Reaper, A Simple RPG For Those That Want a Quick Fix

There are different types of games for Android. Some are hardcore games that are similar to full console games and there are casual games that are meant to be played for a few minutes at a time while on a car ride or while on the bus. This game is in the latter category. This is the type of game that you can open up and play for five minutes and then put away easily, which makes it great for a phone game.

The first thing you will probably notice is that there is only one version in the Play Store but there are supposedly four editions of the game, the demo, Adventure, Destiny, and Dark Legend. The demo lets you play until level ten for free, and then you are prompted to buy a version of the game. At first this is confusing, but I feel this is an awesome way to sell games. You can decide how much you want to play the game and then purchase the edition that's right for you. If you decide that you only want the main game you can go with the Adventure Edition, but later if you decide you want more you can upgrade for a reduced price. This was a really good idea, but after looking at the reviews on the Play Store I feel it could have been explained better.

This game is a really good example of a game that was obviously designed for people gaming on the go. You can open this game up and make it through a quest pretty quickly. The controls are simple and well designed for touch screens. Most of the screen is for gestures, which control attacks, and about 25% of the left side of the screen is to move your character left or right. Very simple and intuitive. 

This is an RPG, but unfortunately your choices are very limited. There are no skill trees or classes to choose from. Your only real choice is on levelling up, where you chose perks. These usually increase your one of your abilities or attacks. Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to make an absolutely unique character in this game, but you still feel you are making some difference on the way your character turns out.

The main objective in the game is to complete quests and get better gear. Although you are given options for what your character says, it doesn't look like it makes much of a difference. You can say no to quests, but sometimes you are forced to do them anyway. You can also sometimes kill people during conversations, but I'm not sure how that effects the story. Speaking of story.

The story is nothing spectacular. I couldn't bring myself to read all the dialogue for every quest. The main part of this game is the combat anyway, so it's not really a loss.

The combat in this game is fun. Each enemy requires something different to defeat, so just mindlessly slashing away is not going to cut it. After playing for a few hours the battles actually start to require more of your attention. I think the fighting in this game is the best casual fighting I've played because of the great control scheme and the variation on enemies. 

Bottom line, this game is good. If you like casual fighting games with RPG elements, this is one of the better ones you can get. The level ten cap for the demo should be more than enough to decide if this game is something you would be interested in.  

Moga Pocket Controller Review! Should You Buy It?

Finally, after years of gaming on my Android devices, I decided to buy a bluetooth controller. This has been something that I had been debating for the past year, but since the Moga Pocket Controller was on sale for $29.99 I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

The controller was a breeze to set up on my Galaxy Note II, only requiring the normal bluetooth setup and the Moga Pivot app. Within ten minutes of opening the box I was already playing The Bard's Tale. Within the Moga app you can see all the games that are officially supported for the controller, which is quite a few, and also see all the games already installed on your device that are supported. At first I thought the app was going to be irritated to have, but after playing with it for a week I've found it easy to use and helpful.

The amount of games officially supported may not seem like many, but new ones are added pretty frequently. This growing list of officially supported games are only a small percent of the games that you can actually play with the controller. Most emulators, like VGBA, support Moga Pocket which makes it worth the price even if it didn't play anything else. Imagine playing all those great games that you used to sink so much time into again on a device you are going to be carrying around anyway. It's awesome.

The controller works really well. I don't think it's missed a single click so far except for when the batteries were incredibly low. The analog sticks work really well but I feel they don't have enough grip. There are small rubber pieces on the tips, but since there is nothing extra your fingers will slip on occasion. There is also no D-pad, which can be slightly annoying if you are playing something that requires a combination of button presses designed for a D-pad.

The fold out arm is designed to hold your phone and would even hold my massive Note II with ease. It would not, however, hold my phone with the Otterbox case on it. It holds the phone firmly and should fit every phone on the market.

This controller should be a no brainer for those of us that love playing emulators on our phones. As far as other games, I would say at the moment the list of games officially supported are rather small. I couldn't even find a true RPG other than The Bard's Tale. Ravensword currently doesn't work with the controller, unfortunately, although it says it's supported.

Despite some flaws, this controller is worth it if you can find it on sale. I love using it with my tablet around the house, and the controller is small enough that you can slide it in your pocket while you're out. If you feel you need something to improve your gaming experience on your tablet or  phone, you won't be disappointed in this!

