I just bought and finished the the tutorial. I'll start by saying I am no way considered a "gamer" as far as skill is concerned, I just enjoy playing strategy games. The tutorial is what is to be expected, learn the basics, then finish own your own. There is voice over for the tutorial and the introduction to the missions. The overall quality of the game seems to be in place. With just the 2 tutorial missions under my belt, I don't see much story driven aspects, but more of a general narrative of what's going on to go to next mission. To me, the gameplay is like a mix of board game meets Warhammmer Quest. Your character has a certain number of points to spend on attacks (cards that can be selected). Some cards are "your spells" and some are one time use spell cards. (You pick up these through plunder pack chests in game) There are dice rolls that effect damage of attacks which gives me more of a board game feel. The goal is to get to a gate to control it. As you move towards the gate, mobs will appear and start the battle part of the game. There is strategy involved due to the effects of your spells. I am only in the beginning, I'm sure it gets more complex, but the area of effect of some spells involves friendly fire damage. Your mage(s) can die, but you do have the ability to heal and resurrect. Also, your plan of attack doesn't always go smoothly because your attacks are based on a digital dice roll (you can miss). Once you defeat the enemies, control the gate, you have to go to the exit (involving more fighting on your way). You do have to spend in game currency (warpstones) to heal in game. Not too thrilled about this, but with only 2 missions complete, finding enough warpstones in plunder pack chests on each level has not been an issue. In between missions, you can buy new spell cards (some permanent and some 1 time use) to strengthen your mage. With the tutorial completed, I am pleased how this game might turn out. But, the big issue of "is it worth the price" is still a while away for me. Sure, it could turn into a money grabbing IAP fest, but I am banking that the developer will give enough product for the price. Again, the Mobcrush stream does do a better job illustrating the beginning of the game. http://www.mobcrush.com/TouchArcade/v/55b1874dfb7f24d16778d40c
Bought the game and tried the two first tutorials. The videos does not give the game enough credit. As usual I have other games I want to finish first (sick back log...) - but this game seems like a lot of fun.
Early Impressions: Aesthetically this game is not represented well by the gameplay videos. I thought the game was going to be rough and clunky, but in reality it is actually pretty smooth and polished, with some solid models and animations. The gameplay itself is interesting and fairly original. Your wizards start on a map with the goal being to move a wizard onto however many glyphs are on the map and then move to an exit tile that appears as a result. You can move any number of space when the map is empty, but as you move up, enemies spawn. Combat then ensues consisting of using spells and scrolls attached to each of your wizards. Wizards have no innate melee combat ability and will get trounced quickly by most of the monsters if you just stand around in the open. Instead, you use a casting resource that replenishes each turn to cast spells that either do direct damage or manipulate the board with effects like fear, mind control, etc. In addition, you have items that have single use effects. Each wizard has a set collection of spells that only they can use, starting with one and having a selection that can be unlocked. Scrolls and other items allow limited casted outside of their set school of magic. Overall, it isn't a super complex game, but there certainly are a range of choices to be made, and the variety of spells/casters had some depth to long-term play. IAP doesn't seem aggressive, with really the only purchase I can see most players making getting extra wizards. Since you only use 3 wizards at a time, this is hardly needed and will likely come after playing the game for a while after which you are certain whether or not the game is worth it to you to put more money into it. I like it. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into with this game, I found the videos confusing. I would say the game could be described as a hybrid of a Warhammer Quest-style board game and Magic the Gathering. From what I've played it seems polished, with descriptions available everywhere, for each creature, wizard, spell, and item. Definitely the best Warhammer-themed game I've played recently.
Thanks Hedgey and Kirenx for your impressions. I bought the game and (haven't had a chance to play it yet) based on the Mobcrush video I watched a few days ago, or last week, or whatever. I just want to say, when the forum is clamoring for impressions from a steeply priced premium title that hasn't been reviewed anywhere, it's really appreciated that you took the time to post thorough comments regarding your game impressions. I wasn't begging for impressions, and bought the game anyways, but I really appreciate reading your thoughts on the game before I spend time on it, nonetheless. So thanks.
I'd say the core gameplay is definitely more strategic and enjoyable than games like WHQ and Deathwatch. However, there really isn't much of a loot system in Arcane Magic. Each wizard has spells to unlock, but these are set to the wizard and are unlocked via in-game currency, which for all purposes functions like EXP. Other than that, wizards have 2 empty slots in which they can equip other items. From what I've seen so far, all these equipable items are one-time-only use. Thus, while the game is fun, it likely won't have the same long-term playability that WHQ has. It's actually a shame that equipment slots were not added to the characters so that you could properly loot-hunt. As is, once you have unlocked all the spells for the different casters and beat the existing levels, I can't see a reason to keep playing. Of course if the game is long enough and enough additional content is added in terms of stages and challenges this could be mitigated. There certainly is a lot of potential with this title. I could see multiplayer in an arena-style format could be fun. Mainly though, I think the game needs more of a collecting element to really shine in the long run.
