When Pascal’s Wager ($6.99) was shown off in the iPhone 11 keynote, I had high hopes. A visually impressive Dark Souls-like adventure on my phone or iPad" Sign me up! Despite my hopes, though, I couldn’t help but expect a mobile Dark Souls or Bloodborne?that is to say, a game that took the basic elements and atmosphere from those games, simplified them, wrapped ’em up with micro-transactions, and released them as a complete game. You know, the usual mobile fare these days. Actually playing it, though, I’m quite impressed. Visually, it nails the drab world, the grim atmosphere, the air of inevitable demise; it delivers challenging combat that forces players to learn and adapt to enemy patterns; and, best of all, it’s dark. Like, really dark. In other words, it’s exactly what I hoped for. Pascal’s Wager starts with a dream-like carriage ride to the domain of Heggem, a vast Colossus that emits a protective light to ward off the dark and its evils. This journey sets the tone for the game to come (dark, ominous, and just a little scary), and displays its graphical prowess?it also, quite unintentionally I’m sure, highlights its faults. It is without a doubt very pretty, but it is also flawed. The textures and character models are detailed, the environmental and particle effects are excellent, and colour, when used, stands out against the rather drab backgrounds. All that said, however, it is as though a film has been place...