That's Pretty Clever Hack 2.7 + Redeem Codes

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.

I’m not a huge fan of abstract games, but I have the physical game of this and it is quite addictive. The app is a good implementation of the solo game but it lacks a lot, specifically:
1) No stats, not even the basic of displaying your high score. This is a game that cries out for stats such as your average score, average/high score in each color, and many others. 2) Really there needs to be implementation of multiplayer, both local and online. Certainly the fun of chucking dice will not be replaced by the app, but dispensing with the physical sheets by using the app would be convenient. It seems that this was rushed out the door before it was finished to get some cash in. I hope the developer continues to improve the app, which certainly shows promise so far.

This is my first review in all my years of using the app store. Tried to play the game and it asked me to register. I have no idea how to register as there is no link or prompt to do so other than “register new account”. I figure, ok maybe I need to go to the website and do this. I go to the website only to realize that a fully playable version of the app is available on their website. On top of that, still no option to register. As an extra bit of salt in the wound, the rules basically say to score points with dice using skill...

Don’t waste your money. If you want to play mobile, just go to their website.

The game is fun, but there’s no way to track your scores from play to play, and no way to do pass and play with someone else, which really ruins the app. And it doesn’t even use the iOS game account system. So no online play either. Sad.

Also, an undo button would be very helpful for when you accidentally make a mistake. Nor should the game not allow you to end with a die still unplayed but it does.

Decent recreation of a good game, but the developers didn’t implement multiple player support and made a lot of bad interface choices. Lack of multiplayer is bad. Also, occasionally there are very intrusive ads for other apps which you can’t dismiss without activating. There is no way to edit settings while a game is in progress. There is no way to quit/back out of game in progress. Installation of the expansion requires a reboot of the iPad to fix interface bugs with dice and button placement. Poor use of space on larger iPad screen. Again, a fun game but baffling UI design.

This is an excellent dice game that provides great choices and hard decisions. The developer has been working to address some of the server issue that plagued my app at launch. I am happy to now be able post scores and see the leaderboard. I hope that they update the app to include a pass and play mode in the future. For now, the app is perfect at what it does. I look forward to playing this for a long time into the future.

First off, love the game. Fun, interesting decisions, quick to play, perfect for a mobile game. Easily a four-star game.

But... this app has an almost fatal flaw. It acts as a media player. You cannot play your own music, it takes over any bluetooth speakers (like car audio), and drains the battery even when done playing. There is no good reason for this except poor implementation.

Multiplayer would be nice, pass and play especially. But it is a really fun solo game that takes just a few minutes to play.

There are no settings options which is baffling. I assume I can only play solo because that is all there is. I can’t turn the sound off. I can’t listen to music while I play which is a game breaking issue for me. I really like the board game but this app is pretty much the worst port of a board game I have ever played.

Revision: there have been updates which addressed some of my concerns. It is better but still not perfect.