ought to consider is to exit out of the game first before doing this as keeping the game running while you adjust the time or date may cause some bugs or glitches.
Once you close the game, you can go the settings of your device, then the date and time settings, then finally jump to an hour later, in case you just claimed shells near tour shack. You can now launch Kiki’s Vacation again and instantly claim free shells. It is best to do this several times over before finally setting the time back to how it was.
Likewise, doing so several times until you reach the succeeding day is more advisable than quickly jumping to tomorrow. If you change the date and move it forward, the shop will begin to display new items and you will also be immediately able to claim the next daily reward.
Do note that if an important event is captured and lodged on MeowLife, the date stays even after you travel back to the real time. The feed will automatically arrange all events chronologically but it may occasionally cause the entire game to freeze and you will have to close it down again and return to the actual date to continue playing.
As far as the beach shells are concerned, it can happen that the next batch of free shells will be claimable at a much longer time. It may happen as well that you will no longer be able to claim the daily rewards for the days that you jumped to. In any case, no real rewards will be lost but rather, you will just claim them in advance.
Again, be very careful when you use this exploit and be especially aware of the possible repercussions. Kiki’s Vacation is designed to have a slow yet relaxing pace so speed-boosting fast ahead, especially with cheats on your side, may just leave you with little to do and expect from the adventure moving forward.
And that sums up all the tips and strategies we have come up for Kiki’s Vacation. We certainly hope that you learned a good trick or two with the tips and strategies we shared here and that you enjoyed reading through this guide. If you have played the game a lot and have discovered some neat tips or cheats other than the ones we already discussed, be sure to share them with us in the comments below!