My own personal subjective opinions about this game. Negatives: The gameplay is not nearly as strategic as WHQ or Deathwatch either in a match or in the pre-match phase. It is a rather simplistic board game and honestly quite linear and boring so far. I'm sure the card mechanics will appeal to many as they are popular these days but I feel they are pretty standard/uninspired in this title and don't really add to the fun. Compared to other iOS strategy games that offer similar gameplay style/feel the price is definitely higher for a weaker product... And more then this specific game is worth to me. After playing for a while I do not feel like I am getting $10 of fun out of it... Just my personal opinion. The ability to buy gold as IAP, and buy warp stones with it to heal in battle, is a huge negative for me. It is NOT necessary but IS pay to win. You do NOT have to pay to win... But you can... And that's just a turn off for me whether I choose to partake or not. I just have less fun with games with 'pay to win' buttons even when I don't use them. The way it is structured it just doesn't feel 'premium' to me in design and I feel the IAP structure is trying to nickel and dime me too much for a game that already has a $10 entry fee. RNG has a much larger effect then in some other strategy games I have recently enjoyed. How much RNG is too much and how much is not enough? Everyone has their own opinion but for me spell failure and spell crits are too game altering. Positives in my opinion: There is definitely fun to be had here! The graphics seem better in person then they did in some gameplay videos I watched and I enjoy the art style. The sounds, also, sounded much better in my headphones then they did in the videos I watched. As a fan of The Games Workshop settings I feel this is right at home. I like the recognizable lore and characters. Overall... I find this game underwhelming and below average but NOT bad. Concerning, but optional, Pay to Win IAP. Higher initial price and higher priced iAP's then I prefer. RNG based fights and shallow tactics. Production values are good but not great and the Warhammer setting/lore is also good. I think people that love Warhammer, Board games, or turn based strategy would enjoy this game but not nearly as much as other currently available products making this game less valuable then it's asking price in comparison to those other options. I would give this 2.5 stars personally. I can definitely see huge fans of GW or this genre, that do not care about the pricing structure, giving it closer to 3.5 stars for suiting their personal tastes... But I honestly don't think it is a 4 star game to even its target audience when measured against the other currently available Turn based strategy or board game options. Just my 2 cents.
While enjoyment certainly is subjective, this comment is objectively false. I love WHQ, but the strategic options are very limited. Both WHQ and DW come down to leveling/gaining more loot to complete a particularly difficult challenge. In AM, more spells certainly help, but considering basic monsters can kill you in a few attacks and you generally have multiple fights to survive in a single map, understanding and maximizing the game's core mechanics is far more crucial to success. Heck, have you completed Act 1 Chapter 4 yet? I hardly see how anyone could beat that map simply plowing through without very careful thought unless they simply are plunking a lot of cash into the game, in which case any game with IAP generally become easy.
Totally agree! And anyone who said this is pay2win...you can pay for faster progression, and "out do" death. I think it's okish to reduce frustration for some ppl but until now, it's was never needed. It's a rare resource, but you absolutely do not need to buy it. Rewards are fine too. Imho, pricetag is fine, but can understand - if you don't like it - it's a lot of games you could buy instead. But it's a good TBS. Only thing I'm missing: cloud save. This really annoys me...and hope the developers will add it at some point.
Home rule playing Unlock every card for magicians (about 4000 gold) - need play again and agin same maps dont use resurection crystal if you Die - DIE Buy with real money (if you want) only for new characters Play with a or two other friends has more fun E.G. - Its a boardgame - Where is pass and play mode(skirmish) - whre is multyplayer ???? E.G. 2 - Warhammer and Deathwatch is a bit better for that (because this has a Iap system)
Carabak OK I don't give bad reviews without much thought. I bought this yesterday for £8. With a few exceptions I generally avoid freemium games and would not have bought this if I'd realised that there is a gem (warpstone) and gold system (on release day there is no iap info for a game on App Store). Played for a few hours. At first was livid about the ftp mechanics in £8 game. Then it started to grow on me. But eventually the old ftp pressure started to creep up around mission 4 (not far in) . I play a lot of TBS by the way. I would also place the graphics in average-indie. I believe The Gold and gems are very necessary and hard to come by considering how much they are needed for healing/resurrection. This game is nowhere near the quality of Warhammer deathwatch and although there are iaps in that the system seems much fairer, plus it only cost £4. Don't think there is any place for this kind of IAP model in an £8 game - look at IMPLOSION, SPROGGIWOOD, KOTOR, XCOM, HELL FIGHT GILRAND - All premium £8 titles with no iaps. I would be very interested to see what people think after playing the game a bit longer.
I think it's a perfect example of 'penny wise foolish' on the part of the devs. I'm also pretty sure it will be mentioned and criticised in upcoming reviews, further costing them profit. Pity, real pity, because i really wanted to like this game but there is to much quality coming out on ios to support mediocre marketing probes and i guess, according to the reactions that i'm not alone...
