Seach Independent Gamer Blog

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Infinity Blade iOS Review.

Epic Games first game on the iOS with the Unreal Engine.

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Epic Games, developers of the Gears of War series has decided to enter into the iOS market with the release of Infinity Blade. Infinity Blade is an Adventure game with RPG elements although it is easy to argue that it is an Action RPG as you do enter into battles with a few opponents. Each battle is a one on one against either an opponent or beast inside a castle where the God King settle and kills anyone who challenges his authority. 

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The story begins with a knight fighting against the God King who has the infinity blade. The God king kills the night with just one blow and that is where you're adventure begins. You are the Knights decedent who must avenge his father 20 years later. You start out at level 1 and as you battle opponents you will earn XP for yourself and your armor. 

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You can purchase equipment along the way such as other Helments, Armor, Swords or Axes, Rings which give you elemental powers, and Shields. Each item you carry may have elemental abilities or it can increase your stats. Some do both but others only do one but it focuses more on that ability than one that can do both. Every time you battle someone you as well as your armor earn XP which you can use to spend on increasing your stats such as Health, Attack, Shield and Magic. Items are purchased through the store with the stronger ones costing more money than the simple ones which you use as you level up.

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The point of the game is to keep generations going until you are strong enough to defeat the God King. Each time one generation dies a new one takes over years later avenging their father's death. Each time a new generation takes over the enemies become more stronger and block more often which is where the items you purchased come into play. You will keep doing this over and over again until you have defeated the God King and going through the same level over and over again until the game is beaten. 

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The only way to move around the level is to find a place with a glowing blue circle. You must select that place and see the knight move around the area. You must keep a close eye because there are hidden items along the way, mostly cash, that you might skip. You can also look around before you battle your opponent for any items, treasure or continues along the way. 

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The easiest way to defeat an opponent is to block one of their power attacks and slash them for a certain amount of time until they are dead. You can also dodge, use magic attacks as well as use your special power however special power and magic take time to recharge before you can use another. You attack opponents by swiping your finger across the screen either up, down or left, right. I will say that the controls work great but at times if you are going too fast it will not register your next move leaving you open to attacks. You can also square off against opponents if your timing is right which blocks the upcoming attack but if your timing is bad then you will definitely get a head full of iron.  Blocking is not unlimited. If you reach your shields breaking point then you will no longer be able to use it during that battle which will make it even more difficult to win.

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Graphically the game is an achievement. It uses advance textures as well as shadows and lights to create a great environment. The characters as well as bosses are nicely detailed and the effects are amazing. A tip of the hat to Epic for creating such a beautiful game which can be seen more like a tech demo for using it's unreal technology on iOS devices. You don't need the iPhone 4 or newer generation iPods to enjoy the visuals but you do need to pump up the brightness on your screen to truly enjoy it. Animations are also great as the characters move smoothly and there are no lags within game even with multitasking. I will that that when performing finishing moves against an opponent, the protagonist uses the same animation as using a sword even though you are using an Ax which takes from the experience. I know an Ax can stab someone if pushed down hard enough but I don't think it's hard enough to pierce through someone's body like a sword. 

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Sound effects are amazing. Each clash of the sword or Ax to a shield or to an opponent's face sounds amazing. The few voice over's that are in game are also amazing. 

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Closing Comments:
Infinity Blade is a graphical achievement but you do play the same level over and over again until you defeat the God King. It is a great concept and it does adds hours of gameplay but doing the same thing over and over again can get boring. At best I say it is a tech demo of what Epics Unreal engine can do and chances are we will see other games using it. The game currently sells for $6 on the App Store. I say that is too expensive for a game like this and you should wait for a price drop or until they have a sale on the game But if you feel like you must play it, play it on a friends iPhone or wait for a Lite version as this game really isn't worth the $6. If anything I say you're paying for Eye Candy and there are other great games on the App Store for a few dollars less to only $1. 

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Gameplay: Great Customization but you will keep playing the same and fighting the same enemies over and over again you will eventually get bored. 5/10

Graphics: Truly a game that focuses more on graphics and it shows. A tip of the hat for great graphics. 10/10

Sound: Great sound effects truly puts you in the middle of the battle. 9/10

Performance: Not much of a story but the game performs great with zero lag while playing. 8/10

LifeSpan: Playing the same level over and over again adds hours of gameplay but it's a cheap way to add hours of gameplay. 3/10

Total Score: 70/100

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