Pascal's Wager Reviews

by RM Vice

It’s sad that a reviewer has to do your job for you. Everyone, please understand that you are not purchasing a full game. You won’t even get a pop-up saying there in-game purchases. It’s a hidden sales technique. They should, like most games, state this in their description or have the pop-up upon purchase stating there is in-game purchases. Instead, though you are here, they telepathically want you to understand that you should go to their website to read this (of nice again, though it’s not stated here). I hope this comment urges them to post it on their Apple purchasable description instead of expecting you, the consumer, to go out of your way to find out this discrepancy.

Great gaming experience, wonderful graphics, great music and decent vocals. However they don’t mention at any point before purchasing, that you are NOT purchasing a full game. You have to buy parts of the map separately if you want to play the full game.

The DLC they are talking about before needs to be purchased separately.

by Live Life For God

It’s sad that a reviewer has to do your job for you. Everyone, please understand that you are not purchasing a full game. You won’t even get a pop-up saying there in-game purchases. It’s a hidden sales technique. They should, like most games, state this in their description or have the pop-up upon purchase stating there is in-game purchases. Instead, though you are here, they telepathically want you to understand that you should go to their website to read this (of nice again, though it’s not stated here). I hope this comment urges them to post it on their Apple purchasable description instead of expecting you, the consumer, to go out of your way to find out this discrepancy.

Great gaming experience, wonderful graphics, great music and decent vocals. However they don’t mention at any point before purchasing, that you are NOT purchasing a full game. You have to buy parts of the map separately if you want to play the full game.

The DLC they are talking about before needs to be purchased separately.

by Liles@jamel

So, everytime I try to play the game using the Magic keyboard case/stand. It automatically assumes I’m using a keyboard and mouse which make the touch controls vanish. I saw a past review saying this was a scam (it’s not ofc lol) because the controls disappeared, I assume they were having the same problem, but didn’t know the cause. There is no setting to toggle touch control UI even if kbm is being used, so my preferred way to play games with comfort I cannot. It’s literally impossible. I shouldn’t feel forced to have to use a controller, when I did the game was very fun! Though I don’t always have access to a controller. I just want to be able to play without the touch controls disappearing the moment it thinks I’m using a kbm when it’s actually just a keyboard case, it’s just a unfortunate oversight and hope maybe they can still fix this. Would gladly rate it higher, but at the moment I won’t because I can’t play the game.

by DTFlip

This game is almost a brilliant adaptation of the Dark Souls formula for mobile but stumbles in areas where it matters most. It maintains the awkward input buffering system from Dark Souls that leads to actions happening long after the button press, but is made to feel even worse because of touch controls and a complete lack of customization on touch button placement and size.

The game also juggles too many progression systems, amplified by managing multiple characters. While leveling is a shared resource the talent/perk trees are not, and acquiring the items to necessary to progress multiple characters through those trees is a slog. Leveling also feels tedious thanks to the incredibly slow pace of dedicating bones at an altar, little quality of life things like this really drag down the experience of a mobile game.

Voice acting and dialogue are amateurish for this "AAA but mobile" style game. This isn't the end of the world but it hurts an already flawed experience. I really wanted to love this game but it simply doesn't have the polish necessary to make an Dark Souls adaption really work on a mobile device.

Many issues are fairly minor and the game could be amazing if they're addressed, but as is Pascal's Wager is just disappointing and frustrating to play unless you're desperate for something new to play on your iPhone.

You're better off spending your time on other mobile games or simply turning on a console to play Dark Souls.

by Stmikey7

I just feel like a game of this caliber should have a better English adaptation; the poor use of English grammar really breaks the mood of the game.

The misspellings throughout the game create a jarring experience against the tone of the story (and the script itself doesn’t make much sense, either in story, concept, or linguistics).

The voice acting is...odd. It’s stilted and monotone; I get that it’s trying to create a dark and somber ambiance, but the nuance and inflections that convey the necessary emotion simply aren’t there. It’s like the tonal rules of Chinese were just converted into English (and at certain points in the game, the captions are straight-up Chinese. Lol).

