When comparing Uniwar vs Cardinal Quest 2, the Slant community recommends Uniwar for most people. In the question“What are the best turn-based strategy games for Android?” Uniwar is ranked 5th while Cardinal Quest 2 is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Uniwar is:
There are 3 races to play and each are actually different. It's not just changing colours and costumes. The units have different prices and abilities, strengths and weaknesses. So to win strategy needs to change, making the experience rich.
Specs
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Pros
Pro True multiple races to play
There are 3 races to play and each are actually different. It's not just changing colours and costumes. The units have different prices and abilities, strengths and weaknesses. So to win strategy needs to change, making the experience rich.
Pro Great social features
Team games up to 8 players. Friendlist. Chat in game (and out). Tournaments. A huge and very active community.
Pro Ad free if you want it that way
Ads are" pull", you only watch them if you want to earn in-game money more quickly. It's perfectly possible today forever without seeing any.
Pro A true competitive game
No place for luck, only the skill prevails. In particular when all players have the same race, and maps are mirrored.
A rating system ELO style, that matches you with players of your level. Multiple tournaments every months.
Pro Balanced in-app purchase
There are in app purchases, most are cosmetic and don't affect game play. There's even one which is simply "support our developers".
There are some key purchases which DO affect game play: extra unit types and extra undo turns. However these are available through watching commercials and can also be had permanently without money for the patient by saving the in-game rewards. It does take a long time though.
Undo is the most important one. Get it first.
Pro Variety of maps makes each game different
Variety of maps created mostly by other players (voted if good or bad) make each game different. Combined with necessity to adopt your tactic to which race you and your opponent play and his moves, makes each game unique.
Pro Asynchronous turn based system
With generally 24h or 12h turns. Notifications when it's your turn
Pro Nothing is locked behind a paywall, you are free to play as you like without worry of being coerced into spending money
Often you will see paid character classes or currency in mobile games. Luckily in Cardinal Quest 2, the currency is earned by successful or failed runs, and even the paid character class can be earned through a boss fight mechanic, making it something to work towards. This way everything in the game can be earned just by playing, and not spending money. The purchasable content is there for those that would just like to unlock things faster.
Pro A good choice of character classes allows for a mix of different strategies in the gameplay
There are six character classes that are available to use; paladin, ranger, pugilist, fighter, wizard, and thief. Though not all are available from the start and need to be unlocked through play or in-app-purchase (all can be unlocked through play). Having a good selection of classes to play with allows for different experiences to be had, which extends the playtime.
Pro Very streamlined item management that does not get in the way, allowing the player to concentrate on the gameplay, over organization
Cardinal Quest 2 is more streamlined over its first title. When picking up equipment, the user is given the option to sell if it is worse than what is already being used or worn. Making equipment management a lot easier.
Pro Lots of Google Play achievements to earn, which makes for some interesting tasks on top of the regular gameplay
There are a bunch of achievements that can be earned in the game, thus giving the player something to strive towards. This way the player can feel a sense of progression as well, since roguelikes tend to be light in this area.
Pro The included immersive mode allows for full screen gaming on devices that use a software navigation bar
Cardinal Quest 2 features full screen immersive mode on any Android device with OS 4.4+, which is great for those who have devices that use stock Android, as they can game full screen, hiding the software navigation bar.
Pro Deep gameplay that allows for plenty of customization choices
Depending on the character class used and items equipped, different strategies can be used and experimented with. Making for a deep game that allows for plenty of different setups.
Cons
Con Can be hard to get to the "I get it!" phase
It takes some patience and determination to get to the point where the richness of the gameplay opens up, especially if you're following the totally free path. Many players give up before they get that far, which leads to thinking "it's pay to win!" when it really isn't. (It is "pay or watch ads to get the cool stuff sooner" though.)
Con Not a full traditional roguelike
By excluding a hunger mechanism commonly found in the roguelike genre there is no penalty for skipping turns, which can make certain areas and aspects of the game easier than other roguelike games.