I didn't have much experience with the browser-based version, so I read up on Karen's MMO Family article, made an account, and logged in. I was impressed by the game's visuals even though they are fairly primitive, as they do a good job of giving a sense of scale and accurately recreate many of the movie's characters. The game is very active, even during odd times of the day, and the chat is filled with players discussing the finer points of being a viking.
Unfortunately, the game lacks in polish. Is it be good enough to satisfy younger, less picky fans? Possibly, but after playing the browser-based version, I hoped that the mobile version would somehow feel smoother and more natural.
The problem with any mobile MMO, especially one that works like a "standard" MMO with avatars on the screen that are literally controlled in real time, is that holding up the device can be a chore. Even the very light iPad Air or my eight-inch Galaxy Note 8.0 can be tiring to hold after a while. Without a click-to-move option, I find holding a device up off of the floor or counter is the only option. Luckily the developers considered different hand sizes and allowed customization the UI by simply sliding its elements around. I was even able to make a left-handed movement layout, something I have rarely seen in mobile MMOs.
The best control option I have seen for a standard mobile MMO is one that has one stick for movement and another for the camera, along with options for the camera to follow behind the player. I'm not saying that the mobile version of School of Dragons is hard to control, but like many things in the game, it just doesn't feel very smooth.
I figured that surely the iPad version would work more smoothly, being that it could utilize the device's accelerometer for natural-feeling, immersive flying that even a child could work with. Instead, I found more need for tweaking. The controls were too erratic and sloppy. I could see a child becoming frustrated with them, at least at the beginning. Travelling between zones or major areas is accomplished by flying a large taxi dragon. It's a good chance to get a feel for flying, but it's generally such a short trip that by the time you feel as though you are getting used to the controls, the trip is over.
I also tested out the game's ability to switch between the two version on the fly. I signed into the browser version, completed a lesson or two, and signed into the mobile version. For the most part, it works, but it would sometimes place my character in a step or two behind while doing a quest. I finished one quest, for example, only to find that my mobile character (the same character, mind you) was still two steps behind. Instead of redoing the quest, I logged out of the mobile version, logged back in, and found it completed. Syncing obviously needs some work, and loading times on both versions can be a bit annoying.
As Karen pointed out in her look at the browser version, the game is a nice kid-friendly introduction or extension to the world of How to Train Your Dragon, one of the best family-friendly movies I have seen in a long time. The graphics are a bit primitive, but a scaled-down graphics engine doesn't stop millions of kids from playing games like Wizard101. I'm not sure why, then, both versions of School of Dragons seem to lag and skip. I am playing both on powerful equipment and still get lagged responses and hitching characters. Perhaps it has something to do with the Unity engine that the game utilizes.
The main source of frustration for me came from the sludgy and inaccurate controls. I understand pinching to zoom in and out, but having to hold down two fingers to control the movement of the camera feels unnatural. Driving my character around with the on-screen pad was bad enough to force me to fall off of cliffs or into water.
All that being said, the game is a decent mobile version of its browser-based sibling. It will keep your child entertained while you drive to the babysitter. It might feel better on the iPad mini or smaller Android tablets when available because the control scheme demands holding the tablet upright most of the time. On top of that, moving the camera around to look at stuff means placing the tablet down in order to put two fingers on the screen. It's a silly solution.
I would stick with the browser version for now. If your kid is crying for some sort of entertainment while on the road, have him or her play something else.
Each week in MMObility, Beau Hindman dives into the murky waters of the most accessible and travel-friendly games around, including browser-based and smartphone MMOs. Join him as he investigates the best, worst, and most daring games to hit the smallest devices! Email him suggestions, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.