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This thread has been linked to the game 'Infinity Blade'.
Infinity Blade is a looker. If it was a girl (or guy) out for a night on the town you could bet it would have a long line of admirers by the end of the night. But is it just a shallow polished shell or does it contain depth within?
These Castle Walls
The game takes place in the castle you might recognise from the Epic Citadel Demo that came out last year to huge admiration. This time around though, unlike that tech demo, you don’t get to roam of the castle freely. Small blue circles show you the various options for routes through the huge grounds and every route takes you past a horde of huge, vicious looking creatures sporting shiny armour and big weapons.
Before combat begins you get a chance to look around, finding bags of gold and potions as well as the odd weapon if you’re lucky. They all go towards your stats which, in turn, increase your strength, health and armour. These become very important when you get into a brawl with one of the enemy cohorts and this levelling up system is really the only hint of the RPG element in the game.
Fight Night
The main meat of Infinity Blade comes from the combat. Swiping your finger across the screen will swipe your weapon of choice across the enemy or block their attack with a parry. Pressing the shield icon will block an attack if done at the right moment, though you only get a certain number of blocks. Finally, pressing the bottom corners of the screen will dodge out of the way of any sword blow if done correctly.
Pretty soon you are given magic and special attacks to store up and use when the going gets tough, which it will. The enemies get bigger and bigger as you reach your goal, the gates at the centre of the citadel and the God King himself.
The game plays more akin to Nintendo’s Punch Out (or Glu’s Super KO Boxing on the iPhone). That’s no bad thing when the control system works as well as it does, but I can’t help feeling that some gamers are going to be left disappointed by the style of gameplay here, particularly if they were expecting a free roaming RPG.
Depth of Infinity
Once you get over the initial shock then Infinity Blade shows what it can do. The combat is a lot deeper than it looks, it takes skill to time the strokes and guards right and progressing through the castle leads to much bigger and harder enemies. The enemies range from quick Assassins to lumbering troll-like behemoths who are slow but have a deadly blow. Different tactics are needed for each kind and it will take a few attempts to work out the best strategy.
Despite the different models, playing through the game you get a sense that the characters are made up of a very few types, slow, average or fast attackers. There just aren’t enough different styles to keep the combat fresh. This isn’t so bad the first time around but begins to grate after the third journey and you’ll need to make a fair few of them too because getting to the anti-chamber is not the end.
Blood is Thicker Than Water
Though your quest will be suddenly and un-expectedly cut off by your untimely death. Here is where the game takes an interesting an unique turn. It will be down to your next bloodline to carry on the quest and the action fast forwards to that son or grandson standing on the cliff and claiming vengeance for your death. As you step into the shoes of the next generation, owning all the strength and armour of their forefathers who went before , it will bring you that little bit closer to defeating the ultimate foe, the God King, in the heart of the castle.
Shining Blade
While the gameplay counts heavily towards the final score, it’s impossible to talk about this game without going back to the visuals. ChAIR have done wonders using the Unreal Engine iOS build and the details in both the scenery and character modelling show this. Detail on the backgrounds, that you’ll possibly only notice by pausing the game, add a sense of realism to the scenery while lighting falls perfectly on the characters as they stand locked in battle. The constraints of the movement are softened somewhat by just the ability to look around you and take in the flag blowing in the wind or the brickwork in the nearby archway.
And yet it’s not perfect, the frame rate suffers on 3GS at times. It doesn’t seem to hinder gameplay but it occasionally jerks around while the camera pans, particularly when a new enemy is in sight or the game is trying to move too many objects at once. The iPhone 4 doesn’t have the same issue but, even so, you can feel the strain, but the lovely Retina Display enhanced visuals will counter any mild struggle the iPhone has in moving everything along.
To Infinity and Beyond
When you connect graphics to gameplay and brave new ideas, though, Infinity Blade delivers and it delivers in spades. It reminds me of a more constrained Shadow of the Colossus, which is quite the compliment considering my feelings for Team ICO’s work. For anyone who owns a 3rd or 4th generation iOS device this is an essential purchase, not only for the graphics, but for an epic original game.
