PixlBit

With hundreds of new indie games spilling onto the scene each month, it's easy to overlook some of the more deserving but obscure titles. Thus, this blog.

Slayin'--iPad/iPhone--FDG Entertainment

The roleplaying genre has always struggled for true acceptance in the West. Apparently, we want action—full command of our characters with minimal hassle or management—and in recent years, this preference has been reflected in many popular RPGs. From Fable to Mass Effect to (possibly) the upcoming Final Fantasy XV, the traditional, turn-based style of playing seems to be rapidly fading in the wake of these more contemporary releases.

Hence Slayin’, a nifty 8-bit stylized “RPG” that strips the genre down to its core essence—gaining experience and leveling up. Gone are the menus, stats, and lists of items to manage; all players have to do is march their lil’ hero to and fro through waves of increasingly difficult enemies. Three class types are ultimately available—the knight attacks with a sword and has the greatest defense (he can take the most hits), the wizard can temporarily transform into an invincible whirlwind, and the knave is adept at attacking in both directions. And the rest is really about survival. Enemies become increasingly dangerous with each passing stage, but the xp they provide and coins they drop help keep the player alive. Money is especially important—not only does it allow for the purchase of better weaponry (of which only one can be owned at a time), it also heals the character during the level itself, adding precious hit points to the constantly dropping health meter.

Sound overly simplistic? It is, but that’s also the point—in many ways, the game is akin to a 2-D version of Gears of War’s horde mode in which survival is the only true goal. The enemies keep coming, and the player keeps persevering with just enough resources to do so. To keep the action eventful, however, each stage concludes with a memorable boss battle with a different mythological beast, the last of which is an enormous dragon. These confrontations are very reminiscent of the 8-bit fights of yore, and stand among the game’s true highlights.

But that’s it, unfortunately. Upon defeating the dragon, a “second quest” of heightened difficulty continues the action until the player finally falls, thus reducing the title into an arcadey grind for leaderboard domination. And “grind” sums up the game quite well—for those not interested in upping their worldwide standing, they will still have to play repeatedly to earn the “Fame Points” necessary to unlock the other extras, including an additional three characters (added in a recent update). The alternative is spending real money for these points, but who wants to do that?

Nevertheless, Slayin’ is still a gem at only $0.99. How many tries will it take you to beat the dragon?

 

Note 1: I played this game thoroughly before a recent update that, among other things, added those three additional character classes. I have not tried these new characters but, from what I can tell, the game is otherwise largely the same as before.

Note 2: Judging from its current high standing in Apple’s App Store, this game isn’t exactly “obscure” in the truest sense. But that’s all the more reason to try it if you haven’t already, right?

 

Thanks to www.toucharcade.com and www.ifanzine.com for the images.