More Awesomeness from OrangePixel, Super Drill Panic!

OrangePixel is quickly becoming my favorite source for pixelicious fun. I reviewed their dungeon crawler, Heroes of Loot, a few days ago and was so impressed that I downloaded more of their games. This game is very fun and a little more casual friendly than Heroes of Loot. 

The goal of the game is to get to the bottom of each level as quickly as possible while a boulder crashes it's way down with you. If it hits you then a life is taken away from you and you restart where you died. The game starts out simple enough but increases in difficulty as the game goes on, adding obstacles, arrows and more. collect power ups like freeze time, a hammer that destroys floors as you fall, and running boots that increase your speed.

The game allows you to switch between tilt controls, which is the default, and on screen buttons. This is nice for people like me that don't find tilt controls to be accurate enough for anything other than very easy casual gaming. The controls are simple as all you can do is go left or right, which makes it easy to play.\

I tend to lean more towards RPGs rather than these types of games, but apparently I have a weak spot for OrangePixel games. I have tried many of the free versions of their games and I plan to purchase them all. They produce high quality, addicting gameplay that is irresistible and this game is no exception. Pick up the free version and see what I mean!

So Many Pixels! A Heroes of Loot Review

Ah, rogue like dungeon crawlers! All RPG nuts like myself have a soft spot deep in our hearts for this niche gameplay that invokes a ridiculous amount of nostalgia from those old games like Gauntlet. I feel this genre does well on mobile devices and this game is no exception, although  it isn't without it's flaws.

You start your game by selecting what class you would like to be. You choose from the Elf, Warrior, Wizard, and Valkyrie. There is also another class that is unlocked after getting to level thirty. Each has their own unique ranged weapon. From there you are thrown into randomly generated dungeons to battle! Level up, collect power ups, complete quests, and make your character strong by buying items like shields from shops in the various dungeons to beat the game...Well, you can't really beat it. The game is endless, so don't worry about finishing it up in a few hours. As far as gameplay time for the price, endless just can't be beat.

The graphics are just full to the brim with detailed pixelated work that is wonderful to look at if you like retro graphics. From spiraling fire to electrifying lightning attacks, all the power ups look awesome and unique. All the characters are detailed along with their unique projectile weapons.

Heroes of Loot has a very simple control scheme that works incredibly well on mobile devices. The left side of the screen moves your character and right side of the screen has a single attack button. The attack mechanics is really where this game shines on mobile devices, in my opinion. There is no aiming in this game. Just hold the attack button and your character will unleash unrelenting attacks on the nearest enemy. This makes playing this game simple and not nearly as frustrating while in a moving car or bus.

Overall, I have to say that this game is awesome if you like rogue like dungeon crawlers. I will say that it does feel slightly repetitive after a few hours playing, but this is made up for easily because when you close this game and slide your phone in your pocket this is a game you want to go back to after taking a small break. If you are looking for a rogue like dungeon crawler and you find Delver too difficult to play or just want a 2D game, this should be your pick. Check out the free version. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Ravensword Shadowlands and 3D Mobile Gaming Done Right!

The main reason that 3D games on Android concern me is because of the touch screen controls. Games that only require tapping are well suited to the touch screen controls but having to control your character through the use of an on screen analog stick can be close to unusable in some games. Thankfully, this game is one that does it right.

This game is what you've been wanting, Elder Scrolls players. You start off in a short tutorial and then you are free... But only after you customize the way your character looks! No, I'm not talking about being able to change the characters shirt color. You can change jaw length, hair color, eye color and more!

After that you are free. Don't want to play the story now? That's cool, just blow it off. You aren't forced to do any quests and you are free to explore the world, which is huge. There are plenty of side quests to keep you busy for a while, but not even those are required.

Exploring is very fun in this game. Each area looks slightly different and have different enemies. There are plenty of hidden chests and caves to look through. if you're lucky you may even find some good weapons fairly early.

One thing I really liked about this game is that it is an actual RPG. You level up and you can make your character into whatever you want him to be. Want to be sneaky? This is the only game I've played on Android that has actual stealth in it. Want to be an archer? Go for it. Pretty much all the options in Elder Scrolls are here, but toned down a bit.

