AppReviewToday- AppReviews

Runic Rampage ($3.99) by Crescent Moon Games is an over-the-top action adventure game featuring angry dwarfs who are ready to kick some butt. If you enjoyed games like ICEY and Kick Ass Commandos, then Runic Rampage is a good fit for you.

When life gets stressful and frustrating, I take my anger out in video games. I mean, causing mayhem and destruction in a digital world is much better than doing so in reality, right? I usually prefer relaxing games, but sometimes I just have to start bashing stuff in with a giant hammer. When I saw Runic Rampage on the App Store, I was intrigued, as it has a top-down dungeon crawler feel to it (think Diablo III, which I put in way too many hours for), so I had to check it out. If you feel the same way as I do, then Runic Rampage is definitely a fun way to pass the time.

$2.99

ICEY

X.D. Network Inc.

$2.99

Kick Ass Commandos

Anarchy Enterprises

Visually, Runic Rampage has a rough-and-gruff aesthetic to it, which is fitting considering you're smashing things up as a big, tough dwarf. The game is rendered in 3D with some fairly detailed graphics that remind me a bit of older computer games. Runic Rampage has a top-down perspective that's similar to games like Diablo III, so players can see a big area at once, and prepare for incoming waves of enemies. The character models for your dwarf and the various monsters you'll encounter are distinctive and full of detail. The environments range from dry and dusty deserts to lush forests to frosty tundras, and the color palette matches the themes well.

Animations in Runic Rampage are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, so there's no issues with lag or choppiness. However, sometimes I feel the game moves a bit slowly, with the way your dwarf moves and attacks. But this may be due to the fact that I'm used to much faster-paced games like Diablo III, so I digress. The original soundtrack is just as medieval as you'd expect for an action adventure game involving dwarves and monsters, and the sound effects are fun to hear. The best part about Runic Rampage though, is the over-the-top comical violence. We're talking about fake cartoon blood splashing all over the place while you smash your foes in with a hammer.

While Runic Rampage is an action adventure game, everything is level-based and also procedurally generated. With Runic Rampage, players take on the role of Grimbard, who is the last champion of dwarfs. He must embark on a quest to find the missing rune stone fragments. Once the fragments are put together, you'll uncover the truth behind the kingdom's downfall and Grimbard has the power to change the destiny of his nation.

When you start the game, there's a tutorial stage that shows you all of the basics behind the game, including controls and how to find your objective. The goal in each stage varies, but it usually involves objectives such as defeating all enemies, getting to the treasure chest at the end, or defeat challenging bosses. The game also has a bit of exploration involved, with secret areas to find and discover on your own. Depending on your performance, up to three medals can be earned on each stage.

Controls in Runic Rampage are simple enough, but take some time and practice to get used to and master. In the bottom left is your virtual, fixed joystick for movement. This allows Grimbard to move freely on the screen. The compass at the bottom indicates where your objective is, so it's best that you follow it (unless you don't mind exploring every nook and cranny). The buttons in the bottom right allow you to dash and attack.

The magic behind Runic Rampage are in the combo of buttons to perform various types of attacks. For example, if you tap on the hammer and then the dash button, you'll do an uppercut. Tapping the hammer button twice and then the dash does a spin attack. You can also long-press the hammer to do a charged heavy attack that dishes out much more damage, but leaves you vulnerable for a brief amount of time.

Eventually, some enemies can drop certain runes that you can use to add elements to your attacks. For example, I found the fire element from the tall red goblins in the beginning of the game. To activate these spells, just tap on the button above the hammer, and then that elemental spell gets added to your melee weapon. These only last for a short amount of time, though, so you'll want to save them for worthwhile battles if possible.

In the top left corner will be your health bar. If this is fully depleted, then it's game over and you'll have to try the stage again. Below the red health bar is your orange experience bar, which tells you how much experience is needed to reach the next level. Each time you level up, you gain a skill point that can be spent to upgrade your attack (damage), defense, agility, or greed (money drops). Like typical RPGs, experience points are earned by defeating enemies, and money can be acquired from fallen foes and breakable objects in the environment.

The money you earn can be spent on various upgrades for Grimbard. These include new weapons, weapon upgrades to make them more potent, spell upgrades, and more. In typical fashion, the stronger the upgrade, the more expensive it will be. But earning money in the game is not too hard, just a tad grindy.

A hack 'n' slash RPG with over the top action combat.

The Good

Runic Rampage is packed with a lot of good stuff that should satisfy anyone seeking an action adventure dungeon crawling game. The visuals look good and have a lot of fine details and textures, while the soundtrack is original, fun, and fitting for the theme. The controls work out well enough, and the button combos can lead up to some awesome and powerful attacks. The different objectives and bosses add variety to the game, and with plenty of upgrades for Grimbard, there's a lot of reason to keep coming back to this game.

The Bad

My only issue with Runic Rampage is the fact that it feels like the movement and action can be a tad slower than I'd like, when compared with games like Diablo III. They may not be the same thing, but that's just what I'm used to with top-down dungeon crawlers. It would also be nice if the controls were customizable, in case players prefer certain spots for button touch zones. Also, the joystick is fixed, and it won't follow your thumb around, so you're stuck in that spot for movement. Hopefully these can be fixed in the future.

