Recipe for Solomon ‘s Keep for iPhone (serves one):
-one part Harry Potter
-one part Diablo action RPG
-two cups of Magic Missiles
-one part voiceover from the guys who made Powerthirst
Mix, download for $0.99, and enjoy.This is Wizard!
You ‘ll spend your Solomon ‘s Time in two places: in town, and in the keep itself. As it turns out, your character is just about to become a full-fledged wizard and all that ‘s left to do is defeat the dark wizard, Solomon, in his gigantic, fortified keep.
The wizards in town don ‘t have much personality, but what lines they do spout can be hilarious. I especially loved the explanation of how Solomon rose to power: he started off as a complete dork who was unable to pull off any spells, until one fateful birthday, when he used ALL of his saved up skill points on higher tier spells and dark magic, and suddenly became a dark lord. A brilliant and incredibly geeky joke if I ever saw one.
Dungeons and Dragging (ugh, sorry)
Although the town plays an integral role as a resupply hub, you ‘ll be spending almost all of your time in the dungeons, fighting the things that go bump in the night. There are a a few basic creature types (warriors, zombie meat shields, imps, archers, and mages) and they can be incredibly if you walk into a room and get swarmed, but for the most part, you ‘ll be the one dispatching them. The game classic dual stick controls ” one to move, and one to launch spells.
You ‘ll start off casting simple magic missiles, but after a few level-ups, you ‘ll be offered a choice between more missiles, lightning bolts, and fireballs. I chose to max out lightning over the course of the game and found it quite rewarding. Unlike other games, chain lightning isn ‘t a high tier spell in Solomon ‘s Keep, and it wasn ‘t long before I was bouncing bolts of electricity through entire rooms and watching everything fall to the ground.
I only played through the game once (which took about three or four hours), but the balancing of the spells tends to come down to: magic missile for big single target damage, fireball for explosive area-of-effect, and lightning for weaker, room-clearing damage. You ‘ll unlock a few utility spells as you reach higher levels, but the three that I ‘ve named are really the main play styles available in Solomon ‘s Keep. You could theoretically split your points between the three schools, but I found it a bit of a pain to switch spells (which requires a separate menu), so I just stuck to my trusty lightning bolt.
Conclusion
The gameplay in Solomon ‘s Keep isn ‘t incredibly varied, but it ‘s a lot of fun while it lasts. The level-ups allow you to upgrade each of the three main spells, as well as add little spell perks to each of them (lightning can add stunning and arcing effects). However, the RPG elements don ‘t extend far past that point, and it will probably be the cheeky dialogue, PowerThirst-y voiceovers, and dual-stick shooter action that keep you interested in kicking Solomon ‘s ass.
”
Solomon ‘s Keep is available for $0.99 on the App Store.
The game was bought by JAiB for review on the site. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
Continue reading:
- Everything New Apple Just Announced (Septembe
- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
TAGS: action rpg, dual stick
