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Controls: The controls are simple enough though they might look confusing at first. In the bottom left corner you have your directional pad. Tap on one of the four arrows and your character will go in the direction you want. In the bottom right, there is a circular action button. Press it to talk to other characters, opening treasure chests, or battling monsters. Around the action button are hotkeys that contains your spells. One of the hotkeys will contain your potions for easy access when you're in a tight spot and need to heal. In the top right corner you will be able to see your character's current HP, Mana, and Experience progress. On the left flank are three square buttons. The first button will allow you to save, the second to access the in-app store, and the third to go to the menu where you'll be able to see your inventory, equip your characters, along with other actions.


When you first start, you'll be able to choose from six different classes: Black Knight, Assassin, Warlock, Priest, Ranger, and Warrior. Each class has a different array of stats and skills. For example, magic users such as Warlocks and Priests usually have higher Intelligence and Mentality points but weaker Strength and Defense points than those who deal with physical attacks.

More details on skills: At the beginning, your character will have one skill available. Priests primarily deal with healing, while the skills of Assassins can allow them to strike multiple times to deal extra damage. After trying out all of the classes, I have found that Assassins, Rangers, Warriors, and even Warlocks have the best skills. Every time you level up, you will earn one Skill Point, which can be cumulated and used to learn new skills. Skills can also be upgraded, at an increasing rate of required skill points of course. Using skills will require spending mana at different amounts. Learned skills can be assigned to hotkeys as you won't be able to use any spells that aren't assigned. If you're playing on a tablet, I suggest that you assign the most frequently used spell right next to the action button on the bottom right so that you won't have to reach far when battling.

Profile: Whenever your character levels up, you'll earn three attribute points to upgrade your attributes. These attributes are Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Intelligence, and Mentality. Unfortunately, the game does not explain what each attribute means. Strength and Vitality (HP) are obvious enough, but the others aren't as much. For example, does upgrading Dexterity mean that my character will be able to attack faster? As a result, this can be very confusing when you're trying to figure out how to assign your attribute points. If you want to reassign your attribute points, you can pick up a set of dice to randomize how they're distributed. If you're not satisfied with the redistribution, you can always cancel (though you'll lose the dice).

Quests: Along the way, you'll be able to go on quests to earn experience and coins. Whenever you see an exclamation point hovering over a character, you know that there's a new quest for you. After you've started, the exclamation point will change to a question mark to remind you that the quest is still in progress. Most of these quests are just optional sidequests that will require you to defeat a certain number of monsters in order to collect a certain number of items. Completing quests will earn you experience, coins, and sometimes even good items. When you've finished a quest, a question mark will appear next to the exit so you know where to go to claim your reward. You'll be able to see more details of the quests you're currently on and their progress in the menu.

Shops: One nice thing about the game is that shops aren't limited to just towns. Instead, you'll often find them in the most obscure locations in the game, which is great when you need to unload a few items from your inventory. You'll be able to purchase potions, inventory slots, and resurrection spells at Merchandise stores. There are also Armor and Weapons Shops to upgrade your attack and defense. Some items require you to reach a certain level before being unlocked though. However, I have noticed that all the items in the shop are fairly expensive. After battling so many monsters, I still wasn't able to earn enough money to purchase a sword. Also, the better equipment require silver coins, which can be difficult to obtain just by battling.

Inventory: At the beginning, you are allowed to carry a maximum of 16 items. As the game progresses, you will be able to buy more inventory slots in the form of bags that you can equip. However, these bags are expensive to purchase. You can equip at most 4 different bags (not including your initial). Make sure to upgrade your inventory space as soon as you are able to as you'll find yourself constantly trying to juggle what items you want to keep.

Mercenaries: Along the way, you will be able to recruit mercenaries to add to your party to help you out. Mercenaries can be summoned through Mercenary Badges. You'll gain your first badge on a quest. Other badges can be picked up from monster dropoffs or purchased at a high price. Each badge will summon a different type of mercenrary so you have absolutely no control who you will get. Summoned mercenaries will usually be a few levels lower than yours. Each mercenary, even if you get the same class, will have different skills. Unfortunately, you will not be able to edit any of your mercenaries' attributes or skills. The only thing you can change is their equipment. Mercenaries will automatically attack in battle. You can switch to them but you will not be able to access any potions. You can only have at most two mercenaries active in your party though you can summon more. Once a mercenary dies, you will not be able to switch it out to another mercenary though. In general, mercenaries can be a serious help in the game. Using them can help you make short work of monsters, so summon as many as soon as you get the chance. They have skills that will help raise critical attack and generate better treasure. Unless you're willing to spend real money, you'll only be able to have a maximum of six mercenaries in total. One extremely nice thing about this is that every character that you own, whether active or inactive, will continue to gain experience as you progress through the game. That way, you'll never have characters that are extremely uneven in level because you never used them.