The verdict

Runic Rampage is an excellent little hack-n-slash dungeon crawler experience that's worth picking up if you're a fan. The graphics are a tad rougher than I would like, but it works out well enough. The music is fun, controls work decently enough, and the gameplay is challenging with a lot of upgrades to unlock. I just hope to see the addition of customizable controls in the future, as I think that would help out a lot of players.

You can find Runic Rampage on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.

8.3

OVERALL

Replayability 9

Game Controls 8

Sound/Music 8.5

Gameplay 8.5

Graphics 7.5

$3.99

Runic Rampage

Crescent Moon Games

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

Million Onion Hotel ($3.99) by ONION GAMES is a unique action puzzle game that's truly unlike anything you've played before. Yes, we know that this is a claim made by many, but this is one game that will really make you go "WTF?" after your first round. It's weird, wacky, and special, kind of like Grapple Gum.

Ever since I've been here at AppAdvice covering mobile games, I feel like I've gone through everything (at least most) that the App Store could offer me. While I love finding new games in my favorite genres, I can't help but feel that everything's been done twice over. So when there are games out there that strive to be completely unique and never done before, I'm definitely interested. When I came across Million Onion Hotel, I knew that this was something special.

$1.99

Grapple Gum

Ali Mehrez

Visually, Million Onion Hotel has a retro pixel art style that is absolutely lovely. As someone who grew up in the golden age of gaming with 8-bit and 16-bit graphics, I appreciate any game that pulls it off well. Everything in Million Onion Hotel is rendered in 2D, but there's a bit of depth to everything thanks to the dynamic lighting effects that take place. Despite the pixel art, Million Onion Hotel still has fairly detailed textures in the environments and character sprites. The colors in the game are a nice mix of dark and gloomy shades with bright, earthy tones, which contrast nicely. Animations are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The soundtrack is a quirky jazz track, and the sound effects are delightful. For their first release on the App Store, the developers did an excellent job with the game's visual and audio design.

There's only one game mode in Million Onion Hotel, but there's a lot of content to unlock in the form of cards. These cards dictate what show up during your game, and each one of these unique characters are worth a different amount of points, which affect your final score.

In the Million Onion Hotel, the specialty is a "magical onion soup," though no one who's had it can describe its flavor to anyone else. The soup has a hidden power, obviously, which makes it magical. But one night, some highly-esteemed hotel guests having the soup find themselves sucked away into a far-off galaxy. Is it a result of drinking too much of that magical onion soup? No one knows, but one thing's for sure: you need more magic onions to make more magical soup.

The gameplay in Million Onion Hotel is fast-paced and challenging. Players get a 5×5 grid, and there are onions sprouting up from the ground in the board. You'll have to get as many onions as you can before time runs out.

As soon as the onions are ripe and ready to be picked, they'll come up from the ground. Some onions give you more time. To collect them, just tap on them — the space they occupied becomes red after to make it more clear. Once you make a line vertically, horizontally, or even diagonally, you'll advance a level. You can make single or even double lines, which are worth more points. When you move on to the next level, things pop up faster, and more character cards get introduced as well. These other characters include bells, paintbrushes, and more, and they require more than one tap to get rid of.

At some point, you'll get the cutscene that shows the hotel guests whisked away to a completely different dimension. After this point, you'll eventually reach boss fights, which can be rather difficult and a welcome challenge. The boss fights show their health bar at the top, and you'll have to quickly collect onions and other characters to dish out damage. If you can't defeat the boss in the remaining time, then it's game over.

An action puzzle game mixed with a strange storyline.

The Good

Million Onion Hotel is definitely a game that's unlike any other action puzzle that you've played before. It gets high marks for its uniqueness, and the gameplay is downright fun and addictive, even though the boss fights are fairly challenging. The pixel art graphics are top notch, and the music and sound is done incredibly well. This game is packed full of charm and even though it may have you going "what the heck is going on?" after the first round, it's hard to put down once you get going.

The Bad

While Million Onion Hotel has a lot of good stuff going for it, there's a flaw as well. The game can get a bit repetitive, at least until you unlock the other character cards. Still, it can be a bit repetitive since you're just tapping quickly on the screen to collect onions and other things before facing off against a boss. But this is standard with high score chasers, so you should know what you're getting yourself into ahead of time.

The verdict

When I first saw Million Onion Hotel, I was intrigued by the screenshots, but didn't know what to expect from it in terms of gameplay. Now that I've spent my morning playing the game, I have to say that I'm impressed. As someone who grew up with classic pixel art games, the visuals bring back a sense of nostalgia with me, and the sounds are rather satisfying. After my first round in the game, I seriously said "what is going on in this game?" out loud. Not many games make me say that, so kudos. But I still find myself returning, because it's just fun. This is one of those games that I'll be returning to time and time again, for sure.

I recommend giving Million Onion Hotel a try if you are looking for a bizarre but fun and challenging action puzzle game. Million Onion Hotel is available on the App Store as a universal download for $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.

9.2

OVERALL

Replayability 9.5

Game Controls 9

Graphics 9.5

Sound/Music 9

Gameplay 9

$3.99

Million Onion Hotel

ONION GAMES, K.K.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews