Alive 4 Ever Review: A Decapitatingly Great Time

Alive 4 Ever is one of several dual (virtual) control stick, top-down shooters in the App Store. The success of titles like iDracula and Minigore has prompted thdevelopers to have a go at the genre, as the method of control seems to be one of the most effective on the platform. Developed by Meridian Digital Entertainment, Alive 4 Ever distinguishes itself from the masses in a few ways, and thus I believe it to be one of the better offerings of its kind.

In A4E, you control one of four vastly different-looking protagonists with a common penchant for zombie-killing. The story goes something like this: a malicious virus spread across the States, mowing down the population and eventually resurrecting the bodies of the deceased to form an evil zombie coalition. Clearly, we won’t be awarding any points for originality. As seems to be a common problem with foreign developers, the text suffers from poor translation. For the life of me, I can’t understand why developer’s don’t run this by someone before submitting to Apple.

A4E expands on the established top-down shooter category with a few nice innovations. Each of the 30 available levels has a different objective, which include killing a certain number of zombies, rescuing hostages, surviving for a specified duration and collecting vaccines. In addition, challenge objectives ramp up the difficulty and replayability factor.

Once you’ve completed a level, you are awarded experience points, cash money and new equipment depending on whether you’ve managed to conquer the ancillary objectives. Upon leveling up, you are allotted ability points which you can use to augment the permanent stats of your character. These include maximum HP, bullets, critical hit rate and curing efficiency.  Money is used to purchase new weapons with varying attributes which you can equip from the store. Primary and secondary weapon slots are available. Finally, three items of equipment can be worn at once, and offer stat-boosting attributes such as faster reload times, additional HP and percentage increases to experience point accumulation. The wealth of RPG elements render A4E a formidable time-sucker, and really immerses the player in the game world.

Another point of immersion is A4E’s haunting soundtrack. It’s often said that the creak of an old door or barely audible pant of a some unseen creature can do more for your heart-rate than a graphic depiction ever can, and A4E applies this principle well. The in-game audio is correspondingly spot-on. The rumbling chains of machine gun fire and disturbing moans of bullet-riddled zombies never feel repetitive or over-done. And this isn’t to say that A4E isn’t visually packing. Dynamic lighting effects, large maps and hand-drawn character models all contribute to A4E’s satisfying package. I experienced no slow down on my iPhone 3G, even in the middle of a gigantic zombie swarm.

A4E’s control scheme is no different from the other offerings in its category. The dual-stick controls work without quirk, and the additional buttons to access your objectives, pick up materials and manually reload are similarly responsive.

One of the few criticisms I had with A4E is its difficulty. Inherently, there’s no problem. Advancing through levels is a considerable task, but the challenge progresses at a healthy rate. The frustration kicks in when you hit the mid-teens. The difficulty becomes such that you’re encouraged to replay the earlier levels in order to supplement your attributes and equipment. Replaying levels over and over is bound to feel like a chore.

A4E also offers ranking statistics and co-op multiplayer via Bluetooth. Unfortunately I was unable to test this feature as I couldn’t any other zombie-killers in my vicinity, but it “works great” according to Touch Arcade.

Overall, Alive 4 Ever is a great addition to the top-down shooter library. Clean graphics, immersing sound design and a bevy of level objectives render the title a great value at $2.99. And Meridian has already submitted an update to the App Store.

Special Note: Sam Sles will also be hosting his articles at www.thumbspree.com, a site solely dedicated to iPhone gaming. Don’t worry though, he still has POWSO pumping through his veins.

Samurai: Way of the Warrior is a Couple Slices Short of Amazing

Mad Finger Games describe their first iPhone offering, Samurai: Way of the Warrior, as a hack and slash title. The term originates from analog rpgs like Dungeons and Dragons, in campaigns void of significant story elements. I first encountered the label hacking through the bowels of hell in Diablo. But when I graduated to its sequel (aka the gateway drug to WoW), it didn’t seem to apply as well. I greatly enjoyed Blizzard’s cinematic cutscenes, and became thoroughly involved in the tale of a drifting warrior seeking to reclaim the world from the clutches of evil.

So when I picked up Samurai: Way of the Warrior last week, I wasn’t sure what to expect. On the one hand, the screen grabs were gorgeous, and the discussion on Touch Arcade’s forums spoke to its gripping story – not so unlike Diablo II. On the other were no virtual buttons, no landscape orientation and no clue as to the pure rpg aspects of the game.

Having spent several multi-hour days with the title, I can say that my expectations may have been a bit tall. But as the somewhat inspiration-killing proverb decries “Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.” I find myself justified in taking the hype down a notch.

In Samurai, you control Daisuke Shimada, a wandering Samurai with no back story. Advancing through seven levels, you must slay hordes of henchmen in order to fight the baddest, most heinous Shogun of all, Daimyo Hattoro. The mundane story is presented in beautiful comic strip cut scenes following each level. And it’s littered with typos and grammatical misfires. It saddens me that developers with such a flair for presentation (to be later discussed) can’t take the time to double-check these things. The ending does contain an unexpected twist which speaks to the possibility of a follow-up title.

