Game: Elemental Kingdoms

Back in January, I reviewed a game called Lies of Astaroth. I liked it quite a bit despite there being a few issues with progression, energy management, and a bothersome menu system. Why am I bringing that up? Because Elemental Kingdoms is the exact same game. No, really, it's the exact same game as Lies of Astaroth. The only difference is a visual overhaul and some new audio.That's not to say that there's anything inherently shady going on here, though. After doing a little digging, I was able to find out that Perfect World and iFree Studio have actually been working together on Elemental Kingdoms; so while the original developer's name isn't on "the box," they were still very much a part of the game's creation. At the very least, it's not something to worry about from a legal standpoint."Elemental Kingdoms is every bit the mobile CCG as its almost-twin. Players gather cards, create decks, enhance their favorites by sacrificing lowbies and a little cash, and then square off against NPCs and other players. There's something of a story here as well, which requires steadily fighting through several different areas of increasing difficulty in order to advance. Each section of the world is loosely themed as well (swamp, tundra, etc.), and the cards used by enemies tend to match their elements, which is something worth considering before blindly jumping into a boss fight.