RipTen Review: Infinity Blade (iPhone)

Infinity Blade is by far the most anticipated game for iOS devices since Apple’s keynote where the Unreal Engine was first demoed. The Epic Citadel helped to show off the engine and how gorgeous it is; however, it may have led to a misleading perception of the game.

First off, gorgeous doesn’t even describe this game. The graphics push well beyond anything we’ve seen on a mobile platform before, with reflections, lighting effects, and a level of detail that’s unprecedented. This game is eye candy to the max, and looks even better on the retina screen.

That being said, Infinity Blade isn’t at all what I expected. From the demo, screenshots, and the general hype surrounding the game, I (along with many other fans) was expecting a full-on RPG, complete with quests, dialog, and free roaming throughout the citadel. After all, the Epic Citadel demo was free-roam.

That is not at all what Infinity Blade actually is. It is a fighting game with some RPG elements mixed in. You must fight your way up to the “god-king”, keeper of the infinity sword. A single playthrough only takes about half an hour. If you fail, the game resets and explains this as your descendant trying to avenge your death. You get to keep all your XP and gear, so you don’t really lose anything.

For what Infinity Blade is, it’s awesome. The sword fighting is impressively accurate, with the animations matching the swiping motions you make on the screen. You can dodge using buttons on the sides of the screen, and block with a button in the center. The best part of a sword fighting, however, is parrying. To parry, you must swipe your sword directly opposite your opponents strike, and do so with perfect timing. It’s tough to do, but incredibly rewarding when you pull it off. After each fight, you get XP that fills up in each piece of your equipment. When you reach max XP in a piece of equipment, you have mastered that equipment and you get a combat bonus.  However, you also cannot accumulate any more XP in that piece of equipment.  Balancing the use mastered items and building XP is delicate, but surprisingly well done.

Infinity Blade is an amazing game, and one that every iOS device owner should buy. The fighting is intense, the graphics are stunning, and the RPG elements add decent replay value. This game truly redefines what is possible on a mobile gaming platform, and I hope that it is the first of many Unreal and Epic Games.

(More Pictures after the break)

Here’s The Rundown:

+Gorgeous Graphics

+Amazing Swordplay

- More of a fighting game than an RPG