Yes, it looks kinda cheesy, and it's a small download and doesn't chew through your battery. But it's a very smart game, and you can get very deep into the strategy. At first, you won't totally get how everything works. You stick with it, though, because this isn't some 99 cent download. And soon you learn how things work. You manage to make it through a level or two, and at some point you get an aha! that helps you make it through level 4 or 5. Eventually, you make it to level 8, and you feel like a king. Then you go back to level 1 and can't wait to do it again. Once you master the streak, you'll see if you can't also score some points while you're at it.At any point, you can just stop and stare at the screen and figure out, if I move here, what will happen? If I move there, what will happen? If some invisible cryptog is sneaking up on you, you'll probably know where he'll be hiding. If another beastie is due to generate, you'll know when. If you can think ahead far enough, you can make it through the hairiest levels. Maybe.If you ask three 868-Hack players, "What's the best strategy?" you'll get four conflicting answers. So as simple as each component is, this is a very complicated game.

When you start playing 868-HACK, you might immediately be under the impression that you're playing a lower-quality game. "What is with these really basic animations- can you even call those animations? I heard this was a Roguelike - where's the leveling? Where are the swords and sorcery? What is with those sound effects??" And I wouldn't blame you for that, but you need to play it a little while longer. Soon enough, you get what the classes mean. You know what the functions do. You understand the differences between the baddies, and you feel the constant, balanced, and quick risk-reward tension Brough keeps up every second of the game. The sounds echo, and killing enemies is especially satisfying with those crunchy little crash sounds. The hooks are in, and you'll never wonder why you paid six bucks for this game. There's siphoning to do, and you'll be damned if your best score, ever menacing you every time you start a run, is that low.

I balked at the price tag when I first saw this game -- I mean, five dollars for an iOS game? That's just crazy. I didn't bother. But then I heard a friend talking about it, and he really seemed to like it. I still remembered seeing it in the app store, so I decided to drop the money. Now, after a long period of ownership and hours spent waiting in lobbies playing this, I'd say it's easily one of the best $5 I've spent. It's a clever game with a lot of strategy and risk taking. I've had some surprisingly breath-taking moments -- like when I haven't been keeping track of all the cryptogs, have only one health left, and have to move to an open space, or when I need to calculate exactly how to spend my sparse resources to get out of being surrounded on three sides by ten enemies. It's a good game. I highly recommend getting it.

If one were to take the best representations of a genre (eg, "roguelikes" or "roguelite") and reduce them to the barest, most essential elements, then it would stand to reason that the result would rival if not surpass most if not all other representations. 868-HACK manages this with aplomb, skillfully teasing users into one of the most elegant and simple experiences on iOS or any platform for that matter. I vacillated for so long (ie, roughly one year and a half) that I had almost forgotten about this title. I would implore you curious onlooker—whether committed to the genre or merely a dilettante—to avoid that mistake. Michael Brough, the indie developer behind this title, has crafted a masterpiece.

Like everyone else is saying, the game is great and well worth the price of admission. This one will be my go-to game for months, if not years.So what's missing? The game uses gamecenter, which I like, except that there's no option to input a custom name to your score, so the local high scores are useless if you're passing your phone/pod back and forth to compete with a friend. The game also lacks a sound toggle, although it does mute itself if you open it while your music is playing.If I see more issues, I'll update my review.If you're indecisive, go for it. It's a brilliant game you can play endlessly, for the cost of a meal. Note: a PC version is also on the way!

I had heard so much about this game so I finally caved and spent the $6. Waited for the price to drop, but it never did. After playing the game I can truly say it is a great game. *However* it is NOT worth $6. Wait for the price to go down (if it ever does). No matter how great the game is, I don't think I've gotten my $6 out of it. I'm pretty bored with it at this point, with no reason to continue. What am I working towards? No unlockables? Should I continue to beat my own score? I even did the "step into wall and debug yourself" trick that was floating around online. Also, what are the points for? There's no incentive that I can tell to gain points...