Introduction
Basic information
Developer Name: Northern Forge Studios
Full Name: Orna: The GPS RPG
Release Date: 2019
Released on: iOS, Android
Cross Play: Yes (accounts sync across devices)
Initial thoughts
My wife and I jumped into Orna expecting a casual GPS-based RPG experience, and for the time we played it, it offered exactly that, fun, surprising, and a refreshing twist on mobile gaming. The idea of walking around to find monsters, loot, dungeons, and events felt entertaining and unique at first, and it brought a bit of real-world adventure into the routine. However, the novelty also came with a noticeable downside: leveling is extremely hard unless you walk a lot. The game genuinely wants you to explore physically, which is great in theory but difficult to maintain in daily life. Still, despite the pacing challenges, we enjoyed the early progression, the sense of discovery, and the class-based customization. It’s one of the few mobile RPGs that manages to be enjoyable without pushing microtransactions on you.
Story and setting
Plot overview
While Orna is not built on a traditional narrative structure, the lore scattered across items, classes, enemies, and regional bosses creates a subtle but enjoyable sense of worldbuilding. The game uses its GPS foundation to weave a minimal but charming RPG story: one where players themselves are the adventurers shaping the map. Fights against mythological beasts and tiered bosses give the game a sense of progression even without a strict storyline.
World building and immersion
Immersion comes mainly from blending real-life walking with RPG mechanics. Towns, keeps, dungeons, and world events appear around you as you physically explore, making the world feel dynamic. The more you walk, the more alive the map becomes. Even though the story is light, the layered environments and monster placements make the world feel surprisingly rich for a mobile RPG.
Character development
Class progression, subclass selections, equipment paths, and pet options allow a satisfying degree of character growth. Slowly evolving your build feels rewarding, even if the grind is steep.
Emotional impact
There’s a pleasant sense of discovery and accomplishment when finding new monsters, defeating bosses, or upgrading your Kingdom. It’s not a tear-jerker by any means, but it is uplifting and motivational in its own subtle way.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 7.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Battles are turn-based with clear RPG roots. The GPS integration defines everything, monsters spawn based on your location, special events appear in certain areas, and exploration is key. Leveling up unlocks new classes and skills, allowing deep customization.
Difficulty and balance
The game is fair but tough. Enemies scale significantly, and early grinding becomes slow if you’re not moving physically. Hardcore walkers or players with active lifestyles thrive, while sedentary players will struggle. The balance leans heavily toward rewarding exploration.
Pacing of the game
Pacing is entirely dependent on how much you walk. This makes the game relaxing for some, but demanding for others. Progress can be lightning fast during long walks or painfully slow on days when you don’t leave home.
Innovation and uniqueness
Orna stands out with its blend of retro RPG design and real-life exploration. It’s like a pixel-based, stat-heavy, tactical alternative to Pokémon GO, one with far more depth and far fewer monetization traps.
Controls and user interface
The UI is clean and readable. Controls are simple, responsive, and easy to learn, making the game accessible for quick sessions on the go.
Microtransactions
A major highlight: you don’t need microtransactions at all. The game treats them like optional bonuses rather than necessities. Need keys for dungeons? Kill bosses for them, require arena tokens? Kill mobs for them. Purchases are cosmetic only.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing, and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 7.4.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The game embraces charming pixel-art visuals that evoke classic RPGs. Despite being simple, the monster designs, spell effects, and environmental icons carry a playful and nostalgic appeal. It’s stylistically consistent and purposely retro.
The aesthetic is cohesive, clean, and pleasant. It won’t wow you with modern effects, but it nails exactly what it’s going for.
Technical performances
Stable, smooth, and surprisingly efficient even on older devices. GPS tracking works well, though it consumes a reasonable amount of battery.
Environment and design uniqueness
The world is mapped to real-life geography, which creates a feeling of ownership over your region. No two players have the same exact map layout.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 7.2.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is atmospheric without being intrusive. It complements exploration well, adding a light fantasy mood to your walks.
Sound effects quality
Simple but fitting. Attack sounds and notifications feel clear without being overwhelming.
Voice Acting
None, but the retro style doesn’t need it.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 7.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
Extensive. There are countless classes, tiers, bosses, events, and systems, enough content to last months or years.
Extra Content
Kingdom raids, special bosses, pet systems, multiplayer parties, and cross-kingdom wars add depth far beyond basic exploration. Seasonal events also keep things interesting.
Replay value
High for players who enjoy walking and grinding. Lower for those who cannot commit to regular movement or long-term leveling.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Orna with a 7.5.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
A slightly more forgiving training curve would benefit new players. Adding alternative ways to earn XP when physical walking isn’t possible, such as mini-missions or event-based travel, would make progression feel more balanced. A clearer onboarding tutorial for class pathways would also help.