9/10
These Castle Walls
The game takes place in the castle you might recognise from the Epic Citadel Demo that came out last year to huge admiration. This time around though, unlike that tech demo, you don’t get to roam of the castle freely. Small blue circles show you the various options for routes through the huge grounds and every route takes you past a horde of huge, vicious looking creatures sporting shiny armour and big weapons.
Before combat begins you get a chance to look around, finding bags of gold and potions as well as the odd weapon if you’re lucky. They all go towards your stats which, in turn, increase your strength, health and armour. These become very important when you get into a brawl with one of the enemy cohorts and this levelling up system is really the only hint of the RPG element in the game.
Fight Night
The main meat of Infinity Blade comes from the combat. Swiping your finger across the screen will swipe your weapon of choice across the enemy or block their attack with a parry. Pressing the shield icon will block an attack if done at the right moment, though you only get a certain number of blocks. Finally, pressing the bottom corners of the screen will dodge out of the way of any sword blow if done correctly.
Pretty soon you are given magic and special attacks to store up and use when the going gets tough, which it will. The enemies get bigger and bigger as you reach your goal, the gates at the centre of the citadel and the God King himself.
The game plays more akin to Nintendo’s Punch Out (or Glu’s Super KO Boxing on the iPhone). That’s no bad thing when the control system works as well as it does, but I can’t help feeling that some gamers are going to be left disappointed by the style of gameplay here, particularly if they were expecting a free roaming RPG.
Depth of Infinity
Once you get over the initial shock then Infinity Blade shows what it can do. The combat is a lot deeper than it looks, it takes skill to time the strokes and guards right and progressing through the castle leads to much bigger and harder enemies. The enemies range from quick Assassins to lumbering troll-like behemoths who are slow but have a deadly blow. Different tactics are needed for each kind and it will take a few attempts to work out the best strategy.
Despite the different models, playing through the game you get a sense that the characters are made up of a very few types, slow, average or fast attackers. There just aren’t enough different styles to keep the combat fresh. This isn’t so bad the first time around but begins to grate after the third journey and you’ll need to make a fair few of them too because getting to the anti-chamber is not the end.
Blood is Thicker Than Water
Though your quest will be suddenly and un-expectedly cut off by your untimely death. Here is where the game takes an interesting an unique turn. It will be down to your next bloodline to carry on the quest and the action fast forwards to that son or grandson standing on the cliff and claiming vengeance for your death. As you step into the shoes of the next generation, owning all the strength and armour of their forefathers who went before , it will bring you that little bit closer to defeating the ultimate foe, the God King, in the heart of the castle.
Shining Blade
While the gameplay counts heavily towards the final score, it’s impossible to talk about this game without going back to the visuals. ChAIR have done wonders using the Unreal Engine iOS build and the details in both the scenery and character modelling show this. Detail on the backgrounds, that you’ll possibly only notice by pausing the game, add a sense of realism to the scenery while lighting falls perfectly on the characters as they stand locked in battle. The constraints of the movement are softened somewhat by just the ability to look around you and take in the flag blowing in the wind or the brickwork in the nearby archway.
And yet it’s not perfect, the frame rate suffers on 3GS at times. It doesn’t seem to hinder gameplay but it occasionally jerks around while the camera pans, particularly when a new enemy is in sight or the game is trying to move too many objects at once. The iPhone 4 doesn’t have the same issue but, even so, you can feel the strain, but the lovely Retina Display enhanced visuals will counter any mild struggle the iPhone has in moving everything along.
To Infinity and Beyond
When you connect graphics to gameplay and brave new ideas, though, Infinity Blade delivers and it delivers in spades. It reminds me of a more constrained Shadow of the Colossus, which is quite the compliment considering my feelings for Team ICO’s work. For anyone who owns a 3rd or 4th generation iOS device this is an essential purchase, not only for the graphics, but for an epic original game.
