The idea behind the TouchArcade Game of the Week is that every Friday afternoon we post the one game that came out this week that we think is worth giving a special nod to. Now, before anyone goes over-thinking this, it doesn’t necessarily mean our Game of the Week pick is the highest scoring game in a review, the game with the best graphics, or really any other quantifiable “best" thing. Instead, it’s more just us picking out the single game out of the week’s releases that we think is the most noteworthy, surprising, interesting, or really any other hard to describe quality that makes it worth having if you were just going to pick up one.
These picks might be controversial, and that’s OK. If you disagree with what we’ve chosen, let’s try to use the comments of these articles to have conversations about what game is your game of the week and why.
Without further ado…
Wizards and Wagons
When we first heard word of Wizards and Wagons ($4.99) back in September, I thought it sounded like such a clever idea. You’re a former hero who’s fallen on hard times and is trying to start a new career as a traveling merchant. The core of the game involves buying items at a discount, and traveling from town to town and selling them when they’re in high demand so you can turn a nice profit. There’s also a heavy RPG influence in the game, like plenty of side-missions to take on for the various townspeople, and an upgradeable wagon with expandable inventory space and weaponry. Oh yeah, there’s weapons because you’ll also need to fend off baddies as you travel from town to town.
It sounded like a pretty cool mashup of a bunch of different gaming mechanics, all wrapped up in a fantasy theme that doesn’t take itself to seriously. And it is! But I wasn’t prepared for just how much Wizards and Wagons would get its hooks into me. The gameplay loop here is damn near perfect. Explore the path to a brand new town. Pop into that town and there’s a plethora of townsfolk to talk to and new Guild Assignments to complete. These inevitably lead you to doing more exploring, more talking, and more fighting. Oh and you’re buying and selling items during your travels to build up your bankroll.
Every time I feel like I should hit that Home button and go do something else, Wizards and Wagons waves something new and cool in front of my face. Oh a new wagon upgrade? An item I can buy in the town I’m in is selling for 40% markup in the next town over? The Guild needs me to do what now? I usually associate that “one more try" feeling with those simple arcade games that are so popular on mobile. I didn’t expect to feel the same way about this merchant-simulation-RPG-doohickey. And I’m not complaining, I love it!
If you’re a fan of any of the elements I’ve mentioned that are a part of Wizards and Wagons, you should definitely give it a look. It’s a paid title with no IAP, it’s surprisingly polished and full of personality, and the folks in our forums have lots of nice things to say about it as well.
