Hostage Negotiator

Just a random dice-rolling game with zero strategy.

I have the physical version of this but bought this for on the go. The app does a great job of teaching you the rules and showing you different strategies. It was worth the money even if you just want to learn how to play. the dice could do with a little fix as they do get stuck on an angle quite a few times so your not sure what face it landed on and have to rely on the computer telling you what was rolled but that’s a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Easy to learn but with a lot of challenge, it’s a tense and rewarding game, very nicely done, recommended.

After owning and enjoying the physical version of this game I was pleasantly pleased to see a digital adaptation on the app store. The GUI could do with improvements, it looks and feels very dated like having to press the “X” to close dialogue boxes rather than just pressing the screen. Kinda reminded me of web games from years gone past. The dice rolls are a little suspicious also with some rolls seemingly sticking between two faces. Overall though the game is enjoyable and will remain on my iPad

Positives Engaging theme with nice quick clean gameplay. Easy to pick up and have a game or two without massive investment in time/energy. Definitely worth getting Needs improvement The game relies heavily on the random element of the dice - which seem to be particularly harsh. I have also had a couple of occasions where they don’t land properly and you can not continue (work around - close game then go back in and resume). The dragging of cards to play is a frustrating lottery so new I double tap and select play. Needs a bit of tidying up guys!

I love the game (owning both the physical and digital versions) - it’s a superb little solo player with a need to switch strategy repeatedly to react to the Terror cards & dice rolls. However - there are 2 issues: 1. The dice rolls. The dice often stop balanced on an edge, and if it’s precisely between faces it won’t recognise the roll & the game gets stuck. The dice-rolling code needs to be fixed to prevent that. 2. The first expansion is locked with no option to buy it. Why is that? The others can all be bought. Is he an automatic unlock if you meet certain criteria after playing the base game?

The board game is one of my favorite solitaire games and this app is a good, faithful adaptation. Beat the first the abductors and immediately bought the next three! Sure, it’s not the best-looking interface, and I’ve noticed a few small issues with the way the achievements are calculated and unlock, but the actual gameplay is smooth and bug-free. Great way to enjoy the game when in bed, on the throne, on the road. I only wish it was still getting updates. I’d gladly purchase any and all expansions they put out. More abductor packs, Crime Wave, Career Mode, all of it! And a few interface tweaks would be gravy. Like skipping or at least speeding up the card animations. Maybe another pass of polish on the visuals?

You make the right play, and in response you somehow always get a crappy die roll that ruins things for you, or just the wrong terror card shows up to undo everything you’ve accomplished. Always. There is no ‘AI’ in this game - it just cheats against you so it can ‘win’.

Still evolving strategies. Some insanely bad luck with dice at times but challenging. Quick game for times when you want to squeeze in a game in 20 minutes or less.

It is still quite stressful as games go, but with the physical version it is so easy to scrap a bad game when things seem like they are unrecoverable. I have twice now won in situations that seemed hopeless. The dice also seem to roll slightly more favorably than the real dice which makes this game easier to play. My preference here may have as much to do with the game itself as it does when and where I play it. I play the app when there is not much better to do and I am waiting for something. When I am playing the physical game, I have dozens of other options. Bottom line: it’s a good game turned into a serviceable app with an ugly interface and a good way to burn 20 minutes. There certainly worse ways you could blow 5 dollars.