Category: Game Releases

Galcon is a mobile strategy classic, boiling down real-time strategy to easy taps and simple numbers. One criminally underappreciated feature is that Galcon can be played anywhere you can turn your phone on, with the device held at any angle and for any length of time.

Cosmic Frontline takes the basic Galcon gameplay — a set of planets, one or two opponents, and swarms of ships that spawn as you successfully hold said planets — and lets you display those planets on a background generated from your camera. That is, the playing field appears to be floating above your desk in real life. It’s a cool effect, but how does it play?

I think most of us can agree that Galcon would not be greatly improved if it were only playable from certain angles and locations, with the phone held awkwardly static until the level could be completed. By adding AR elements to this basic design, Cosmic Frontline ensures that the player will spend half their gaming time searching for an appropriate flat surface to cast planets upon and the rest of the time holding still while trying to place orders.

That means the game is not playable in many situations. If you’re commuting, the play field will fly off into the distance when your vehicle starts moving. Even when I was waiting at the bus stop, the planets managed to attach themselves to a passing car and zoom away just as victory was in my grasp. There’s an option to reduce the appearance of AR, but all that does is paint the background with a very pretty starfield; you still have to hold the device steady to keep the camera on the planets. The one new interesting wrinkle to the addition of AR is that sometimes planets will spawn behind you or otherwise slightly out of frame, forcing you to change your perspective slightly in order to keep everything in view.

It would have been better to just go all in and make the game only playable in a giant field where you have to run from planet to planet to issue orders. At least then you could get some exercise beyond holding your arms very still. An option to play without AR at all would also be preferable; with a stationary camera you could play the game in bed and it would still be a really pretty-looking basic RTS, perfect for mobile.

Cosmic Frontline is a great-looking game, and fun too in limited doses. There’s a variety of planet designs, plus asteroids and space debris to keep it looking interesting. The swarms of ships move smoothly and realistically. The AI is smart enough to take advantage of any weaknesses, and the levels are set up in ways that provide different challenges each time. When the game is set up right, it’s pretty neat to see these spinning planets and whirring ships flying around your bedroom.

That means Cosmic Frontline is a great tech demo, or an A+ final project in a game development course. It’s even pretty fun when conditions are just right. Any other time, however, it’s not worth your money.

By Joe Robinson 15 Jul 2019

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is a new AR mobile game from Niantic, the makers of Pokémon GO. It’s similar to that of its predecessor and allows players to bring the universe of Harry Potter into the real world.

The main gameplay loop involves exploring the world around you, freeing ‘Foundables’ (like catching Pokémon) and interacting with nodes scattered across the map. Unless you’re in a rural area, when you fire up the game for the first time you may see spires and structures looming in the distance. There are three Harry Potter: Wizards Unite locations that you can visit while you’re playing the game, each which will help you collect Foundables.

These locations are Inns, Greenhouses, and Fortresses. Understanding the purpose of the Wizards Unite locations and how you interact with them isn’t made as clear as it could be, so we are here to help!

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Locations | What does each location do?

Let’s take a look at all of the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite locations and see exactly what each of them do.

Inn 

An Inn corresponds to real world location (often a pub, cafe or something similar) and will appear on the map as a house-like structure. As you come across one, you can enter it by simply tapping on the screen. Once inside, you’ll be prompted to trace a Glyph (swipe with your finger) to activate the Inn. Completing this task will reward you with a meal, which will in turn reward you with Spell Energy. The amount of energy you get depends on the meal you eat… we’ve seen as low as 2 or 3, but as high as 10. The meal you get will depend on your real-world location.

If the name doesn’t give it away, you’ll need Spell Energy to cast spells in Wizards Unite. You cast a spell every-time you try to ‘catch’ a Foundable (and like in Pokémon GO, you sometimes need to try several times before it works or disappears). You also cast spells when you interact with Fortresses (see below). Every time you cast a spell, you will lose some Spell Energy, so it is going to be important to be mindful of how much you have left. If you’re just starting off, you can only hold 75 Spell Energy. While this isn’t a lot, it will be enough to allow you to do at least a day’s worth of activity without needing to visit an Inn, which will help you level up!