9/10
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Infinity Blade is a looker. If it was a girl (or guy) out for a night on the town you could bet it would have a long line of admirers by the end of the night. But is it just a shallow polished shell or does it contain depth within?
These Castle Walls
The game takes place in the castle you might recognise from the Epic Citadel Demo that came out last year to huge admiration. This time around though, unlike that tech demo, you don’t get to roam of the castle freely. Small blue circles show you the various options for routes through the huge grounds and every route takes you past a horde of huge, vicious looking creatures sporting shiny armour and big weapons.
Before combat begins you get a chance to look around, finding bags of gold and potions as well as the odd weapon if you’re lucky. They all go towards your stats which, in turn, increase your strength, health and armour. These become very important when you get into a brawl with one of the enemy cohorts and this levelling up system is really the only hint of the RPG element in the game.
Fight Night
The main meat of Infinity Blade comes from the combat. Swiping your finger across the screen will swipe your weapon of choice across the enemy or block their attack with a parry. Pressing the shield icon will block an attack if done at the right moment, though you only get a certain number of blocks. Finally, pressing the bottom corners of the screen will dodge out of the way of any sword blow if done correctly.
Pretty soon you are given magic and special attacks to store up and use when the going gets tough, which it will. The enemies get bigger and bigger as you reach your goal, the gates at the centre of the citadel and the God King himself.
The game plays more akin to Nintendo’s Punch Out (or Glu’s Super KO Boxing on the iPhone). That’s no bad thing when the control system works as well as it does, but I can’t help feeling that some gamers are going to be left disappointed by the style of gameplay here, particularly if they were expecting a free roaming RPG.
Depth of Infinity
Once you get over the initial shock then Infinity Blade shows what it can do. The combat is a lot deeper than it looks, it takes skill to time the strokes and guards right and progressing through the castle leads to much bigger and harder enemies. The enemies range from quick Assassins to lumbering troll-like behemoths who are slow but have a deadly blow. Different tactics are needed for each kind and it will take a few attempts to work out the best strategy.
Despite the different models, playing through the game you get a sense that the characters are made up of a very few types, slow, average or fast attackers. There just aren’t enough different styles to keep the combat fresh. This isn’t so bad the first time around but begins to grate after the third journey and you’ll need to make a fair few of them too because getting to the anti-chamber is not the end.
Blood is Thicker Than Water
Though your quest will be suddenly and un-expectedly cut off by your untimely death. Here is where the game takes an interesting an unique turn. It will be down to your next bloodline to carry on the quest and the action fast forwards to that son or grandson standing on the cliff and claiming vengeance for your death. As you step into the shoes of the next generation, owning all the strength and armour of their forefathers who went before , it will bring you that little bit closer to defeating the ultimate foe, the God King, in the heart of the castle.
Shining Blade
While the gameplay counts heavily towards the final score, it’s impossible to talk about this game without going back to the visuals. ChAIR have done wonders using the Unreal Engine iOS build and the details in both the scenery and character modelling show this. Detail on the backgrounds, that you’ll possibly only notice by pausing the game, add a sense of realism to the scenery while lighting falls perfectly on the characters as they stand locked in battle. The constraints of the movement are softened somewhat by just the ability to look around you and take in the flag blowing in the wind or the brickwork in the nearby archway.
And yet it’s not perfect, the frame rate suffers on 3GS at times. It doesn’t seem to hinder gameplay but it occasionally jerks around while the camera pans, particularly when a new enemy is in sight or the game is trying to move too many objects at once. The iPhone 4 doesn’t have the same issue but, even so, you can feel the strain, but the lovely Retina Display enhanced visuals will counter any mild struggle the iPhone has in moving everything along.
To Infinity and Beyond
When you connect graphics to gameplay and brave new ideas, though, Infinity Blade delivers and it delivers in spades. It reminds me of a more constrained Shadow of the Colossus, which is quite the compliment considering my feelings for Team ICO’s work. For anyone who owns a 3rd or 4th generation iOS device this is an essential purchase, not only for the graphics, but for an epic original game.