Movement in the game is controlled by tapping a location on screen, and alternates between walking or running depending on your finger’s distance from Daisuke. Attacks are performed by swiping combinations over the enemies position. E.G. a finger swipe left followed by a swipe right performs the burning blade, one of Daisuke’s default attacks. Throughout the game, you’ll pick up additional, three-step combos. I’m not sure what triggers the acquisition of these new moves, as there aren’t any character stats to keep track of, but the diversity is nonetheless appreciated. The combat system takes some getting used to, but I have to commend Mad Finger Games for managing to pull off a (virtual) button-less control scheme.

Returning to the question of Samurai’s “hack and slash” nature, the game can definitely be placed in the story-ultimately-irrelevant camp. From level to level, there are no powerups, no health boosts and no additional weapons to complement your blade. Each level consists of several “stages” which can only be unlocked by slaying all of the enemies present. And your health regenerates upon a stage’s completion. Samurai is no adventure rpg, but it’s simplicity is somewhat refreshing. With the single objective of slaughter, the player is forced to hone in on the strategy behind each kill. That’s pretty much all you do.

In addition to the campaign, dojo mode offers several rounds of increasingly-intense arena-fighting action.  Like in the story, there are no special items. Your health only regenerates after conquering a “boss” stage. The dojo mode is a fun challenge that adds some replay value to the game.

The game’s difficulty is perhaps best described through analogy. The first two levels are like being dropped into a kiddie pool, sans the hottie lifeguard from the Sandlot. You can dogpaddle your way around the asinine A.I., who basically just shuffle around Daisuke like a bunch of Sake-holics. By contrast, level three is like being dropped into the Pacific Ocean. It’s cold, tumultuous, and entirely unforgiving. The bad habits you picked up in the kiddie pool will haunt the shit out of you. It was here that I died about 30 times before the timing finally clicked and I realized that I couldn’t just wiggle my fingers all over the screen like I did in the previous two levels. Interestingly enough, the following levels taper off in difficulty. And the bosses are nothing more than henchmen with a few more hp. I guess once you learn to swim, you can make any body of water your bitch.

Samurai truly shines in the presentation department. So much so, in fact, that I can almost recommend a purchase based on looks alone. Is that shallow of me? 3d character models, vibrant, isometric backgrounds, and bubbling puddles of blood abound in Samurai. Combat is made all the more satisfying for each limb you sever, and the developers were keen to leave the aftermath behind for the player to ponder. Perhaps the only thing disappointing about the graphics are my expectations for the rest of the game to follow suit. Mad Finger Games has created a wonderful world that could very well be the setting of an EPIC adventure rpg, Zelda Samurai-a-fied. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for such a sequel.

Finally, Samurai’s audio is another mixed bag. The tranquil, feudal soundtrack is an odd choice for a game so chock full of gore. But this isn’t to say it’s not pleasant, and it doesn’t fall under the curse of repetition. The groans and grunts of the henchmen are by contrast ear-numbingly redundant. If it wasn’t for their purpose in time-correcting your counter-attacks I would have them slashed from the game (See what I did there?)

For the many grievances I had with Samurai: Way of the Warrior, there were an equal number of redeeming characteristics. As a result, I have to recommend trying the game on a friend’s device, or giving it a whirl if you have no qualms spending $2.99 for a plot-barren brawler with a few control quirks. As I always say, it pays to support indie developers, so hoot at Mad Finger Games if you’d like to see changes in their next update, or have any ideas for what they might pull off in the next installment.

BackBreaking Jeebus, this Football Mini Game Looks Crazy Fun

Normally I wouldn’t embed any gameplay footage before I had the chance to preface it with a snazzy one-liner of clever quip, but I’m pretty sure NaturalMotion’s upcoming arcade football show stopper can speak for itself. Powered by the company’s groundbreaking animation engine Morpheme, Backbreaker: Tackle Alley promises to sweep the iGaming community off their feet and into a patch of cleated grass. If you can’t tell from the video, Backbreaker will have players navigate through a labyrinth of defenders, executing jukes and spins to reach the endzone. Facebook integration will allow players to swap scores, but there’s no word on any true multiplayer experience. NaturalMotion, if you’re listening, look no further than Com2Us’ Slugger for an exemplary head-to-head sports arcade offering on the iDevice. If you incorporate anything in the same ballpark (see what I did there?) I will personally send your dev team a box of Godiva chocolates. Not joking.

Gang$tar: West Coast Hustle is Live!

Gameloft’s latest offering, impressive-looking Grand Theft Auto clone Gang$tar: West Coast Hustle, debuted in the App Store today for $6.99. With 173 MB of sandbox-style gameplay glory, it promises to be the center of attention in the iDevice gaming community. Expect a review in the coming week. We’ll see if it lives up to the hype. And peep the newest trailer below.

Plushed Gameplay Footage is Tantalizing

I deemed Blacksmithgames‘ neat-looking platformer Plushed worthy of salivation a few weeks ago, and I still stand confidently behind my words. They’ve just released some gameplay footage (see below) and for the most part it looks fantastic. The character animations are among the most detailed and unique to hit the device, and the haunting score is no less other-worldly.

My one apprehension, which seems to be shared by others on Touch Arcade, is the slowish-looking player movement. Hopefully this can be remedied before the developer’s planned October release. And just to remind folks, follow Blacksmithgame’s twitter account to lower the launch price. Sweet beans.

Gameplay Footage:

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