Different Types of Inns

There are five different types or ‘colors’ of Inns. Each color represents the real-world location that it is likely to be found in. For example, a Green Inn will be found in rural areas and will offer better meals, since they are hard to come by. On the other hand, Pink Inns can be found in both rural and urban areas and offers meals that give out less Spell Energy. 

Below is a list of all the different Inn colors, locations, and maximum Spell Energy:

• Green Inn – Rural areas; Up to 10 Spell Energy
• Purple Inn– City areas; Up to 7 Spell Energy
• Blue Inn – Rural and Urban areas; Up to 6 Spell Energy
• Brown Inn – Rural and Urban areas; Up to 6 Spell Energy
• Pink Inn – Rural and Urban areas; Up to 3 Spell Energy

Different type of Inn meals

As stated above, visiting the different Inn locations will reward visitors with a meal that will replenish their spell energy. After-all, you cannot cast a good spell on an empty stomach. There are a total of ten meals that you can eat at Inns in Wizards Unite, each giving players 1-10 Spell Energy. 

Below is a list of all of the meals and their corresponding Spell Energy rewards:

• Tomato Soup – 1 Spell Energy
• Afternoon Tea – 2 Spell Energy
• Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans – 2 Spell Energy
• Pumpkin Juice – 2 Spell Energy
• Violet Pudding – 3 Spell Energy
• Bangers and Mash – 5 Spell Energy
• Fish and Chips – 6 Spell Energy
• Honeyduke’s Chocholate Bar – 6 Spell Energy
• Butterbeer – 7 Spell Energy
• Turkey/Chicken Dinner – 10 Spell Energy

If you have played Pokémon GO, it will be best to think of Inns as Pokestops. You aren’t going to need to visit this Harry Potter: Wizards Unite location multiple times a day if you’re just a casual player. So, it’s best just to keep it in the back of your mind and remember to stop by one if you are out and about!

Dark Detectors

Inns have a secondary screen that allows you to place ‘Dark Detectors’ – these are in-game items you can earn (or buy) and act like Lures from Pokémon GO. If you place one in an Inn, you’ll be able to find rarer traces for the next 30 minutes. 

The main purpose of Dark Detectors is to help players collect Foundables faster. During the 30-minute period that they are active, you will earn increased XP and have a chance at locating Foundables that you might not normally come across. Dark Detectors can also be stacked with up to three per Inn. 

Greenhouse

Greenhouses are small glass buildings, which contain pots that are able to grow various plants, which can eventually be turned into potions. When you come across a Greenhouse, you can go inside and choose from three randomized plant pots to grow your plant. After collecting the ingredients from you plant, you’ll need to leave the Greenhouse for 5 minutes before returning.

Growing a Plant

The main purpose of a Greenhouse is to grow a plant which will give players ingredients that can be used to create Potions. Every once in a while, you’ll come across seeds while playing Wizards Unite. You can add these seeds to your collection and use them to grow a specific plant in a greenhouse. You can see the different seeds that you have collected by going to the Vault and clicking the seed icon on the right side of the screen.

There is a total of 10 plants that you can grow in the Wizards Unite Greenhouses, each which are able to be used in different Potions. Everyone who contributes to growing a plant will be able to reap its crop. However, once a plant has finished growing, players will only have 30 minutes to pick its ingredients. 

Below, you’ll find a list of all the plants in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, along with the materials required and the time it takes to grow them.

