Can't wait for The Elder Scrolls: Blades? Try these games
4 hack-and-slash gems
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is heading to iOS later this week, promising to provide a uniquely accessible mobile take on one of the most prestigious RPG series of all time.
If you've preordered Bethesda's lush-looking first-person quester and now find yourself twiddling your thumbs forlornly in anticipation, you're in for an agonising few days. Elder Scrolls: Blades isn't expected to land until Friday.
Yes, that's a bit of a delay. But don't sweat it. These four games should fill in admirably over the next few days.
1
Infinity Blade III
The graphically lush swipe-based shield-and-sword combat of Elder Scrolls: Blades also reminds us a lot of the Infinity Blade series, although Chair's games also share a serious fantasy setting that isn't a million miles away from Bethesda's world.
Conversely, the series doesn't offer you quite as much control over your movement. It's all about the fighting.
2
Severed
Elder Scrolls: Blades gives you a first person questing and swipey-slashy combat system that reminds us quite a lot of Severed. This despite the fact that two two games could scarcely look more different.
If you can get over the lack of elves and goblins, DrinkBox's beautiful dungeon crawler should provide you with days of engrossing (if slightly off-kilter) adventuring ahead of Blades. Who knows, you might even end up preferring it...
3
Ravensword: Shadowlands
It's getting rather long in the tooth now, but Ravensword: Shadowlands has long been cited as a game that plays rather like the classic Elder Scrolls experience. It's a big, open(ish), free-roaming RPG.
In fact, having seen Elder Scrolls: Blades in action, you could say that Ravensword: Shadowlands plays more like Elder Scrolls than the actual Elder Scrolls game.
4
Wayward Souls
If you're talking about fantasy hack-and-slash RPGs, you can't get much better on mobile than Wayward Souls. Okay, so it adopts a top-down 16-bit style rather than the lush first person 3D style of Elder Scrolls.
But for pure satisfying slice-and-loot gameplay - with a little magic - Wayward Souls is a true classic. If you haven't played it yet, it'll keep you busy well past Friday.