Category Archives: Role-Playing

‘Chaos Rings for iPad’ Now Available Plus All Square Enix Titles On Sale

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‘Chaos Rings for iPad’ Now Available Plus All Square Enix Titles On Sale is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

As we reported a few months ago, Square Enix's phenomenal iPhone exclusive RPG Chaos Rings was heading to the iPad. Game producer Takehiro Ando already had the game up and running on an iPad just days after the iPhone release, but wanted to take the time necessary to upscale all of the graphical assets to the higher resolution of the iPad screen. Now the day has finally come for Chaos Rings for iPad [$15.99] to be unleashed on iPad gamers everywhere. If you aren't familiar with the game take a look at our full review of the iPhone version and you'll see that we really, really like Chaos Rings. This sentiment should apply to the iPad version as well, just with crisper graphics and a larger area of play. From our review:

After putting the game through its paces, I can safely say it stands to not only meet any high expectations but exceed them in remarkable fashion. With stunning visuals and captivating gameplay that is tailored specifically for Apple's device, Chaos Rings defines what an RPG experience should be like on a mobile platform.

In the end, it's not really about how Chaos Rings does anything especially new, but rather how it takes all the pieces of a traditional role-playing game and packages it together in a way that feels natural to the platform. The result is something more akin to an action-adventure game with heavy RPG elements. The turn-based fighting is gratifying and never got old, and the story and character development remains immersive even in short play sessions. The entire experience feels like a high quality console offering shrunk down to portable size. Chaos Rings is executed brilliantly on just about every level, and has all the makings of a true classic.

Also, in celebration of the release of Chaos Rings for iPad, all of Square Enix's games are on sale in the App Store. You can check out all of their titles by clicking this iTunes link here, and there are some great deals to be had on some excellent games. At any rate, if you are an iPad owner and an RPG fan, don't hesitate to pick up Chaos Rings for iPad as it's not only one of the finest games available, but looks stunning on the larger screen. Hi res screenshots and player impressions can be found in the Chaos Rings for iPad thread in our forums.

App Store Link: CHAOS RINGS for iPad, $15.99 (iPad Only)


Price Drop Alert – ‘Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night’

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Price Drop Alert – ‘Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night’ is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

One of the most classic game franchises of all time, Castlevania, finally made its long awaited debut on the iPhone last month, but not exactly as fans had expected. Rather than the action-oriented, whip-lashing platformer that we've grown up with the last two decades, the iPhone iteration of Castlevania appeared as a match 3 puzzle game with RPG elements.

Dubbed Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night [$1.99], the game takes place during the same timeframe as one of the most heralded entries in the series, Symphony of the Night. The majority of the game content stayed faithful to its inspiration in regards to equipment, enemies, and overall style, but the realtime fighting and platforming had been replaced with gem matching battle sequences reminiscent of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. After the initial disappointment of Castlevania Puzzle not being the type of game we were used to, looking past that aspect and judging the game on what it is meant to be revealed a fun RPG puzzler with a wealth of content to play through.

While we really liked the game in our review, opinions remain mixed amongst fans in our forums. If you were ever on the fence about purchasing Castlevania Puzzle, it just got a whole lot cheaper to take the dive and check out the game for yourself. Konami is having a 60% off “Back to School” sale on the game, dropping it in price from $4.99 to $1.99. If you're a Castlevania fan you'll likely get two dollars worth of enjoyment out of the presentation alone, and if you're a puzzle battling fan there are very solid game mechanics in place for some satisfying battles against the computer. If you're a fan of both, then this is a very good deal for the amount of content it contains, and I recommend checking out Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night during this limited time sale.


‘Rimelands: Hammer of Thor’ Developer Hands-On Video

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‘Rimelands: Hammer of Thor’ Developer Hands-On Video is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Crescent Moon Games has a lot going on recently between the price drop of Ravensword: The Fallen King [99¢ / Free], the upcoming Ultra Kid: Mystery of the Mutants, and two different collaborations with other studios: Aralon: Sword and Shadow with Galoobeth Games, and Rimelands: Hammer of Thor with Dicework Games. We've been following Rimelands for a while, and have made mention of both their teaser trailer and web site which features oodles of information both about the gameplay of Rimelands and the lore behind the game world itself.

