iPad Appidemic: The Relic

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Features, Appidemic

I like to think that if I were alive during that time of walking skeletons, giant spiders, evil wizards and such, that I, too, would have looked good running around shirtless, swinging a battle-axe. But such a time never existed, so I have to content myself with playing games such as The Relic, a universal hack and slash arcade action game for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

What is it?

The Relic is kind of like Gauntlet, but with only one character and the absolute goofiest song you’ve ever heard in an iOS game. Remember that creepy, quiet kid who spent his days drawing dragons and his evenings attempting to play Yngwie Malmsteen solos at the local guitar store? He wrote the theme song to The Relic. So, good for him, he’s apparently done well for himself.

As for the game, you pretty much just run your way through various dungeons killing countless enemies with your axe. There are some slight puzzles to solve along the way, most of which involve finding the right key for the right door. As the enemies get tougher, your powers will grow stronger. By now, you know how this works.

How does it work?

I just said, you know how this works. Or would, if it actually worked. I don’t like getting upset about bad game controls, because they may very well have been fixed by the time you’re reading this. But as it stands, the virtual d-pad used for movement here is pretty awful. It often would lose connection with my thumb, I guess, and re-center itself without me lifting my thumb from the iPad. So, whether chasing an enemy (and you have to chase them a lot, which isn’t much fun) or being chased by one, my character would suddenly stop moving. That’s not good in any game, but it kills the experience in a hack and slash game.

Beyond that, you’ve got buttons on the right for attack and health, and that’s pretty much all you need. Move and hack, move and slash, move and heal up. There’s your game…when it works. Because beyond the control problems, there’s the issue of your character suddenly leaping forward for no explicable reason. Playing The Relic is often like watching an old movie where small chunks of the film are missing, causing the characters to pop around the screen.

Is it contagious?

Right now, no. If the developers had embraced more RPG elements—such as character classes, a robust leveling system, or at least multiple weapons—there’d be more incentive to stick with this game. But before they even consider adding things like that, they should consider fixing what’s already there.

Category:
Seller: Chillingo
Cost: $0.99
Download: The Relic

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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