Now that The Counting Kingdom has released for iPad & iPhone, I'd like to talk about how to play the game using that most beloved internet format - the .gif!
In The Counting Kingdom you play as the wizard's apprentice. Monsters are invading the kingdom, and it is your job to stop them (using the power of math, of course). Monsters appear on the right of the screen and move left every time you cast a spell. Your goal is to keep them away from the castle!
Casting Spells
To keep monsters away from the towers, you need to cast a spell to banish them. First, you need to select monsters. You can select as many or as few monsters as you want, as long as they're connected.
Click on monsters to select them
You don't want to just select monsters randomly though! The goal is to select monsters whose numbers add up to any one of the three spells you have on the left. You can see that here we're selecting a 3, 3, and 1 monster because that adds up to 7, which is one of our spells.
It's important to know that, usually, you have lots of choices! We could have selected just the 3 and the 3 monster to make 6. Or we could have selected 3, 1, 1, and 2 to make 7. There's never just one right answer, you'll have to act strategically.
Once you have your monsters selected, click on a spell to cast it!
kerBOOM!
Now you understand the basics. Every time you cast a spell the monsters will move forward, and your goal is to defend the towers and banish all the monsters in the level. Ready to learn some more advanced moves?
Get a New Spell
Every once in a while you might get stuck and think "Gee, it would be great if I could get a new spell." Fortunately you can drag one of your spells down to the spellbook to recycle it for a new one. Be careful though! Every time you do this you'll get a new wave of monsters. It's a risky move, but sometimes it's worth it.
Gimme a new spell!
Combine Spells
If you're feeling especially daring, you can drag one spell on top of another one to combine them, adding their numbers together to create a larger spell! Bigger spells can typically be used on more monsters, so this is the best way to create some really satisfyingly big magic.
Combine the 6 and the 7 spell together to make a 13 spell
It's important to note that combining spells like this will not create a new wave of monsters.
Potions
Did you notice that little chest up in the left hand corner of the screen? That holds your magical potions. Potions are applied to monsters, and you'll unlock 8 different potions over the course of the game! You can use potions to change a monsters's number, move a monster, and freeze a monster, among other things.
You'll start each level with one potion, and additional potions can be earned by casting a spell on three or more monsters. The Potion Chest will only hold three potions at a time, though.
The Freeze Potion will freeze a row of monsters for two turns
The Plus 2 Potion will add 2 to any monster's number
The Zero Potion will drop a monster's number straight to zero
That's it! With your spells, potions and the mighty power of mathematics it is up to you to save The Counting Kingdom!