To coincide with the release of the third installment in the Iron Man film franchise, Gameloft has released a tie-in game for iOS and Android devices, Iron Man 3.
So how does Gameloft’s latest movie tie-in far up? It’s not all that bad to fair, in fact, it’s a damn good time waster.
Read on for the full review.
Gameplay
The game plays out in a similar manner to Jungle Run or Subway Surfers. There’s no end, just a constant stream of flying forward, avoiding obstacles and taking out the remnants of A.I.M’s fearsome technology that is out to destroy you.
Well, not so fearsome, but damn they can be difficult to beat, due in no small part to the dodgy controls that come with touch-screen based gaming. Movement can be achieved by either tilting your device and taking out enemies is achieved by tapping the screen where the enemies are, firing out pulses from Iron Man’s wicked-cool suit, or hold and drag to fire a constant, lethal laser beam.
There’s the ability to upgrade the suits which help you progress further each time, and of course this can be done a lot quicker by paying for some in-game credit to put towards the upgrades. If you’re not that bothered about upgrading and just want something to keep you busy for a couple of minutes, you’ll be perfectly fine to just collect in-game orbs which can be used to purchase upgrades, though it requires a fair amount of grinding, something that can get boring pretty quick.
Graphics
Gameloft are at the forefront when it comes to phone/tablet gaming graphics, and this time is no different. The visuals are impressive for a mobile game, though there’s the pop-in which comes from the limited power available on these devices. All in all, it’s visually a treat to look at and wouldn’t have looked out-of-place on the PlayStation 2.
Sound
This is where it’s a bit ugly. Gameloft didn’t get Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his role, so they had some squeaky fella jump into the iron boots and provide some cringe-worthy dialogue. It’s a shame really as the rest of the game is at a pretty high standard, but gets dragged down by the awful voice acting.
However, the sound effects are all there in there glory. Smash into a bus and you’ll hear the clunking of iron on metal, the sound of lasers pumping from your palms is satisfying and in the sounds in general are hard to dislike, though it could have done with a bit more variety.
Summary
Iron Man 3 is a worthy tie-in, even if it feels a bit too familiar to other games currently on offer. It’s your endless runner with your favourite super-hero, so it’s definitely worth a go if you’ve nothing else to do.
It’s a shame there wasn’t a full-blown console game as well as the mobile tie-in, though it may be a blessing with the amount of poor licensed games of late. (The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, 007 Legends, Star Trek etc etc.)
Gameplay: Smooth as you could wish for and quite satisfying once you master the controls. Repetitive by nature, but a decent time waster. It’s free too! 8.0
Graphics: Superb. Crisp and bright with a well designed world, thought there are the odd spots where you can tell not much time was spent. 8.5
Sound: Lacking in the voice acting department, but the rest holds up by itself pretty well. 7.5
Replay Value: Considering it’s a free-to-play game, there’s a lot of replay value to be had. To put it in the words of the wise man Cleveland Brown (Family Guy,) “You don’t win, you just do a little better every time.” 8.5
Overall: 8.1 – Suit up and get ready to rock ‘n’ roll!
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