Today a new video was released showing a surprising amount of gameplay footage as developer Josh Presseisen goes over the various parts of the game including the battle system, inventory management, skills, and even a boss battle. The video is a little long, but will show you more than enough to get you excited about this turn-based RPG:

Rimelands: Hammer of Thor development is nearing completion and is expected to be available for download inside the next month or so. Of course, when the time finally comes, you can expect a full review from us. In the meantime, swing by the official thread on our forums where the developers are actively participating in discussion about the game.


Sega’s ‘Shining Force’ Sieges App Store

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Sega’s ‘Shining Force’ Sieges App Store is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

If you've been waiting for a game wrapped in Sega's mediocre emulator that's finally worth buying, that day has come. Shining Force [$2.99] hit the App Store mere moments ago, and as mentioned in our preview yesterday, it's amazing how much the overall experience of playing these emulated games is improved when playing a slow-paced game that doesn't depend on emulator performance or precise controls. In said preview, I explained the basics of Shining Force:

Shining Force is a tactical RPG with turn-based battles that take place on square grids. Originally released in the USA in 1993, Shining Force is about as classic as you get when it comes to a Sega RPG. Not only has it been included in various classic game collections that Sega has released on numerous platforms over the years, but it also saw a remake in 2004 for the Gameboy Advance. This is the original Genesis version of the game, set in the land of Rune where you play a silent protagonist who recruits allies to the Shining Force to ultimately prevent the evil Darksol from resurrecting a Dark Dragon, destroying the world, and doing all those other things which have since become entirely cliche for RPG villains to do.

While Shining Force may seem a little basic if you haven't played it before and your first exposure to turn based strategy games was Final Fantasy Tactics or later games, Shining Force has everything it needs for a great old school RPG. Each character has their own class (and personality which is often revealed throughout the story) along with special abilities. As you battle your units level up, and my favorite feature of Shining Force always was that there never really is a game over. If your party falls in battle you retain all your experience earned and just try again. Of course there are all kinds of items to buy, treasure to find, gear to equip, and everything else you'd expect as well.

Surprisingly enough, this is the first emulated Genesis game on the App Store I can recommend without issue. Shining Force is an excellent classic RPG, and the turn based gameplay makes the touch controls extremely forgiving. It would have been nice to see Sega put a little more effort in to this game and either port the Gameboy Advance or Sega CD release, but I'm just glad they've moved on to RPG's instead of sticking with the classic lineup of action and arcade games. Now, how about Phantasy Star next, eh Sega?

App Store Link: Shining Force, $2.99

(International link)


Sega’s ‘Shining Force’ Sieges App Store

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Sega’s ‘Shining Force’ Sieges App Store is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

If you've been waiting for a game wrapped in Sega's mediocre emulator that's finally worth buying, that day has come. Shining Force [$2.99] hit the App Store mere moments ago, and as mentioned in our preview yesterday, it's amazing how much the overall experience of playing these emulated games is improved when playing a slow-paced game that doesn't depend on emulator performance or precise controls. In said preview, I explained the basics of Shining Force:

Shining Force is a tactical RPG with turn-based battles that take place on square grids. Originally released in the USA in 1993, Shining Force is about as classic as you get when it comes to a Sega RPG. Not only has it been included in various classic game collections that Sega has released on numerous platforms over the years, but it also saw a remake in 2004 for the Gameboy Advance. This is the original Genesis version of the game, set in the land of Rune where you play a silent protagonist who recruits allies to the Shining Force to ultimately prevent the evil Darksol from resurrecting a Dark Dragon, destroying the world, and doing all those other things which have since become entirely cliche for RPG villains to do.

While Shining Force may seem a little basic if you haven't played it before and your first exposure to turn based strategy games was Final Fantasy Tactics or later games, Shining Force has everything it needs for a great old school RPG. Each character has their own class (and personality which is often revealed throughout the story) along with special abilities. As you battle your units level up, and my favorite feature of Shining Force always was that there never really is a game over. If your party falls in battle you retain all your experience earned and just try again. Of course there are all kinds of items to buy, treasure to find, gear to equip, and everything else you'd expect as well.

