I've come across a multitude of titles in the App Store that attempt to bridge the gap between two gaming genres. There have been varying degrees of success for most of these games, but every now and again there's a title that not only dares to get the formula right - but sees fit to destroy the battery in my phone (which, admittedly, with an iPhone isn't too terribly difficult). In this case the game in question is "Sword&Poker" - and yes it is exactly what it sounds like.







In the world of Sword & Poker, the always dreaded Lord of Chaos has snagged the equally ominous Stone of Creation and has formed a intricate dungeon to protect his dark intent. You play a plucky young hero, who looks to be about twelve years old, and your mission is to utilize the sacred powers of Poker to eliminate all of those monsters brought into being by this aforementioned Lord of Chaos.

The battle sequences are played out on a five by five grid, with nine random cards placed in the center. Each side, both you and your adversary, are given four cards to form hands in several different directions: down, across, or diagonally. One of your greatest assets in these battles is going to be the Joker card, which will act as a wild card and save you on more than one occasion. There is a wild card meter that will fill up as you make hands and will allow you to randomly turn one of the cards in your hands into one of the prized Jokers, the Excalibur of your hand. In seeking to get these hands you will have to be mindful of your HP, which is measured in coins.

The real crux of the strategy in this game is to make these hands while being aware of the cards your opponent holds and trying to block them from being in advantageous positions.



You won't go into battle unarmed though, and that's another area where the game shines. You will be able to purchase swords, shields, magic, and the like to outfit your hero to take on the denizens of the Chaos dungeons.

Each weapon will add specific attributes to the different types of hands - so you may have a sword that, upon forming three of a kind for instance, will grant you some measure of HP. Also, you will be able to replay previously beaten floors for additional money and resources to prepare you for the battles to come. There are also "charges" that you can collect and store that will give you a complete HP refill upon use. Upgrading your bags will also increase your HP, and increase the charge tokens you can carry. Thankfully, unlike most RPGs you never feel like you are grinding for the sake of grinding - there's nothing but fun here.




It's these touches that help to make this game stand out from other gems in the App Store. For .99 cents within the states and about 3.99 I believe for outside the states, you have some great value in this game. Having a multiplayer element just adds yet more replay value. Give it a shot.