Apple App-Aholics Anonymous (Swordigo)


Swordigo
Price: $1.99

The always-promising app-release-Thursday of this past week left the iOS AppStore hungry for a game worth mentioning here in the 8DAG App-Aholic spotlight; maybe that was because the previous week managed to eek out Swordigo, a significantly-refined 2.5D role playing adventure by a scarcely-known developer, Touch Foo.

As I write this review, 1190 ratings have awarded Swordio an average of 5 solid stars, not an easy task for anyone who understands the high demand consumers place on smartphone applications. By just looking at the screenshots, it is simple to understand how these stars were rightfully earned.

Swordigo is described as a homage to Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda, reformatted to fit a handheld, 2D setting. The plot is pretty generic, as the main character must reunite the shards of a magical sword to avenge the death of his master by conquering death itself, along with many other challenges along the way. Where Swordigo shines, however, is in the gaming elements the developers have provided.

The 2.5D graphics (a 2-dimensional platform manipulated to fit a 3D scale) are stunning and sharp to an iPhone 4S’s retina display. The touch controls, consisting of a virtual joystick and attack buttons, are always on par, even during fierce combat. The character does level up as the game progresses, but the player (although may be tempted by its addictive playability) is never required to spend countless hours improving their character just to defeat the next boss.

Overall the game runs as smooth as a major console application: I did not encounter a single glitch, freeze, or random crash. Touch Foo also took the advantage of Apple’s iOS5, allowing players to utilize the wonderful iCloud to save across multiple devices. Finally, for those keeping score, Game Center’s been integrated as well.

Bottom line: I was COMPLETELY hooked for three straight days, mourning the progression meter until it topped at 100%. I can only hope Touch Foo has some new material in future updates! 😉

Sum It Up: If you’re the type of smartphone gamer who wants more than the five-minute time-waster, Swordigo is a must-have for your gaming arsenal. For me, it took many of my favorite mobile gaming elements: classic side-scrolling, modern graphic complex, and role-playing plot line, and meshed them into one major contender for Apple’s 2012 Game of the Year. As far as my ever-changing list of favorite iOS games is concerned, Swordigo has reached my top six with ease.

Seriously!?: Need more advice? Believe the hype, check out the AppStore reviews, and just buy this thing already! I promise that Swordigo will be one of your favorite titles this year!

Happy Downloading, Addicts!
–Thomas Laidlaw–

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