Infinity Blade

Ever since Apple catapulted mobile gaming into the limelight some years ago, the successes of these games have continued to grow exponentially. Today it is common place to see plush toys of games like angry birds on store shelves, or the odd person wandering the halls of gaming conventions wearing a cone on their head (A’la Plants Vs Zombies). Throughout these releases though, there was one question that remained on the lips of enthusiasts. Sure these games were successful and in many cases fun, but was it possible to make a title for the mobile platforms that had the solitary target demographic of the hardcore gamer?

That is, until Infinity Blade came along, and answered that question once and for all. The answer? An astounding yes.

Set in what looks like the medieval era, players are shown a short cut scene that depicts the death of an unnamed hero who has battled his way through a castle filled with foes, only to be killed by a ruler named the God King. Fast forward eighteen years and it’s his descendants turn to do battle. It is with this concept that the game revolves. Players take control of a descendant and battle their way through the castle until they reach the God King or are killed along the way. Once the player dies, the time line is fast forwarded eighteen years where they then take control of another descendant. Each battle won provides the player with xp which they use to level up and become stronger, and a cash sum, which they can put towards upgrading their weapons. Every time the player dies the XP and weapon progress is carried over, in the hope that players can gradually progress further and further, till they are both strong enough and skilled enough to kill the God King.

A simple premise that in truth works very well. Unlocking better weapons and making your character stronger is very satisfying, as is doing a little better against the God King each time you face off. Admittedly, the grinding, and constant repetition does become tiresome and will probably cause most people to stop playing before they have upgraded everything on offer, though players probably won’t notice that until they have beaten the God King.

Looks wise, it is one of, if not the best looking games on mobile. Rivalling that of the dedicated handhelds with ease. The newer your device, the better it will run, and players should probably avoid it if they own an iphone older than a 3GS. It will also munch through battery life, so should be played on the move sparingly. Those with new hardware though will be be party to some of the best visuals, lighting and particle effects they have ever seen on a mobile game. The Unreal Engine works a dream on iphone, and is a real accomplishment for Epic, having developed the technology.

Mechanically Infinity Blade is also very well thought out. As has been proven by the Wii, and somewhat through error on the part of Kinect and Move several times over, merely attempting to port a controller experience onto new control methods, will more often than not fail miserably. What the developers have done then is employ a simple dodge block and parry mechanic that is intuitive, and will undoubtably become a benchmark for games made in the future of the same ilk. Swipe to slash your sword, swipe the opposite way of the attacker to parry, and press the little icons for dodge, special attacks and magic. Simple yet satisfying.

For those looking for a more hardcore experience on their mobile phone, this is a game that should at the very least be something to consider. The mechanics work well, it looks great, and an interesting premise. Admittedly though, there are drawbacks. As previously mentioned, it will chug on older devices, and kill your battery. Its also very pricey as far as mobile games go. Over the general landscape of games though, the hardcore in particular, players will likely spend as much time playing it as they do full console releases, so it isn’t actually all that expensive. In short, if you play what would be considered the more traditional gaming experiences, and are on the prowl for a mobile game that will scratch that itch, you won’t go far wrong in picking up Infinity Blade.