One of the biggest surprises in the App Store this winter was the brilliant Sword & Poker. It combined poker and RPG elements in an engaging manner. Both me and my wife spent hours playing the original, and it worked both for long sessions and the short break. Upon completing the game it left a void in my life, and I thought I had to wait for much longer for a sequel than I had to. Because here it is in full glory.
Once I started playing Sword & Poker 2 I started to get a definite déjà vu feeling. I have done this before, and I did a lot of it. 
The initial battles are too easy, and left me bored. There should have been an option for us seasoned players to skip to something more challenging instead of going through hordes of shoddy opponents. The RPG elements haven’t been fleshed out, which is both good and bad. The good is that it is quite easy to keep track of objects and weapons when playing. The bad is that the battles become quite samey when you are using the optimal equipment available all the time.
The story has also been somewhat enhanced, and you get to travel around an old school map. I found that this somewhat enhanced the game, and made it more interesting to progress through. Still the differences from the original are mostly concerning the setting. Graphics are improved slightly, but retains the original quirky art style that I grew the love this winter. The music is bombastic, and I tire of it after about 10 minutes. Turning the volume down lets you play your own music instead.
The bottom line is that Sword & Poker 2 is a great game following the brilliant original closely in both gameplay and presentation. If you loved the original you will enjoy this after an hour of two of boring enemies. For those new to the Sword & Poker formula you should definitely jump straight into the sequel. There is a good tutorial function, and you don’t loose out on anything not having played the original. My final rating for the sequel is lower due to the fact that a sequel shouldn’t force me to play as a newbie when I am simply amazing at the game.
Final Rating
Sword & Poker 2 $1.99. Get it on 
Version: 1.0
Seller: GAIA
