As far as my experience with iOS gaming goes, the original “Battleheart” by Mika Mobile was the first I ever completed. The game offered me both the fast-paced elements of a straightforward strategy supported by the fundamentals of an RPG. Not so surprisingly, a band of heroes is assembled to fight through the increasingly dangerous lands of Haggerdom. Is there a great evil to defeat at the end of the game? You bet!
The events of the sequel, “Battleheart Legacy,” take place 500 years in the future of the original, though the world is still a medieval setting filled with swords and sorcery, not yet making the next great societal leap into an age of technology and science. It’s a good thing too, because “Battleheart Legacy” is masterfully crafted fantasy RPG, one that not only lives up to the original, but also surpasses it.
Unlike the original, which allowed players to build strategic parties of up to four characters ranging from barbarians to witches, “Battleheart Legacy” follows in the tradition of a single-character action RPG. You’ll select your avatar, name him or her, and then be dropped into militia training that serves as instructions on how the game operates with touch-screen functionality.
“Battleheart Legacy” brings back the world-map method of exploration, and all of the dungeons are accessible from the onset of the game, though their difficulty rankings range from level two to twenty-seven. Missions are handed out by a small handful of RPGs, but as you increase in level you’ll find yourself hacking and slashing throughout whatever area matches your character’s experience, as the NPCs interested in your exploits are few and the monster-infected locales are many.
Action RPGs have been an addiction of mine since the innocent days of the original “Diablo” — still a fond memory from all those long years ago — and dungeon crawling is a gaming style alongside turn-based roleplaying I never grow tired of. Yes, my high-school days were filled with the gluttonous consumption of Dragonlance novels by day and the gleeful mouse mashing of “Diablo II” by night — and it was this complimentary association of enjoyment that wracked my brain with fireballs and crossbows.
But the years have passed now, and my computer is less a gaming hub than it is a work tool. More than that, working 40 (plus) hours a week and maintaining a long-term relationship cuts into my flop time. I can’t (and won’t) spend hours in front of the television with a controller clutched in my hands. It’s for this reason that as I grow older, the portability of the games I play grows increasingly important. Yes, it limits my access, but it’s better than nothing.
And that’s why I find “Battleheart Legacy” a triumph of a game. It’s of top-tier quality specifically tailored for gamers on the go.
