Outwitters: A phenomenon-game that finally comes to Android and gets huge update for iOS

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by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 19 March 2015 · 2256 views

Outwitters is a game for iOS and Android devices developed by One Man Left, and first came out in 2012 only to make everyone fell in love with it. Now, 3 years later, it made its appearance to the Android stage and received an big update for iOS that made drastic changes to the game. Among others now it has Native iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support, plus higher resolution graphics for newer devices. Better frame rates and improved animations are also include in the new version of the game.

Given the chance of these news, I decided to re-play the updated version and offer my thoughts on it in the review that follows.

Plot

In Outwitters the player chooses a team and tries to destroy the enemy base. The battles can be 1-vs-1 or 2-vs-2 and the first team to destroy the enemy base wins.

Gameplay

You can choose among 4 teams: First, the Scallywags, which is the team that is offered for free; Then we have the Veggienatus team, which includes plants, we have the Feedpack team that consists of robotic creatures, and lastly (my personal favorite), the Adorables team that consists of cute pink creatures. Each one of the 4 teams has a special unit that they must learn to use in order to have a higher success rate. For example, the Adorables have a unit called Mobi that has the ability to teleport allies to its location. The purchasable teams can be found on the store, and although they might seem a bit expensive, they are worth the money due to the fact that together with the team you get 20 more game slots, no ads, and a set of new maps.

In Outwitters you can have various gametypes: a) you can play 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2, via your Game Center account, or b) you can choose the pass n’ play option and play with your friends on your device in turns. Finally, c) there is the League Play in which you can battle players who share a similar skill with you, but you need to have a set score before you can use that option. When you start a new game you are offered hints in the form of a tutorial in order to make things easier for the new player. You start with a small number of minions that you can move around your base on the hex grid map, and some points called "Wits". Every time you change turn you get 5 Wits which you can use or save for next turn(s). Apart from the 5 Wits you can get more by moving your minion to the Bonus Spaces or by killing an enemy. In a way, Wits are your mana so it all depends on how wisely you use them.

Moving a unit to another block and attacking an enemy costs each 1 Wit. Wits can also be used to create new minions to join your team by using the Spawn Spear, and depending on the minion you create it can cost from one to seven Wits. As mentioned above you can save Wits so you can collect enough to use for an expensive minion.

The rules are simple and clear: You can only move each unit once (same goes for attacking as well) and you can only summon one unit per turn at any single summon point. This acts as a means of keeping things fair and challenging for both parties.

It is important to remember that planning ahead is what will mostly help you win the game. If you know how much your movements are going to cost, you’ll know how to organize your strategy and avoid being left without Wits accidentally.

In the arena, or the map basically, there are hexes in which you can move your minions. Tapping on a minion displays the hexes he can be moved to and the hexes that allow you to attack (those have a fist as an icon). The number of available spots to move range from a few to many, depending on where each character is positioned. Needless to say, you have to position your minions in such a way that you can have your base covered from attackers and take care of the offence as well.

There are also dark places on the map that as you get closer reveal their content. Those dark places uncover enemies so it’s important to get as close as possible and at the same time make use of that same aspect to hide minions from your enemies. You can’t zoom on the map and because it’s not large it could cause some difficulty especially of you play 2 vs 2 matches.

A good strategy is to step on an enemy’s Spawn Spear, thus preventing the other player from creating a new minion. Of course, you need to use a strong minion for that because each one has different Health points and you’ll want to be able to withstand the enemy attacks.

In-App Purchases

From the Store, apart from other teams as I mentioned earlier, you can also buy alternate base designs for each race, game limit upgrades, and new maps. As you can see you don’t need the IAP to enjoy the game to its fullest, and all purchases are related to additional services and not core-gameplay features.

Cons

What disappointed me a bit is that only 2 maps are available for free, plus the fact that you can only have a small number of games without paying is a bit of a turn-off.

Also, there is no game mode where you can play with the system, so you can only play against other people and the battles might get annoying from wating for the other party to make their move.

Graphics & Sounds

The new update really made the game unrecognizable (in a good way). The graphics are no less than beautiful. Those of you who have played the 2012 game you’ll notice the differences immediately. The colors are crystal-clear and vibrant, while the designs are modern and cartoonish.

The music is a good match for the game’s concept, and it sounds epic and fun at the same time.

Conclusion

All in all, Outwitters are back to amaze its old players and new ones alike. The results shows a lot of dedication and the attention to detail proves that the developers wanted to live up to the high standards that were set from the first game. If you haven’t played it, do yourselves a favor and try it out- it is pure magic.