SpinCraft | iOS Review

Mobile games have been a mixed bag for me. Most of the ones I’ve encountered deal with some kind of micro-transaction formula or something else that keeps me away. Others are ports of games that beg to be played with a controller instead of a touch screen. Every once in a while, I come across one that is perfectly suited for playing on my phone. SpinCraft from Sneaky Panda is one of those games. It combines elements of chance and roguelike sensibilities that work better than it should.

Roll the Dice

I’ve only recently taken a dive into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, which is surprising considering the statement I’m about to make. I’m a huge fan of games of chance. That why encounters during D&D are my absolute favorite parts. There’s something satisfying about knowing my skill has nothing to do with the outcome. That may seem completely backwards (I get it), but it makes each throw of the dice very exciting for me.

While SpinCraft has no dice-rolling, your success as a player still relies heavily on luck. The aspect of chance comes instead in the form of a slot machine. Admittedly, I can’t stand slot machines in real life. When it comes to gambling my own money, I prefer to play games where I actually do something more than simply pressing a button. But with no money on the line, I find it increasingly difficult to walk away from taking another spin to see what turns up.

This is no typical slot machine game, however. SpinCraft cleverly incorporates rogue elements into the mechanics to scratch another of my favorite itches.

Give It a Spin

Each round starts out simple enough. In order to make a spin, you must pay a set price of coins. The goal is to acquire the necessary amount of currently to play again. If you can’t afford it, it’s game over, and you have to start all over again.

At the beginning, you’re given a set of random slot machine icons. Every icon offers some kind of bonus. At first, most just offer you a single coin. But after each turn, you’re offered a random selection of increasingly-valuable icons. Some, like the initial offerings, give additional coins. Others contain multipliers when they show up next to other icons. The sheer number of icons available to you is staggering, and it ensures that no two runs will ever be even remotely similar. Part of the strategy here is to focus on one particular style of power-ups that seem to consistently drop for you.

The push-and-pull here is that you’re only recommended 25 total icons at one time. Going higher than that lowers the rate of multiple items showing up on the screen at any one time. Since the play field only has 20 slots available to you, there’s always the risk of that powerful item not showing up the more you have in your inventory.  You’ll have to decide if you even want to take a new item, since it might be smarter to wait for your next spin. After all, something better is bound to show up in the future. The further you go, the crazier the power-ups become. Before you know it, you’ll be pulling in hundreds of thousands of coins instead of the measly five or six you did at the beginning. The sense of satisfaction is incredible.

Let It Ride

One of the best things about SpinCraft is the constant updates to the game. Sneaky Panda has clearly developed a labor of love, evident by how often they make tweaks to the formula. These quality of life improvements are made based on feedback from players, which gives the game a bit of a personal touch to players. There’s even new modes available now, which help to keep the formula fresh well after you think it might get stale.

If you’re in need of a quick pick-me-up, I can’t recommend SpinCraft enough. It’s completely free to play, so there’s truly no risk. There are no microtransactions that require you to pay to keep playing. The only real money you’ll want to drop is to take away the ads, and this was something I was happy to do considering the amount of time I put into it. Seriously, I dare you to give it a shot and not get sucked in.

This review is based on an iOS copy of SpinCraft. Although the game is free-to-play, The Gaming Outsider was provided an ad-free code by Sneaky Panda for coverage purposes. It is also available on Android.

SpinCraft

Free to Play (Ad-Free Option Available)

8.5

The Final Verdict

8.5/10

Pros

• Novel Concept That Works
• Constant Updates
• Incredibly Satisfying
• Interesting Balance of Skill and Luck

Cons

• Random Nature Might Turn Some Players Away

Download SpinCraft on iOS Here