Game Reviews

Tehra: Dark Warrior (iPhone)

Star onStar onStar onStar offStar off
Get
Tehra: Dark Warrior (iPhone)

If there’s one thing that epic fantasy video games have taught us, it’s that only sissies wear a full suit of armour when they stride into battle.

Any warrior worth his or her salt should face the enemy clad in the same attire they’d normally slip on for a visit to the beach. That’s certainly the creed to which Tehra - the titular star of StormBASIC’s new hack and slash adventure - subscribes.

Armed with a big sword and strutting in a two-piece bikini which barely covers her modesty, our foxy heroine is capable of some truly incredible combat acrobatics. Like her outfit, however, this is an action game that barely covers the essentials with its shallow combat.

Cover their eyes

In case you hadn’t guessed already, Tehra: Dark Warrior is hardly what you’d call a family affair. Putting aside the protagonist’s rather shameful disregard for personal decency, the game also features copious amounts of blood and gore.

While this intense level of violence might cause the squeamish amongst you to look away in disgust, it’s not without good reason.

In the mythical world of Sistar, humans and the demonic Urka’h have waged war for years. When a truce is eventually established, the two sides decide to create Tehra - a mixture of both human and Urka’h blood - to ensure that no such conflict could ever happen again.

As the events of the game clearly demonstrate, such precautions were necessary as Tehra is summoned from her slumber to deal with evil forces that intend to crush this new-found peace.

Foes range from armour-wearing orcs to undead skeletal archers, each rendered in full 3D. The visuals are unquestionably brilliant, with smoothly animated characters and highly detailed locations.

The best defence is a good offence

Tehra is capable of dishing out devastating attack combinations as well as wielding intense magical attacks. As you progress through the game you come across gold which can be used to improve your combat prowess and magical arts, unlocking different moves and spells as well as empowering your existing ones.

Of course, such supernatural ability isn’t limitless, and once your magic gauge is depleted you have to collect glowing orbs dropped by defeated enemies to top it back up again.

By far the most effective use of magical power is the activation of Tehra’s demon alter-ego. When your gauge is full you can unleash this beast for a short period of time. Needless to say, your enemies had better have a spare change of underwear to hand during these chaotic moments.

Underwhelming underwear

Despite its eye-popping presentation and outstanding musical score, the repetitive gameplay deals a near-fatal blow to the hard work done elsewhere.

When it’s all said and done, Tehra is essentially a button-masher which offers little in the way of finesse or variety. Our female lead is limited by her basic melee attacks and while the magic system offers some respite, you hardly ever use it because it’s more effective to allow your gauge to fill so you can trigger Tehra’s demon mode.

The lack of more sophisticated combat moves deals a serious blow to the action. Each method of attack is separate and distinct, with no way of stringing together melee and magic combos or tapping out special abilities. No, this is as plain - and pretty - as action gets.

It seems almost unfair to award this title such a downbeat summary, but unfortunately, like so many of her iPhone-based peers, Tehra succeeds when it comes to presentation but struggles to marry that with gameplay of a equally impressive quality.

Tehra: Dark Warrior (iPhone)

Tehra: Dark Warrior is a visual triumph, but the gameplay is as skimpy as the main character’s clothing
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.