Comix Breaker

The graphics in this strategy game are top-notch, even if some game elements are unnecessary. The screen zooms into the pages of a comic book as new battles begin, the words "My turn" whizz across the screen, and huge bursts of flame erupt when some monsters are defeated in Comix Breaker. In some card-based strategy games, players select their top picks before each round starts. In this one, the cards are shuffled, and players get several to choose from each time they have a turn. Cards allow them offensive moves, such as doubling the strength of your attack, or can reduce damage you receive. They get lots of chances to earn new ones as rewards to fill out their deck, and they can also level the cards up as they play, which should boost their attacks in later rounds.

The app does a pretty good job of guiding players through the steps involved in the game. Although it's fairly easy to get the hang of it once you start playing, some elements -- such as what individual cards can do, or how characters' and objects' power and strength affects things -- aren't really explained in detail. There are other elements gamers could do without, such as unnecessarily clicking buttons to confirm actions or commands. The End Turn button also feels useless, since you can't make any more moves once you're out of energy. The competitive mode is also a let-down. Although you can unlock it fairly quickly, it offers a very similar experience to the classic mode -- just with more of an emphasis on ranking players, but no real way for them to face off against each other in matches. Those aspects, though, don't detract from the game too much -- and in addition to its impressive imagery, its chapter-based structure is a plus. The assorted opponents and random sets of cards players are given to choose from in every turn help vary the overall experience -- and make Comix Breaker a consistently fun game to play.