Magic:ManaStrike
Free with IAP
Magic: The Gatheringinvented the
strategy card game decades ago but has
found it difficult to keep up with slick
competition like Blizzard’sHearthstone,
CD Project’sGwentand Bethesda’sElder
Scrolls: Legends. So, when it was
announced that Wizards of The Coast
was teaming up with mobile stalwarts
Netmarble to develop a card-based
game, fans were hopeful and excited.
Mana Strikeis a hybrid of traditional
deck collecting and tower defence but is
certainly not a tabletop card game. It
plays very similarly toClash Royale,
except that there is a hero component
- known as a Planeswalker – that gives
each player extra abilities based on a
mana colour. Like the card game,
balancing each colour is the key to
winning a match, however inMana
Strikeit’s also about weighing up when
to play your cards in real time.
I would arguably say thatMana Strike
is one of the more polished versions of
this style, which is why it deserves its
score, but it’s disappointing that there
still isn’t a trueMagicexperience
available on mobile devices.
Tetris
Tetrisis arguably the most well-known
video game on the planet. Next toMario
BrosandSpace Invaders, it is an iconic
puzzler; some would say the perfect
video game. Almost every single
platform has spawned some variation
on the title, along with countless clones
and love letters to the simple slotting of
square blocks into lines. The last mobile
option, EA’sTetris Blitz, was a fantastic
competitive spin, albeit spoiled a little
by powerups and boosters.
The latest rendition, simply named
Tetris, is essentially the purest form of
the game, taking a complete 180 from
EA’s feature filled option. It features a
single “endless” play mode, a single
remixed track of classicTetristhemes,
and a very basic score-based leader
board. This is fine... for a while... but
after tasting the challenges, multiplayer
and custom modes of Blitz this feels like
an enormous downgrade.Westland Survival
Free
Ever wanted to set up your own life in
the wild west?Westland Survival
combines the traditional survival and
crafting sim with a cowboy flair. You
start by fixing up an old ranch in the
woods to get things started, crafting
tools and equipment to cut down trees,
break up rocks and farm wild animals.
It’s a fun theme and largely an
entertaining jaunt, the controls are
simple and responsive, and the
exploration factor is clever. There are
more detailed and strategic versions of
this game, such asDurango: Wild Lands, a
game I reviewed a few issues ago, but the
simplicity of this title removes much of
the learning curve that plaguedDurango.
But the biggest problem withWestland
Survivalis the lack of interaction with
other players. There are no clans, no
group activities, cities or wider camps.
The developers have promised more
features and multiplayer functionality
over time, but as it stands the game is a
fairly limited and dry experience which
could be a lot more based on the subject
matter. TL2020EDITOR
APPROVED