• Snowdrop – Snowdrop Seed (1), Water (15) – 1 Hour
• Wormwood – Wormwood Seed (1), Water (7), 1 Hour
• Bitter Root – Bitterroot Seed (1), Water (15) – 7 Hours
• Ginger Root – Ginger Seed (1), Water (12) – 7 Hours
• Lovage – Lovage Seed (1), Water (9) – 7 Hours
• Scurvygrass – Scurvygrass Seed (1), Water (7) – 7 Hours
• Sneezewort – Sneezewort Seed (1), Water (1) – 7 Hours
• Sopophorous Bean – Sopophorous Bean Seed (1), Water (1) – 7 Hours
• Valerian Root – Valerian Seed (1), Water (7) – 7 Hours
• Leaping Toadstool – Leaping Toadstool Spore (1), Water (12) – 24 Hours

After you have turned your seeds into plants, you can use the ingredients to create potions that will help you throughout the game. Potions are not unlockable until Level 4, so if you haven’t made it that far yet, you aren’t going to be able to do anything with the Greenhouse plants you collect. 

However, once you have reached Level 4, if you click on the suitcase icon on the main screen, you’ll be taken to a menu where you’ll be able to choose from five icons. The Potions icon is located on the bottom left hand side of the screen, simply click on it to view all of the Potions that you have available and their needed ingredients. Additionally, if you go to the Vault and click on the ingredient’s icon, you can see a complete list of all of the ingredients that you have collected.

Pots vs. Rental Pots

Each Greenhouse will have three pots that are available to use for free. If all three pots are currently being used, then you’ll have to either wait it out or use a Rental Pot. These are pots that can be bought with in game currency and will come with all the ingredients that you need as well as reduce grow time. 

Below is a list of the different rental pots costs and time availability:

• Rental Pot A – 35 coins – 180 minutes
• Rental Pot B – 70 coins – 480 minutes
• Rental Pot C – 140 coins – 1440 minutes

Both the Rental Pots and the free pots work fine to grow a plant. Using a Rental Pot is not going to reap you a benefit that a regular pot won’t. It’ll simply save you some time and supply you with the necessary seeds needed to grow your desired plant.

Fortress

The final of the three Harry Potter: Wizards Unite locations is known as a Fortress. These are really tall buildings that will allow players to complete a series of challenges in exchange for exclusive rewards. They won’t be hard to recognize, as they are the tallest building on the map.

Once you enter a Fortress, you and up to four others can compete in a series of challenges where you choose the difficulty. As you enter the Fortress, you and your partners will be able to fight a series of opponents, who are guarding some of the rarest and most powerful Foundables around.

Runestones

Before you begin a fight, you’ll have to hand over a Runestone, which will determine the strength of your enemy. So, if you give up a higher level Runestone, you’ll face a higher-level enemy. If you hand over a lower level Runestone, you’ll face an easier enemy. 

Runestones can be gathered while you’re collecting Foundables and as you level up the various sections in your registry. Runestones are located in Treasure Trunks, which are earned by returning Foundables. Each Runestone you receive will correlate to an area of expertise, or as the game calls it, a Family. 

However, just because you hand over a low level Runestone doesn’t mean you won’t face a difficult enemy here or there. If you are playing solo, it is safe to assume that whatever level Runestone you put in is going to reflect the types of enemies you fight. However, if you’re playing with others, the water becomes a bit muggy since the more players you add, the more difficult the Fortress will be, because they will also be adding Runestones into the mix.

In addition to all of this, as you continue to move through the Fortress, the enemies are going to get stronger and stronger. The different floors are referred to as ‘Chambers’ in the game, and the rule of thumb is that the higher the Chamber, the harder the enemy. If you plan to fight through a lot of Chambers, you’re going to want to bring a couple of players with you.

If you decide that a Fortress is too difficult for you after putting in a Runestone, you can leave the lobby before the 30 second time runs out and your Runestone will be returned to you. However, once that 30 second timer is out, your Runestone is gone for good. 

Floor Stats

One thing that is important to note is that while you can be in a Fortress with up to four other players, all battles will take place solo. This means that each player will fight their own battles, even though they are working as a team. While teammates can help the fighter by using spells when they are not in combat, it is ultimately up to each player to defeat their individual opponent. Different Professions are stronger and weaker against different types of enemies, so being smart about who fights which enemy is important (more on this later).

