Reaper: Review
Having comfortable controls within a touch interface it a hefty challenge that is a chronic sticking point for mobile games.
To get it right, there is balance required, and Reaper- Tale of a Pale Swordsman manages to walk this tightrope with surprising agility. But how does all this translate when brought to the OUYA?
Video Review
Control Conundrum
Built to use touch gestures on a phone or tablet, Reaper comes equipped with a system that allows for complex combat via simple input. This is achieved by your character automatically swinging his sword when next to enemies. Performing this auto-attack builds rage, which is required to execute more powerful moves. These moves are actually triggered by the player, and can even be performed when out of rage, but inflict less damage.
The controls are brilliant for touch based gaming, but when played on a console I ran into unexpected issues. Initially I found the controls borderline game-breaking. The fact that my character attacks on his own made me feel disconnected from the character and turned the game into a passive experience. This disconnect won’t happen on a mobile platform, because it is simply dealing with a control limitation, but on a console it was a problem for me.
The first hour or so of the game was not enjoyable for me. As strange as it sounds, I couldn’t figure out how to have fun. Building up rage seemed to almost not be worth the damage bonus it gave, with its only real value being the ability to knock enemies off the level.
I eventually found enjoyment in trying to dispatch enemies in the flashiest way possible, but I was never able to fully shake this feeling of detachment during the entire game.
Story Time
Wilderness is the main story campaign. You are thrown into the world, a hired blade in the midst of conflict between native tribes protecting their lands, and Imperialist forces in search of a Fluidum. A rare and magical liquid, they intend to use it as both a fuel and weapon.To achieve this, the Imperialists called the “Imperium” seek your assistance combating the natives, meanwhile you are hired by those same natives to combat the Imperium.
The story is mostly played out in the text windows prior to, and after each mission. Though lighthearted and at times witty, I found the text difficult to sit through. This is due to the sheer amount of it in the story mode, and its inconsequential nature.
Mission Monotonoy
The story tends to not have much bearing on the actual gameplay. Most missions consist of entering a level, and killing everything in that level. While the combat system is satisfying when stringing together combos, it doesn’t stop the missions from feeling repetitive. Several times the campaign does offer a refreshing objective such as destroying equipment or defeating a boss.But beyond that, the story fails to present real mission variation.
The variation the game does put forward is in its enemies. The game constantly introduces new and ever increasingly complex enemies for you to face. Being Reaper‘s greatest strength, I wished for that degree of evolution to be present in level design, but sadly it isn’t. Levels mostly change on a superficial level, and rarely add much to the gameplay.
Terrifyingly Cute
Though they don’t evolve much, the levels are beautifully rendered in a crisp and color design, with the enemy design matching that level of creativity. Enemies such as the bear manage to be both adorable and terrifying simultaneously.
The only issue the art has is a lack of contrast.
While nice to look at, objects such as the thorn bushes frequently blend into the background, making me wish for a greater degree of contrast between the two. This transcends simple ascetics preferences because the foreground objects have a bearing on gameplay, able to launch you into the air, or simply damage you.
Weapon Collector
Progressing through the story you will earn a lot of gold, and using that gold you can purchase new equipment and even sell it back. Your armor and weapon feel very meaningful, as they actually will be seen on your character in combat. But every other equipment slot such as belts and boots don’t show up on your character. I focused on finding the biggest and baddest sword, due to its visual prominence, and improving my secondary gear became an afterthought.I wished the game rendered all items I had equipped, as it would have resulted in a deeper connection to my character. A missed opportunity to strengthen the drive to earn gold and acquire new items.
