Mage Dice

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Today's game: Mage Dice

This game is made by 111%. I have reviewed another game already called Random dice. The concept is similar but this is a single-player game with much better graphics. I am unsure which game came out first but I think this one is a later game.

 

The main game screen has a map that has a very limited number of levels. There are two currencies. Gold is used to buy runes to power up the basic dice or to buy permanent upgrades. The second is a premium currency used to buy more runes and rune pages.

This is the main game screen. The diamond-shaped currency is used to buy new dice. The bottom images will upgrade the power of the matching color dice.

The clock allows you to start a wave early for bonus currency. The fire rune besides is a special attack that hits all enemies. There is a special mana bar that changes how your dice attack for a short time.

Lastly is a red line that moves along the screen. When it hits a die it activates the attack. Each color is connected to a specific element.

This is the rune page. You can combine similar runes to make them stronger. The exclamation point is used to show the total bonuses.

Here you use coins to unlock a random powerup. The cost becomes exponential.

Here on the chest screen you can unlock them once a day for free or use currency to unlock runes.

Overall:

5 of 5 cogs.

This game is a quick time killer but it feels like you don't make progress very quickly. 

Story:

🚫 N/A.

There is no story at this time.

Amount of ads:

 

There are no popup ads telling you to buy stuff or for other games. There are optional videos for bonus gems and to unlock free chests.

Advertised as seen:

💯%

Google play preview images are accurate and as far as I recall, I have not seen this game advertised.

Graphics:

5 of 5 cogs.

The graphics have much greater details than random dice. They are colorful and cartoony.

Audio:

5 of 5 cogs.

This game has a kind of fantasy feel to it and the sound effects are lightly used.

Gameplay:

5 of 5 cogs.

Very simple and fun gameplay. I feel the game gets easier as you play more. You don't have to sink a kit of time into it.

Free play:

💯%

It's very easy to progress without paying. You only need 500 premium currency to advance rune pages (as of now). The premium currency is easy to obtain.

Fun factor:

😉 way better than random dice.

This game is simple and fast. There's not too much replay value yet, but it is a solid game.

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Clockmaker(Match 3 game)

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Today's game is: Clockmaker

Today I will be posting a short review on a game that alludes to steampunk but the game's name is misleading. From what I've played, there are no elements I consider truly steampunk in this game, at least for as long as I played. It is set in a Victorian-style but the point of the game is to rebuild or fix the town. The game is very simple so not many screenshots to show.

This is the main game map. You have red gems that are the premium currency. You progress through the map, collecting random parts to repair the town. You have a limited number of lives that refill during the day.

The basic gameplay board can vary based on obstacles that are thrown your way. Along the bottom are various powerups that help you beat a level and can be bought with premium currency.

Lastly, if you play long enough you get access to the society. This is a clan system that helps you progress through the game.

Overall:

3 of 5 cogs.

I was hoping for a game rich with steampunk and this game was a let-down. It has similar match 3 mechanics I've seen many times now and the game became quickly boring to me.

Story:

3 of 5 cogs.

The story involved strange magic be falling into a Victorian town. People are missing and strange events fill the land. The story is not very steampunk involved and from what I played, there is nothing to indicate a connection to steampunk.

Amount of ads:

none.

There are no ads. No bonus option ads for bonuses. No in-game popups.

Advertised as seen:

💯%

What little screenshots there are shows a standard match 3 game. Nothing depicts steampunk though.

Graphics:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are of high quality. There is a dark and horror-like theme with the game that makes it more a mystery rather than just a match 3 game.

Audio:

 4 of 5 cogs.

Simple and straight-forward music. I don't have anything specific to say about it.

Gameplay:

 2 of 5 cogs.

Nothing new or exciting. I've seen this kind of game hundreds of time and it bored me quickly.

Free play:

💯%

If you are skilled enough, you can play this game forever without buying lives or powerups. You can unlock some of these as you play. As long as you complete a level, you don't lose a life.

Fun factor:

😴 boring and unoriginal.

For me, this game made me lose interest very quickly. Nothing unique or different to keep me interested.

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Battle Camp

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Today's game is: Battle Camp

Welcome to my new posting schedule. I will be posting every Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning for the current future.

Today I am reviewing a game that uses a system similar to Puzzles and Dragons.

This is the first screen you see once you get past a tutorial. At the top, you have the lightning bolt which is battle energy. This game very quickly has you playing battles that require 2 or more energy per battle and I feel it's designed to force you to pay money for energy.

Next is the silver coin with a paw. The game calls them stones. This is the base currency to upgrade your monsters.

Last is a premium currency used to unlock new monsters, various upgrades, or such.

Each area has various tasks to complete. Some of them are time-sensitive. That coupled with the lack of energy makes this game very hard to play effectively.

