Blades of Fury Review

Gameloft continues its quality, quantity, and unoriginality in the App Store. We’ve seen clones for Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and now it’s Soul Caliber. These clones aren’t a bad thing! Sure they’re not original (at all), but they provide a full console experience for the iPod touch/iPhone. And Blades of Fury (A.K.A Soul Caliber) is looking better then ever.

The iPhone has always needed a 3D fighting style game. Finally, for only $6.99, Blades of Fury is live in the app store. It features 10 different characters, 10 arenas, and an interesting story. The character you play has a significant goal; a goal he/she is determined to achieve. And that one goal is to obtain the Armor; it is said that the one person to wear this armor will become invincible. Who doesn’t want to be invincible? I mean c’mon! It’d be so sick if I was invincible! However, it’s not too easy to get the armor. You have to battle a series of opponents in different stages. After all ten enemies are defeated, your character acquires the armor. Although, each character has a different motive and reason for getting the armor. Everyone doesn’t want the armor for the same reason. Four different game modes are included in Blades of Fury. Story, where the character you select attempts to achieve his goal of getting the armor. Arcade, where your character fights his opponents and gains points. Survival, where your character continues on and on and on and on and on and (you get the point) fighting other characters. You can keep your own score (I got to level 23!! Yay!) The gameplay in this game is extraordinary. It’s incredibly intense and when you’re playing on a harder difficulty, it feels like you are the character! The graphics are also beautiful. Gameloft really put a year’s worth of sweat and tears into this project. Another neat little thing is that you have the ability to save and view your replays. It's a cool addition, but you can't upload them to YouTube.

Several attacks and combos can be initiated by your character. A full attack list is featured in the game as well. You can refer to it, and eventually, you will master it. The health bar is located at the top, in red, and once your health goes all the way down, your character dies! You also have a special, and the meter is directly below the health bar. You can use the special by pressing the blue action button. The longer you hold it, the more powerful the attack is. The controls in Blades of Fury remind me of other Gameloft action/adventure games. It’s the typical, yet brilliant control system. There’s a Directional Pad on the bottom left to control your character’s movement and there are 4 action buttons on the right. One is to attack horizontally, the second is to attack vertically, the third is to use your shield, and the last is to utilize your special move. However, this is not the only method to control your character. The second control system does in fact include the D-Pad, however, no action buttons are displayed. Instead, to attack horizontally or vertically, you swipe your finger across or up/down. It’s interesting and original, yet I still prefer the other method. A tutorial can be accessed which explain both of the control systems.

Graphics in Blades of Fury are extraordinary. It really reminds me of Playstation graphics. It just feels good to look at the game. The graphics definitely are something you can show off to your friends. They will be impressed, no doubt about it. The controls are superb as well, easy to use and they suit the game. However, Blades of Fury isn’t the most polished game in the app store. Bluetooth multiplayer fails to connect, and similarly, you cannot connect to Gameloft Live. That’s a pretty big letdown. Next, they are missing a key feature. This feature is holding me back from giving Blades of Fury a full 10/10! Where’s the online multiplayer? I want to play kids from China and Africa! I want to play real people, not just bots! This game was made for online multiplayer. Let’s hope Gameloft has this under development for a future update. However, even without the multiplayer, I recommend you check this one out.

Pros:

Unbeatable graphics

Controls work great (both methods)

Excellent gameplay

Cons:

No online multiplayer

Several bugs including failure to access and broken Bluetooth multiplayer.

Replays can't be uploaded to YouTube

Bottom Line:

With first class graphics, perfect controls, excellent replay value, and extraordinary gameplay, I strongly recommend you purchase this game immediately- especially for the low price of $6.99.

Scores:

Graphics: 5/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Controls: 5/5

Replay Value: 4/5

Overall: 8/10 (not an average)

Link: Blades of Fury $6.99