Highlights
- Polynesian mythology remains untapped in the gaming industry, but the few games that have explored it offer exciting stories and immersive experiences with heroes, deities, and mystical creatures.
- Tiki Towers is a lighthearted puzzle game with a tropical aesthetic and humorous gameplay involving monkeys building bamboo structures.
- The Mark of Kri and its sequel, Rise of the Kasai, offer imaginative action-adventure experiences with visually stunning graphics, intense combat, and a richly layered narrative that incorporates Polynesian and Māori mythological concepts.
When it comes to mythology in gaming, the Greek and Norse pantheons are miles ahead of the rest, with both sporting a variety of video game adaptations and inspired plots over the years. Polynesian mythology, at least for now, remains a relatively untapped market in this regard.
Considering the rich and fascinating worlds Polynesian mythology has to offer, the few games to have dived into the pantheon have had plenty of exciting ideas and stories to work with. Chock-full of ancient legends and folklore, this mythology can make for a potentially immersive gaming experience thanks to its universe being full of heroes, deities, and mystical creatures.
Some of the games that highlighted Polynesian folklore have provided captivating storytelling and virtual adventures for players to enjoy, including epic quests, puzzle-solving, and stunning environments. Last year, Immortal Fenyx Rising‘s rumored sequel was expected to take players to Polynesia. Unfortunately, it appears the hotly-anticipated sequel has since been canceled. From fast-paced mobile games to grander scale PC and console titles, Polynesian mythology-inspired gaming can offer players a thrilling blend of history, mythology, and wild escapades.
5 Tiki Towers Is A Lighthearted Puzzle Game
In traditional Māori mythology, Tiki is the name of the first man, making him a key figure in the pantheon. The Tiki character is best known for the famously distinctive carvings that have sported his name.
Tiki Towers, first released back in 2008, adopted the Tiki sculpture aesthetic for its tropical environment setting. Beyond the art and design, however, Tiki Towers does little with the rich lore of Polynesian mythology, instead opting for a humorous puzzler in which players must oversee a group of monkeys building bamboo assemblies to acquire as many bananas as possible. Garnering acclaim for its colorful, casual gamer-friendly style, Tiki Towers enjoyed the sequel treatment in 2011 and has often been favorably likened to World of Goo due to their similar gameplay styles.
4 Moana: Island Life Is A Neat Tie-In To The Film
This 2017 release served as a mobile game tie-in to the beloved Disney animated musical released the year prior. The game largely focuses on exploring the islands of Oceania while playing as the titular character.
In terms of its playing style, Island Life is strikingly similar to simulation games such as FarmVille, allowing players to develop their own island from the ground up. Much like the film, the game revolves around Hawaiian mythology, with characters such as the Dwayne Johnson-voiced Maui being lifted straight out of the mythos, having been loosely adapted from Māui, a traditional, Hawaiian culture hero. With an expansive level of island-building to discover, goods to trade, and puzzles to solve, Island Life was a straightforward but fun mobile game for fans of the film before its discontinuation in 2019.
3 Maui Draws Heavily From Hawaiian Mythology
First released on Steam back in 2016, this free-to-play adventure game runs the player character through a series of challenges to impress the gods. Successfully completing the necessary tasks leads to the gods releasing the player character’s sister from captivity.
Gameplay-wise, Maui is best known for its stat grid, a handy feature that allows gamers to change up their character stats at any given moment depending on the scenario they are in. For those interested in traditional Hawaiian culture and mythology, Maui is a perfect fit as all areas of its narrative and style are heavily tailored in this direction. Released to a mixed response from players at the time due to its litany of bugs, Maui sports neat, cel-shaded graphics similar to The Wind Waker and a likable, adventurous atmosphere that make it a straightforward but charming piece of gaming.
2 Rise Of The Kasai Is An Unconventional Sequel To The Mark Of Kri
While nowhere near as faithful to or immersed in Polynesian mythology as its predecessor, The Mark of Kri, Rise of the Kasai is still a worthwhile, underrated entry in the market. Released back in 2005, the game follows a largely hack-and-slash action format and was developed by BottleRocket Entertainment, a short-lived third-party video game developer.
The hectic narrative takes place both ten years prior to, and ten years after the events of The Mark of Kri, allowing fans of the original to fill in some gaps in the lore while also discovering some of the consequences of the first game’s story. Boasting dramatic cinematics, violent action, and a colorful, distinctive approach to character and location design, Rise of the Kasai serves as a fun, if slightly repetitive fantasy game with plots and concepts deeply rooted in traditional, Polynesian mythological concepts.
1 The Mark Of Kri Is An Imaginative Action Adventure
This well-received 2002 release fully embraces a variety of Polynesian and Māori cultural and mythological concepts in its fantastical setting. Players take control of Rau Utu, a vengeful and heroic warrior as he gets wrapped up in an increasingly complex plot.
Sporting visually stunning, cartoon-style graphics and immersive environments, the game brought Polynesian mythology to life like few other games have even attempted before or since. With a sharp combat system focused on weapons-targeting precision, the action is fast-paced and crisp throughout. Better still, The Mark of Kri‘s layered, engrossing narrative, boasting plenty of memorable characters and rich lore, ensures players remain fully invested from start to finish.
