This week, we’re looking at two adaptations of card games: Reiner Knizia’s Money! and Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer.
Reiner Knizia’s Money! (Universal): Prolific game designer Reiner Knizia is known for two things: simple, elegant games of all types, and pushing his creations onto iOS developers with incredible vigor. While many of them are great versions, the one we’ve enjoyed more than even the physical version is this, a set-collecting card game with a monetary theme.
Players bid various amounts of money to get first shot at one of two piles in the center, exchanging their bid with the one they want until everyone’s taken one. The goal? To get the most money, of course! But you need more of a denomination for it to really count, and there are special bonuses for collecting sets of smaller bills. The system used for this has been later implemented with games like High Society, Gold! and Kingdoms, and all are worth checking out. Start here, though. 4/5
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer (Universal): The iOS adaptation of our Unplugged Game of 2010 was certainly on our radar, and it doesn’t disappoint. (Check out our unplugged review for more on the game.) The largest problem with a game like this? Getting all the piles and areas on the screen, and Incinerator manages to do it with various shortcuts and trays that feel natural.
There’s online play, pass-around local multiplayer and two levels of AI. A third, harder one is in the works, as is implementation of expansion cards. Yeah, it’s worth getting, people. 5/5
