Shadow Archer: Bow Duel

Pull back the bow with your finger, set your angle and power, and let go. In Shadow Archer two archers face off and take turns shooting; the first to drain the other's health wins.

Where you hit changes everything. An arrow to the head deals almost twice the damage of a body shot and earns you extra gold, while arms and legs take less. The wind shifts in direction and strength every turn and can push your arrow well off course on long shots. Arrows stay stuck where they land, and on the final shot your rival drops right where they stand.

Next to your regular arrow there are ten special arrows, and each one is a different tactic. The fire arrow sets your rival alight and keeps burning for two more turns. The ice arrow freezes them so they lose a turn. The poison arrow drains health for three turns and stops healing. The explosive arrow blows up on impact, the triple arrow fires three at once in a fan, the homing arrow curves toward its target and the piercing arrow cuts through shields and armor. The lightning arrow calls down a bolt from the sky, and arrow rain drops seven arrows on your rival's head. With the teleport arrow you jump to wherever it lands and get a closer, easier shot.

A boss waits every tenth level, and none of them go down the same way. The Giant Archer fires three arrows at once. The Black Knight's armor soaks up body shots, so your best bet is the head. The Ice Witch builds an ice wall in front of her and freezes you; fire melts the wall and hits her twice as hard. The Sorcerer teleports and spawns fake copies of himself. The Fire Lord is immune to fire but goes out with ice. The Poison Shaman heals every turn, and unless you cut that off with poison or fire he is very hard to put down. The final boss, the Shadow Twin, wears your own outfit and fires your last arrow right back at you; lightning is your best weapon against it. At half health they all fly into a rage and hit much harder.

In the campaign you push through region after region and finish each level with one to three stars. Later on you fight two or three archers at once, shieldbearers and armored enemies. The sharpshooter picks you off from afar, and the bomber explodes when hit and hurts everyone next to him. In online duels you open a room, give the code to a friend, and they join from their own phone for a live match. In two player mode you take turns on the same phone. In challenges you shoot the apple off a villager's head and bring down sliding targets, flying birds and rising sky lanterns. In survival the enemies come in waves, with a boss every fifth wave. After each wave you pick one of three power cards: sharper arrows, life steal, a second chance and more stack up so no two runs play the same.

You fight across fourteen arenas, from Istanbul and Cappadocia to snowy peaks, a volcano, the Aegean coast, a poison swamp and the Shadow Temple. Rain, fog and strong gusts make every shot harder. Shoot the barrel next to your rival to blow it up, smash crates and thread your arrow between swinging logs.

Spend your gold to dress your archer your way: scarves, hats, capes, new bows and arrow trails. Armor cuts the damage you take. Some outfits can't be bought at all and only unlock through achievements.

In the Daily Level everyone plays the same level with the same wind; finish it in the fewest shots to climb the Game Center leaderboard. Daily quests, a seven-day login reward and eighteen achievements are waiting for you. The game is free. You don't need an account to play solo; for online duels just sign in with Apple.

Discovery signals