App Review: High Noon

Tony Mei | Jul 2, 2010 Games

User rating: (17 votes, average: 3.18 out of 5)
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While text-based online role playing games run amok in the app store, happylatte (known by most as the developers who brought to you the Pet Monkey Toilet Trainer games) has stepped up with their own contribution with High Noon, a realistic westerns-based online game featuring the addictive rpg qualities that gamers already know and love mixed with some wicked gunslinging action.

Like similar games, High Noon is based around the concept of ‘energy’, which permits you to duel other people a certain amount of times before you have to let it recharge. However, rather than fighting in a strictly textual way, like ‘Mafia Wars’ type games, High Noon actually incorporates some real time action into the game with fantastic results. Because of this, you want to make sure you’re in an area with good internet connectivity; else the game will spit out a warning about how you need a strong connection to play.

Dueling in the game involves tilting your phone (or pod, or pad) to control your gun’s reticule and tapping to shoot. To reload, simply tilt your device forward.  Rather than gaining experience points to level up, the High Noon uses a system of gold bounties on an enemy’s death. If you successfully slay your enemy in mortal combat, you’ll get a tidy sum of gold toward gaining your next level.

My biggest criticism is how repetitive High Noon can tend to be, especially if you need to collect a substantial amount of gold to reach your next level. While you can liven up battles by purchasing items for one-time use (I enjoyed stringing up bad guys with a lasso for shits and giggles), High Noon can tend to get dry when you have a wide swath of enemies to shoot through.

Because High Noon is a ‘freemium’ game, you have the option to buy a secondary currency, ‘wampum’, using actual money from an in-game store. While wampum allows to you purchase more powerful and valuable items, the game does have a generous selection of items to be purchased with gold.

All in all, High Noon is a strong, addictive game. With its combination smooth real-time action bits and a leisurely leveling up and upgrade system, High Noon is the cream of the crop of online freemium games. And since it’s free, be sure to give it a download if you’re interested, and leave your thoughts about the game in the comments.

Looking to upgrade your 'stache? You can do that too.
Looking to upgrade your 'stache? You can do that too.
Another player
Another player
Out hunting for my next victim
Out hunting for my next victim

Thanks Indian Jo!
Thanks Indian Jo!
Dueling
Dueling
highnoon_price


iTunes Link – High Noon

happylatte’s website


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  • http://www.touchupsoft.com/ Rye

    Thanks for sharing. Will get it and try to play on my iPhone.

  • me

    how can i have free wampun hats my question crazy

  • me

    how can i get free wampum i just have gold i dont have any wampum wish u understand

  • jeorme

    u go press get more the buttom below wampum n u try to press any of wampum u wan then u write ur pw then u get wampum

  • David

    anyone know how to move?
    i see opponents moving around sideways, dunno if im doing the same…

  • tof

    Very good game. however that’s a shame that developper ain’t making it reliable about the network connection. many disconnection and the energy of course is consume. Free apps are great but ppl still need to have some software development knowledge.

  • Jkkiee

    Game sucks. Pistol against a scoped rifle? Never saw a rifle duel. Plus wampum?? Fake money for real money. That is just plain stupid. Great money maker for developer, but players are being took.

  • player

    It is a good game but a lot of bugs. Maybe the connection. The bugs are following:
    -You will see your opponent don’t have anymore life for your last shot then it will shot you for the last time then you will be killed first before your opponent.
    -Sometimes your bullet just goes off without your opponent being shot. a lot of complains when your opponent will tell you their shot is not affecting you of course I also experience that a lot too.

  • shelbnick

    Crappy addictive game that cost more to play then actually purchasing a used PS3! Crap Crap Crap.

  • jake

    i really love this game, only thing that drives me crazy is that you have to purchase “wompom” with real money to keep playing. your health meter goes down pretty quickly, then the only way to keep playing is to spend real money on wompom to buy the juice to re-energize. then the wompom run out and you have to spend real money to keep playing again?? if anything, you should have to pay once to get the “pro version” of the game, then the whole energy bar thing should go away. i think its pretty shady that they want you to consistently pay to play the game…