There are a couple of other blots on what would otherwise be an incredibly strong game. The tutorial at the beginning, although entirely useless to a regular gamer who could pick up such things on their own, would be lost on inexperienced gamers, as it just zooms by too quickly, and in slightly broken English. Also, it neglects to explain the power-up crystals, and what the purpose of each one is. I’ve worked out a few of them (extra health, more money, faster attack speed) but there are still a handful of gems whose purpose eludes me.
Finally, I was amazed just how smooth the game continued to play even when the screen was full of my units and enemies. On one attempt to purposefully ruin the frame rate I managed to get fifty units and enemies on the screen before there was any sign of slow down. Even that was minimal. Okay on the iPhone there was a little more slowdown during more frantic encounters, but that is to be expected. The design and mechanics are just right to allow frenzied battling
without snail’s pace speeds and loading times. The AI gets a bit clever at times, ignoring all your well placed units and opting to simply walk around them, but this is part of the fun and the challenge for me. The unpredictability makes for a fresh battle each time, especially when grinding for experience points becomes necessary later on.
And with a host of minigames to whet your appetite (necessary to get all the weaponry the game has to offer) this is a strong game for a broad audience. Fans of fantasy, strategy, mobile gaming and all you casual gamers will be able to pick up War Grimoire HD and have a ball. The game is also available for Mac, but expect there to be none of the swift touch screen motion, being replaced instead with (presumably) a pointing and dragging set of movement controls. Give the game a try, you’ll find it quickly inviting, addictive and, most of all, a good challenge in the palm of your (aching) hand.
