Rise of Lost Empires

Ask most to describe a typical mobile game and they'll no doubt immediately ramble on about some kind of short-lived, easy-to-get-to-grips-with title that contains about as much depth as a gnat's swimming pool.

Rise of Lost Empires looks set to erase such notions from the minds of the many, as Gameloft brings to mobile screens the kind of hardcore role-playing action that's usually found on the home consoles.

Plot-wise, it's a standard brand of mythical role playing fare. On one side you have the human Empire of Light, the good guys who are looking for all that is bright and gorgeous in the world. Opposing these saintly folks is the Empire of Darkness, containing the kind of orc-like beasts we've seen slaughtered a million times before.

Given the above scenario, you'd normally expect to take control of the whiter-than-white variety of hero and be done with it. You'd kill a few thousand enemies, rid the world of evil, and retire to your huge castle to drink mead, watch jesters, and ogle busty wenches for the rest of your days.

Things are a little different here, however, with two separate campaigns to play through. You lead both 'Empires' – the dark side's missions are unlocked as you progress through the good guys' portion of the game – to ultimate victory, meaning that not only do you get to see both sides of the story, but there's a huge chunk of game to enjoy here, too.

There is something of a missed opportunity, though. While the chance to try your hand at opposing campaigns is a bit of a novelty (and it certainly solves longevity issues), there's no real feeling of moral ambiguity. Okay, some may not care why these orc hordes are slaughtering the innocent, or crave some kind of deep and meaningful reasons behind their perceivably beastly goings on, but it certainly would have given Rise of Lost Empires a new level of depth.

But even without that element and the inclusion of a story that doesn't really deviate from the traditional path, this remains a cracking game. Each mission – of which there are 20 – is preceded by a few short pages of text detailing the conversations between the main characters. It's hardly Tolstoy, though, so don't expect some enthralling Lord of the Rings-esque epic yarn.

You control just one character, a 'hero', and wander along the landscape obliterating enemies, building structures when you've reclaimed specific areas that can be constructed on, and approach units who tag along and help you in your quest.

While the building model seems initially flawed, with far too little freedom to make your own decisions, it certainly gives you a little extra to ponder as you slaughter every being you come across. Certain edifices help keep the cash flowing, for instance, and extra farms enable you to take on even more followers under your wing.

But even though you may only control a single character, and build and kill via a context sensitive point-and-click system that's incredibly simple to handle, don't go expecting an easy ride. The early missions may be quickly polished off in just a handful of minutes, but later varieties can last a good half hour – enemies get more powerful and much more numerous as you progress, meaning that mass pitched battles can occur when your mini-army stumbles across an enemy fortification in the middle of one of the harder missions.

Complementing the epic journey is a gameworld lavished in detail, with both environments and characters dripping in colour and intricate design. Then, there's the digitised speech samples, which help raise the production value bar to an even higher level.

That should come as little surprise given that in every other respect, Rise of Lost Empires emerges as a hugely accomplished affair. Its lengthy and difficult nature might not be for all, but that hardly stops this thinking man's mobile RPG from being something special.