Infinity Blade
Encyclopedia
Infinity Blade is an action role-playing
iOS video game developed by Chair Entertainment
and Epic Games
released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It is the first iOS game to run on the Unreal Engine 3
. Upon release it became the fastest-grossing app in the history of iOS, selling US$1.6 million in four days. It has received three major updates since its release and has been reviewed favorably by gaming critics. A sequel was announced on October 4, 2011.
The game has no virtual joystick; movement is scripted. The player taps highlighted points to move from room to room. Inside each room the player can move the camera to search for treasure and potions.
The primary game mechanic is one-on-one sword combat with enemies encountered throughout the castle. The player controls the character's sword by swiping a finger across the screen. Players can touch the bottom left or bottom right side of the screen to dodge attacks or the bottom center of the screen to block attacks with a shield, which breaks if used too much. Finally, players may parry incoming attacks by performing an intercepting sword move. Each of these three counters leaves the enemy vulnerable to counterattack for a short period. Players may also use two special abilities, both of which require time to recharge after use. Tapping the icon on the top left unleashes the Super Attack, which stuns the opponent temporarily. Magic is activated by tapping the icon on the top right and then drawing a magical symbol.There are three types of combos. Left, right, left, or the opposite, is a Huge Hit, dealing the most damage possible in three hits. Left, left, right, right, or the opposite, is a Mega Hit which deals the most possible damage in four hits. Left, right, up down, left is an Ultra Hit, which deals the most damage possible.
In addition to combat, there is also a mild role-playing
component. An experience points system levels up the player and the player's equipment, which consists of weapons, armor, shields, helms, and magic rings. Pieces of equipment have special properties and a predetermined amount of experience points required to master them. Mastering a piece of equipment increases its sale value but it decreases the experience the player receives by one fifth. Players gain points when their experience level increases or they master a piece of equipment; these points can be spent to improve the character's health, attack, shield power and magic. Players can purchase new equipment using in-game money taken from the castle or from defeated enemies.
, but development was later shifted to the iOS. Originally codenamed "Project Sword", it was unveiled by Epic Games
at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 in June 2010. It is the first game on a mobile platform to run on Unreal Engine 3
(UE3), which is used by numerous console and Windows
games.
Epic Citadel
, a tech demo
for UE3 on iOS, was released for free through the App Store in September 2010. Though Epic Citadel shared the stage with Infinity Blade at the Apple conference, it is a separate piece of software. Epic Games released the iOS version of the UE3 development tools to the public on December 16, 2010. For any game built with these tools and later sold, Epic charges a nominal licensing fee and then takes royalties worth 25% of profits after the first US$50,000.
has continued to support Infinity Blade with additional content updates. To date, four main expansions have been released, each as a free update available through iTunes
. Two of them received coverage in the gaming press, unusual for an iOS title.
gave the game its Editor's Choice award with a score of 9 out of 10 saying, "The result is a beautiful, addictive, and surprisingly deep game easily among the best available on iOS4 devices." 1UP.com
gave the game a score of B+, saying, "If you're looking for a game that really showcases the potential power of your iOS device, Chair/Epic have done a stellar job of bringing a near console-quality game to the iPhone." Destructoid
gave the game 8.5 out of 10 saying, "It was a technically impressive piece of software, demonstrating some truly incredible visuals on Apple's mobile devices." Joystiq
gave the game 5 out of 5 saying, "It's the kind of deep, well-thought-out combat system that puts most console sword fighting to shame." Eurogamer
gave the game 8 out of 10 saying, "So get it. Get it because it's ferociously satisfying, well designed and well executed."
Presentation Keynote. It was released on December 1, 2011.
The sequel features enhanced graphics, a revamped storyline, along with two new weapon classes added in: Dual Wielding and Heavy Weapons, in addition to the already-existing Shield & Sword.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
iOS video game developed by Chair Entertainment
Chair Entertainment
Chair Entertainment Group is an American video game developer based in Salt Lake City, Utah.-History:Chair Entertainment Group was formed in 2005 by Advent Rising creators, Donald and Geremy Mustard, CEO Ryan Holmes, and key members from the core design team behind Advent Rising. Soon after, Chair...
and Epic Games
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It is the first iOS game to run on the Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
. Upon release it became the fastest-grossing app in the history of iOS, selling US$1.6 million in four days. It has received three major updates since its release and has been reviewed favorably by gaming critics. A sequel was announced on October 4, 2011.
Gameplay
The game follows a repetitive narrative structure in which the player ascends a castle in a quest to battle the primary antagonist, the immortal God King. At the beginning of the game, the player's character will be slain by the God King. The player then restarts the ascent, now assuming the role of the dead character's descendant. This cycle continues every time the player falls before the God King. As each cycle passes, the enemies increase in difficulty.The game has no virtual joystick; movement is scripted. The player taps highlighted points to move from room to room. Inside each room the player can move the camera to search for treasure and potions.