Surprisingly enough, this is the first emulated Genesis game on the App Store I can recommend without issue. Shining Force is an excellent classic RPG, and the turn based gameplay makes the touch controls extremely forgiving. It would have been nice to see Sega put a little more effort in to this game and either port the Gameboy Advance or Sega CD release, but I'm just glad they've moved on to RPG's instead of sticking with the classic lineup of action and arcade games. Now, how about Phantasy Star next, eh Sega?

App Store Link: Shining Force, $2.99

(International link)


Sega’s Classic RPG ‘Shining Force’ Coming This Thursday

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Sega’s Classic RPG ‘Shining Force’ Coming This Thursday is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

As mentioned in our review of Ecco the Dolphin and Space Harrier II, we're glad that Sega is bringing these classic games to the App Store, but action packed platformers and arcade games of days of yore combined with mediocre emulator performance on older devices and touch controls is not a good mix. Today Sega gave us a sneak peek of their upcoming classic RPG Shining Force running in this same emulator, and it is amazing how much the entire experience is improved when you're not playing a game that is based on quick reactions, high frame rates, or precise controls.

Shining Force is a tactical RPG with turn-based battles that take place on square grids. Originally released in the USA in 1993, Shining Force is about as classic as you get when it comes to a Sega RPG. Not only has it been included in various classic game collections that Sega has released on numerous platforms over the years, but it also saw a remake in 2004 for the Gameboy Advance. This is the original Genesis version of the game, set in the land of Rune where you play a silent protagonist who recruits allies to the Shining Force to ultimately prevent the evil Darksol from resurrecting a Dark Dragon, destroying the world, and doing all those other things which have since become entirely cliche for RPG villains to do.

While Shining Force may seem a little basic if you haven't played it before and your first exposure to turn based strategy games was Final Fantasy Tactics or later games, Shining Force has everything it needs for a great old school RPG. Each character has their own class (and personality which is often revealed throughout the story) along with special abilities. As you battle your units level up, and my favorite feature of Shining Force always was that there never really is a game over. If your party falls in battle you retain all your experience earned and just try again. Of course there are all kinds of items to buy, treasure to find, gear to equip, and everything else you'd expect as well.

According to Sega, Shining Force is set to be released this Thursday. If you've been looking for a game to supplement the two Final Fantasy games that were released not too long ago, look no further.


‘Dungeon Legend’ Sneak Peek – An Upcoming iPad Dungeon Crawler

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‘Dungeon Legend’ Sneak Peek – An Upcoming iPad Dungeon Crawler is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

If there's one thing the App Store is sorely lacking, it's competent dungeon crawlers. Sure, there are tons of great roguelikes, but nothing has come close to scratching the itch that Diablo originally created for me. Pixel Mine's Underworlds [99¢ / Free / HD] is a favorite of mine that has been updated with new content a few times, and Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter [$4.99 / Free / HD] is a lot of fun, but otherwise my thirst to slay legions of monsters and collect mountains of loot has gone unquenched on the iPhone.

This is where it sounds like iPhone developer 3D ATTACK is comes in, as they're hard at work on Dungeon Legend, a classic dungeon crawler that takes place in a full 3D environment with a customizable camera system that you can rotate and zoom around your character. The developers are reluctant to reveal anything about the story just yet, but have assured me that the game will be about much more than "just go and kill whatever monster comes your way."

3D ATTACK has released the following teaser video, which doesn't show a whole lot, but it's not hard to imagine how good the rest of the game could look if this is what the environment is going to look like:

The 3D ATTACK team are all in their mid 30's and list off Diablo, Baldur's Gate, and Dungeons & Dragons as their influences, and they're looking to get the "pen and paper feel," as they put it, in to the game. Dungeon Legend is going to have an original soundtrack, and multiple character classes and quests to complete.

The game isn't scheduled for release until later this year or early next year, but given the severe lack of dungeon crawlers on the App Store, it's not hard to get excited for another one even with only vague details and a release that is months away.