Djinn Caster review - An action RPG with a fresh coat of paint
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iOS
| RPG Djinn Caster

Djinn Caster is an action RPG that plays things a little differently. Rather than being set in some dystopian cyberpunk future or Japanese-style mystical past, there's a Middle Eastern feeling to the proceedings here.

So you're playing around with Djinn, as the name might suggest, running through dusty markets, and trying to keep one step ahead of the armies of the corrupt Sultan.

And while it might not be the best example of the genre on the App Store, there's definitely a lot for RPG fans to get excited about here.

It's a kind of magic

The game casts you as a young man who ends up embroiled in a struggle in a fantasy land. So it's fair to say that the story is pretty standard ARPG fare.

At the start of the game you're given a magic dagger by a dying man. That dagger contains a Djinn. Essentially these act as the game's summons. You gain energy by killing opponents, and when you've got enough you can unleash the power contained in your special blade.

These massive attacks are flashy, but they recharge quickly and act as a key part of the game's mechanics. There's also a system of smaller special moves that are charged from a magic meter.

The combat is reasonably slick and responsive, and the controls work well. Things do get a bit button bashy, but when you learn new skills you'll find yourself capable of darting around and dodging incoming attacks.

The game is split up into dungeons. You'll trawl through them, killing everything that moves, then taking on a big boss on the last screen. The story moves on, your numbers go up, and then you're off on your next adventure.

It's not the rhythm of the game that's the interesting thing here, it's the setting. While mechanically the game treads old ground, there's a lot to see here that feels fresh, and that's impressive.

Blade to rest

There's definitely a spark of ingenuity here, and thrashing through the levels is a lot of simple fun. The game looks lovely too, and that makes you want to push through to see what other slobbering monsters or interesting settings you're going to see.

If you're looking for a new action RPG then this is definitely one that's worth considering. It doesn't change the underlying shape of the genre, but the concepts it drapes over the top of it are interesting enough to delve into.

Djinn Caster review - An action RPG with a fresh coat of paint

There might not be much new mechanically here, but Djinn Caster has a setting that's likely to drag you in
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.