Game Reviews

Fallen World

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iOS
| Fallen World
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Fallen World
|
iOS
| Fallen World

Ninjas, robots, RPG upgrades, tower defence, and hack 'n' slash action. Throw them all into a virtual pot and give them a good stir.

Surely the recipe for a hit iOS game if ever we saw one.

Fallen World follows just such a recipe, but it comes away tasting completely bland.

Cybernetic arms

You play the part of a cyber ninja who's a dab hand at slicing and dicing with its katana.

The futuristic city you inhabit is under attack from a large force of robotic enemies, and it's up to you to defend your last hope of victory - a fragile young cyborg who carries a virus that could put an end to the attack.

This is the cue for a series of last stand scenarios whereby our ninja and our virus bearer spawn in the middle of an open arena and must defend themselves against enemy attacks.

Our ninja is more than capable of slicing and dicing multiple enemies simply by running into them (just tap on a location to run and attack) without taking damage, but. like any superhero. he can only be in one place at a time.

Crowd control

This is where what is an extremely basic hack 'n' slash game incorporates some very basic tower defence elements.

At any one time you may have up to three energy orbs to spend on defensive measures. Soldiers attack with their rifles and draw attention away from the cyborg. Turrets pack a mean punch, but enemies will walk straight past them.

Finally you can initiate an area attack as a means of crowd control when things get particularly hectic.

Sneak attack

The trouble with Fallen World is that neither of its core elements is particularly compelling. The action side of things is unengaging and repetitive - just keep tapping to move and attack.

And its strategy element is similarly half-baked, amounting to simply laying down a soldier or a turret whenever you collect a new orb (acquired by defeating enemies). Each level is very much like the last, with little in the way of developing tactics.

There's an upgrade system, but it just serves to bolster the effectiveness of your attacks and defences as the enemies get tougher and the levels a little more frenetic. By level five it already starts to feel like a bit of a grind.

Fallen World, then, shows that selecting a bunch of tasty ingredients for an iOS game is only a small part of the battle. The quality of those ingredients and sufficient care at the preparation stage are far more important for a tasty outcome.

Fallen World

Fallen World's mix of hack 'n' slash and tower defence elements is an interesting idea, but the execution in both cases is mediocre at best
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.