Lili is one of the latest games to use Unreal Engine on the platform, and given the studio’s history it makes sense.

Lili ($4.99)

“Lili is a quirky adventure RPG hybrid with stunning visuals, silky-smooth graphics and a cinematic storyline. Tuned for new devices, Lili is one of the most visually-stunning games available on iOS.”

Presentation

BitMonster is made up of former staff from Epic Games, and let me tell you, they would have made Epic Games proud with this game. Geos is a beautiful place, full of things for you to explore, whether it be in the forest or the streets. Not only are there a lot of places, but they’re all very well drawn. It’s supposed to be an island, and it captures that feeling, the game is very colorful. Not only that, but the soundtrack is top notch as well, as it fits the game and art style like a glove with mystical and upbeat tunes.

Controls

The game’s controls come off as odd at first, but after playing the game I can see why the developers went with this, as besides a few issues here and there, the game controlled well. Tapping once makes Lili walk, while tapping twice makes her run. So how do you steer her? Tap and drag to rotate the camera, thus steering her. In the beginning it felt odd, but after the first 15-20 minutes with the game it felt natural to me.

Gameplay

The story starts off with you, Lili, heading off to the island Geos to study magical flowers for class. Of course, things are different when you get there and it turns out that the island isn’t actually deserted. And, well, collecting flowers kind of is the main goal of the game. There’s more to it, don’t worry. My favorite part is that combined with the art style, the game is open world, but it feels natural on the iPhone screen, not overwhelming. The island itself is split into several zones which can be unlocked by completing quests. There are two types of characters on the island: Spirits, who run the place, and wooden characters who are forced to do what the spirits want. So do you ever battle in the game? Well yes, you obviously end up battling the evil spirits, but it feels more like a mini game. To banish a spirit, Lili chases it down, leaps on its back, and pulls its flowers out. Doing this requires you to slide your finger to pop out the flower while avoiding thorns. The further you go the harder it gets, as the spirits get agitated and start to sprout bombs to knock you off.

Conclusion

The diversity of the game is the last thing that kept me coming back to the game was the personality. The game simply looks great and is one of the best approaches at having an open world game on the platform. The game is simple, and will last you between 5-6 hours, but it’s one of those games you’ll remember playing. 9/10