Along the way, in order to complete quests, other characters will join your parties. These characters will disappear after the quest is done, but they lend a great help to your party when they are there. Sometimes, it might be a good idea to use this chance to level up the rest of your characters. They also have really good equipment. Unfortunately, you won't be able to "steal" their equipment as your own.

Fusion: Sometimes you will spot Fusion machines hidden in the landscape. Along the way, you'll be able to collect various Combination Items, that can only be used in a Fusion. You can combine these items in order to create potions and enhance materials. So far, I've only figured out how to make new potions (an inexpensive alternative to getting potions as long as you have Leaves of Life). The rest, such as Jewel Socket Creation, have all escaped me as to its purpose. It also doesn't cost any money to fuse materials together.

Ads: While ads won't bother you during the gameplay, they will, however, pop out when you open the menu. Thankfully, they aren't video ads, and you can just press the Skip button to continue. If you want, you can pay $0.99 to completely remove ads. If you're signed into Com2uS, all your purchases and save data will be rememberd on their website so you won't have to spend more money if you ever remove the app from your device and have to reinstall. Ads will also pop out on the title screen.

Conclusion: For a free app, Inotia IV is a RPG that is very well done. While there are in-app purchases to help make your gameplay smoother, it is completely possible to complete the game without spending a single dime. Right now, Com2uS is also giving out 60 free Gems (the in-app store currency) when you install the game. Character designs are extremely well done and each character has a very distinct personality. Grammar and the overall storyline is also not bad. You don't need to rely on other players in order to complete quests and you don't need to wait for something, such as a potion, to finish brewing. I would say that my main complaints are the extremely strong bosses relative to all the other monsters in the area and the expensive items. Also, the constant reminder to log into Com2uS is kind of annoying but can be easily ignored. Other than those, Inotia IV is an excellent game that will keep you occupied for at least hours, if not days and weeks. There's even extra gameplay after you've finished the game with the game's Infinite Dungeon where you'll be able to revisit bosses that are even more difficult than before. I rate this app 4 out of 5 stars.

Dibbles: For the Greater Good is a game in the Dibbles series that is available both online and as an Android app. It is available in the Amazon Appstore and was recently a Free App of the Day. In this game, Dibbles are trying to get their king to safety from point A to B. There are many obstacles such as water and high cliffs blocking the path and the Dibbles are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect their king. Your job is to aid them by giving them commands as to how to maneuver the obstacle course.

The game starts off rather simple and the levels are easy to figure out. However, the difficulty of the levels will quickly escalate. The answers are not always readily apparent and you'll have to think fast. Each level only has a set amount of Dibbles you are able to use while saving as many as possible will result in a higher score. Dibbles will need to be sacrificed along the way in order for other Dibbles to cross gaps or water. For small steps, Dibbles will automatically jump over them. They can fall off cliffs and if the cliff is too high they will die.

Commands are given in the form of command stones that you can place beforehand. The first Dibble that touches the stone will pick up and execute the command. The placement of the stones is extremely important as placing a stone one space off could mean you have to restart the level. Each stone will result in the loss of one Dibble. There are many different types of command stones. Some examples are: Bridge (The Dibble will use its ears to make a bridge between small gaps); Bounce (Other Dibbles can use the sacrificed Dibble as a trampoline to jump over large gaps); Float (The Dibble will turn itself into a stepping stone in the water); Block (Other Dibbles will change direction); and Climb (Dibbles can go climb up high walls). You're given only a certain number of command stones at the beginning of each level, so use them wisely! There are, however, instances, where you can complete a level without using all of the command stones. If you misplace a command stone, the X button on the right hand side will allow you to delete and replace the stone.

If you're ever stuck, the game does offer you a complete video walkthrough of each level. However, you'll need to download a separate app (Game Hub) for that out of convenience. The good thing though is that the walkthrough app is completely free. Do note that you will need some sort of Internet connection in order to see the walkthrough as the videos are on YouTube. Of course, if you don't want to download the second app, you can always directly go to YouTube to find them there. For those who want the link, it is here.

The game is rather short, with 33 levels in total. None of the levels will truly stump a player for long so this game can be finished rather quickly. For a price of $1.99 there doesn't seem to be enough content.

