I would disagree with this review to an extent...

If you're "randomly sending out troops and wailing on a spongy skeleton in some vain attempt to win", you haven't looked into the strategy aspect, you're panicking, or you're not playing very well... I've gone a long way in the game thus far, making it (so far) to Wave 14 in the main castle/story and conquering a good bit of the lands with primarily using Shield Knights, Blunderbuss (Dwarves), Human/Elven Archers, Elven Hunters, Pikemen, and Captains. It's kind of the standard mix of units from the first game, but I may find myself throwing out a lot more of varying units pretty soon. There have been times, as well, where I came close to defeat but, with sending out the right units and attacking the right enemies on my end, turned the tide of battle and overcame the enemy (and had a huge sigh of relief afterwards).Additionally, units you send out, if you read their description before sending them or choosing who to send, often tell you what kind of enemy they're good against, or who they'll target as a priority. So, it's not as if you're on your own expected to learn to swim by being thrown in a pool. Lol.

Each baddie has a counter/unit weakness. It's not impossible to remember, it's just a matter, like with any game, trial and error and repetition = memorization. Plus, if you're stuck on a Wave, the Scribe in the main castle has the "Beastiary", which details each enemy you've encountered thus far and what to counter them with, for reference.

This isn't particularly a game made for a casual player; if you've played the original Heroes and Castles, the steep difficulty curve (which thankfully isn't in THIS game) says that clearly. You're required to take the fight to the enemy personally while also ocassionally looking around the battlefield to see just what you're up against and, from there, send out the appropriate troops (personally, I've found Shield Knights to be the most effective unit universally) if you need the assistance (Though, sending out Bannermen is always a must). There's also the aspect of Research that does help a lot in battle, as well as the crafting system via the Blacksmith which can sometimes give you extremely good gear which just helps your character that much more. Plus there's the skill trees you can invest into each time you level up and the various weapons you can equip for different setups of enemies (I would suggest using a bow or gun for Seige missions, since you can send out troops to occupy the enemy while you pummel their fortress from a distance).

For a strategist and action fan like myself, and for many others (according to several App Store reviews made thus far), this is the perfect game and one that keeps me/us involved and on our toes, which is what you'd want from a strategy game. Sure, your units may not be able to be commanded to exactly what target you want, but that's where you come in; if you see an enemy slipping by, you get the satisfaction of going over and wailing on them in a "Haha! Not this time, skellyman! Good try, though!" fashion, as I actually have. :P

Heroes and Castles 2 is a game that I forsee (just like its predecessor a couple of years ago) staying on my iPad for a very long time. At least for me, it's exactly the kind of game I want to play, and enjoy playing; it's a hybrid worth loving, in my opinion. c:

xeroxeroxero 5 years, 11 months ago

You see, it's thoughtful and articulate comments like this that I love AppSpy readers for. You make some good points, and I'm sure Mark would be glad you're enjoying the game - even if he wasn't a fan himself. We always say "games are for everyone", and everyone likes different kinds of games, so if you're getting a kick out of it, I think that's awesome! :D