The primary game mechanic is one-on-one sword combat with enemies encountered throughout the castle. The player controls the character's sword by swiping a finger across the screen. Players can touch the bottom left or bottom right side of the screen to dodge attacks or the bottom center of the screen to block attacks with a shield, which breaks if used too much. Finally, players may parry incoming attacks by performing an intercepting sword move. Each of these three counters leaves the enemy vulnerable to counterattack for a short period. Players may also use two special abilities, both of which require time to recharge after use. Tapping the icon on the top left unleashes the Super Attack, which stuns the opponent temporarily. Magic is activated by tapping the icon on the top right and then drawing a magical symbol.There are three types of combos. Left, right, left, or the opposite, is a Huge Hit, dealing the most damage possible in three hits. Left, left, right, right, or the opposite, is a Mega Hit which deals the most possible damage in four hits. Left, right, up down, left is an Ultra Hit, which deals the most damage possible.
In addition to combat, there is also a mild role-playing
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
component. An experience points system levels up the player and the player's equipment, which consists of weapons, armor, shields, helms, and magic rings. Pieces of equipment have special properties and a predetermined amount of experience points required to master them. Mastering a piece of equipment increases its sale value but it decreases the experience the player receives by one fifth. Players gain points when their experience level increases or they master a piece of equipment; these points can be spent to improve the character's health, attack, shield power and magic. Players can purchase new equipment using in-game money taken from the castle or from defeated enemies.
Development
Infinity Blade began development in the first half of 2009 as a Kinect title for the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, but development was later shifted to the iOS. Originally codenamed "Project Sword", it was unveiled by Epic Games
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 in June 2010. It is the first game on a mobile platform to run on Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
(UE3), which is used by numerous console and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
games.
Epic Citadel
Epic Citadel
Epic Citadel is a tech demo developed by Epic Games for the iOS to show off the Unreal Engine 3 running on iOS devices. The application allows players to explore a medieval landscape devoid of life or other objects with which to interact...
, a tech demo
Tech demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
for UE3 on iOS, was released for free through the App Store in September 2010. Though Epic Citadel shared the stage with Infinity Blade at the Apple conference, it is a separate piece of software. Epic Games released the iOS version of the UE3 development tools to the public on December 16, 2010. For any game built with these tools and later sold, Epic charges a nominal licensing fee and then takes royalties worth 25% of profits after the first US$50,000.
Expansions
Chair EntertainmentChair Entertainment
Chair Entertainment Group is an American video game developer based in Salt Lake City, Utah.-History:Chair Entertainment Group was formed in 2005 by Advent Rising creators, Donald and Geremy Mustard, CEO Ryan Holmes, and key members from the core design team behind Advent Rising. Soon after, Chair...
has continued to support Infinity Blade with additional content updates. To date, four main expansions have been released, each as a free update available through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. Two of them received coverage in the gaming press, unusual for an iOS title.
- Content Pack #1 (version 1.1), released December 20, 2010: Added a new enemy, equipment, microtransactions, and the ability to play MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
music in the background. It also removed the experience level cap. - Content Pack #2 - Infinity Blade: The Deathless Kings (version 1.2), released March 2, 2011: Added a new single-player campaign accessible by traveling a different path down through the dungeons. This expansion nearly doubled the length of the single-player campaign and the number of enemies to be fought. It also added new equipment. This update was followed by update 1.21, which added support for the recently released iPad 2IPad 2The iPad 2 is the second and current generation of the iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple. It serves primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, presentations and web content, and is available in black or white...
. - Content Pack #3 - Infinity Blade: Arena (version 1.3), released May 19, 2011: Added player vs. player functionality called "Arena Mode", a tiered combat game progression where one player fights as the hero and the other as a series of Titans. The update also included a single-player version of Arena Mode called "Survival Mode", and new equipment. This update was followed by update 1.31, a minor patchPatch (computing)A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
. - Content Pack #4 (version 1.4), released October 4, 2011: Added a new enemy, new equipment, and sneak peeks at Infinity Blade II and Infinity Blade: AwakeningInfinity Blade: AwakeningInfinity Blade: Awakening is a novella by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. It is based on the Infinity Blade action role-playing iOS video game developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, and serves as a story bridge between the first and the second game...
.
Reception
Unlike most iOS games, Infinity Blade was reviewed by several major gaming sites. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game its Editor's Choice award with a score of 9 out of 10 saying, "The result is a beautiful, addictive, and surprisingly deep game easily among the best available on iOS4 devices." 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave the game a score of B+, saying, "If you're looking for a game that really showcases the potential power of your iOS device, Chair/Epic have done a stellar job of bringing a near console-quality game to the iPhone." Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
gave the game 8.5 out of 10 saying, "It was a technically impressive piece of software, demonstrating some truly incredible visuals on Apple's mobile devices." Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
gave the game 5 out of 5 saying, "It's the kind of deep, well-thought-out combat system that puts most console sword fighting to shame." Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
gave the game 8 out of 10 saying, "So get it. Get it because it's ferociously satisfying, well designed and well executed."
Sequel
Infinity Blade II was announced on October 4, 2011 during the Apple iPhone 4SIPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fifth generation of the iPhone, a device that combines a widescreen iPod with a touchscreen, mobile phone, and internet communicator. It retains the exterior design of its predecessor, iPhone 4, but is host to a range...
Presentation Keynote. It was released on December 1, 2011.
The sequel features enhanced graphics, a revamped storyline, along with two new weapon classes added in: Dual Wielding and Heavy Weapons, in addition to the already-existing Shield & Sword.