Charadium II Is Here And Brings More Pictionary Fun, Plus A Chance To Win!
Charadium II ($0.99) by On5 is a multiplayer Pictionary-type game that is a lot of fun.
For those that aren’t aware, Charadium was a game that was originally released in 2009. In the original version, there was the Full Game and Quick Game, so you had a mode that would fit the amount of time you had to play.
In Charadium II, there are now three game modes: Classic Charadium, King of the Hill, and Ping Pong. Classic Charadium is the same 15 round game that was found in the original. There are 15 rounds (a mix of guessing and you drawing), and whoever gets the most points by the end of the game wins. King of the Hill is a bit more competitive, where you must get to the top of the leaderboards to be the one to draw next. Ping Pong is a turn-based mode, where you can take as long as you want (you play at your own desired pace).
Regardless of whichever mode you pick, the gameplay is essentially the same. One person will be given three words to draw (no writing out the words), with the first word being the easiest to draw (only getting one point if someone guesses correctly), and the third word being worth the most (because it’s the hardest to draw). The rest of the people in the room will be guessing what the drawing is, and will be sending their guesses out as fast as possible through the room chat. When someone guesses the correct answer, an audible alert is heard for everyone in the room and that round is over. The leaderboard will then pop up, allowing you to see how many points were awarded and your standing in the game. Depending on which game mode you picked though, your chance to draw varies.
When drawing, you will get a full color palette and a wide variety of brushes and tools to draw with, which is nice. There is even an option to clear the entire drawing (maybe you want to redraw the word if no one is guessing correctly) and an undo button.
The only thing that is missing is Game Center integration. I would love to see some integration with this in the future. However, currently you do have the option to log in with Facebook or sign up with an email address to save your progress.
I found Charadium II to be a blast to play, and will definitely have this on my phone for a while. The graphics are beautiful, and the interface is very responsive and intuitive. This review was done for the iPhone version, but there is also a native iPad version of Charadium II (which can be said is better, just because of the spacious screen). There is also a Lite version for both if you would rather try before you buy.
The developers of Charadium II are running a very special launch promotion for the next three days. In addition to dropping the price from $1.99 to $0.99, if you are unsatisfied with your purchase of Charadium II, send an email to dontlike@on-5.com with an iTunes receipt showing the purchase, and a link to another $0.99 game or app, and they will gift it to you! This is a U.S. only offer (since gift codes won't work in other countries).
GIVEAWAY: I also have a total of 10 copies of Charadium II to give away: five for the iPhone, and five for the iPad. For your chance of winning a copy, just leave a comment on this post (with a valid email so that I can contact the winners) with which version you’d rather have. I will pick winners on Saturday, December 10 at 8 p.m. PST. Good luck!
