Back in October 2011, Chair Entertainment in association
with Epic Games released the sequel of the very successful playing game Infinity
Blade. Powered by the Unreal engine developed by Epic Games, Infinity Blade II
provides gamers with a game filled with impeccable graphics and fluid gameplay.
Priced at $6.99, Infinity Blade II can be considered quite
expensive especially for a game played on a mobile platform. But is the
enhanced graphic and gameplay enough to warrant its steep price? Here’s a quick
review of the game for those of you who are planning to get it on your idevice.
PLOT
The game’s storyline
takes off from the ending of the first Infinity Blade and parts taken from the
novel, Infinity Blade: Awakening. The story of the game revolves around Siris,
the protagonist of the game, and his quest to look for the creator of the
Infinity Blade – the Worker of Secrets, after learning that the God King
Radriar has been resurrected.’
His search for the Worker of Secrets leads them to Saydhi, a
deathless who provides answer to anyone who can defeat her champions. Three
champions later and a battle with Saydhi, Siris was able to get the information
that he needed but before he can go to the Vault of Tears (the castle where the
worker was imprisoned), he was cut off by Radriar (the God King) who took the
Infinity Blade from him. Before a battle erupted, Isa shoots Siris in the head
with a crossbow, temporary killing him.
Afterwards, Siris wakes in an industrial looking chamber. He
then continues his quest to the Vault of Tears where he faces numerous titans
before finally battling the three Blood Sentinels: the Archivist, the Stone
Demon and the MX-Goliath, repeatedly dying and being reborn several times in
the process.
He then faces Thane (The High Lord of House IX) on top of the tower, where he defeats
him to unlock the prison cell that holds the worker of secrets. But before he
can continue further, Thane appears once more and battles with Siris for the
second time. The battle was cut short with the worker granting Thane a true
death by disrupting his quantum identity pattern. The worker then explains to
Siris that in order for him to be freed, a deathless must take his place.
To be able to meet the conditions of the worker’s release,
Siris journeys back to Saydhi’s place and challenges the God King in a battle.
Radriar sends his three minions to defeat Siris but were all unsuccessful. He
then battles with Siris and loses.
Afterwards the God King is brought to the vault of secrets
by Siris and just when he and the worker was about to leave the vault, a blue
light blasts Siris away. The worker then reveals his evil nature and the truth
that it was in fact Siris, who imprisoned him in the vault of secrets, back
when he was still known as the Deathless Ausar. The worker then leaves the
angered and regretful Siris in the vault with
Radriar which marks the end of
the game.
But don’t feel bad
because of the abrupt ending, because the closing credits revealed a scene
showing Isa heading into the castle, presumably to rescue his friend.
What’s GOOD
Obviously, the bestselling feature of the game is its jaw
dropping graphics. Chair entertainment and Epic games have indeed created a
visually stunning title filled with great textures, dynamic shadows and intricate
details. It was also nice that this version of the game has English dubbing and
subtitles. Sound effects were also well thought off. There are distinct sounds
to differentiate the clashing of swords against swords, sword against shield
and the thug of every punch, kick and ram of your opponent.
Some parts of the gameplay were also improved. Weapons are now divided into different classes, with each class offering a specific set of advantages and disadvantages to the player. Light weapons are one-handed swords and lances that deals moderate damage to titans but allows the user to carry a shield that increases defensive abilities.
Heavy items are two-handed weapons that deliver massive
damage to enemies but disable the use of a shield thereby decreasing defensive
capabilities. Lastly, the dual weapons are usually a pair of sword that the
character uses in each hand and improves the player’s chances of performing a
combo.
Gems are also a nice addition to Infinity Blade II. Gems can
be combined with weapons to increase their efficiency or to gain specific elemental
attributes such as lightning, wind, ice, light, dark and fire. There are also
gems that increase a player’s chance of acquiring gold and various items
throughout the game. Lastly, there are gems that increase specific abilities
such as improved regeneration rate and increased magical abilities.
What’s NOT SO GOOD
Although the graphics of the game is impeccable, Infinity
Blade II is far from being perfect. For starters, the gameplay is quite
shallow. Even though the storyline that the game follows is far from being
shallow, the game is quite repetitive, with your character continually dying and
being reborn throughout the game.
Unlike other role playing games available in the market, IB2’s
quest is quite short and the environment is quite small as the game just resets
every time your character dies. Players also don’t have the luxury of roaming
around the game’s environment as there are no navigational controls that
players can use while playing. Instead, you go around the game by tapping
predefined key areas during each scene. The closest thing that one can get to
navigational controls is that you can move around the camera to reveal blind
spots in an area where items can be found.
The VERDICT
Infinity Blade II has in the past won several awards such as
IGN’s Mobile Game of the Year in 2011, Entertainment Weekly’s Top 10 Video Games
of 2011 and 2012 Mobile Game of the Year from AIAS. With several awards on its
belt, Infinity Blade II is undoubtedly one of the best games in the market fit
for mobile gamers.
But as I said earlier, it’s far from being perfect or at least
it’s not perfect for everyone. Gamers who are looking for that game title with
graphics comparable to those found in more powerful gaming consoles. But it’s
not a good fit for gamers who are looking for a game where they can explore
their surroundings, at those people who enjoy multiple unlockable levels and non-repetitive
scenarios.
Aside from that, IB2
is quite an enjoyable game. And if we can look past its gameplay limitation,
some would even say that the $6.99 price tag is actually a bargain.