The graphics in this game are beautiful. They are on par with lower end Xbox and Playstation 2 releases and are  probably the best I've seen on a mobile. There are not many graphical glitches to hinder  the experience either. Because of the great graphics, I'm afraid the less powerful phones may not run it smoothly. I cannot say for certain, but I will say that it runs perfectly on my Note II.

The controls work really well on this game. I haven't had issues at all with not being able to run or shoot or anything else, really. I can't recall a single glitch at the moment, which is fantastic for a 3D game.

This game is expensive. I paid $6.99 for it, which is high for a mobile game, but what I got in return was well worth it. Ravensword is one of the only game I've played that has given me a console worthy feel. I have been playing this game for over four hours now, and I see no near end in sight. If you want a Elder Scrolls type game for your phone or tablet, look no further.

Mine, build, and fight! A Terraria Review

For all of those that were fans of the PC game, be prepared to use up all your battery life because the mobile game you've been waiting for is here.

Mine, build, and fight! The game is just plain fun. The goal is to mine different types of ores and make better gear and to build. The ores are pretty easy to identify so you won't spend much time digging toward an ore you don't need. To get better ores, and therefore better weapons and gear, you will have to go to hell... Literally, you have to dig for a long time to get the good stuff, which shows how large the world size is.

The deeper you go the more difficult the monsters get. You will start out with Slime and gradually get more difficult monsters like skeletons. There are a ton of variations on enemies. This is where this game differs from Minecraft. Although this game has you mining and collecting material most of the time, there is obviously a much heavier emphasis on combat. You even have bosses to beat, which gives this game a bit more of a "game" feeling over Minecraft's  Lego feel. 

The game is controlled by two analog sticks on the screen. The left is used for movement and the right is used for attacking or mining. You can also touch the screen where you want to mine a specific block, which is very useful. The only issue I have with the controls is that the zoom is currently not working properly. You can zoom in but not out. I'm sure that it will be fixed in the next few updates.

It is important to note that this game is in it's early stages and is still ironing out all the kinks, but if you enjoyed the PC game this is a must have! I sank about fifteen hours into this game before even opening up another game on my phone. As far as I can tell the gameplay is endless, giving you a massive amount of gameplay hours for your cash. If you aren't sure whether or not you want to give up your five dollars, play the demo and decide for yourself.

Delver, The Best Dungeon Crawler for Android?

There are a lot of games that claim to be the best dungeon crawler on mobile devices, but are they all really that good? Surely there is one that stands above the rest, and I believe that Delver is that game.

Delver is a 3D pixel filled dungeon crawler with touch screen controls. There are seven randomly generated dungeons to explore and beat. As you carefully make your way through the pixel world you will find enemies a plenty and new weapons and armor to equip. There are also potions that heal you but some of them are mystery potions that could heal you or chip away at your health slowly.

Although there are are only seven levels in the game, the size of them and the fact they are randomly generated make up for it. Each time through will be different and fun. There is nothing to memorize to help you in another play through. It will be just as difficult each time through. Speaking of the difficulty, there is permadeath.

Permadeath is awesome for many reasons. Firstly, you are much more careful. Any corner could mean death, adding a considerable amount of tension to the game. All it takes is one good hit from the right bad guy to seriously screw your chance of finishing. I think this is great, but it makes this the type of game you can't play easily on a bus or in public. All it takes is looking away from one second to get you killed and having to start back at the first level.

The best part about the controls on this game are that you actually have the option to change the sensitivity of the looking from the options section in the main menu. I love this being an option!

There are dungeon crawlers on Android that have more gameplay elements. There are some that have more levels, more items, and actual character options and RPG elements, so why is this one so good without all that? Because it's fun and simple. There is not much to it, but the atmosphere in this game is awesome and all the elements that are there fit with each other perfectly. If you are a dungeon crawler and enjoyed Ultima Underworld and the other wonderful games of the good old 90' s you should do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

The Walking Dead Assault for Android Review

Well, The Walking Dead first episode for the fourth season aired tonight. I have just recently caught up on Netflix and I'm not looking forward to the wait to watch the new episodes. To curb my appetite I downloaded The Walking Dead Assault for my Samsung Galaxy Note II and have been hammering my way through it. Is it enough for me not to chew through my nails in boredom waiting for season four to come to Netflix? Not really, but it's pretty decent.

