The Nardio Review

 

Is it worth your time?

Yes….sort of

 

What should I play it on?

Blade Journey HD is iPad only.  There is an iPhone and iPod version which you can get here, but as always I recommend playing on the larger screen.

 

What did you think without spoiling it?

Blade Journey HD is an interesting mix between an endless runner and platformer.  It works for the most part, but it soon grows repetitive and there are enough problems with the game that make its staying power limited.  For free, you get an interesting game that does pass the time, but unfortunately there isn’t any real reason to invest money or serious time into Blade Journey HD.  Give it a download and enjoy it for what it is.

I really hope the developer takes the ground work here and makes a full front running platformer. From what I’ve seen so far it would be a lot of fun.

 

 

How does it play?

Blade Journey HD  has problems, lots of them. Thankfully, the game is interesting enough that you can be forgiving for a while until you beat the main boss. After that the game just loops and everyone gets harder to kill and the cost of upgrades gets insane. The game lost its appeal and just became another game you get back to every once in a while or just delete.

The controls are okay for the most part. Unfortunately, there are times that swipes go undetected when you are fighting an elite monster. This leads to lots of cheap deaths. Another problem with the game is the placement of the elite enemies. If they happen to be at the edge of a platform you are pretty much guaranteed to fall to your death regardless if you win or lose the encounter.  You move forward a few feet by default after every elite kill and thats when the falling and dying happens.

The last repeatable boss is just cheap. If you die and use a resurrection stone he will immediately shoot an attack at you that you aren’t able to dodge. This, of course, leads to losing a sizable chunk of your new health. Another problem is when he becomes enraged. All of a sudden he starts throwing out attacks at such an alarming pace that it turns more into a luck contest than one of skill in order to defeat him.

 

Why it sort of works:

An endless running platformer isn’t an original idea, but even with its problems it shows a remarkable amount of promise. Despite all of its problems, it is entertaining. I love the sword fighting mechanic. Sure it’s simple, but it’s different enough to make me enjoy it. I love the randomized environments.  Having to dodge certain attacks or obstacles mixes things up nicely and learning what ground you can run on and what you just need to jump over adds a nice touch of depth here. And I really, really love the unlockable swords.  Namely:  FROSTMOURNE!!!!!!!!

Yes, you get to wield Frostmourne – the single most awesomest  dark sword in the World of Warcraft.  The biggest reason I decided to really keep playing the game was so that I could unlock it and wield it.  It was fun for a while but for the price I had to pay for it, it didn’t feel like a huge step up from my base sword.

 

 

 

 No like?

The random bugs are just frustrating: Swipes not registering during the boss fight, bad enemy placement leading to cheap deaths and cheap positioning of some environmental hazards. The power ups need a explanation. I have the feeling most do nothing at all.

 

The pricing for the in game store is out of wack realistically for the amount of content offered. There just isn’t enough of a reason to warrant the ridiculous pricing. Grinding here is doable for a little while. But after you have your Frostmourne there isn’t much left to do in the game. Sure, I can sit down and grind out the next level of damage, but its just not fun since the game just loops and the problems just seem more sevear the longer I play.

Even with all of these problems Blade Journey HD is free and worth your time.  Check it out and be sure to leave some feedback on the review page so the developer hopefully fixes some things.  As is now I love the concept, but there a lot of work that needs to be done here. I look forward to updates and new games from this developer.

 

Basic Info:

• Price: FREE!!!
• 48.1 MB
• 1 player game.
• One save slot (You really don’t need another)

 

Web links:

Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blade-journey-hd/id636410163?mt=8