Duper goes all-in on an absolute mish-mash of elements in this social multiplayer game

• Duper is a massive new mix of Catan and poker now on mobile
• It promises high-stakes gameplay for both casual and expert players
• Not to mention a mish-mash of different mechanics to the nth degree

It's rare that a new game leaves me struggling for words. But when it comes to something that includes as many mechanics, elements and as bizarre a description as Duper, I think that lack of words is justified. All we know for sure is that it's currently available on mobile as a direct download from the Duper website.

To find out what Duper is, or professes to be at least, we have to look at the official description. Slated as 'poker meets Catan', Duper puts you in a high-stakes game with the objective of outsmarting and bluffing your opponents while gathering resources and accruing powerful Emblem cards.

And, if you hadn't noticed already by all the promotional footage, it features a minimalist yet flashy art style that's sure to strain your eyeballs as much as it'll strain your brain! But with the promise of everything from casual to tournament-level play being possible, it's clear the folks at developer Curio Research have big expectations for their debut effort.

Super-duper

For my money, Duper is an interesting idea, but one that is a little baffling just to write about, let alone play. Although it does seem to have an all-star development cast behind it with talent drawn from MiHoYo, Niantic, Lilith Games and ByteDance, amongst others.

But, as we discussed behind the scenes here at Pocket Gamer, it also seems to be throwing a whole lot at the wall and hoping that it sticks. And it may seem backhanded as we constantly hope for something new and exciting to express that concern, but Duper may just be a little too much in the fresh-'n-new direction for more casual players on mobile.

If you're looking to put your strategy skills to the test with something a little more conventional, then you'll be glad to know we've got you covered. Just take a look at our list of the best strategy games on Android for some of our top picks.