Kiko Lake: What We Want

Currently, Kiko Lake offers four clickables.

One, the Glass Bottom Boat Tours. It's a cute little story -- the neopets coexisting harmoniously on the boat, peeking at the underwater wonders of Kiko Lake. But there's not really anything to do besides just read and admire the pretty pictures. The remedy? Maybe another "Make-Your-Pet-Happy" gimmick, like the Merry Go Round ride offered in Roo Island. Maybe a new game (preferably an easy one that earns us lots of shiny Neopoints) in which you need to veer the suddenly-dysfunctional tour boat to safety. Perhaps this water-bound tour vehicle can even provide jobs for those who have the calling. But a few pictures and a cute description can only go so far.

Two, the colouring pages. Now I myself am a big fan of colouring, plus the pictures are adorable. So if things do begin to change at Kiko Lake, I would like these colouring pages to stay. Forever. However: if there's a choice between a new game or the colouring pages... let's just say the colouring pages will be getting a nice Christmas Card and that's it.

Three, Kiko Lake Carpentry. What a nifty idea. I personally have found it a pleasure to peruse this plethora of paraphernalia, finding all great stuff for a Neohome. Seriously, right now I'm looking at an attractive Shell Mirror that costs a mere 1,082 NP and would be lovely hanging in my bedroom. And have you seen the shopkeeper? Cuter than a newborn Chia.

Four, Kiko Lake Treats. Kiko Lake Treats is wonderful. They offer all sorts of scrumptious little morsels that appeal to the palate. Why, I just fed my Bori Pink Rock Slices from the shop, to which he responded: 'That was great, but I'm still thirsty!!!' A compliment of the highest caliber. Besides, nothing in there is really too pricey, which is a huge plus for a Bargain Hunter like myself.

Now there is a distinct possibility that there’s something else to click upon, but I’ve merely overlooked it in my distract-ed-ness -- my apologies if that is indeed the case.

So, besides these four (to the best of my knowledge) fine establishments, what do we want to see at Kiko Lake? I went right to the source to find out: The Ideas/Suggestions Board. Here’s what I’ve been able to deduce.

First of all, it seems to be the consensus that petpets are in high demand. A petpet shop in Kiko Lake could be a good idea, as long as the petpets aren't the same as or almost the same as Krawk Island petpets. Another idea being discussed is a petpet paintbrush shop (although my guess is we'd be getting a petpet shop before a petpet paintbrush shop).

Then I decided to look at some surveys. Over 540,000 users said that their smartest Neopet has read between 0 - 200 books. I also saw a discussion in the Ideas/Suggestions Board about a library, where users could 'borrow' books for a fee without having to deal with the *POOF*ing. A Kiko Lake Library would be a great addition. I scrolled down a bit more to find a survey stating that 175,000 users said that their highest fishing skill did not exceed 25. Wouldn't it be neat if we could have more fishing -- perhaps above water this time -- than just in Maraqua?

If you would like to hear my humble opinion, I think what Kiko Lake needs is something really unique that no other place in all of Neopia has. For example, a Kiko Theatre where the Kiko actors show off their talents. Maybe not quite a theatre, but you get my point -- a special, creative feature that distinguishes it from everywhere else.

Plus, and I'm in no position to divulge how this idea popped into my head, but everywhere (Neopia or not) needs a crazy resident. Faerieland has Jhudora, Meridell has Grumpy Old King Skarl, the Haunted Woods have the Brain Tree. I think what Kiko Lake really needs is a crotchety old Kiko obsessed with collecting more Neggs than his half-brother Dimples the Kacheek. That, my friends, is common human interest.

Kiko Lake has a very interesting geography, something that could be really cool were it worked into a few aspects of the Lake. Apparently, Kiko Lake is surrounded by a charming chain of dormant volcanoes. Let's be honest with ourselves, friends: raise your hand if you've never ever had a fantasy about exploring a dormant volcano. No hands? Hmmm. Didn’t think so. Something along the lines of a maze created by fallen volcanic rock, or a game in which you need to rescue a helpless little petpet after finding out that a certain volcano is not-so-dormant.

In addition to the volcanoes, Kiko Lake is also supposed to have a mysterious and beautiful world deep beneath the water. I for one would love to see this world, as long as it was not a carbon copy of Maraqua. "In some places it [the coral] has been lovingly crafted into homes or shops; in others it has been used to form beautiful sculptures of legendary heroes," quoth our great friend the Neopedia. Legendary heroes are cool!

Now, to appeal to the Collectors. As far as I can remember at this moment, there are four types of collectors (besides the aforementioned petpet collectors): Avvie Collectors, Stamp Collectors, Plushie Collectors, Trading Card Collectors and Various Other Things Collectors. Kiko Lake should have a heap of really cool Kiko-Secret-Avvies, sporting views of the entrancing underwater world, snapshots of cute Kikos and a dormant volcano (I still love them). Same with the stamps and the cards; lots of pretty pretty pictures to put into the collection.

Then there's Various Other Things. Odds and ends that we like to collect just for the heck of it. From Kiko Lake gnomes to Kiko Lake Neggs to Kiko Lake Books or Gourmet Food or... well you get the point. I was thinking: maybe just one big gift shop, where any sort of Kiko Lake collectable you could think up would be for sale.

All in all, Kiko Lake has oodles of potential. We as users have all sorts of wonderful suggestions and ideas for Kiko Lake so I strongly urge that you continue to post them on the Ideas/Suggestions Board. Hopefully TNT will soon collaborate and being to 'add more stuff' as was promised. Me? I'm still excited about the volcanoes, but... well then, that's me.