That's Pretty Clever 4+

I almost never write app reviews but I really felt one was warranted here. Not only is this game really darned clever, it makes you feel really clever as you play it and learn to chain together combos and reach ever higher scores. However, while the app works great and plays great, it does feel rather utilitarian. Once you start a game, you can’t back out it to check the rules, or achievements, or scores, etc. until you finish that game. This will make the first few plays frustrating as you will be dying to check the rules to remember what the different symbols and round markers mean. Also, I echo the sentiment of other reviewers that mentioned how nice it would be to see a list of my own high scores and not just the top 50 in the world. Also, a pass and play mode would be great!

I’m enjoying the game so far—it’s an interesting solo challenge and a fun board game I hadn’t heard of before the app release. Improvements that would earn a fifth star from me:

1. Local high scores: Seems like a necessity for a solo game. Knowing how I compare to others is nice—if I could ever crack the top 50—but a list of my personal best scores (say, top 10) would be a great addition.

2. Multiplayer: I get that MP is a huge undertaking, but the original game is designed for 1-4 players. Implementing that mode in the app would be a big improvement.

The game is fun and clever, but the app is VERY basic and utilitarian. No undo, no access to rules while playing, no real tutorial, no multiplayer, no pass and play, no AI, no local high score list. Audio in-game is pretty minimal and often flakes out and stops working altogether mid-game. Luckily it doesn’t add much to gameplay anyway. The user interface on iPhone leaves much to be desired with no visible clues as to which dice or options are playable at different times.

The built-in English rules were obviously translated from another language or written by a non-native English speaker. They are very poorly written and nearly impossible to understand. Thankfully, the game is pretty straightforward and if you struggle through a few games you’ll probably figure it out. You shouldn’t have to struggle though.

A very, very basic app, for a very clever dice game.