Also, whenever you encounter a locked door, the text reads “Cannot be open from this side.” It should be “Cannot be opened from this side”, as an active past participle.

For $7, the English shouldn’t be a “good enough” cultural attempt by non-English speakers to “try their best.” Get someone who speaks fluent English as a first language to review the script and make it read like it wasn’t hammered out by a third-grade ESL student. Just fix it.

That said, the combat is superb, and the character move sets are as infuriating as they are satisfying once you master them. Would be 5 stars as the best game available on mobile if the story made a bit more intuitive sense and the English adaptation were taken more seriously.

Thanks!

by Seancassidy999

Found this title on a top games list, mobile gamer I think, so I decided to buy. The reasonable one-time purchase price is a plus.

Visually it’s great and I like the dark feel and the attention to story.

Unfortunately I can’t give it that fifth star because the ARP gameplay is sluggish and not fun.

I’m not half bad at mobile gaming. I routinely win battle royale matches and play my face off in the top open world ARPGs with no problem. I feel like this one’s trying to be a mobile Witcher 3 in terms of combat mechanics, but so far it’s falling flat. The main problems are the sluggish feel, and that dodging is critical but the linear game world is essentially a series of narrow corridors. I keep hitting that invisible wall mid-dodge.

Also, enemy difficulty is already high enough at the outset that you need to integrate all mechanics from fight one - attack, dodge, block, heal - before you have any feel for the gameplay. I was forced to restart on casual and I won’t be able to switch back once I hit my stride.

Also, as said, it’s very linear which I can get over, but not my preference. Open world is best. I don’t foresee any emergent gameplay here.

I’ll keep trying but I’m already 50% to ragequit.

by Zachary Tao

The game is fantastic, and it’s by far the best RPG I’ve played on a mobile device. The combat is great. I’m not a fan of dark soul, but I enjoyed it quite much. However, the plot is a little bit weak, names and concepts just keeps popping out without much introduction. And it really bewildered me. (I happen to be a sucker for plot).And the Characters speaks...Some really weird English. I get it that some exotic accent and syntax gives ppl some mysterious game experience. But call me old fashioned ,!I would definitely prefer some good old British accent. From posh to less posh, which I believe, would be a perfect fit for this type of game. And all the weird syntax sometimes give me a hard time understanding the story.
But overall, it’s a solid game.

by Jason Vue

halfway into the game and i gotta say really fantastic game. the graphics are stunning for a phone, a good linear story line, the maps are medium length, with splitting pathways and treasure hidden around, and mild difficult bosses however after learning their patterns it becomes easy, which i don't mind, the ability to trade people is also nice. nice variation of monsters and interactions.

that saying there are some problems id address. Skill combos are very hard to do, it rarely works with mobile controls, and mobs that never stop attacking, they will attack x5 and knock you over and rinse and repeat spamming meaning you cant win unless you trade health with them.

the only big thing i care about is skill combos not being able to do the combos which is a really big thing in combat is the worse, however you can still make by it even without them. if you don't mind these tiny details and don't get triggered in the beginning and keeping pushing until you understand their patterns, it is a wonderful game to get, definitely worth your money, and time to get absorbed into.

by The Real Deal Car Fan

I haven’t played Dark Souls but I watch streamers who play it, and while it’s by no means Dark Souls, it’s probably the closest mobile version we will get. The graphics and mechanics are good. I only have one problem with the game. I can’t get over the voice acting. It there’s an old lady you meet close to the beginning of the game. She sounds like a grown mans attempt at making an old lady voice, and most of the voices don’t match the characters. Cheap DLCs, good graphics, and good touch screen controls. The atmosphere for the game is dark and mysterious, but it ruins the atmosphere when I burst out laughing because of the voice acting. I’m pretty sure this is an indie developer game, so I don’t really blame them for bad voice acting. But please, for the love of god add an option to turn off the voice acting, better the voice acting. 9/10. Would be 10/10 if the voice acting was better.