The controls themselves are also very precise and the in-game instructions will take care of you nicely.

A nice thing about this game is that there is no in-game store so you will never have to spend real pocket money in order to gain more stuff. However, there is a button "More Games" on the main menu screen that will direct you to the other games made by the developer and also more games in the Dibble series such as Winter Woes and Pro Pack. Of course, these games will cost money but nowhere does Dibbles: For the Greater Good force you to buy them.

While the graphics are nice and very cartoony in nature and the Dibbles adorable, the game can be rather disturbing at times. For one thing, you are basically forcing the Dibbles to commit suicide in order for the other Dibbles to continue, and each sacrifice is animated. Dibbles becoming Bridges or Blocks aren't too bad as they don't really kill themselves. Other Dibbles will simply step over the Bridge Dibbles and bounce off of the statue Block Dibbles. However, it is the Bounce and Float Dibbles that I find to be truly disturbing. For Bounce, you see the poor little Dibble snap its neck and head off to become a trampoline while the Float Dibbles end up drowning themselves.


So, in the end, the Dibbles can be a fun little game to pass the time. Despite the cartoon-like graphics, I would not recommend this game to a young child due to the Dibbles' suicidal natures. The game itself is also very short, so most likely it's not worth paying the $2 price. Since it's available online for free at many sites such as ArmorGames (Link here), it would probably be a better idea to play it there rather than purchasing the app. I give this game 3.5 to 4 stars.

Dark Summoner is a free RPG card game app that is available in both iTunes and Android developed by ATeam. Many top designers were gathered together in order to create a nightmarish dark fantasy world. In the game you'll be able to go on missions to collect monster cards, treasure, and gold. Form teams of monsters to battle with other players. Summon more monsters to complete your army and sacrifice the useless ones to strengthen the leaders. Choose your guild and your clan and lead them to victory.

For those who have played Rage of Bahamut, the gameplay is very similar to theirs. As a result, I'll sometimes compare the two apps in this review. I don't know which came first so I'm not trying to say that one game ripped off the other.

At the very start, you'll have three guilds to choose from: Tyranny, Sin, and Rancor. I'm not sure whether or not it matters which guild you choose in the end. For one thing, many players end up filling their decks with monsters from other guilds along the way.

The graphics for the cards can be very frightening. You'll see zombies with peeling rotten flesh and monsters with no eyes. They are all extremely twisted and nightmarish. Certainly not for the faint of heart or the young. Personally, I like the graphics in Rage of Bahamut better. However, Dark Summoner has much better animations as compared to the random screen flashes in Bahamut. Each monster has a different level in the form of an alphabet letter.

You can get new monster cards by either Summoning them or acquiring them through quests. You are allowed one free Summon each day. By connecting the game to Twitter, Facebook, or openFeint, you'll be able to get more free Summons for each site that you connect to. If you are a new player, you're allowed to do a Rookie's Summon, which will give you a Rank A monster card, thus giving you an advantage in the game. However, the summoning costs 100 Soul Points and Soul Points can only be acquired by spending real money in their in-game store. So if you're unwilling to part with your money, you'll end up missing this chance. Also, this type of Summon can only be used within the first 72 hours after a player signs up. There are different types of Summons and each will give you different levels of monster cards. For example, some Summons are more likely to turn up higher level cards than others. All at a costlier price, of course.

Completing missions requires Energy points and each mission requires multiple attempts before completion. Each attempt will require you to spend a certain amount of Energy. As you progress through the missions, the cost will rise. The good thing though is that your Energy will recharge over time, about one Energy point back per minute. There's a nice little countdown timer below the Energy bar so you know exactly how long you need to wait before you get another point. However, if you're impatient, you can always fully recharge it through the use of costly potions. Regarding the missions themselves, they have a much clearer progress bar than Bahamut, but there are a few things that Bahamut does better. For example, Bahamut quests have a much better general storyline. The storyline of missions in Dark Summoner is reported purely in the form of tasks to complete. Also, in Bahamut, you'll always end up with some sort of reward after defeating about three to four monsters. In Dark Summoner, on the other hand, the reward system is not so rigid. There were times when I went through three missions consecutively but there was not a single reward in sight. After about every five missions, you'll be able to take on the boss to move onto the next area.

