The Dark Meadow
Score: 85% ESRB: 12+ Publisher: Phosphor Games Studio Developer: Phosphor Games Studio Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: The Dark Meadow will draw a lot of comparisons to Infinity Blade. This, of course, isn't a bad thing since Infinity Blade is one of the iOS platform's most noteworthy stars. Although it suffers from a few minor gameplay issues, The Dark Meadow is, also like Infinity Blade, something that shouldn't be missed. The Dark Meadow is another stunning iOS entry for the Unreal Engine. The game's dark, foreboding atmosphere absolutely shines. Everything is presented in first-person, which is incredibly effective at pulling you into the world. The screen's limitations work against the feeling (I can only imagine how this would look on a larger screen), but Phosphor Games is still able to pull out all the stops in presenting a players with a few creepy moments. It's really neat how the developers were able to use both small visual cues and music to build tension. Even more impressive is how the interface manages to present you with enough on-screen information to navigate through the game and still preserve an ominous sense of dread.
Gameplay: The Dark Meadow's eerie atmosphere is backed up by a well-told - or should I say, experienced - story. You play as an amnesiac who wakes up in an abandoned hospital. You have few clues as to the "hows" and "whys" of your predicament, and even worse, no clue as to who you are. An old man in a wheelchair acts as your guide through much of the story, filling in many of the little details surrounding the hospital and your quest. Your guide's ramblings are questionable, if not completely unreliable. He'll constantly flip-flop between offering useful information or outright lying (or, is he?), which helps to build the tension just a little more since you're never completely sure of your surroundings or situation. The lack of concrete details means it is up to you to discover what's going on for yourself. Much of the gameplay is built around exploring the hospital for clues, stopping every once in a while to fight the hospital's macabre residents. You'll find notes and other clues, each pulling you into the game's surrounding mystery. I love games that encourage exploration and absolutely loved this aspect of gameplay. I also enjoyed the combat system, but hated how it absolutely crushed the game's sense of flow. The presentation and story elements do such a great job of pulling you into the world, it's more than a little off-putting when you're forced to sit through a tally screen after every battle. They're complete momentum killers and feel completely unnecessary, particularly when you consider the rest of the U.I., which cleanly integrates into the rest of the game.
Difficulty: Much of The Dark Meadow's combat is based around recognizing patterns and reacting to them. An enemy telegraphs an attack and you follow with the appropriate movement. Even hardened Infinity Blade vets can expect to die for the first few hours, though once you figure out the patterns and purchase better equipment, battles become more of a hassle than a challenge. There isn't much variation to enemy attacks, so you'll end up blasting through them with little difficulty. Death isn't permanent. If you die, you are transported back to your room in the hospital with all of your items intact. Though it isn't a guaranteed path to victory, you can purchase gold in-game, allowing you to pick up better weapons earlier than you normally would. I'm still not completely sold on this idea in games, especially since it removes some of the sense of progression, but can understand why it's a popular option, so I can't really fault the developers or people who make the purchases.
Game Mechanics: By now, you may be questioning the actual comparisons between The Dark Meadow and Infinity Blade. Both games share a similar combat system. When an enemy attacks, you can either press a "Defend" button to block the attack, or dodge to either the left or right. Blocking is the most effective way to end an attack, though its uses are limited. Dodging doesn't cost anything, though you'll take damage if you fail to time the movement or dodge towards the wrong side. Attacks are handled by slashing across the screen with your finger. You can slash in nearly any direction, with each slash doing varying amounts of damage. The Dark Meadow also offers a ranged attack mode, allowing you to get a few hits in before an enemy reaches your position. Aiming takes some adjustment. To load the crossbow, you first pull back on a black and white swirl, causing a blue targeting line to appear. Guiding the line towards a head shot takes some practice and never feels entirely comfortable. The actual mechanics are solid, though you'll end up giving up a few free hits. Although you can set the interface to either the top or the bottom of the screen, neither of the placements is ideal. Considering you're pressing to the left or right of the screen, I would have preferred a wider control area. I don't recall missing a Dodge, though the timing was usually a little behind because I had to hit the area twice. The upper placement is ideal, though the placement of the Block button did cause a few problems when I went for a downward slash. The Dark Meadow has its issues, though most can be overlooked if you're into horror games or simply love the idea of exploring and piecing together mysteries.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: The Dark Meadow | iTunes App Store
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