The me tab brings up an option to change your outfits. Not much beyond that besides showing your power level.

Playing everyday unlocks daily rewards.

As you play, you unlock new camps that have various challenges and tasks. You collect badges like Pokemon to go to new areas.

The basic game board. You match colors/elements that match your monsters. You heal by matching hearts. There is a move timer like Puzzle and dragons, allowing you to mix up the board.

These are the starting mobsters you will see. Each monster has a different zodiac sign. You get your personal birth zodiac unlocked for free. The others require gold coins to open. Upgrading this causes mobsters with the same sign to become stronger.

Lastly, under the store tab, you get one free daily gotcha spine for monsters. Other versions require premium currencies to unlock.

Overall:

 3 of 5 cogs.

The game feels like a watered-down version of Puzzles and Dragons. That mixed with Pokemon make this game feel like it fell short of a good mix of games.

Story:

 3 of 5 cogs.

The story has you progressing through Pokemon-style tasks to prove your worth. The characters seem a bit silly and not at all realistic. There's not much to draw you in with characters.

Amount of ads:

There are several in-game ads that they pushing you to buy stuff in the game to progress. Each one is a limited time deal for "new" players. There are no outside ads or videos for any sort of reward.

Advertised as seen:

💯 %

I do not recall seeing any mobile ads for this game. The screenshots in google play appear to be accurate to the gameplay you see.

Graphics:

 2 of 5 cogs.

The graphics feel very underwhelming and unpolished. This feels like a beta version of a flash game.

Audio:

 4 of 5 cogs.

The music and sounds are better than most games and one of the better parts of this game.

Gameplay:

 3 of 5 cogs.

Very common and plain gameplay that I've seen in games like Puzzles and Dragons. Nothing different happens in this game from other match-3 games.

Free play:

40%

This game may be played without paying money but the restraints are so confining, you are put into a position to pay to make progress. There are no overt paywalls but this game doesn't feel good to grind progress.

Fun factor:

😐 below-average.

There is not much that sets this game our from the rest. There is nothing unique in this game and feels like every other match-3 games. This game sits in the middle for me.

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Legends of Runeterra

Quick note: Sorry for being late on this post. There were internet outages all day.

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Today is brought to you by Legends of Runeterra

Legend of Runeterra is a new game released by Riot. This game plays very similar to Magic the Gathering.

You can watch movie clips for this game on YouTube. There are quite a few out right now.

Right now we are in the early stages and not all the champions are available at this time. All the pirates are the current theme.

You get a daily login reward that nets you more cards for your deck. This is the easiest way to progress.

Next, if you complete daily or weekly quests you get more experience to unlock vaults.

Vaults appear to be weekly milestones to get you extra rewards.

Here is the shop. You have two currencies. These coins are the premium currency in the game. 90% of the store requires this currency to buy cosmetics OR cards. The crystal is earned during gameplay and can be used to buy cards without real money.

Here is another reward list that you unlock as you play. Experience gives you access to free cards.

This is your deck box screen. I am unsure about how many decks you can have. These are 3 preconstructed decks you unlock at the start of the game.

The card menu shows you all the cards you own, but you can toggle it to show all cards. When you do this, you can click on a card and you can buy more copies or the new cards with, crystals, coins, or wildcard rewards. I'm still very early in this game so I don't know how free to play it is.

You can click on play and do one time challenges for the experience. I recommend doing all of these first to start earning cards for PvP. There is a bug after you complete a challenge, it will still show as incomplete unless you restart the game.

This is the main playfield. I won't linger as the tutorial teaches you everything. The basics are you get limited mana each turn but it grows by 1 for each round. You place troops or cast spells. You then work to beak the enemy nexus using strategy.

Overall:

 4 of 5 cogs.

The battle system appears to be fairly balanced right now. The game client is a bit unstable but it connects into LoL. Riot has figured out how to do some cross-platforming so this could open up new possibilities in the future.

Story:

 4 of 5 cogs.

There's a lot of story outside of the game via YouTube. Inside the game features voice acting. This game you want to play with the sound on.

Amount of ads:

There are no ads at all. At this time, zero ads. No videos for rewards and no popups.

Advertised as seen:

💯%

No schemes or sleight of hand. The game videos and ads are transparent.

Graphics:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are great. High quality and crisp.

Audio:

 5 of 5 cogs.

As I mentioned, voice acting and AAA game quality sound. You want the sound on for this one. 

Gameplay:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The gameplay is very straight forward and simple. It sometimes is hard to select the card you want to play by sliding them onto the field.

Free play:

 🌟✴️ 50%

There's a lot of microtransactions and I'm not sure how far you can progress without money. Just like MtG, you have to buy certain cards for good combos. You may be able to progress by grinding.

Fun factor:

😸 good fun.

The game so far is fun. Though Ahri is not yet in ><. 

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