Gameplay

This game is nothing like The Walking Dead for PC, which is good and bad. This game is more about killing zombies than character development. The entire game is clearing out different zombie filled areas, which by itself isn't a bad thing. You get to select your favorite characters from the show to be on your team, each of which has a special ability to help you survive. These range from making your gunshots quieter to avoid gaining the attention of the herd of zombies that can be summoned after making too much noise to giving everyone more melee damage. While these are nice to have, I have yet to feel like changing the characters has been game changing. The main objective seems to always be the same and there are no real customization options beyond changing what four characters will be active. 

The other goal in each level is to get supplies. The supplies could have done something like upgrade gear or build defenses but it does not. The supplies are traded in to get different characters, which as I said before is not all that impressive. 

You can also share your best times through Twitter to compete with friends which is nice, although I haven't used it yet. This at least adds some social aspect to the game.

Graphics

The graphics in this game  are beautiful and cartoony, like they were just ripped from the pages of the graphic novels on which the show is based, complete with pop up panels for key events. I can say without a doubt these are some of the smoothest graphics on Android. The game is nearly black and white which gives you a gloomier feel than it would have been if there had been any more color. I was very happy with almost all the visuals from the blood splats to the way the characters swing their melee weapons.

Final Thoughts

This is a good game. I can't say that it's a bad game but I can't help but feel disappointed in it. I feel like I had to be harsh on this game because it  could have been something much better and much more exciting but instead it is only a very well polished top down shoot'em up game. If you want something to keep you entertained and like the series, this is not a bad buy at all. I would still pick it up myself even after having played it, just don't expect the drama the show provides or anything more complex than Left 4 Dead.

 

Breach and Clear Review, Best Strategy Game for Android?

Breach and Clear is a new game for Android that is similar to old style Rainbow Six. Excited yet? I was when I read the description of the game on the Play Store. I dropped that $1.99 before even reading reviews and I'm glad I did.  This game is fun and challenging with a load of content.

Gameplay

I went into this game hoping that a good thinking man's game had finally been released for Android and I have to say, I'm impressed. This game starts out fairly easy. Your only goal is to kill all the enemies in each level using turn based combat. There are multiple levels of difficulty that are unlocked by getting good scores. The game is set up like most old shoot strategy games. You select where you want the characters to move or select what you want them to do and click the action button. Everyone acts simultaneously to the actions set. Pulling off a level perfectly will give you a rush like nothing else for a mobile phone.

Graphics

The graphics on this game are very good. The characters look detailed and move realistically. The little spurts of blood are a nice touch for a mobile game and make it easy to tell what character is getting shot. It's also very obvious which character is shooting or throwing a flashbang. The only thing I did not like about the graphics were the close ups at the beginning breaching section of each each game. Did they even try? Up close things look muddy and  your character doesn't look like he's doing what he's supposed to be doing like picking a lock or setting explosives on a door.

Overall

This game will be a dream for those looking for that old school Rainbow Six feeling in an Android game. This is probably the only game on Android that gives you this type of experience. I have been playing this game for around ten hours and just barely scratched the surface of all that is available so don't worry about spending the $1.99 on it. It's well worth the admission price. If you want a good strategy game look no further. 

 

Canabalt Review

Canabalt is a popular running game that was initially released as a free flash game. The port for Android does not disappoint. The simple tapping controls are perfect for phones and tablets. The fast gameplay and awesome music will suck you in immediately and won't let go.

Graphics and Sound

There are two graphics styles in the mobile version; the old flash version and the updated cleaner version. Both look wonderful. The game is in a beautiful black white and gray that gives you the feeling of  film noir. The attention to detail is amazing and really fills out the world, making it seem real.

Although I usually don't care too much about the music in mobile games, I feel this one needs some attention. I love the soundtrack for this game. I usually have the volume turned down low when I'm playing around other people, but I always want to have this going full blast. There is an option to set the soundtrack as your ringtone, which is what I've done. It's just that good.

Controls and Gameplay

The game is controlled by taps on the screen to make your character jump. That's it. What you get from this simple control scheme is one of the most intense fast paced games on the market. Just jumping from roof to roof sounds boring, right? Wrong. It's hard, which is something rare these days. Your palms will be sweating and you will hold your breath as you tap away at the screen trying to avoid obstacles and jump through windows hoping to beat your high score.

