Written By: Daniel Scott

Myth People ports a popular online game for the iPhone!

Azkend ($2.99 On Sale)

I admit that I underestimated this title. Great games need to be awesome all the way around. Everything in this game, from the story, the graphics, game play, depth, and sound is top notch and well manicured.

On Ports…

I must admit. Azkend is a port of a three match title available in flash, PC and Mac. Sometimes developers port popular games, and they end up butchered in the hasty process to cash in once more.

As it stands today, Myth People have raised the bar for other devs to match their workmanship.

Gameplay

From the Manual:

The relic your archaeological team found in Far Asia was more powerful than you thought. Now your mission is to reach the Temple of Time and return the relic to lift the curse. In the adventure mode you will journey all the way up to the Temple of Time where you must make a difficult decision. The adventure mode is relaxing but there may be some tight spots once in a while.

For this reason Azkend jumps from a casual game to an action adventure. Your goal is to match three or more tiles until the entire board turns blue. Then the Talisman piece is offered on the board, and again, clear tiles to drop the relic to the bottom in order to release it, thus clearing the level.

What sold me on this game is the multiple levels that are offered. Extending a game is a definite plus.

Below, I listed a few extra features in the game play:

Talisman pieces are earned per level to unlock special hexagons on the play field. The best part is if there’s a favorite effect I like, I can save it for the next level and swap out before each level according to which one gives me the best advantage. A star is earned for clearing a level with at least half the clock left or better. This adds to personal goals to do better along the journey.

When the player reaches a temple checkpoint, the game play changes from a three match game to a vision test based on the painting that’s colored in each time a level is cleared. (Take a look at the screenshot of the map for a visual). This gives a change of pace and another angle to the game.

Throughout the journey and level clearing, achievements are earned for certain feats accomplished. It’s not a huge list but tough enough to keep an eye on the gallery as the game progresses.

The hexagons also have special tiles as well: Frozen, Steel, Tar, Wild, and Locked. All of which adds to the strategy. New icons to match are added further in the game increases the match difficulty.

After finishing the adventure mode, survival mode is unlocked, adding another mode to choose from.

Sound

Going by the storyline, the music fits the game perfectly. If it does get annoying, there is a menu option to turn it off. The same goes for the sound effects.

Conclusion

As stated before, I love puzzle games. But the game has to shine to be considered one of my favorites. Everything from the art , the easy controls, depth in game to the storyline has been well done. At $2.99 this game is a STEAL. Get it before the price increases. You will not be disappointed.