Like in Bahamut, you can also battle other players. However, you won't be able to seize treasure from others  through battles like Bahamut allows. So if you're missing a few collectibles for your collection, you'll have no choice but to replay the missions until you get all that you need. You can get a max of three different monster cards or collectibles. You'll never receive potions or gold as rewards though. Anyways, back to the battling system. The battle page will give you a list of different opponents to fight from, telling you the player's level, a picture of their leader monster cards, and their Battle Points. Battling other players cost points and these points are determined by the total number of BP of your monsters in your current formation. You'll be able to edit your formation on your home page, and you'll even be able to ask the computer to generate a current best deck for you. You can either view the battle where your monsters will deal damage to your opponent one by one or directly skip to the results. The battle can go by very fast so unless you're very quick at reading you won't be able to analyze the battle's log. However, the next screen will allow you to see your battle log in more detail. Winning the battle will earn you gold, exp, and honor points. Losing the battle will result in you losing gold. Even if you do not have enough BP to support your full formation, you'll still be able to battle although some of your monsters might be missing. In general, as long as your opponent's BP is less than yours, you will usually win the battle unless your opponent has really strong monsters or good combos. By having certain conditions you'll be able to unlock various combos that will increase your attack. For example, having monsters from the same guild or having all your monsters be the same level are combos.

Collectibles: Collectibles are Dark Summoner's version of Bahamut's Treasures. As mentioned before, you can only gain them through missions. Every set you complete will earn you a Dark Crystal. These Dark Crystals can then be used to unlock boss battles. Defeating the boss will give you a copy of the boss as a card which you can add to your formation. Killing a Raid Boss requires multiple hits and each hit will cost 10 Energy Points. There is also a time limit of around two hours to defeat the boss. The strength of your attack is determined by the total attack power of you and your allies so it's crucial that you stock up on allies before taking on a Raid Boss. Allies can be gained by sending friend invites to other players. Collecting multiple set copies will allow you to battle the Raid Boss again.

You can increase your monster's level and stats by sacrificing other monsters to enhance it. Each sacrifice will cost gold and will get more expensive as the monster's level rises. Unlock in Bahamut, you will not be able to evolve your monsters so there's no point in hoarding multiple copies of weak monsters except to sacrifice them at a later date.

You can only have 30 monsters in your deck, a much lower number than in Bahamut. This limit can actually be quite annoying as it quickly forces you to determine which monsters you want to keep in your formation. All the rest of the monsters need to go as sacrifices. Through missions you can gain more monsters but if your deck is full they'll go to your gift box where they'll disappear after an hour if not collected. If there's a certain monster in your gift box that you want to keep, you'll again have no choice but to keep sacrificing. The constant need to sacrifice monsters has become a hassle. Of course, you could always sell your monsters if you are low on gold, but that seems to be a waste considering that you could have powered up your other monsters to earn more gold. I wish that Dark Summoner would increase the monster limit of the deck.

Clans: Clans are Dark Summoner's equivalent of Rage of Bahamut's Orders. You can either join another clan or make your own. You'll be able to donate gold in order to increase your clan's power. Unfortunately, you can only donate in multiples of thousands. Of course, upgrading your clan to the next level can be very expensive, and most clan leaders might even kick you out if they feel that you haven't been active enough (i.e. posting in forums and donating). The nice thing about joining a guild though is that you'll gain Ally Points when your clan goes to battle, and these Ally Points can then be used to summon more monsters at 200 Ally Points each.

In conclusion, Dark Summoner is a very addicting game as you try to collect as many monsters as you can, complete the missions, and complete all the treasure sets. The monster cards are a little scary but thankfully not enough for me to have nightmares after playing. My main complaint would be the constant need to sacrifice monsters to make room for new monsters. Although the waiting time to replenish your Energy or Battle points can be annoying, it does give you a break in between each play. One nice thing about Dark Summoner, as compared to Rage of Bahamut, is that it does not rely as much on forcing players to tweet or post things to Twitter or Facebook in order to get goodies. There certainly is, but not as much. Also, it's easier to get potions that you otherwise would have had to spend real pocket money than in Bahamut.However, both games still rely heavily on "forcing" players to use real money in order to gain goodies. While very similar to Rage of Bahamut in gameplay, it also has many fresh takes. I rate this game 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For those who are interested, I have provided links to the iTunes and Google Play and the game's official pages:

Official Website: http://www.darksummoner.com/
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.darksummoner
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dark-summoner/id480950048?mt=8
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darksummoner.us

UPDATE:  Upon further inspection, I found that you can indeed increase the maximum number of cards allowed in your deck using a Monster Limiter potion. However, getting more potions can be very costly.