Title: Squire for Hire (Digital Edition)
Created By: Jon Merchant
Published By: Letiman Games
Released: Coming Fall 2020
Player Count: 1-4
Time to Play: 15 Minutes
Squire for Hire gets digitized in the all new Squire for Hire Digital Edition. Coming soon to both Apple and Android devices, you will be able to play this awesome little game wherever you have a smart device with you!
For those unfamiliar with Squire for Hire, it is a 1-2 player game (expandable to 1-4 players with it's Mystic Runes option) where you are hired by a famous adventurer as their squire and thus have the privilege of carrying all the loot they find throughout their quests. In this tile-laying game, players will need to manage their loot, as the player who fills their bags with the highest scoring sets of items is the winner. Squire for Hire packs a lot of excitement into just 18 cards and plays wonderfully as both a solo and a multiplayer player game.
Earlier in 2020, Squire for Hire launched a Kickstarter Campaign to launch the next chapter of the Squire for Hire universe, with Squire For Hire: Mystic Runes. This could be played as a stand alone game or combined with the original Squire for Hire Game for a 3-4 player experience.
The digital edition of Squire for Hire will allow players to enjoy both the original version of Squire for Hire and Squire for Hire: Mystic Ruins. Getting started is easy. The app contains a simple overview of how the game plays, instructions with lots of pictures to further explain the rules, and explanations of the Mystic Runes version. There is also a recommended single player mode for those starting out, that will help players understand how the game works before adding in more complex alternatives to game play.
In the starter game, your goal is to get 25 points in ordered to get hired. To start, simply select the squire you want to play as (they all have different combinations for items that score bonus points). Familiarize yourself with the different items your squire loves, as this will be helpful for scoring higher points later on. Next up, players start to pack their bags. Turn over two cards and overlap them so that 1 regular item (non-junk) is covered. This will be your squire's starting pack. For each item showing in your pack, you earn you will receive tiles of that specific item type. You will use these item tiles to complete quests throughout the game.
For each round, you will continue on your adventure doing things like completing quests, exploring dungeons and handling encounters. Successfully completing these challenges will grant you rewards that help you increase the loot in your bag. You can complete challenges one of two ways, either by having the necessary number of tiles in your bag (this earns the reward for free), or by spending the required item type to claim the reward. With the lather, you will need to cover up a matching item in your loot bag in order to take the reward card.
Cards earned through rewards are added to your bag increasing the size of the loot inside to help your squire to earn more points. Squires will score 1 point for each square covered by an item tile in their bag. Items that are next to a matching item will score a bonus point. Squires will also score bonus points for having items that match the combinations on their squire card. Lastly, there are the junk items. While some squires find specific junk useful, most junk is worth negative points, so be weary of collecting too much junk.
If you are playing solo in standard mode, score 25 points to win, if you are playing against other players, whoever has the highest score wins. There are also alternative play modes such as Stacked Squires and adding in the Mystic Runes. These allow for a variety of ways to play Squire for Hire.
So what are our thoughts on the digitized version of Squire for Hire? Let's start by saying we could not put it down. While simple in concept, it is challenging to get a high score and get hired in Squire for Hire. It took us several rounds to finally get to the 25 point threshold to beat a solo game. But, man did we want to keep playing to get there. We had a blast trying out the variety of squires trying to figure out which one might lead us to a victory first. Ultimately we were successful with Gust, the Knight's Squire, first. Someday we will succeed with all of them! For players looking for a small game with a large puzzle built into it, Squire for Hire is for you!
The app runs very smoothly and is designed in a way that is makes learning and playing Squire for Hire a breeze. As with the physical game, the artwork is adorable, with each squire more adorable than the next. It is a nice change from a lot of adventure games with gory or grotesque monsters in them. The app also has background music integrated into it which enhances the experience while playing.
While we have been playing on an iPad, the small size of the game lends itself to fit well on small cell phone screen as well. Squire for Hire would be easy to play on your phone on the go without having difficulty reading or seeing parts of the game on the smaller screen. It also scales up nicely and looks great on the big screen too. It's touch controls work well and it is easy to maneuver the cards during game play. We have had no issues with lag or errors within the app.
We are hopeful that the Squire for Hire app has the ability to bridge the gap between digital games and physical games for people new to tabletop games. We believe that for players who typically only play games digitally, Squire for Hire could introduce them to physical tabletop games as well, as the hard copy of the game is also small, and easily portable, just like the mobile version, making it a great potential gateway game. We think any game that has the chance to introduce new players to the world of tabletop gaming is amazing. On the flip side, for players who love physical games, Squire for Hire does a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of the original game and bringing it into this digital edition.
With the variety of different squires all with their own bonus point conditions, the expansion and alternative game modes, and both a solo and multiplayer experience built into it, Squire for Hire the Digital Edition offers a ton of replayability. Check out the Apple and Android App stores soon!
Also, just a fun little side note, when we backed the latest Squire for Hire we commissioned a custom squire featuring our very own pudgy cat. We can't wait to play with her special card! We will post a picture once we get it. Stay tuned!
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