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Athenion might not have the pedigree of some other deck-building card games available for mobile, but that shouldn't put you off. This is a game that's packed full of bright ideas, fresh new gameplay modes and enough content that you can lose hours of your life to.

Battles take place on a 4×4 grid, and see you taking it in turns with your opponent to lay down cards. You draw up to five cards from your deck of forty at the start of every turn.

These are the units you're playing in the fight, and they range from hulking monsters to flighty fairies, from magical trees to fearsome undead dragons.

Your cards have arrows on them that you show you which direction they can attack. You'll also notice a bunch of other numbers on the cards. These let you know the hit points a card has, how powerful its attack is and how many soul points it grants you.

Those soul points let you attack your opponent and they're the key to victory. The first player to lose all of their own hit points is the loser.

There's a lot more going on than that though. For one thing you need to pick from one of six different factions before you even get to the fights.

These factions have different strengths and weaknesses and figuring out which of them best suits the way you want to play is the first step of a pretty long journey.

Different factions have different special moves as well. Some let you link together cards to make them more powerful, others are all about sacrificing weaker units to create pockets of dark magical energy. One lets you build giant rock walls that you can use to protect some of your units or power up others.

There are single-player challenges, regular events and much, much more as well. You're never short of something to do in Athenion, and the pace of the matches lets you get a lot of them in in a single setting.

The Good

There's a staggering amount of depth to Athenion. It's going to take you a good while to get to grips with the basics and once you've done that there are layers and layers to peel back. Every time you win you'll figure out a new strategy and every time you lose you'll be trying to find a way to right that wrong.

The game looks amazing too. The cards all sport a brilliant anime art-style and you'll want to collect all of them just so you can check them out. The speed of the fights is a massive plus too – they deliver huge chunks of tactical action in the sort of short-blast sessions that are perfect for mobile play.

On top of that there's a brilliant community to the game, and you never have to wait long to find an online battle. There are a number of different modes that let you practice with different decks, take part in intriguing events and fight it out in ranked and casual multiplayer matches.

The Bad

There's a pretty steep learning curve here, so if you're not in for the long haul then you might be better finding your card-based fun somewhere else. Even when you've got the basics down you've still got a lot to learn and it can be punishing to come up against an opponent who knows more than you do.

There are also a lot of currencies, crafting materials and other rewards to figure out. The game does tell you what they do, but the tutorials are pretty brief and you're left on your own for a lot of the time to try and get to the bottom of things.

Overall

Athenion might not be the easiest game to understand, but once things start clicking it becomes something really rather special. There are some brilliant ideas here and they're woven into a bright tapestry of gorgeous visuals and wonderfully paced mobile play.

It won't be to everyone's taste, and it's fair to say that some players are going to put it down before they've even got to the good bits, but this is one CCG that it's well worth sticking with.

8.2

OVERALL

Replayability 8.1

Game Controls 8.2

Graphics 8.7

Sound/Music 8.2

Gameplay 7.8

FREE

Athenion: Tactical CCG

ZERO-bit Company Limited

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Cinco Paus ($4.99) by Michael Brough is a compact roguelike that's captivating and challenging. If you were a fan of Brough's other titles, such as 868-HACK, then you'll truly appreciate what Cinco Paus has to offer.

I've been playing and reviewing iOS games for years now, and one thing I love about it is discovering all of the quirky and eccentric titles that indies come up with. I mean sure, we all love a good triple-A game from a big name studio, but sometimes the real gems are from indie developers. And Brough is one of those devs. I remember checking out 868-HACK several years ago and falling in love with the unique gameplay. Needless to say, I became a fan of Brough after that, and am eager to check out anything new that he creates. Cinco Paus is another fine addition to my game collection.

First, some background regarding "cinco paus." The game's name, as well as all in-game text and even the App Store description, is in Portuguese. This is not a glitch or bug, so don't try to change it to your native language (I can't even figure that out, honestly). The phrase "cinco paus" literally translates to "five bucks," which is accurate in U.S. dollars. It also means "five sticks," which is what the game involves, though technically they're wands.