by Lorddark0433

Let me start by saying: “This game is sick!” I love the atmosphere, reminds me of the entire souls series. I like the flow of combat, the voice acting is fine. “Poor translation” doesn’t take away from the experience at all. I actually think it’s kinda cool that the dialogue doesn’t always match up with the voice acting. (Try watching a Netflix original anime.) I really like the game so far. (Still in the first area lol, I’m really scouring the map.)
I’m maybe an hour or so in. I researched the game before I bought it, and for what the content entails I didn’t mind paying for this game. I hardly spend money on mobile games aside from a couple 1 or 2 dollar purchases here and there. I’ve only had two issues. First and most important, I can’t seem to get any internet connectivity or load dlc. Second, the delay from guarding to attacking is nuts. It’s like a second, but that’s a lifetime in a game like this. I hope to see some of these issues resolved, but if they aren’t I’m still gonna swear by this game. Thanks for all the hard work devs!

by Demilawf

The game mechanics are pretty straightforward, except the part about switching targets. I had to experiment by myself because there no guide about it anywhere on the internet. So, what you do is slide the camera away from the target while you are focused on one already (they have to be close to each other or it won’t work). The combat is okay, but kinda slow (wished the counter mechanic was easier to trigger). The story was alright until the end, which was confusing. Intro music is good as well as other sound effects. Graphics is not bad, but could use some improvement. Great ui and ability to customize most of it. Overall, great game to play and have some fun. But, I would like to ask the developers to add the ability to play dlc offline. If I can play the game offline, then dlc should also be able to be played offline since I purchased it obviously. Thanks for reading the whole review and I hope I have helped people make a decision on whether to play the game.

by Parto Bazyar

Ok let me start off by saying I have played all of the dark souls games and every “souls like” game out there and this is definitely the closest anyone has come to replicating the feel and the amazing world building of those games. The combat is great and I had 0 trouble getting through the game control wise.... however I found the final boss insanely and I mean insanely overly difficult, even after the recent update with it being patched and the difficulty lowered it still took me DAYS to beat the last boss. And the rest of the bosses I had nearly no trouble completing after a few tries. I feel as if the final boss can very easily one shot you and is very overpowered. However the rest of the enemies were great and had difficult to master move sets that challenge the player in every way possible and although I found the final boss crazy hard the boss is very well designed and one of the best final bosses Iv seen in video games so 👍🏼 just lower the difficulty by a lot in the next patches please. And I should also mention I did beat the whole game on “hard mode” that is not using the egg in the beginning. But great design and amazing game wish there was a bit more none human bosses as well but very excited for the dlc.

by Transfer App007

Four hours into this game I can say unequivocally that it’s the most complex and well done action RPG game I’ve ever played. I’m in awe that the developers were able to fit a complex game like this with detailed graphics, combat system and character customization in a game played on my phone.

As a big blood-born and dark souls fan being able to say that this game holds its own and brings unique things to the tables is a breath of fresh air. I’ll go as far as to say that this game brings new elements to this genre of video games more so than Nioh did. I’m almost hesitant to play this game all the time because it’s so fantastic I don’t want to end. I’ve been waiting for a game like this for years to display the capabilities of high end smart phones.

Bravo to the developers of this game and I can’t wait to see the new releases and additions that they add to this game. I also am excited to see what future games they develop. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this company as they’re doing some great work.

by YungShinra

I was intrigued to see a game so similar to the souls series. Story is vague and interesting makes you want to adventure to gain some background knowledge. Combat is strategic and very smooth for the most part.. which comes to my next subject the controls are horrible on touch screen especially if you’re not quick.. now I’m not sure if it’s because I’m running on an older iPhone because framerate does drop at certain points however it’s possible to connect a controller via Bluetooth to give a more console feel which is truly what I recommend to keep you engaged and your field of view open without your fingers getting in the way! Overall I’d have have to say it’s solid so far I look forward to more content and would be interesting to see this game expand into something even bigger. Would love to see some unique customization options if possible? Overall 5 stars from me and would recommend this game. 🔥✨

by Dnav11

I tend to play PC and Console games, so when I first heard about a Dark Souls like game available on iPad, I was pretty intrigued, but not expecting anything too exciting. However, I was not at all prepared for just how great this game would be. The combat is very solid and deep. The graphics are incredible for a mobile game, and lend themselves well to the game’s very atmospheric nature. The game simply feels great to play with a controller, I find myself having to remind myself that this is a mobile game, as everything about it would indicate that it could be a full console game. The only thing that I could ask for is perhaps a version for the Apple TV 4K, so I can play it on a big screen. I highly recommend anyone looking for a great action game to pick this one up.

by Sephiroth1997

If you like final fantasy, dragon age and resident evil, this game is an amazing mashup of the 3! Has great replay ability and was so fun to play through. A good grind session in the first area sets you up great til the mid point in the game.

