KNIGHTS OF PEN & PAPER (BEHOLD STUDIOS; IOS; $0.99)

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If I knew what desperation felt like, I might better empathize with this aged wisdom. But, alas, my strategic genius has never led me astray. Wielding an incredible intellect, I have managed to overcome the massive gap in our respective capacities by role-playing my way into understanding the average human’s proclivity to incompetence. This dangerous quest, undertaken knowing full well there may be no return, has led me to the holy grail of mobile games with which to reach you. Thus, I present to you, at great risk to my own well-being, the turn-based, pixel-art, role-playing game, Knights of Pen & Paper.

That last sentence may have been somewhat challenging for you to decipher, but I would encourage you to read it slowly several times over. The charm of this game comes from the simplicity it has brought to what is clearly a classic play off of everyone’s favourite: Dungeons & Dragons. You take on the role of a tabletop gamer being led through a campaign of heroic deeds and monstrous battles. The combat, skill progression, and equipment systems are engaging but nothing out of the ordinary. This should make it easy for you to pick up. The game’s narrative is predetermined and the player sets the difficulty as each quest has been accepted. In case it was unclear, these are reasons why I think you may find the game enjoyable.

The game offers a good opportunity to get your daily RPG fix and has the usual charm of a task/reward gameplay structure. Sadly, the developer has built into the game a purchasable currency, which in essence removes much of the challenge should you decide to use it. Lastly, the final battle is fought in the kitchen against a virtually impossible enemy called “Mom.” So, any of you who undoubtedly have pent up mommy issues will find this is your shining moment.

By Theron Swift