Epic Games – Infinity Blade II (iPad)

In my search for something to play while I wait for the Dark Souls DLC, I once again ventured into iGames. I played Chaos Rings and that was fun, but I wanted something with more action. I came across Infinity Blade II and decided to give it a go.

The game is eye candy: the graphics are a joy to look at, the landscapes are easy on the eyes and have a ton of good detail. The armor, weapons, and shield designs are very well done. So well done that I’d love to have some toys of them.

At first, the game seems on its way to deliver. There is movement throughout, but very linear. There is no opportunity to move outside the linear path being dictated; camera movement is limited, allowing you some exploration, but you want more. I found that I want the ability to explore these landscapes — console games have spoiled me in that regard. I have as much fun looking at the cities in Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Resistance 3, etc. as I do actually playing the game; Infinity Blade II has great cities and landscapes and I want to explore them all.

This is a limitation of iPad games, though. I don’t know if this can be further developed, or if it is a limitation that I have to learn to live with.

The fights are fun, but, again, they are limited. I do like that I can dodge left and right and put up my shield. Touching buttons on the bottom of the screen allow you to make these moves by just tapping them. The double-handed weapons give you an alternative to blocking with a shield. But I can’t move around the enemy, strafe, etc. Attacking is completed by swiping the screen, while special moves and magic are available via buttons in the mid-upper corners. It is challenging to swipe, parry, and get one’s timing down,  but it is also easy to “button mash” your way through. The fighting becomes one dimensional very quickly and becomes… repetitive.

Any good dungeon RPG is not complete without an armory and the ability to level up. The basic stats are there to upgrade health, strength, defense, and magic. You can also improve your mastery of weapons and armor. Infinity Blade II delivers here, and there is plenty of opportunity to build your character any way you want as an armor-wearing individual. I can see that there are a number of outfits, weapons, armors, and items that can be unlocked, and who knows what treasures lie there? If anything, this game does tap into my love of the grind and the desire to have more armor choices.

It is an excellent game for the iPad: the graphics are amazing and the game play is solid. But I’m wanting just a little bit more from it — the ability to freely walk around and enjoy the environments.

You can discuss this further on the fwoosh forums:

http://thefwoosh.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=130

The Author

pablolobo

Paul G. Wolf is a long time collector of toys and action figures. Starting with Micronauts, MEGO, GI Joe, Transformers and Masters of the Universe in the '80s he since graduated to Marvel Legends, DC Universe Classics, S.H. Figuarts, Monsterarts, 3A Toys, Gundam and anything else that is 6 inches and fully articulated.

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