iOS (iPhone/iPad) User Reviews

The freemium model, now the darling of mobile platform developers, has churned out another builder-semi-RPG: CastleVille legends. It's not special, it's not much to look at, and it practically demands real cash to play. You can leave it right there, but here are the details for those who are interested. On the positive side, it has (slightly) better than average graphics, decent sound, and a solid implementation of the realtime-process building game model, where tasks are carried out in realtime, forcing the gamer to either keep playing or check in from time to time. There are varied buildings, "heroes," and "quests" (both in quotes because mainly the differences are cosmetic and the amount of in-game money you need to kick in). All in all, while these features are nothing special, they're certainly no worse than most App Store fare. The failure lies with the game's reliance on its premium cash (called "crowns"). The first time you build any structure, it's paid for with in-game cash. After that, it's crowns only, and with the game giving those out in ones and twos (and buildings costing 20 and up), your only real option is to buy crowns with real money, and those prices are STEEP. Additionally, a beginning of game "premium hero" costs 750 crowns to recruit...which will cost you more than $30 in real money. In summation, it could have been at least a decent game, but outright greed made it a cash-hog freemium where very little is free.