LINE Play 101: Basic App Functions + Review

LINE Play
     Line Play is a social game application that involves creating an avatar and dressing up, playing games, meeting new friends, chatting, hanging out with users, updating your diary, decorating your home and more.
     Because this app has a lot of features (Some of which are hidden), I intend to make the LINE Play app into a series of updates.  Each one covering how to fully utilize one of the many features.  I will include helpful hints and some features many users didn't realize existed.  For now, let's just go over the basic functions, and the pros and cons of this app.
     When you first create your account, you can do so by linking either a Facebook, Twitter or LINE account.  When building your avatar, you can use a photo of yourself that the app will use to try and create a character that looks the most like the real you.
     There are 3 types of avatars.  Choose wisely, because you can not change your avatar type, once you have decided on it.  The types are male, female and animal.  These three avatar types will grant you access to the items for that avatar type.  This means male avatars can only access male avatar items.  Animals can only access animal items.  Lastly, female avatars can only access female items.  If you intend to create an animal type, be aware that animal avatar items are a mix between male and female, but sway heavily toward female.  So animals get more froufrou dresses than suits.
     You've built your avatar!  Now to explore the basic functions.  The landing screen changes frequently, so it may not look the same to you as you read this, as it does when I am typing it.  However, generally the landing screen gives you access to the more popular functions in the app.  Your home, the lounge, the mini games, the gacha, etc.
     The top should display notifications from friends on the top left (It looks like a little bell).  This will tell you whenever your friends update their diary, comment in your diary or guestbook, give you a heart or send you a gift.
     Top right shows your daily quest status, Cash and Gems.  The cash is a paid currency that gives you access to cash only gacha, events and certain features in the mini games.  The gems are the free in game currency that you use for gem gacha, shoppes, events or other items in the mini games.  You also have the option of buying more gems.  However, gems are easy enough to earn.
     Daily quests are tasks that can be performed every day to earn you extra gems.  For more details on daily quests, I will be adding a post specifically about those later.
     On the bottom there are a few buttons.  Let's cover those.  First is the Friends button.  Clicking this will show you all of the users you have added to your friend list.  Clicking the individual users on the list brings up a little box that shows their current avatar, their "status", whether or not they are online, their hearts, friend count, a block button (For people you dislike), a visit button (To access their home), a chat button (For PMing them), a diary button (To access their diary.  There will be a little red N above it if they have new posts), and a gift button (To buy them an item from the gift shoppe).  You can also delete friends from this list by clicking the gear button in the top right.  You can search for friends (For those who have large lists) with the search bar function at the top of the screen.
     Back on the landing page, next to the friends button at the bottom is the Chat button.  This is used when you have an open chat with someone on your friend page.  If there is a red dot above it, you have a new message.  You can access all of your private chat logs via this section.  You can also delete old chats.  You can only private chat with people on your friend list.  Also, all private chats are one on one.  No group chat feature has been added to this area.

     The next button on the bottom of the landing page is the Add button.  This is for adding new friends or accepting friend invites.  You can also use it to search for users if you know their username.  You can also use it to browse through the official avatars (Avatars include Cherry, Cancam, James, Rilakkuma, Hello Kitty, Betty Boop, Snoopy, Katy Perry and more).
     The add area also has the "Invite" function.  This is a great way to earn extra gems if you are still a new user.  You can add up to 100 friends from your LINE or Facebook.  Each time you invite someone, you earn 1000 gems!  Additionally, there are unlockable discounts in this area.  Once you have invited 50 friends you will unlock a 90% off Face Shoppe (one time use) discount.  This allows you to change your face.  Invite 100 users and unlock a 90% off Deluxe Room (A larger house to add more items into) discount (Also one time use).

     The last button at the bottom of the landing page is the "More" button.  This is the best button.  It gives you access to almost every part of the app.
     At the top of the "More" page we have 4 buttons.  Profile, Closet ,Diary and Settings. (See image to the right)
     Profile takes you to where you can change your username and "status" message.  You can also change your badge and see how many friends and hearts you have earned.  You can change the background colour of your avatar's icon, set your avatar picture as your profile image on LINE, use your avatar in the LINE Camera app, check your invitation code, delete your avatar or log out.
     Every user has an invitation code.  Copy this code and give it to people to use.  Every time someone uses your code, you and they both get 1000 gems.  Every time you use someone else's code, you both get 1000 gems as well.  However, you can only enter 10 codes, ever.  Also, only 20 people can ever enter your code.  Once 20 people have entered your code, it becomes invalid.

