When you first launch Fantasy Hike, it already feels like a game. After clicking the floating “Begin” text, it starts with a story about how a wizard sends you on a quest to return a ring, reminiscent of “Lord of the Rings.” Then, you’ll be asked to give access to your phone’s Motion & Fitness Activity data, Apple Health walking and running distance data, and location tracking.
In your quest stats section, you can see the date you began your quest, estimated date you’ll reach your destination based on your rate, and the progress of your imaginary challenger “Mr. Underhill.” To beat him, the game’s developers claim you should aim to average at least 13 km each day with a “Paddling bonus.”
The Paddling bonus is basically a feature wherein you avatar is paddling down-stream on a boat, which means you’ll be moving two to five times faster than your normal walking speed. Aside from this, it also includes some quirks about things like late morning, second breakfasts, elevenses, and afternoon tea, which basically help explain all the hours in-between wherein you are not moving.
Currently, Fantasy Hike is available to download for free for iOS. Although it hasn’t been released for Android, the developers claim that it’s in progress. One of the best things about the Fantasy Hike app is that you can buy it for a single-app purchase, which means no sneaky subscription fees if you decide if it’s not for you.
