Today we will take a closer look at the new M2E application, which is different from the usual STEPN or Calo Run, Walken.
What is Walken?
Walken is a move-to-earn (move to earn) fitness app . This earning mechanic is familiar to us from applications such as STEPN, Calo Run , Step App . However, if in the above games we are the main character using sneakers, then in Walken our character will be athletic cats, in other words, Catlets (Cathlete). We can upgrade them, crossbreed them, participate in competitions against other players and earn the $WLKN game token.
NFTs in the game are the aforementioned cats – Cathlete, as well as Genes – various attributes for them. Everything related to Catlets, we will analyze in detail further.
Walken how to start playing?
To start playing Walken, you just need to install a mobile application from Google Play or the App Store, depending on the OS of your smartphone. After that, you will be prompted to create a new crypto wallet . During the creation process , be sure to write down the seed phrase (12 words) , if the wallet is lost, then without the seed phrase you will not be able to restore it anywhere.
An important clarification: there are only 3 wallets in the game (blue, orange and purple). Each of them is necessary to store a certain currency.
- Blue – Gems, a token that you earn while walking;
- Orange – $WLKN, the game’s main token;
- Purple – $SOL, the native token of the Solana network that Walken runs on, is needed to pay for transactions.
And yes, in the game, indeed, the wallet is on the left, and the marketplace is on the right, which is different from the M2E applications we are used to.
Done, your account has been created! Each player receives one free Level 0 Cutlet, randomly generated from a set of genes. Now you have everything to start playing and earn.
Walken Catlets
Catlets are in-game NFT characters, similar to the sneakers in STEPN, through which you can earn. However, it is important to note that your initial free Catlet is not an NFT until it reaches level 6. Walken is a game where the user is not directly integrated into earnings, and the entire gameplay is focused on improving your pets, Catlets, and participating in competitions with them, the reward for winning which is $WLKN tokens. Steps completed in real life are converted into Gems, an in-game currency that can be spent on leveling up your pets. Every 1000 steps = 1 Gem.
With each increase in the level of the Catlet, its characteristics also grow – strength (Strength), speed (Speed) and endurance (Stamina), and when the Catlet is generated, the maximum of one or another characteristic (potential maximum) is predetermined. This demonstrates the true benefit of the M2E mechanic for the player: the more the player walks in real life, the better Catlet’s stats become, and the more often he wins competitions, earning even more $WLKN in the long run.
Catlet’s stats increase with each level increase by 10% of their potential maximum. Each Catlet has 6 Gene slots:
- Tail (Tail);
- Body (Body);
- Ears (Ears);
- Environment (Environment);
- Color (Color);
- Muzzle (Face).
Genes determine the appearance, characteristics, and rarity of a Catlet. The values of each of the characteristics significantly affect the chance to win in a particular running discipline.
Each gene is assigned stat points and each has its own rarity, which determines the maximum stats for a Catlet and its rarity. There are 5 rarity categories for Catlets, genes:
- normal (common);
- unusual (uncommon);
- rare (rarity);
- epic (epic);
- legendary.
Rarity determines the energy pool of Cutlets: Rare, Epic, and Legendary Cutlets have more energy pools than Common and Uncommon. Important clarification: the rarity of your pet is determined by the rarest of its genes.
Walken how to earn?
The main way to make money in Walken is to compete for your Catlet to win the $WLKN token. Competitions are held in 6 leagues. And the higher the league, the higher the rewards for winning. All Catlets can participate in the first league. To enter other leagues, you need a minimum pet level:
- Second – level 2
- Third – level 4
- Fourth – level 6
- Fifth – level 8
- Sixth – only level 10
Players will need to constantly upgrade their pet in order to participate in higher leagues and increase their earnings.
Each league has three running modes and the characteristic that most influences victory in this discipline:
- sprint – speed
- marathon (marathon) – endurance (stamina)
- urban running (urban running) – strength (strength)
One energy point is spent for each run. The initial supply of each is 3 energy, each point of which is restored in 2 hours. To start the race, you need to select a league, discipline and your Catlet, after which the game will select an opponent of an equal level for you. The race is completely automatic, the player can not influence the events inside it. Important clarification: withdrawal is available only from 20 $WLKN and you must have at least one NFT Catlet, i.e. pet level 6.
Walken is in some respects difficult to call an M2E game, because earnings itself does not depend directly on the player. And it is still not clear how the developers will keep the audience, because the activity inside the application is minimal, the steps are counted in the background, the runs are automatic. So far, Walken, due to the scarcity of game mechanics, is best viewed not as a way to earn money, but simply an interesting fitness application with gamification elements.
