Summoners War: Sky Arena Review

Free-to-play monster-collecting endeavors are a dime-a-dozen, so how do you discern which is the right one for you? In the case of Summoners War: Sky Arena, the glossy production values, tight core mechanics, addictive blend of monster summoning features, and arena warfare are good indicators that you've chosen a suitable endeavor. And if you've got patience, a little bit of spending money, and a strong desire to keep up with the grind, you'll find that this release is worth picking up.

Summoners War: Sky Arena has much in common with similar releases such as Brave Frontier, placing players in the role of a summoner who has the ability to call forth monsters to do his or her bidding. There's a limited amount of energy available for each day, PvE opportunities, arena battles, new equipment to obtain, and fusion in order to power up the minions you've gathered. The game is clearly geared toward collecting as much money from its players as possible, but it's just as enjoyable without spending a dime. Just don't think the temptation to buy additional things won't rear its ugly head here and there.

Thee's a wide variety of monsters in the game, and after completing the tutorial you'll end up with a Hellhound, Fairy, and Vagabond to get you started. As you complete quests and slowly rise through the ranks, you'll be gifted additional creatures as well as the materials to summon forth minions on your own merit. Summoning uses crystals, which are slowly earned or purchased with real-world money. Different types of Summon Scrolls determine the rarity and quality of your monsters, ranging from 1 to 5-star ratings.

Monsters fall into different roles as well, such as attackers, tankers, supporters, and defense-based creatures. This is calculated based on the monster's skills and stats, and in order to build a formidable squad you'll want to use Fusion to meld your monsters together. Finding and collecting new bases upon which you can build new, more powerful brawlers is undoubtedly one of the game's most apparent charms, and I found myself going back again and again to do so whenever I had enough surplus creatures to create with.

Summoners War: Sky Arena is rife with opportunities to connect with friends, drop real-world cash in the name of creating the most souped-up pack of monsters you can, and a variety of creatures to satisfy fans of the genre. Be careful with it, as it'll end up eating a good chunk of your time if you're not careful.