Flick Knights

There aren't many asynchronous sports games out there, so Flick Knights scores an early point thanks to its very unusual turn-based multiplayer approach.

It's a mechanic that's woven deeply into the gameplay too, and allows the concept to operate without needing thousands of players all being online and ready to play at the same time.

Flick Knights is a bold effort, but it's got so much on its plate that at times it seems less about the game, and more about remembering what you're supposed to be doing next.

The objective is sweetly simple. It's not at all unlike a game of football, or rugby, except all you need to do is get your player to the opposition's goal – or target, in this case – and hit it.

No ball, and therefore no passing, tackling or other complications. Your team members have very different abilities, and a well-played game of Flick Knights is one where you make full use of them all.

Injuring each other's players is a prerequisite, and one of the strongest tactics in the game. Indeed, it almost branches into chess territory as you manoeuvre and out-manoeuvre each other in an effort to cripple opposing players before they cripple yours.

Movement employs a small amount of physics, with a carefully directed swipe setting your player off running. If they contact a bumper dotted around the field, they ricochet off it (a good way, sometimes, to get a bit of extra distance), and if they collide with the opposition they attack. Kind of like crown green bowling, only with people.

Once you've moved all your players, it switches over to the other team to answer with their swipes, attacks, and pre-emptive dodges.

It's important not to overlook the necessity of getting to the goal, which is easy when the brawling begins, because a sneaky player can work around the engaging carnage you're gleefully creating and ring your bell without you noticing.

Flick Knights deftly sidesteps the obvious flaw in asynchronous play – waiting for ages for the other person to make their move, which could, in theory, take days – by letting you have multiple games running at once.

Sometimes you'll find yourself online with the opposition at the same time, and the game can move pretty quickly. This is more the case when playing against random opponents. But if you want to select someone specific to go up against (a friend, or whatever) there can be significant delays.

So the game lets you drop in and out of multiple Flick Knights matches, minimising the amount of down-time you might otherwise experience.

There's still a limit to how many games you can play at once, as team management can get in the way and leave you somewhat unequipped for the matches you're not particularly focused on.

Keeping up with all Flick Knights upgrades, add-ons and purchases is pretty much a game in itself, though not a particularly enjoyable one.

And the more you take on, the more you need to do, so early efforts – when you kick off lots of matches because you're keen to get playing – quickly descend into unmanageable chaos.

You can also expect to shell out pretty quickly in the IAP store if you want to climb the leagues, although it's not impossible to work your way up for free.

Just be prepared to be patient, and very, very attentive to what the game demands of you (as opposed to what you demand of it).