     The Closet (On the "More" page again) is where you can dress your avatar.  You can also recycle clothing you don't want.  I will go into that more in a future update.
     The Diary is where you can post images and write updates.  People can view your diary, add "like" stickers and comment on the posts.  The diary is also where your guestbook is.  People who stop by may leave messages for you here.
     Settings is where you can access many features.  You can access your profile from here (Though that seems odd since you could access it from the more page already), buy gems, see how you have been spending your gems (Though it doesn't always update, so it isn't great at keeping track), see where your gems have come from, buy cash, buy hearts and check for extra hearts, read notices (Updates for the app), change your notification settings, toggle your sounds, change the language of the app, toggle your keyboard sounds, adjust your privacy settings (Allowing people to search for you, seeing who you have blocked, etc), manage your storage, view help and about sections of the app.
     Back on the "more" page, under the top 4 buttons we have all of the main sections of the site.
Gacha: Where you can pay gems or cash to try and get random items out of special coin machines.
Shop: Were you can spend gems to buy items for your avatar or room.
Game: Where you can access the app's mini games section.  (There are currently 4 mini games.  I will go into detail about them in a future update)
Lounge: Where you can chat with other users in public rooms.

     I am going to give a fair warning about the Lounge, while we are on the subject.  If you are 13 or under in the US, you are not supposed to access the lounge (According to Line Play TOS).  If you are a parent of a child intending to use this application, I would be wary about allowing them to access the lounge area.  Teens and young adults often discuss incredibly inappropriate things publicly in the lounge.  Anything from cursing and vulgar name calling to descriptions of sexual activity and violence.  The LINE Play lounge is no place for a young person.
     Under these sections on the "more" page are the last 5 selections.
Cash: To buy cash currency with real money.
Gem: To purchase gem currency with real money.
Heart: To buy hearts with real money.
Event: Access any current event LINE is currently holding.  These usually are random gacha events.  You can also enter coupons or gift codes here, if you have any.
Official Facebook: Will take you to the official LINE Play Facebook page.
Notices: Same as in the settings area, this takes you to the updates section.
     Now let me discuss my take on the app.  I have been playing since October of 2014.  I am playing on the newest version of iOS.  I always update the iOS and app right away, when updates are available.  The app has issues with crashing.  My app crashes on a daily basis.  Sometimes several times within a session (anywhere from 0-7 times an hour).  The app makes your phone run hot.  It will overheat, the longer you run the app.  It also drains the battery, so the phone should really be plugged in while playing for extended periods of time.
     I have a female avatar and find that there is little available for any females not wanting to dress like a baby doll.  The dresses tend to be over the top frilly and cutesy.  Which is great, if that's your style.  Not so much if it isn't.  Many female users play with male avatars because of this fact.
     The lounge can be incredibly offensive.  The 10 and 20 user rooms are the worst.  Avoid those if you want a conversation that is less vulgar.  The 5 user rooms are hit or miss.
     The mini games are fun, though they have limited plays and you will need to wait for the power to refill to play the games more.
     The gacha have a lot of themes, which are good.  They have a lot of limited time gacha to get items that wont be available later, which I like.  However, many gacha are 3000 gems a play, and some gacha are cash only.
    The art for the app is clean and attractive.  I believe the graphics are the main feature that attracts many users.
     I find the chat bubble text in the squares to be a bit small.  I have difficulty reading it.  This is an issue for me.  It is not so bad in the lounge chat rooms, however.
     When you reply to comments in your diary, it does not notify the person you are replying to.  I find this to be something that could easily be addressed, but has not been thus far.  It's an easy fix that I am disappointed to find has not yet been dealt with.
     In conclusion I think it's a cute app, but the community can be a bit off putting.  If not for the community I would call this a tween-teen app.  However, because of the community conversation, I would say teen and up would be more appropriate.  The app has a lot of bugs/issues that have been present for a long time, that have not been fixed, regardless of constant updates.  All of the updates seem to feature adding new gacha or changing the appearance of the app, rather than addressing the actual usability.  Because of this I can not give this app a very high rating.
Rating: 3/5

• Free
• Category: Social Networking
• Updated: Feb 25, 2015
• Version: 2.9.2
• Size: 82.5 MB
• Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Traditional Chinese
• Seller: LINE Corporation
• © LINE Corporation

Rated 4+