I'm not sure why everything must be in Portuguese, but I'm guessing that it's an experiment by the developer. That is, to demonstrate how most games appear to those who do not understand English, and have no option to change the game text to their own native language. While I don't understand the text in Cinco Paus right now, I'm finding learning through experimentation to be rather fun, and it certainly is an interesting approach.

$4.99

868-HACK

Michael Brough

Visually, Cinco Paus is bit on the stranger side, as the cartoonish style is what I would imagine an acid trip being like. In fact, it reminds me of the art style of some adult swim cartoons, but honestly, it just makes Brough's game even more unique and special. The colors in Cinco Paus are bright and colorful, which are sure to bring a smile to your face, even if you don't understand what the game is saying. Despite this fact, Cinco Paus has icons (some straightforward while others are more obscure) that appear after you've used one of the staffs, so there's a little guidance as to what's happening. Animations in Cinco Paus are smooth and fluid, so there's no issues with lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game's soundtrack is also a bit weird, but delightful to listen to.

Since Cinco Paus is a roguelike, that means that each round is randomly generated, so it's never going to be the same game twice. The goal in Cinco Paus is to help your wizard character get from the starting point to the exit, which takes you to the next area. There's enemies that are in the way that resemble various animals, like frogs, prawns, and lizards. On top of that, there's items like keys to unlock chests, and even tomes that can modify the properties of your wands and staffs.

The controls in Cinco Paus are simple and straightforward, especially if you've played turn-based roguelikes before. Just swipe on the screen in the direction that you want to move to, and the wizard will do so, assuming that there's nothing in the way like a wall or enemy. You can swipe into an enemy to do a basic attack, but keep in mind that some take multiple hits to kill (life points indicated by the dots), and can hit you back as long as it's alive.

Fortunately, that's where the wands come in. At the top of the screen will be five sticks, which are the wizards wands and staffs. To use them, just drag the one you want to the wizard, and make sure that it's pointing outward in the direction you want it to face. Once you release your finger, it will activate, sending out a shot that can dish out some nice damage to enemies, so you want it to hit something.

But be careful when using these wands though, because you only have five of them, and they won't get replenished until you reach the next area. Also, icons show up next to each wand after it's used, revealing their properties. The properties get randomized with each game, so it may not be the same on your next run. The attributes can mean that a wand does double damage to frogs, or teleport you past an enemy. You won't know what a wand does until you use it, so it forces you to make use of your resources and also observe what they do.

Unless you know Portuguese, Cinco Paus will be one of those games that you may enjoy but have to figure out everything scientifically, as none of the text helps you out. It's different, refreshing, and a welcome challenge. And with a different loadout for each game you play, it's always going to be a surprise, and who doesn't like surprises?

CInco Paus is a quirky and lighthearted roguelike that's all about experimentation.

The Good

Cinco Paus is a special gem on the App Store. The game is full of quirkiness and charm, from the choice of language to the graphics and music. While many may not understand what the text says, the game is simple enough to figure out through mere observation and trial-and-error. I also like the randomization aspect, as it brings a fresh new experience on each run.

The Bad

While I like Cinco Paus for what it's worth, it may not be everyone's cup of tea. The language barrier may be bothersome for some, and the art style is rather unorthodox. Like they say, this game may be an acquired taste for fans of Brough's previous work.

This is definitely not a standard game, and takes a bit of getting used to. But if you can get through the hurdles, then it's rather enjoyable.

The verdict

As a fan of Brough's other games, I think Cinco Paus is another great hidden gem from him that I'm happy to have in my collection. The distinctive art style makes me think of obscure adult swim cartoons, and I think the experimental approach with Portuguese is a fascinating perspective on language barriers in games.

The gameplay itself is easy to pick up and learn after a few tries, and I enjoy the fact that each staff has a new set of properties in each game. It keeps you on your toes and you must try them all out in the first level to know and understand what their properties are. On top of that, there are a lot of other things in the game to learn as you play, such as enemy behaviors and what items do.

This is a game that will keep you interested and coming back for more. Cinco Paus is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $4.99.

8.7

OVERALL

Replayability 9

Game Controls 9

Gameplay 9

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8.5

$4.99

Cinco Paus

Michael Brough

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