Take to the battlefield in Infinite Warrior

Infinite Warrior is a new iOS game from Empty Flask Games. It's available now as a Universal download for $2.99 from the App Store. Infinite Warrior is a simple gesture-based battle game. After an overwrought (and largely unnecessary) introduction sequence, players are cast in the role of the titular Warrior and tasked with wandering through various battlefields exacting various amounts of bloody mayhem on invading enemies. The basic mechanic of the game involves swiping the screen in the direction indicated by both an on-screen arrow and an enemy who charges across the screen in the background carrying a shield with an arrow on it. Successfully swiping in the appropriate direction triggers a gory attack animation; missing a swipe causes the player to be killed and the level failed. Various treasure items -- mostly in-game currency --appear in the background of the levels, and these must be tapped on to claim them. Between levels, players have the opportunity to claim various items using collected (or purchased) in-game currency. These items provide varying degrees of "boosts" to the player's abilities -- some increase score, some improve the rate at which the player's "bloodlust" (score bonus) meter fills, others still increase how much gold is earned. Some items are consumable, meaning they must be repurchased after use; others provide permanent bonuses. The game also makes use of an objective-based leveling system similar to that popularized in Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride and Activision's Skylanders: Cloud Patrol. By completing various special tasks in normal play, players improve their "rank" to reflect their progress through the game. Four Game Center leaderboards and a bank of 21 achievements also let players compete against their friends for supremacy -- though for some reason it only appears to be possible to view achievements via the Game Center app rather than in Infinite Warrior itself. Infinite Warrior is a simple but effective game with some impressive production values. Animations are motion-captured, giving them a highly-polished, realistic look -- though this does have the side-effect of slowing down gameplay somewhat as prerecorded animations are completed. The gestural controls are occasionally unresponsive, but some simple but effective on-screen feedback (the screen flashes when a successful input has been made) lets the player know well in advance if they need to swipe again. While it would obviously be preferable for the controls to be more responsive in the first place, this helps make the issue a little less problematic. What has proven a little divisive among App Store reviewers is the implementation of the on-screen instructions. Some players like the arrow-bearing enemies charging across the screen in advance of the "dangerous" ones; others find it a little confusing. On occasion, waves of enemies come thick and fast and it can be a little confusing for the player, but the arrows on the enemies' shields are supplemented by an on-screen display indicating which gesture the player should be making at any one time, so again, this is a relatively minor issue. The confusion also helps vary the pace of the game a little, which is otherwise rather slow. While Infinite Warrior isn't perfect, the developer appears to be committed to improving the game over time. Several new environments are promised in future updates, and with any luck some of the control issues will be addressed at this time. As it stands at the time of writing, it is a decent game that is particularly noteworthy for providing a simple, effective mobile-friendly experience with impressive visuals and sound -- and one that does not resort to cloning existing game mechanics, which is something that should be celebrated in these days of endless "me too!" titles. Infinite Warrior is not currently listed on any App Store leaderboards. Follow its progress with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social games and developers.

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Take to the battlefield in Infinite Warrior

Pete Davison

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Pete Davison