Lost Cities is one of my favourite card games, and over the weekend I was surprised to learn about the release of a version for iOS. The app was released by TheCodingMonkeys, who previously built the Carcassonne app. I’m happy to report that Lost Cities is adapted just as delightfully for the iPhone.
Lost Cities a two-player game, and while the mechanics don’t allow for the pass-and-play experience that Carcassonne offers, it’s still fun and responsive to play against friends, whether they’re in the same room or across the internet. The move to iOS also enhances the core experience of the game: that the scorekeeping and card counting is done for you allows you to focus solely on your tactics and execution. The single player challenges also encourage you to try different techniques and gameplay styles. This is a digital adaptation done right.
The graphical polish on the app is amazing, and the music is exquisite. Together, they really do create a feeling of daring and adventure, which is quite remarkable for a game that otherwise consists of stacks of cards. You want to try this game, if only to see how a card or board game should be done on iOS.
I was also interested to learn that TheCodingMonkeys were also the developers behind SubEthaEdit, the comparatively nerdy and (and definitely less game-like) networked collaborative text editor. Nice to see a company take their experience from one area of software development and use it to find success with some completely different products.