Previews

GDC '09: First look at Legion of Amon on iPhone

Breaking from the pack

GDC '09: First look at Legion of Amon on iPhone
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| Legion of Amon

Developer On the Rocks has whetted our appetite for hack-'n'-slash adventuring with a first look at its ambitious role-playing game Legion of Amon. Building on the legacy of classics like Diablo and X-Com, this iPhone-exclusive epic hopes to push the bounds of hardcore adventuring on the handset.

While we weren't able to go hands on with the game, our first look at it during Game Developers Conference has us eager to see more.

Legion of Amon places you in the middle of a war between the demon Amon and his cult of unwitting followers. Initially intending to summon Amon for their own use, the cultists were naive to the demon's powers and were placed under his control once brought into this world. Now they're at his call, waging a war across a fractured world.

You begin in a world practically razed, only a few scattered areas saved from destruction. Exploring the terrain is done in real-time, your character moving across the seamless landscape to complete quests, battle enemies, and collect items.

It's not unlike the isometric role-playing games of old. However, the combat system departs from these stalwarts to deliver something distinct to the device.

Turn-based battles offer a considerate approach to combat on iPhone, distinguishing it from other role-playing games on the platform. As On the Rocks explains, the potential for interruption on the phone creates a problem for a real-time battle system.

Dealing with the fallout from an encounter with nanobees that burst from triangular hives and viciously swarm around you, for example, is rather difficult when a call comes in. Turn-based battles, however, are easily saved should your game be interrupted.

Naturally, the turn-based system imparts a level of tactical depth otherwise absent in real-time combat. Emphasis is being placed on character customisation and development, dozens of randomly generated weapons catering to a high level of variety. Specifics regarding character development and skills are still being worked out.

While we have plenty of questions as to the controls, skill system, what role experience plays, and potential item enhancements or crafting, it appears clear that Legion of Amon is gearing up to be among the most robust role-playing game on the device.

The level of ambition is undeniable. We hope that it can pull out from the legions of underwhelming role-playing games to deliver on its promise.

Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.