There is a total of 20 Fortress Chambers in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, each having its own player levels and base ratings. Additionally, each Chamber will have a limited number of times allotted to players, meaning they must pass the Chamber before the time runs out. If you run out of time, then you forfeit the Fortress. 

Below is a list of all the Chamber levels, time limits, minimal player level, and base ratings:

• Chamber 1 – Time: 300 seconds – Player Level: 1 – Base Rating: 0
• Chamber 2 – Time: 300 seconds – Player Level: 1 – Base Rating: 170
• Chamber 3 – Time: 300 seconds – Player Level: 2 – Base Rating: 340
• Chamber 4 – Time: 360 seconds – Player Level: 2 – Base Rating: 510
• Chamber 5 – Time: 360 seconds – Player Level: 3 – Base Rating: 680
• Chamber 6 – Time: 360 seconds – Player Level: 3 – Base Rating: 850
• Chamber 7 – Time: 420 seconds – Player Level: 4 – Base Rating: 1020
• Chamber 8 – Time: 420 seconds – Player Level: 4 – Base Rating: 1190
• Chamber 9 – Time: 420 seconds – Player Level: 5 – Base Rating: 1360
• Chamber 10 – Time: 480 seconds – Player Level: 5 – Base Rating: 1530
• Chamber 11 – Time: 480 seconds – Player Level: 6 – Base Rating: 1700
• Chamber 12 – Time: 480 seconds – Player Level: 6 – Base Rating: 1870
• Chamber 13 – Time: 540 seconds – Player Level: 7 – Base Rating: 2040
• Chamber 14 – Time: 540 seconds – Player Level: 7 – Base Rating: 2210
• Chamber 15 – Time: 540 seconds – Player Level: 8 – Base Rating: 2380
• Chamber 16 – Time: 600 seconds – Player Level: 8 – Base Rating: 2250
• Chamber 17 – Time: 600 seconds – Player Level: 9 – Base Rating: 2720
• Chamber 18 – Time: 600 seconds – Player Level: 9 – Base Rating: 2890
• Chamber 19 – Time: 600 seconds – Player Level: 10 – Base Rating: 3060
• Chamber 20 – Time: 600 seconds – Player Level: 10 – Base Rating: 3230

As you can see, towards the beginning a Fortress won’t be too tough. However, as you go on, you’re going to want to have some help from other players.

Strategic Spells

While you’re fighting, you’ll need to keep your health bar in mind, as running out of health will result in a loss. So, be mindful of how much health you have as you continue through the Chambers. To help out, players will be able to cast different types of spells based on their Profession, which can weaken an enemy or heal a player. If you haven’t unlocked Strategic Spells yet, then you’ll need to continue to increase your expertise in your Profession. 

There are three different types of Professions in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite which are going to determine what kind of Strategic Spells you can cast. Below is a list of the different Profession classes and a short description of each.

• Auror – Aurors deal extra damage against Dark Forces and take extra damage from Beasts.
• Magizoologist – Magizoologists deal extra damage against Beasts and take extra damage from Curiosities.
• Professor – Professors deal extra damage against Curiosities and take extra damage from Dark Forces.

If you plan to go far into a Fortress, you’re likely going to want to have a nice variety of Professions on your team. While all of them are important, the Magizoologist Profession will offer a significant advantage during Fortress battles. They are able to heal your teammates during battle as long as they are ‘sitting out’ of the fight. 

There are tons of different Strategic Spell casting strategies in Wizards Unite. There isn’t really a right or wrong way to go about it. It will likely come down to personal preference and the resources you have available to you. Just make sure you and your team are thinking things through and you’ll likely be okay!

Enemy Types

There are four main types of enemies that will appear in a Fortress – Dark Forces, Curiosities, Beasts, and Neutral. Each of these enemy types are weak to certain Professions and will deal increased damage to other Professions. 