Gameplay 9/10... I just beat the game and it was a fantastic experience throughout. I used it exclusively on my phone touch screen and has little to no issues. Fantastic job here.

Storyline 8/10... so, you can tell this was translated. At times, it’s hard to follow the story and it seems parts maybe missing. If we could get someone to look through this and beef up the storyline dialogue just a little bit, you’ve got 10/10. The story is unique and was a breathe of fresh air.

Graphics 9/10... for a mobile this is near perfect. Maybe a few crisper lines here or there, but the aesthetics and overall feel of the game do a great job with the grisly feel.

Honestly this was a great experience and was hard to put down. Any improvements I would make, update the dark mist area a bit. The DLC is a great way to help level your hero, but is a bit boring and repetitive. I know it’s a grinding area
And love you’ve implemented this into the game, my only issue is again, it’s a bit boring and mundane.

I’ve written only one other review which was a negative. This game is hands down the best I’ve ever played on mobile. That’s saying a lot as a senior RPG fan.

Keep the content coming devs!!

by Peripatetic Webb

Having a great time exploring the incredible environments in the game. Playing on casual mode, but it is not easy. Now, some thoughts for the developers.
1. You desperately need one or more native English speakers to edit the instruction pages, the accomplishment descriptions, etc. For instance, I cannot get any of the combo moves to work, but as I’m not certain what the instructions mean perhaps I am not using the correct keystrokes. And, Though I have completed many accomplishments, I have no Idea what I did to finish them as the descriptions are poorly worded and cryptic.
2. Instructions need to be far more thorough. Took me weeks to accidentally learn that a long press opens the quick inventory, for instance.
3. Sometimes the owl speaks Chinese, boy is that confusing.
4. The character has stamina, sanity, rage, and health. In spite of playing intensely for weeks, I only understand the health meter (a green bar). The second, golden bar, is that stamina, rage or both?
5. Some enemies rob you of sanity, but how do you recognize them? For that matter, what is a sendril, some kind of enemy, but which one? Same for all the other enemy names. If you are going to mention them by name I need a photographic guide.

Anyway,

by Dobkei

I got into it not taking it seriously, I’ve never been into mobile gaming, I’m on vacation and could really use some games to keep my mind busy when I don’t have anything to do. So I got this one thinking it was going to be another one of those copy-cat dark souls game. It really surprised me, the depth, the visuals, the gameplay, everything feels really tight and well made, you can tell the developers tried really hard to make something of high quality. It does it’s thing and it works. Combat is really fun, the hits are satisfying, enemies are challenging and have good moves, all in all, a really good game that fought me by surprise. This could be very well a Switch game or something. I praise the devs that made this and hope they continue to do what they’re doing.

by Z3R0xC00L

This is a very simple review. If you are at all a fan of Souls like games (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Nioh, Lords Of The Fallen) you will love this game no doubt. It is more than a Souls clone, the developers have created some unique aspects not found an the aforementioned games that really stand out (though I won’t ruin the surprises here) Graphics are beautiful, gameplay is wonderful especially considering this is on a mobile device, voice acting is so-so but doesn’t take away from the enjoyment at all, story is there but like most “Souls” like games you have to search for the story which is part of the fun, sound effects are wonderful and match well to the atmosphere of your changing environments. One VERY IMPORTANT thing to note is you most certainly will need to use a Bluetooth controller of some form to play this (ps4 or xbox controllers now supported on iOS 13.3 I use my ps4 controller and it’s just like playing Souls) it would be remarkable to see anyone play this game and be even decent at it using the touch screen controls only, just my opinion anyways. The developers are active and interact with the people who buy the game and have even mentioned that DLC and updates are on the way! Very cool.