Comparisons
Compared to Pokémon GO, Orna offers much deeper RPG systems but requires more physical effort. Compared to traditional mobile RPGs, it is far more generous with microtransactions, almost shockingly so, and relies heavily on its GPS identity rather than combat repetition.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
My wife and I enjoyed our time with Orna, especially when teaming up to tackle bosses or wandering around town to find rare monsters. Public transport even worked, letting us grab spawns while riding. The biggest challenge was simply finding time to walk consistently, as leveling becomes noticeably harder without real-world exploration. Still, the cooperative aspect and the lack of paywalls made it a surprisingly refreshing mobile RPG.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Orna, I give it a personal rating of 7.
Last words
Pros
- No microtransactions required
- Fun pixel-art aesthetic
- Deep class and skill progression
- Encourages physical activity
- Multiplayer and co-op features
- Large amount of content
- GPS exploration feels rewarding
- Stable and smooth performance
Cons
- Training and leveling can be extremely slow
- Requires consistent real-world walking
- Can become repetitive in low-activity areas
- Not ideal for players with limited mobility
Orna: The GPS RPG stands out as a generous, deep, and surprisingly charming mobile experience that blends classic RPG design with real-world exploration. Though its reliance on physical movement can make leveling demanding, its huge content pool, cooperative systems, and fair progression make it a must-try for players who enjoy walking, adventuring, and old-school fantasy worlds. It’s a niche title, but one that shines brightly for those willing to step outside, literally.
FINALÂ RATING
7.5
Please let me know what you think of Orna in the comments!
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You had me until you said leveling was slow… that kills most games for me.
It’s refreshing to see a mobile RPG without aggressive microtransactions
A good game if you’re not afraid of grinding.
Since this game heavily depends on your lifestyle, I think I will need to pass this one. However, I wonder if I can clear the game only moving around my area or I need to travel to new real world location ro progress?
Yeah, as someone with a more sedentary lifestyle, this game is probably not for me… 😅
Thanks for letting us know about this one! 😃
I must admit that it’s kinda weird for me to read that someone says that a con of a game is the integral part that the game is designed around… Yeah, I get it might be nice if you got more levels for less walking, but the “constant walking” feels like the whole idea… It is supposed to animate people to go outside. I like the idea. But it still won’t go on my whishlist since I just love walking and don’t like when I need to have my phone out or even interact with it while walking. Kills the mood for me… But I love that there are games like these if they actually help people to go outside.
I share your view on the walking aspect—I don’t like having to walk and interact with my phone either so it’s a pass for me as well. I only walked while reading before, because I’d otherwise get very sleepy, but I no longer do that.
However, this still looks like a solid game for the pixel-art RPG lovers, and there is a non-walking version of it too, called Hero of Aethric. For anyone who wants to play the game for the gameplay without walking, that one is for you. 😀
I am also interested in knowing if progression is tied to visiting new places or just walking in a limited space will also work.
Very nice idea. These are game which take use of the possibilities a mobile game can give you. Where there is an actual reason for it to be a mobile game, therefore I like the idea. Still don’t think I play it because of time.
Thanks for the review!
I don’t think I’ve ever really played a GPS game. The only one I briefly touched was Ingress back in 2012, so the review made me curious about how central location actually is to the experience
What I wonder is where the game lands on the fun versus frustration scale. A little urgency can be exciting, but too much forced rushing between locations risks turning novelty into stress instead of enjoyment
It’s a game that can be praised just for having no pay-to-win elements lol
Looks nice for those who likes this type of games. But currently i guess might be hard to play in so cold weather? Game is not for me but thx for review.
I was so happy to hear that micro transactions are more of optional bonuses rather than a strict requirement 🙂
That’s great that micro-transactions are only optional, but I think that’s not really game for me, so I wouldn’t add it to ‘I’d like to play this game one day’ list.
I mean you could always use a treadmill, but i feel like an option to enable or disable would be nice, perhaps it might change the game in some way to make it a little more suited to sedentary players, and then if you turn on the walking function it would make it more suitable for them (like changing progression)
7.5 hmm, i can try later. Thanks fore review!
In general I like the idea of walking GPS games but I had trouble with playing in rural areas because less POIs where present and I could progress further.
Doesn’t look like my kind of game, mostly because of all the other great turn-based RPGs that already exist.
Seems a good time killer, specially if you have to go out
I suppose progress being slow is a good thing to encourage and inspire you to go out walking more! Very interesting and nice idea!
The game looks great! I loved the review. I wouldn’t play it I don’t think as it’s not my style of game, but lovely regardless! 🙂
Interesting one! I wonder how the “GPS” works, though. Is the game map based on IRL locations, similar to Pokémon GO and Ingress? Or do you just progress as long as you’re walking, kind of some idle game where you progress while idling, but instead of idling you’re walking? (if that makes sense)
This review is good. I like game with unique mechanics and interesting pixel art.