Welcome to iHandy, where we talk about games on the iOS platform. I figured I would attempt to be clever while being equally perverse in the process. Get it? Good. I'm almost becoming just as vehement a supporter of the app store as John Carmack. His quote from the telegraph speaks volumes.
You don’t have to cut deals with publishers,” he says. “It’s almost completely egalitarian on there. It’s great to see all the small teams that wind up making these breakout hit games for the Apple devices. The fact is; on this platform, we can go ahead deal with fifteen-a-day feedback on there and directly interact with the consumers, make changes and get things out.” John Carmack interview with TelegraphThe Apple app store is the standard for delivering affordable and digestible gaming experiences to the palms of our hands. As of right now, the app store provides an opportunity for developers to deliver their product with minimal cost and potential for maximizing profits. Over the past year we have seen larger publishers and development studios get involved such as Id Software with Rage HD, and now Epic Games with its action RPG title Infinity Blade. It's a unique and visually impressive title that offers quite a bit for a mere $5.99. Infinity Blade is damn near perfect, however, its repetitive nature hinders it in some ways.
First of all, Infinity blade is probably the best looking game on the iPhone. How Chair Entertainment and Epic were able to squeeze so much out of the iPhone is staggering. The thought of Unreal Engine 3 running on a phone seems absurd, but it has been accomplished. The iPhone has grown up. It is no longer reserved only for vegetable chopping samurai's or birds that are angry. This is an indication of great things to come.
In Infinity Blade you are a warrior who ascends a castle to avenge your father's death by the hands of the God King. Your goal is to get strong enough to defeat him. You do this by playing through multiple bloodlines, upgrading weapons, armor, etc. You play through the same castle over and over, hence the repetitive nature of the game. I'm not anal about "story" or "narrative" on a game that's $6.00. The games strength lies in the battles.
After spending 15 minutes with Infinity Blade, you will become acclimated with the controls. The smooth and intuitive touch controls complement the games well designed battle system. When fighting you have the option to block, parry, or dodge attacks. You will use all three throughout a battle as you see fit. To attack, you just slide your fingers up, down, left, or right. You will quickly learn that enemies may repeat certain patterns, so simply repeating a certain tactic won't always work.
Players also have to consider their equipment before battle. I found myself using certain weapons that had a poison effect when it struck, but it had poor power stats. When in between battles I would interchange weapons and armor to gain the tactical advantage. This means observing perks of armor, weapons, and accessories before impulsively purchasing them. I really enjoyed the tactical aspect of the game, something that seems so rare these days. The game isn't some button mashing hack and slash affair. It feels like a thinking man's game.
The only real bummer about the game is that the environment and enemies are the same every time. Chair does manage to compensate for the lack of variety with an engaging and fun battle system. I got over the fact that I was playing the same game over and over again. I wanted to collect as much money as possible to try new weapons and armor.Chair does add some incentive to those who are willing to max out their characters with announcements that new levels, enemies, and multiplayer would be added in the near future. Despite its painful repetition, Infinity Blade is an attractive game with a surprisingly deep battle system that is worth the very affordable price of admission.
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