From time to time we all think about how life would be if we woke up one morning possessing the fame and fortune of an A-list celebrity. Recently, app developers have been capitalizing on this notion with wildly successful games such as Kim Kardashian: Hollywood! While positioning itself in a similar vein, Celebrity Hollywood doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but does introduce enough fresh and varied gameplay elements to breathe new life into the formula.
You play as Kacie, an aspiring actress who dreams of a life amongst the stars. Your primary goal is to climb the celebrity ranks by amassing followers and wealth. This is achieved through various means: going shopping, attending auditions, successfully completing acting roles, going on dates, and attending red carpet events. Each aspect is dynamic, feeding directly into one another as well as your overarching goal.
For example, as you spend money in stores you gain experience and your player level increases, this may in-turn unlock an acting opportunity, which then leads to additional followers and further activities. Celebrity Hollywood is structured in such a way in which it forces the player to see and do everything available in each of the eight maps before progressing to the next, but does so in a natural way that works in tandem with the interwoven gameplay loops.
While the materialistic nature of the game’s objective may come across as overtly shallow, the gameplay is anything but. Hearkening back to 2D point-and-click adventure games from the 1990s, Celebrity Hollywood utilizes a static camera to show off its beautifully minimalist graphics, with the ability to shift between scenes with on screen arrows. The backgrounds to each location are distinct, with well animated characters and cars that don’t pause upon scene transition, giving life to the game.
Celebrity Hollywood houses further adventure game inspirations with light puzzle elements. Auditions you attend require the reading of a brief script, parts of which you’re tasked with remembering when presented with multiple speech options. Similarly, events such as a successful date and red carpet opportunity give additional bonuses if you attend in the correct dress. Enjoyable little mini-games such as kissing at the correct time as to avoid the flashes of the paparazzi also offer fun variety.
No individual component of the game feels redundant; each action has a purpose. This meaningful design wholeheartedly carries over into the flare of the visuals. Not only are locations like Beverley Hills and Miami effectively depicted, but there are a slew of customization options available, as well as small touches that add a layer of authenticity to the experience, such as tweets that scroll by on the stats screen. It’s a slick and well-crafted experience that runs smoothly throughout.
The first three levels of Celebrity Hollywood can be played for free on iOS now, with a full unlock available for a mere $1.99. Discover if you have what it takes to get to the top of Hollywood’s A-list.
