Exploring the new bits, meeting the new guys: hands-on with Infinity Blade 1.2

The on-rails action slice-'em-up and graphical powerhouse Infinity Blade has been updated with a second content pack.

Although Infinity Blade received a Pocket Gamer Gold Award at review, some have criticised its limited level design, linear path progression, lack of variety, and the repetitive nature of its gameplay.

Adding a whole new underground area to explore, ten new enemies to face, a NewGame+ mode, and 30 new items to collect and master, content pack #2 successfully combats a number of popular complaints aimed at the game. Unfortunately, it also causes some of its own.

First off, the new dungeon area is very substantial and adds a significant amount of extra exploration. The castle's underground is far less linear and offers various enemy-filled paths to choose from. It feels like you're doing some real exploration.

In one area, for example, a specific item - acting as a key of sorts - is required to open three new pathways. Opening them in turn opens a fourth passage. It creates a sense of interacting with the castle's scenery - something we'd like to see more of in future content updates.

There's also a new ending to unlock, which expands ever-so-slightly on Infinity Blade's backstory. As any sort of storyline was largely absent from the game's initial release, this is another welcome addition to be developed.

Ten new enemies have been added to the limited bestiary of fighters originally present. Unfortunately, the majority of new inclusions – the Warden for example - appear similar to old foes. Although their attacks vary slightly, you won't have to change your technique much.

The Wood Jester, however, is a new acrobatic, dual-wielding enemy with fast, multi-angle attacks – a fresh game plan is definitely needed for him.

To address the complaints of repetitive gameplay – specifically the ever continuing blood line – a NewGame+ mode has been added which you can select after finding the game's third ending.

Once you've selected it, you begin from bloodline one with only your character's level and stats intact. You have to re-purchase and re-master weapons and armours, allowing your character to gain higher levels in the process. Powerful swords, helmets, shields, and rings not present in the normal game are also available.

Finally, alongside a number of new Game Center achievements and leaderboards, there are also multiple character slots and a 'dodge' button size-slider in the new update.

Lamentably, despite the update including gameplay enhancements and optimisations, it actually performs a lot worse than its previous version. The action often stutters, occasionally freezing - an issue most prevalent during the protagonist’s 'finishing' scenes.

Ultimately, this update addresses many of the game's criticisms and substantially improves the already impressive title. The absence of the long-promised multiplayer is a slight disappointment, but with content pack #3 'coming soon', there's plenty more to look forward to.