Below is a list of the four main enemy types along with their strengths and weaknesses:

• Dark Forces – Deal increased damage to Professors; Take increased damage from Aurors
• Curiosities – Deal increased damage to Magizoologists; Take increased damage from Professors
• Beasts – Deal increased damage to Aurors; Take increased damage from Magizoologists
• Neutral – Deal and take neutral damage to all Professions

You’ll want to pay attention to what type of enemy you’re facing, so that you will know who in your group is the best matchup for each fight. For example, a Professor shouldn’t fight a Dark Force enemy, because they are capable of dealing increased damage to players of that Profession. In the same light, an Auror should fight a Beast when possible, because they can deal increased damage to that enemy type.

Along with the four main enemy types, there are six different ‘levels’ that and enemy could be. For example, the first few Chambers will probably have Common enemies while the final few will likely have Fierce enemies. 

Below is a list of all of the different Enemy levels that will appear in a Fortress:

• Common – Normal enemy
• Formidable – Increased Defense and Proficiency Power
• Elite – Increased stats for some or all active enemies
• Imposing – Increased Proficiency Power, Deficiency Defense, Defense, and Defense Breach
• Dangerous – Strongly increased Proficiency Power, Deficiency Defense, Defense, and Defense Breach
• Fierce – Extremely increased Proficiency Power, Deficiency Defense, Defense, and Defense Breach

Hopefully you found this useful and are ready to go out and explore your surroundings. We’ll have some more Wizard’s Unite content for you over the coming weeks, but let us know if you have any burning questions you’d like answered sooner rather than later!

I’m technically not here as you read this, so this week’s updates is short and sweet again – sorry about that. I’ve been set on catching up on some overdue reviews this week, which is why so many have dropped this week. Not as many planned for next week but there’s still interesting games on the horizon worth exploring.

Next week it’s going to be a mixture of additional reviews, plus extra passes at Auto Chess and Harry Potter as those are still proving popular.

Meanwhile, in mobile gaming…

Out Now

Santorini Board Game (iOS & Android) – Full Review Coming Soon!

Despite its light-hearted aesthetic, Santorini offers a wonderfully pure form of strategic play where your moves are few, but the tactical depth is near endless. 2 -4 players are given workers to move around a grid-based board, where the only things you can do is move, and build. Your goal is to firstly build a tower up to three levels, and then get one of your workers on top of that tower. The thing is, you only get to do one move/build action per turn with one worker. Plus, you can ‘cap’ towers to stop your opponent getting to the top (and they can do the same to you).

It’s an excellent abstract strategy game that should fit really well on mobile. The Santorini app, by Roxley, features challenging AI, pass-and-play and online multiplayer, as well as tutorials, challenges and other goodies. If you own the physical game, it can also be used as a companion app and features the optional ‘God’ powers that spice up what is an otherwise simple game. We can’t wait to do the full review!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Ft8_N6XUA?controls=0]

Updates

There’s actually quite a few updates worth highlight this week, so this section needs must be a bit breezier than usual.

• Legends of Andor (Review) has received a small update that improves the UI and adds an ‘undo’ button, amongst other things.
• Carrier Battles for Guadalcanal (Review) is one of the few decent iOS wargames our there right now, and it’s just received a new content drop. This update reworks all of the scenarios, looks at Fog of War and makes a lot of changes to the air game.
• Mini Metro (Review) is another favourite of ours, and its latest update adds a new city, as well as smoothing out some kinks with our areas of the game.
• Knights of the Card Table (Review) – this deck-building/roguelike now has a new challenge mode where each dungeon follows its own unique set of rules, allowing you to experiment with equipment load-outs.
• Codito’s version of Le Havre has just received an update, despite the company closing down a few years ago. The Big Hamlet expansion is now available as an IAP, and there was also a free update adding some additional gameplay options.

There’s also been an update to the official Steam Link app, and of course Star Traders: Frontiers has received yet another content drop. Phew!

Sales

Not much to really shout out about this week, although Egypt: Old Kingdom is on sale for the first time since it launched, at nearly half price.

Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!