Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil Review
PROS
- Multiple online and offline slots; play as meticulously or as casually as you'd like.
- Tutorial gives a decent breakdown of the basic gameplay; relatively simple to learn as you play.
CONS
- Grating music selection; 'retro' is all well and good, but the ear-piercing chiptunes quickly go from catchy to nauseating.
- No real checks and balances to stop run-away leaders; if you get a good engine going early you'll crush the opposition.
VERDICT
Nothing can truly replace sitting around a table or in a circle on the floor with friends as you play a board game, but 'Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil' makes it easier to enjoy the game without the mess, and that's almost worth the entry fee alone.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
When you think 'Penny Arcade', you'll more than likely think about the online comic started by 'Gabe and Tycho'. The brand has almost become an institution that defines gaming for the world - irreverent, opinionated, but always willing to share a fun time with all who seek it.
Based on the 2011 deck-building card game of the same name, 'Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil' brings together familiar elements of popular titles like Ascension and Dominion while also adding in a unique spin of their own thanks to the inclusion of 'boss' stacks.
As the type of game suggests, your aim is to build a deck with the purpose of earn more victory points than your opponents before an end-game condition is triggered. Players start with a basic mix of 'tokens' and 'power' and providing they have enough of either, they can purchase additional cards with powerful abilities such as defending from the dreaded 'PAX Pox' to generating even more 'tokens' and 'power'. Better still, if you can generate enough 'tokens' or 'power' you can take on one of two 'boss' stacks, earning powerful loot cards to your deck.
The game, as presented in the iOS version, is stock standard and thanks to a tutorial and AI opponents you'll be able to jump in without much complication. The stacks you can choose from change from game to game and players can make their own choice from a variety of player cards (each with their own bonuses) at the start too.
As you can imagine, things are cluttered on smaller iOS devices, though most objects on the screen can be tapped to gain more information. It's not elegant, but it gets the job done.
Ultimately that's how 'Gamers vs. Evil' feels in general - the gameplay, while easy to pick up, lacks the same sort of depth found in similar titles. If nothing else it provides a handy way to play a round with friends thanks to the online option.
If you enjoy deck-builders or you're a big fan of Penny Arcade, you owe it to yourself to at least try 'Gamers vs. Evil' - it may not set the world on fire, but you'll get a few laughs and enjoy a few rounds before putting it down again.
Screenshots
$2.99
