Infinity Blade 3 was recently announced and shown off during the announcement of Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C. The title hopes to set a new standard for games on mobile devices, but is it able to reach its lofty goal?
As Kotaku notes in their review for the gam, developer Chair Entertainment worked hard overtime to make the game look amazing, and also went to great lengths to ensure the gameplay was better than the previous two titles in the series.
"Leveling up Siris (and Isa) has gotten a much-needed shot in the arm via skill perks, special abilities and benefits which are unlocked when a certain number of skill points are assigned a stat. Putting points into strength might make a character more powerful, but a few points in Isa's magic stat unlocks the Lockpick ability, giving the characters even more access to the branching paths of the game's gorgeous grottos, dungeons and ruins...The battling itself is still fresh and entertaining. New enemies with new attacks will keep the most devoted fans of the series on their toes, while the ability to drop back to a lower level instances of a particular mission will keep novice players from getting too discouraged from seeing the adventure through," wrote Kotaku.
In addition to the improvements to the gameplay, Chair's work on the visual, audio and story presentation elements in the game is top notch, according to IGN:
"Infinity Blade III continues the story of IB2 hero Siris, now on a mission to defeat The Worker of Secrets, voiced with significant gravitas by Fringe star John Noble, before he can kill off what small pockets of humanity still remain in a post-apocalyptic world. The story works, but like Halo 4 or other franchises with lots of extended content, you might be a little lost if you haven't read Infinity Blade's tie-in novellas."
However, as good as Infinity Blade 3 is, the game seems to still follow the basic formula of the first game. The Verge's review notes that the series is starting to wear thin:
"Infinity Blade is still a great showcase for iOS, and its message to mobile game developers is hard to ignore: visceral, bite-size experiences are a powerful force on mobile. But Android aside, it's also basically the same game we've been playing since the first title arrived in 2010, and while it's definitely the best incarnation so far, the formula feels like it's starting to wear out its welcome. For $6.99, I'll probably pay once more. But unless Chair offers a truly new experience of some sort the next time around, I'm not sure I'd buy an Infinity Blade IV."
Overall, Infinity Blade may be one of the better games available for iOS devices for 2013, but only time will tell if the series continues to be a success.