TL;DR
If you are a fan of any of the souls like genre then get the game you will love it, just make sure you have a Bluetooth controller to use as touch screen controls are very difficult to manage for this style game.

by Meme Genorator

This game so far is pretty good, the lighting and detail shows that the devs put a lot of time into this game, but here are some early issues I have with it so far. The main problem is input lag. Sometimes during a boss fight (like the holy father, which requires a lot of well timed dodging.) I’ll be playing someone like Norwood and he would stop and stand there while he does by the holy father’s fast attacks. Other times I’ll be even playing as Vincent and he would just stop in place after trying to dodge more than 3 times. Even with a good amount of endurance. But that is really the only problem for the game. So far I really like this game and it is difficult for people who have played dark souls, so if you read this, then play the game and get the feel of it.

by Kaalias

Have to say this first: awesome job developers you have actually made a game that I have not regretted buying and have enjoyed very much. We need more full games like this with work that shows in the lore and art style of the game. Now for the review yes voice acting is off but it’s a mobile game and with that in mind it does the job well. The subtitles are off though so I would recommend just listening to them talk. I wish we could teleport to altars but then again that is just the souls in me talking the gap between each one isn’t so big to warrant it so I understand why we can’t. Now I use a controller so the biggest thing for people would be if they have one to use or not. Without one it is hard and for a mobile game even though it’s a good getting a controller to go with it if one is not available might be a lot to some. I will not lower a star for that though this a style of game and with this style of game certain things are required to survive better. Anyways yes buy it and support these guys/gals so they can bring us more stuff like this.

by Ph€oN!X

Let me start with this. I am a huge fan and long time player of the Soulsborne series. I have been wanting a Dark Souls-like game on mobile forever. This game truly captures the vibes. There are a few detractions, as can be expected with a lower budget and less hardware to work with. They are small and don’t take away from the game. The graphics are beautiful and top of the line, the story is decent, and the combat is legit. The touch controls are decent, but this game truly shines with a controller for easier playability. I’d like to see a bit more customization for weapons and such, but I know there was limited time for production and such. Overall, this is a masterclass in mobile gaming. I deleted Call Of Duty and a few other big name titles because my time is going to be tied up in this game. Kudos to the developers, and I truly hope to see Pascal’s Wager II sometime soon ❤️

by TboneMokes

Other mobile games should look at this and see an example of Mobley gaming done right! This is a great game for people looking for a challenge, and I love the Dark Souls like gameplay and combat style where your moves matter and it isn’t just your average hack and slash button mashing. Within the new dlc, I tried going into it after defeating the boss for Edith and found that the enemies as you progressed more had such larger health pools that I couldn’t even keep going due to the fact. Could be my bad for entering too early lol. Other than the occasional frame rate drop in few certain areas, this game is just fantastic. I’d recommend anyone I know or don’t to play it. It’s definitely worth the 7 bucks, and I would have paid even more for it to be honest. Thanks so much for creating such a work of art for it is truly wonderful.

by Lkwisener

The gameplay is pretty straightforward for the genre, there's tons of content and sidequests.

There's a simple upgrade system to improve stats, gain abilities, and different fighting styles based on the characters you use. The fighting systems and the quirks of various foes is pretty manageable. As you playthrough, the game increases in difficulty and offers some benefits for subsequent playthroughs. Nothing too unique, but it's easy to adapt to while still having to overcome challenges according to your experience.

There's a lot of storyline and background for all the characters. Some of the details can only be learned or experience through sidequests, but you can spend a lot of time on the storyline and various sidequests to get better accessories and cutscenes that give you insight into the characters’ history.

The sidequests without DLC are expansive. There's special items, storyline, multiple endings, rare accessories, and special materials that all add to your abilities or experience. You can play twice as long just based on the extras outside of the main story. If you replay, you'll find it necessary to do those extra quests to fight enemies as the game increases difficulty.

Overall, it's a solid game worth the money, I enjoyed all the features and story for a ton of hours. If you like this genre, you'll love this game, the DLC is worth buying, especially after newgame+.