Digital Chocolate games’ graphics tend to be on the “cute” side. This game’s an exception and don’t pass on it!

Fantasy Warrior: Good & Evil ($2.99)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Fantasy Warrior, since one tends not to expect “cute” from an RPG. While there is definitely a cute factor – especially in terms of visuals – and there is certainly a bias towards casuall gamers, Fantasy Warriors is and provides a satisfying RPG experience.

Presentation

The visuals make no attempt to veer from Digital Chocolate’s usual stout, cheery characters or colorful palettes. However, that doesn’t mean the graphics aren’t good. In fact, the world is nicely detailed (i.e. stream of smoke rising from a chimney). The characters are well drawn and nicely animated. The intro even has a nice “cave walls painting” look to it.

Sound is a bit of a mixed bag. The sound effects are just okay, though all creatures sound the same when they are dying and the scream the girl utters when getting hit gets rather annoying after a while. When you’re wandering around the sound track is actually pretty good. When you enter combat, however, there’s a 30-45 second loop that plays which not only isn’t very good, but it doesn’t loop well either.

Controls

To move your character around the screen you have a virtual joystick on the lower left side of the screen. On the lower right there is a button for attacking, which is surrounded by smaller buttons that allow you to use health potions when you have them or special weapons once you’ve acquired them. In the bottom middle of the screen there are buttons for checking out your stats, quest log and world map.

The controls are a bit spotty, especially the joystick control. They’re manageable, but it seems like I get caught up in places or end up walking the wrong direction a lot more than I should. It also seems like the attack control is not the most responsive. I haven’t had any troubles with the special weapons buttons at this point, though.

Game Play

Fantasy Warrior is pretty standard fantasy fare. A brave but stupid young warrior accidentally unleashes a powerful force – you’d think they’d put better locks on these evils – and it’s up to you as the brave warrior to thwart the evil and put it back where it belongs. But wait – there are two options at the beginning when you start a new game. Yes, this is one of those cool games where you can actually play the evil side if you want.

Should you choose that path, you will play an undead huntress trying to stop the good warrior before he can trap your master again. I like the fact that the two stories are entwined as you play. I also like the fact that as good you play during the day, as evil you play at night, and there are certain places that are only accessible if you play one side or the other. It really is like having two games rolled up in one.

Fantasy Warrior is what I’d call an Action/RPG lite. The combat is real time, hence the action. There are quests to solve, experience points to be earned and stats to nurture, so I think it qualifies as an RPG as well. I call it “lite” because you don’t have a lot of control over the building of your character. Whenever you go up a level the game chooses what stats will go up and by how much.

Also, unlike most RPGs where you can collect lots of goodies, there isn’t a lot of treasure to be found in Fantasy Warrior. You have your main weapon, which you can upgrade in the village you start out in. This is actually kind of a pain, as there is no easy way to get back to your starting grounds. There are also special weapons that you can gather along the way, but those are what they are and there is no trading, selling or buying of weapons or armor. In fact, there really isn’t any sort of inventory. Finally you’ll either have health potions or blood vials, depending on the side you play, that can give you a boost when you’re feeling down.

I’m not completely sold on the combat, mainly because I don’t like how the game goes to a special “combat area” when you run into an enemy. Of course, I understand the reasoning for that, as one creature on the main map might translate to four or more adversaries during combat. However, it makes me feel a bit removed from the game when they do something like that.

Here are a couple of helpful combat tips from someone who’s not an expert. First and foremost, don’t be afraid to run. You won’t survive if you try to take every creature head on until the death, because most creatures can’t be hurt at one time or another. Second, don’t be afraid to use your special weapons. They will recharge fairly quickly after use, and they make combat so much easier. You need all the advantages you can get to balance out the less than stellar controls.

Suggestions

My main suggestion would be to do something about the controls. When you are depending on quick reactions, you need a control set that is responsive, and while some would argue that’s not entirely possible on the iPhone, I’ve played games that handle it a lot better than this. Also, while I’m not 100% sure it’s necessary, I’d like to see maps of the dungeons when you’re in one instead of seeing a map of the overworld. Most anything else I can think of would be adding things that would really turn this game into something more than what it’s intended to be.

Conclusion

RPGs are somewhat of a niche playing experience anyway, but Fantasy Warrior won’t even be for everyone within the group of people that love the genre. Hardcore stat lovers won’t really care for the simple leveling up method, and packrats will despise the lack of inventory.

However, for those of us that have mellowed over the years and appreciate a quick pick up and play experience just as much as the more intense gaming sessions of works like The Quest and Undercroft, Fantasy Warrior hits the spot. And the best part is it’s worth playing through on both sides of the fence.