9/10
These Castle Walls
The game takes place in the castle you might recognise from the Epic Citadel Demo that came out last year to huge admiration. This time around though, unlike that tech demo, you don’t get to roam of the castle freely. Small blue circles show you the various options for routes through the huge grounds and every route takes you past a horde of huge, vicious looking creatures sporting shiny armour and big weapons.
Before combat begins you get a chance to look around, finding bags of gold and potions as well as the odd weapon if you’re lucky. They all go towards your stats which, in turn, increase your strength, health and armour. These become very important when you get into a brawl with one of the enemy cohorts and this levelling up system is really the only hint of the RPG element in the game.
Fight Night
The main meat of Infinity Blade comes from the combat. Swiping your finger across the screen will swipe your weapon of choice across the enemy or block their attack with a parry. Pressing the shield icon will block an attack if done at the right moment, though you only get a certain number of blocks. Finally, pressing the bottom corners of the screen will dodge out of the way of any sword blow if done correctly.
Pretty soon you are given magic and special attacks to store up and use when the going gets tough, which it will. The enemies get bigger and bigger as you reach your goal, the gates at the centre of the citadel and the God King himself.
The game plays more akin to Nintendo’s Punch Out (or Glu’s Super KO Boxing on the iPhone). That’s no bad thing when the control system works as well as it does, but I can’t help feeling that some gamers are going to be left disappointed by the style of gameplay here, particularly if they were expecting a free roaming RPG.
Depth of Infinity
Once you get over the initial shock then Infinity Blade shows what it can do. The combat is a lot deeper than it looks, it takes skill to time the strokes and guards right and progressing through the castle leads to much bigger and harder enemies. The enemies range from quick Assassins to lumbering troll-like behemoths who are slow but have a deadly blow. Different tactics are needed for each kind and it will take a few attempts to work out the best strategy.
Despite the different models, playing through the game you get a sense that the characters are made up of a very few types, slow, average or fast attackers. There just aren’t enough different styles to keep the combat fresh. This isn’t so bad the first time around but begins to grate after the third journey and you’ll need to make a fair few of them too because getting to the anti-chamber is not the end.
Blood is Thicker Than Water
Though your quest will be suddenly and un-expectedly cut off by your untimely death. Here is where the game takes an interesting an unique turn. It will be down to your next bloodline to carry on the quest and the action fast forwards to that son or grandson standing on the cliff and claiming vengeance for your death. As you step into the shoes of the next generation, owning all the strength and armour of their forefathers who went before , it will bring you that little bit closer to defeating the ultimate foe, the God King, in the heart of the castle.
Shining Blade
While the gameplay counts heavily towards the final score, it’s impossible to talk about this game without going back to the visuals. ChAIR have done wonders using the Unreal Engine iOS build and the details in both the scenery and character modelling show this. Detail on the backgrounds, that you’ll possibly only notice by pausing the game, add a sense of realism to the scenery while lighting falls perfectly on the characters as they stand locked in battle. The constraints of the movement are softened somewhat by just the ability to look around you and take in the flag blowing in the wind or the brickwork in the nearby archway.
And yet it’s not perfect, the frame rate suffers on 3GS at times. It doesn’t seem to hinder gameplay but it occasionally jerks around while the camera pans, particularly when a new enemy is in sight or the game is trying to move too many objects at once. The iPhone 4 doesn’t have the same issue but, even so, you can feel the strain, but the lovely Retina Display enhanced visuals will counter any mild struggle the iPhone has in moving everything along.
To Infinity and Beyond
When you connect graphics to gameplay and brave new ideas, though, Infinity Blade delivers and it delivers in spades. It reminds me of a more constrained Shadow of the Colossus, which is quite the compliment considering my feelings for Team ICO’s work. For anyone who owns a 3rd or 4th generation iOS device this is an essential purchase, not only for the graphics, but for an epic original game.
9/10