The first Infinity Blade was intended to showcase just how well Epic was able to push the boundaries presented by the limited iPhone hardware and still present a stunningly beautiful game. If you like this game, you’ll also enjoy our review of Mass Effect 3 for the iPad. As far as creating a world filled with stunningly high textured locations and the most realistic moving character models ever presented on an iOS device, they succeeded splendidly. Regrettably they failed on the game aspect. I expected the sequel, Infinity Blade II to expand on the simple fighting mechanics and introduce some new aspects to the game play, but was disappointed on that end. If you like this game, take a look at our Zombie Burbz AppGear Review (iPad and Android Tablets) (video) too. Or if you’re more a fan of board games, take it virtual and read out Monopoly Here & Now: the world edition iPad review. You should play games on the best iPads.
When Infinity Blade III was announced and I heard about some of the changes, my optimism was renewed and I installed it as soon as I could. While I haven’t gotten too far in the game just yet, I’ve compiled a list of detailing both what I feel Chair has done right and things they still need to improve upon. For another fun iPad game, check out our World of Goo iPad review too. If you prefer a traditional board game, also take a look at our Risk HD for iPad review
Do Like:
1. Graphics
The graphics of Infinity Blade III are, as expected, spectacular. The character movements are smooth and realistic, even if the size of the behemoths/titans immediately destroys the player’s suspension of disbelief. For better graphics on the iPad, upgrade to the iPad Air which will prove to be a huge improvement, and you can know why by reading our review of the best Apple iPad Air features. Or better yet, just check out some of the best features of the Apple iPad Air 2, that has several significant updates to the original Air. If you use iPads and projectors to present, you should try using an air-mouse presenter. Read more on our Gigabyte aivia neon touch charge air presenter mouse review.
2. Story
With the latest iteration of Infinity Blade, Epic finally decided to move the plot along during gameplay.
3. Isa’s Dual Wield Weapons
It’s nice to be able to watch a battle consisting of more than just mediaeval hacking and slashing with a broadsword.
4. Two Playable Characters
Helping move the story forward, the addition of a second character allows the player to experience the story from multiple perspectives, it also introduces a chance for the player to theorize on who Isa really is. If you’ve been keeping up with the story, she may be the wife of Siris’ alternative personality, Ausar.
5. Combo Instructions
Admittedly, I could be wrong here, but I never noticed any info instructing you how to perform combo attacks in the previous iterations of Infinity Blade. Infinity Blade III, however, displays simple instructions on how to perform combos, enabling the player to breeze through battles in a timelier manner. If you like gaming on iPads, you should find the best case to protect it. Read more on the Jetech case review.
6. Pacing
The game seems to move faster than the previous iterations. The battles are more fun, less difficult, and don’t seem to last forever as they did with Infinity Blade II. I have yet to get stuck dying over and over again by the hand of the same enemy… yet. Yes, I’ve died a few times, but I’ve yet to encounter an enemy whose attacks I’ve been unable to block, parry or dodge. Also, by providing story line videos more frequently, the game feels far less stagnant.
7. Isa’s’ Special Attack
I haven’t figured out what actions initiate Isa’s special stabby/kick frenzy attack, but it’s a welcome addition to the game play. Executing her special attack (tapping within all the circles that appear in a timely manner) triggers a flurry attack that significantly decrease your enemy’s health bar.
What We Don’t:
1. Repetition
There really isn’t much to this game besides battle, watch cut scene, battle, cut scene, battle, upgrade weapons and items, battle, level up, cut scene, battle… This is the same reason I didn’t and won’t complete Infinity Blade II. It gets really boring, really fast. This would be fine if you didn’t have to complete so many battles ad nauseum to get to any advancement in the games plot, but the plot (so far) only advances after defeating a major antagonist at the end of a chapter.
2. Load Time
I completely understand why each of the Infinity Blade games take so long to load, there are a colossal amount of files that need to be pre-loaded in order to play the game. The .ipa file itself is well over a GB. This knowledge does nothing to extinguish my disdain for the almost 40 seconds I have to wait before I can interact with the game. The most influential selling point of iOS is its speed and ability to jump in and out of apps pretty much instantaneously. How their flagship game is in direct conflict with that, amazes and baffles me to no end.
3. Camera Cuts Durring Cut Scenes
In order to almost force you into taking some time to observe and scrutinize the details of the backdrop during the cut scenes, Epic has included semi-hidden items such as bags of gold, potions and ingredients placed in the background for your character to pick up. The problem is, by the time you move your finger on to the screen to pick up the item, the camera angle changes and your chance is gone. WTF?!?
As you can see, there are more things I like about Infinity Blade III than I don’t. In my opinion, it’s worth your time and the $6.99 it costs to get it. I would never chose to play Infinity Blade III over GTA 5, but it’s a good way to pass the time while in line at the bank. Try it out.
