Over the past few years, few iOS games have taken full advantage and pushed the limits of all the iPhone and iPad have to offer in terms of creating something with pure visual graphics and art design. The Infinity Blade trilogy set that bar and went to great heights, not only visually, but introduced new gameplay and combat experiences to iOS users. The epic saga from Chair concludes in truly glorious fashion with Infinity Blade III ($6.99, App StoreLink).
Infinity Blade has been one of the most highly raved games since the first installment back in 2010. It’s been a series which has pushed the limits of what an iOS game can achieve with the right talent behind the wheel. The first two Infinity Blade games focused on a lot of gameplay elements, controls, and combat while keeping the story and background still one of the most intriguing aspects of the trilogy. Infinity Blade III wraps it all up with new fighting styles, a highly in-depth campaign, and is even more visually appealing in every way possible.
Overview
Infinity Blade III picks up where Infinity Blade II left off. From the start of the game, you continue to play as Siris who, along with the help of the God-King Raidriar, attempts to destroy The Worker of Secrets and his army of Deathless Titans, which are all the big bosses you battle along the way.
Of course, as with the previous installment of Infinity Blade, there are even more ways to build up your character with new items and weaponry to add to your arsenal, but this time around we’re introduced to a new playable character, the stealthy female warrior-thief, Isa, who you can fight as a bit later in the game. She has a completely different set of skills, combat styles, weaponry, and abilities. This of course, makes for a fresh experience to the gameplay and combat throughout the whole campaign.
One of the major differences you first notice in Infinity Blade III from the first two games is that all the missions are launched from the hideout. While at this base, you can encounter allies who will help you along your quest, such as a merchant, blacksmith, and gem cutter to unlock new items, abilities, and potions through your journey. This hideout can be described as a base of hub of sorts, unlike in the previous Infinity Blade games where you would just tap on a treasure chest between boss battles and discover certain items, then navigating the menu to implement and equip them.
Gameplay
Through the first part of the game, it really feels like you don’t need to use certain potions or other upgrades, but instead beat the bosses through trial and error and get used to the fighting system and mechanics, especially if you’re not used to the combat or you’re new to Infinity Blade. Upgrading potions, weapons, and gems isn’t automatic like in the previous Infinity Blade games. Here the timing system is introduced into the game where you have to wait a certain amount of time to receive the weapons or potions depending on how many potions you put together or what weapon you choose to upgrade.
You would think this would stop you from fighting any battles until you receive your item, but this isn’t the case, it isn’t a scenario where it’s crucial that you would need an item right then and there, so you can easily go off and try to defeat a certain enemy and by the time you’re done, your potion will be ready. You can also use IAPs to speed up the process, but there wouldn’t be any real challenge to the game if you used IAPs for everything in the game.
Another interesting aspect of Infinity Blade III is that between battles a dragon will occasionally appear that you’ll fight with. Unlike the boss battles, this is more of an impromptu encounter than anything else. You won’t end up spending a lot of time battling the dragon though. It will fly away after a few attacks if it starts getting frustrated, so it can be described as a regular foe, but in the end, it’s still a fun addition and experience to the game.
In Infinity Blade II, Chair introduced ClashMob. For the third installment of Infinity Blade, Clash Mob 2.0 was announced, which includes three new modes; Trials (which consists of single-player daily challenges), Clash Mobs (multi-layered co-op events), and Aegis Tournaments (longer running competitive qualifying events). These challenges are a good change of pace from the campaign, so they add a lot of replay value to the already immense experience.
Controls
The controls of Infinity Blade have always been one of the best parts of the game, and with Infinity Blade III, it’s no exception. You cast spells, dodge, attack, and block, all with the swipe of a finger. By dodging, you just touch on the left or right side of the screen. Attacking and blocking are just as simple. You attack by swiping anywhere on your enemy and touch the shield to block. Casting spells is more unique. To cast spells you just draw certain shapes on the screen, which correspond to that particular spell.
Overall
Infinity Blade III is certainly the killer app Chair was hoping for and a great conclusion to the trilogy. Some questionable additions were added to the game, such as having to wait for upgrades and all the IAPs, but these are of course very minor additions, since you can run through the game without having to constantly upgrade, especially if you have a great strategy. There is also some great voice acting, from Troy Baker and John Noble, which really stands out and adds so much to the story.
Infinity Blade III stands out just as well as its prequels without ending the saga in a stale or repetitive way. It’s the pinnacle of what an iOS game should be and a reference for the direction developers should head towards.
Price: $6.99, App StoreLink
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