Walken nft game with cats is a representative of the “Move to earn” genre , the trend of which was set by STEPN. Today we will compare both applications and identify the “pros” and “cons” of each of them.
What is STEPN and Walken?
STEPN are move-to-earn fitness apps. This is the #1 M2E game that brought such a huge popularity to this earning mechanic. The essence of the game is that the user buys NFT sneakers for himself and takes daily walks / runs (depending on the type of sneaker), earning a GST token. Almost every month we see news that a new M2E application is being created, which, in fact, is another STEPN clone, differing only in design. A detailed review on STEPN can be found in the article “STEPN NFT Game How to Play and Earn?”
Walken is a competitor to STEPN, also a member of the move-to-earn genre. However, this game is not a simple “STEPN clone”, but a completely new application with its own concept, style and earning mechanics. In the game, the user upgrades his NFT cat (Catlet) and participates in competitions against other players, earning a WLKN token if he wins. A detailed review on Walken can be found in the article “New M2E game Walken review”
Stepn vs Walken. Concept.
Let’s start with STEPN . The concept of the game is quite simple: lead an active lifestyle. How does the application contribute to this? After buying sneakers, the user begins to accumulate energy every day, which needs to be spent walking or jogging in order to earn. Thus, the game motivates every day to spend time on a healthy lifestyle.
Speaking of Walken , it is immediately worth noting that the “move to earn” mechanics in the game do not force the user to lead an active lifestyle for some limited time every day. Rather, it encourages your normal physical activity, because the application runs in the background, and the data is taken from the steps sensor on the phone.
What can be the conclusion?
In STEPN , you are the main character of the game, and it motivates you to log in daily for a limited amount of time to take a walk or run and earn money from it.
In Walken , the main character is your Catlet, in this application you are more like a trainer for your pet than the main participant in the events. All you need to do in the game is to sometimes log in and participate in auto-races to earn money, because. all your physical activity will be taken into account in the background.
Stepn vs Walken. Investments and NFTs.
Often, in order to start making money in M2E games, the user needs initial investments, for example, the purchase of some NFT item. In the case of STEPN, the initial investment will be the purchase of an NFT sneaker, but in Walken, the player is given a free character (Catlet) who will turn into an NFT when they reach level 6.
STEPN sneakers. This is your NFT, which is required in order for you to play and earn. To get started, you will have to purchase it on the marketplace. How to choose sneakers, you can read “here”
Walken cutlets. Each player is given a free Kitty, which is not originally an NFT yet, but will become one when it reaches level 6. That is, in order to start earning, starting investments are not required. The only thing that you have to spend in this case is the time to upgrade Catlet to level 6.
Similarities between NFT STEPN and Walken:
- Pumped characteristics;
- Equipment slots. Additional items to improve performance.
- Differences:
The evolution of NFT rarity. In STEPN, the shoe itself has a rarity that cannot be changed, while in Walken, the rarity of the Catlet depends on its equipment.
As for the cost of entry, we can conclude that Walken allows you to start earning without starting investments, while in STEPN we need at least one purchased pair of sneakers. But here it is worth noting that in STEPN, after the purchase, we can immediately start earning, and in Walken, only when our pet becomes an NFT. Many players say that leveling up to level 6 takes a very long time, so some prefer to buy an NFT cat on the marketplace rather than download it themselves.
Stepn vs Walken. Application.
Both projects have faced criticism of their applications at the time. In STEPN, many did not appreciate the design for its primitiveness and dullness. Also, during the runs, the “Moonwalking” mode appeared, which did not count your activity. This mode was created against dishonest players, but sometimes it worked for regular users as well.
The Walken received a lot of negative reviews due to the unusual design of the Walken. users are accustomed to the layout of the navigation bar so that the marketplace is on the left and the wallets are on the right. Automatically, the players clicked on the right button, intending to go to the “Wallets” tab, but instead they got to the marketplace, which did not work at the early stage of the application and caused a lot of bugs in the application.
In addition to minor problems with the design, a flurry of hate fell on Walken for the underdevelopment and dampness of the application. Many players have experienced issues with their device being unsupported due to a “missing Step Sensor” or game crashes on launch, even after they’ve already played a few days.
But speaking objectively, when STEPN was launched, there were not so many problems in the operation of the application as in Walken , because of which many users spoiled the first impression of the game about cat athletes.
Stepn vs Walken. Earnings.
Earning is the most important aspect in all new to earn applications. And, if you compare STEPN and Walken , two projects in the “move to earn” genre, then you can highlight significant differences.
- User engagement. In STEPN, earnings really directly depend on your movement at a certain speed for a while, while the data is read using GPS. And in Walken – on the number of victories of your character in auto races and your activity is counted in the background using the Step Sensor, which is easier to deceive than GPS;
- Earning mechanics. If the mechanic of earning in STEPN is a considerable amount: walking, minting and selling sneakers. Then in Walken you can count only 2: participation in races or pumping a free Catlet to NFT and its subsequent sale. Moreover, in STEPN, using various calculators, we can calculate how much we can earn on average per day while walking, while in Walken, randomness and the number of victories in races play a huge role, during which we cannot influence the outcome of events in any way;
- Payback. Of course, the payback depends on the rate of the main token of earnings in applications. But, as in the previous paragraph, in STEPN we can calculate the approximate period, for example, now – about 2 months. In Walken, the payback is much longer, due to the fact that for the victory we receive a fixed reward in WLKN tokens, and our daily earnings are not stable.
Comparing both applications in all important aspects, we can sum up. STEPN, of course, is an example that everyone is trying to be equal to, but so far all new applications are made “under the blueprint”. However, Walken stands out from the mass of “STEPN clones”, although it is noticeable that it departs from the original “move to earn” mechanics.
