Being a squire is no easy task! Heroes collect a lot of loot, armor, weapons, and more – do you think you can carry it all and organize it properly? Well then, you just might make the cut! Keep as much junk our of your pack as possible and make your hiring hero proud!

What Is It?

This is an app implementation of the tile-laying and inventory management/set collection game Squire for Hire. It is a 1-2 player game that plays in about 15-20 minutes. Each turn players read a quest card and see which option they can complete to earn more loot for their bag. They will need to have a certain number of items usually (1-3) or use an item in their bag, meaning they will have to cover up the used item. If they cannot, or don’t want to, they simply pass. If the quest is completed, the player chooses a loot card to place in their bag. Players want to collect as many items a possible for more points. They’ll score even better if they store identical items next to one another, and earn bonus points for unique Squire conditions. Watch out for junk! Those nasty items will typically lose players points and might prevent them from being hired.

Who Is It For?

This is great for any fans of light/quick tile laying type games with a bit of a puzzley challenge. But first and foremost, I’d recommend this to fans of the board game. For me, it was a bit of a hard first experience with the game. It’s fairly simple, but it wasn’t very quick or easy to reference the rules while playing, which I tend to do during my first play or 2. You also can’t see your bag while you look at the current quest card, so it was hard for me to get into the habit of flipping back and forth. It does get easier as you remember the rules and get used to the scoring, but you’ll enjoy it right off the bat if you’re already familiar with the game. It’s simple enough for ages 8+ as well. I’d also recommend it to solo gamers. It’s okay at 2, and the app actually has options for 3 or 4 as well, but I prefer apps solo because it’s quicker and you don’t need to pass around the device and remember what your opponent needs.

Extras / Expansions

The app has more options you can unlock once you get your first win, which is cool because it lets you familiarize yourself with the game before getting to more intricate components.

Quests – These are new goals to aim for with some modified rules (i.e. score 20 points but each weapon is worth -1 point). They add a little more challenge and variety, so they’re neat once you know the game.

Mystic Runes Core Set II – New squires, different items, and 3 mystic runes which are items that have unique abilities and scoring features. They can copy other items, change junk scoring, or place new loot cards under ones in your bag, instead of over. It’s a great expansion once you’ve tried all the squires in the original set.

Stacked Squires – This option adds additional scoring conditions to your squire so you can collect more loot and score more points! It allows you to change up your strategy a bit and try various combinations of abilities!

PROS

  • Quick to learn / play
  • Variable game to game between different squires, what loot comes out, and where to put it for the best point scoring
  • Can play anywhere; No sound needed – but the music and sound effects are nice too
  • Flowing through the screens is very smooth; I’ve had no issues with speed or freezing or anything and I’ve played a bunch
  • Beautiful art

CONS

  • Not super easy to reference all the different elements because of the screen limitations. Takes a few clicks to get to the rules and one to get to your bag or squire scoring. Not the end of the world, but can be a little annoying at first

Final Thoughts

Overall, I can’t say I have many complaints – I really enjoyed this app! The rules were pretty easy to read through and learn from, and while it was tedious to reference them while learning the game at first, once I was familiar with it, it was a fun game. The app works really well too, which is great (I’m playing it in beta right now, but I can only assume it will continue to work great once it’s released).

If you’re a fan of the game already, or just looking for a great digital game, I definitely recommend grabbing this one!

My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 7/10
Replayability – 7/10
Aesthetics – 8/10
Difficulty – 3/10

Additional Information:
Publisher – Letiman Games
Platforms – Android; iOS
MSRP – $3.99
Available Starting 9/29/20

*I was provided a free digital download of this app to do this review*

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