Elementa HD - An iOS Card Strategy Game

Caravan designed and built Elementa HD, an original iOS card strategy game for iPhone and iPad that blended Rock, Paper, Scissors with the classic card game War, reached more than 60,000 downloads, and peaked at #5 on Apple’s Top Card Games list.

iOScocos2DGame CenterMultiplayer

Overview

Elementa HD is an original card strategy game Caravan Interactive built for iPhone and iPad. Players command elemental fighters in short, readable rounds that mix the instant clarity of Rock, Paper, Scissors with the back-and-forth of War. The product was conceived, produced, and shipped in-house: custom 2D animation, original sound, Apple Game Center, and multiplayer.

The title screen set the tone immediately. Three elemental faces frame a gold-lettered wordmark, a compact piece of branding meant to read at a glance on a phone in a landscape hold.

Elementa HD title screen on iPhone, with the gold Elementa wordmark over three elemental characters

Gameplay

Each match is a duel. A player-controlled elemental faces a computer or remote opponent. Health bars, round count, and a hand of elemental cards sit on a single battlefield so decisions stay visible instead of buried in menus.

The loop is simple to learn and hard to play well: play a card, resolve the elemental matchup, then decide whether to press the attack, morph, or block. Cards such as Avalanche carry an attack, a stronger matching attack, and a morph that can shut down an opposing element, so every draw is a small tactical choice rather than a coin flip.

Versus screen showing Titus facing Dashol at Level 1
Match setup. Named fighters, a level, and a clear versus beat before the first card is played.
Battle screen with health bars, Fight banner, and an elemental hand along the bottom
The battlefield. Health, round, and a row of elemental cards stay in view for the whole fight.
Avalanche card detail with attack, matching attack, and morph abilities
Card detail. Attack values, a matching-element bonus, and a morph that can block fire, written so a tap is enough to understand the play.

Technology

Elementa HD was built on the cocos2D game engine, which let us ship custom 2D animation and a tight battle loop on both iPhone and iPad. Sound was produced in-house so hits, morphs, and UI cues felt like part of the same world instead of a stock pack. Multiplayer and Apple Game Center sat on top of that core so friends could challenge each other and climb leaderboards without leaving the Apple stack.

Engine

cocos2D for a native-feeling 2D battler on iPhone and iPad.

Craft

Custom animation and original sound, produced inside Caravan.

Play together

Multiplayer matches plus Game Center for scores and social play.

Platform

A single HD experience scaled across phone and tablet.