Final Thoughts

At the time of this review this game costs $2.99 on the Play Store. Is that worth it for a game you can play online for free? I say yes. I loving having this game on my phone and the having the option to add the soundtrack as a ringtone just puts icing on the cake. Give the developers some money for their hard work to make this wonderful game! 

Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Review

I have downloaded so many games over the past few years looking for a game that would scratch that RPG itch without much success. There are many "RPG" games on the Google Play Store but you quickly realize that they are really just adventure games. Is The Knights of Pen and Paper the RPG we've been waiting for?

Graphics

Now, once you fire the game up you will notice the retro graphics. I am fond of retro graphics so I love it. Each of the many characters you can use are detailed and identifiable. The different clothes are easy enough to identify during play. The graphics are not demanding of your phone or tablet and they fit perfectly with the game world. The default screen has a dungeon master facing you and your fighters facing towards the battle. Dungeons and Dragons anyone?

Gameplay

I could not even begin to list all the options in the game. You begin by selecting your character and what class you want them to be. Here's where you will begin to understand the amount of customization that is available here. There are nineteen characters to pick at the beginning of the game, all with different perks and a different look.You also unlock more characters as you progress in the story. Along with picking the character you get to pick one of the nine classes. Each class has one passive skill and four active skills. The possibilities are almost endless just in the beginning of the game! This makes nerds like myself very happy. After the opening quests you are free to do side quests to build gold and get experience.  With the gold you can go to the store and buy all sorts of fun stuff to get extra perks. You can get snacks for your table, drinks, random objects like the holy grail, a different table, a different dungeon master, different furniture, a different door, a different run, books, a pet, and different walls. You can also buy stuff from a blacksmith at some of the towns.
With the options presented I think it is nearly impossible to have the same exact game as someone else or even have the same game as your previous one. Speaking of that, if you decide to restart your game you get to keep your gold as start up cash!

Controls

This game has simple point and click controls. To attack enemies you select the skill you would like to use and tap the enemy you want to blast. Out of the hours I have played this game I haven't had any issues with  clicks not registering or any other control related issues.

Conclusion

Buy it. Don't like retro graphics? Doesn't matter. This game is so feature packed and fun that even if you aren't crazy about the graphics you will love it. If you like RPGs it may be impossible to not love this game in the same way you love your puppy.

Check out the trailer!

A Review on Vector

Vector is a side scrolling parkour (free running) game where your objective is to get to the other side of the map as quickly as possible, perform tricks where you are prompted and stay ahead of the pursuing authority figure. The game is intense and simple to play on your android device without lacking depth but it is not without it's problems.

The Gameplay

The game is separated into three locations: Downtown, Construction Yard, and Technology Park. Each part has a distinct look. 

Downtown is full of blues and black.

The Construction Yard is yellow and orange.

Finally, Technology Park is mainly a vibrant green.

Although this is kind of a small point it makes getting to a new location feel like a fresh beginning.

The game consists mainly of your  character running from some sort of government enforcer across rooftops while trying to perform each trick presented to you and collecting tokens to unlock better moves that you will need to beat later missions. Later in the game you are given more challenging levels that may even have you circle back around to areas you've already been to. The way that the levels mix up the simple concept is fun until the end.

Controls

The game controls are simple enough and is only controlled by a single finger. You swipe up to jump, down to slide and from side to side to speed up, slow down or in some cases stop completely. There are boxes that show up to tell you what trick you will be performing. Just swipe in the direction indicated to pull off an awesome parkour move. Since it is so simple there is no need to worry if you have to take one hand away from the phone for some reason and it isn't complicated enough for you to be completely messed up if you look away as long as you time it right.

Value and Gripes

The levels in this game are short. The average level will take you about a minute to complete but that doesn’t mean too much. At the time of this review there are thirty-three story missions and seventeen bonus levels making a total of fifty fun filled levels.

I really like this game but it isn't without issues.The main one is this; I hate ads on paid apps. Even if you have the paid version you are forced to view an ad immediately when you open the game (see below). Also, there are small flashes during gameplay that look like they were supposed to be ads or something. The reason I say that is because it doesn't look like a graphics issue.

Overall Impression

I really liked this game. I have made it through most of the levels and I feel like it was designed really well for mobile gaming. It’s simple controls are wonderful for touch screens and the levels are short enough that if you fail a mission because you were interrupted you won’t feel like you lost much progress. All in all, this game is highly recommended. If you like side scrolling platformers this is not a game to be missed!