Reigns: Beyond

Quick-witted and hilarious, this madcap band tour/space caper is sold short by its premise

Reigns: Beyond is a unique game that combines strategy, simulation and a choose-your-own-adventure styled narrative, making it an appealing choice for indie game enthusiasts and fans of the series. The game's appeal lies in its blend of humor with engaging card-based gameplay, all set within a space adventure and indie music. Although the game can be confusing initially, and the instructions may not always be clear, players who stay with it will find a satisfying, albeit quirky, experience. There's room for improvement, though, as some elements are not explained enough. While the level of engagement may sometimes dip, the fresh dialogue, intriguing card mechanics and delightful visuals make it worth playing for those who want a unique experience.

Reigns: Beyond is a cute, quirky adventure with excellently designed art, music, and storytelling delivered in a simple yet engaging format that works better on the Switch than most other mobile-friendly games.

Reigns: Beyond is an impressive achievement and I don’t really want to think how long it would take a player to see all the more than 1,400 featured cards. The structure makes it easy to get a full-blown weird adventure in under 10 minutes. Stop after death, consider your choices, do something else, and return for another dose after a few hours.

Reigns is certainly a very special game, a roguelike with a lot of character writing skills and simple but effective gameplay. In the previous games in the series, the mechanics were certainly more complex, as in Three Kingdoms, but Beyond still manages to defend itself. If you are looking for a title that is different from the usual and at a low cost, here it is!

Reigns: Beyond brings together a wonderfully wacky cast of characters and a space adventure ready to rock! The simplified mechanics leave space for a story and universe that's a blast to explore.

Although the novelty of swiping wears off pretty quickly, Reigns: Beyond is an impressive game for its price point. For less than £5, it’s not a risky investment - and it's probably worth the entry fee just to experience the unique gameplay and hilarious script. It’s definitely more suited for short bursts on mobile, but if the Apple Arcade isn’t an option for you, then the Switch version is a nice alternative.

The graphics in the rhythm minigame are of the same style, but the look of the guitar you’re playing depends on which one you select to play before going into the gig. The sound design is really cool as well; the songs are original and pretty catchy, but the sound is also good at exhibiting a sense of danger when something is going horribly wrong, such as when a system fails and everything starts beeping.

A somewhat different and certainly more bizarre version of the Reigns formula awaits in the stars

Reigns Beyond is a sci-fi treat that offers a unique (and undoubtedly chaotic) adventure as you strive to achieve intergalactic stardom. The unpredictability of each scenario you find yourself in ensures there are laughs aplenty as you endure through each success or failure, whilst the resource management adds a strategic twist to the action that ensures every little decision you make counts. Or you could just piss off a space monster and die. However things pan out, you’ll have a lot of fun along the way, and who knows – maybe you’ll be part of the next big rock band in outer space?