Infinity Blade 2 Review

By Mark Brown Published 30 November, 2011

Zone of the endless.

Version tested: iPad

It's fitting, isn't it, that Infinity Blade should return this way. As in, it looks virtually identical to last year's effort but hides a layer of ability and confidence that Chair's inaugural iOS release missed.

That was the story with the first game's endless procession of vengeful heroes. Every time your character was bested by the stony-faced God King - unceremoniously bashed-in by his titular blade - your kid would come back to the foot of the same fortress, wearing the same armour, wielding the same sword, but packing a little added vigour.

Thanks to a few more experience points, an improved arsenal and a little cross-generational foresight into the tells and techniques of the castle's henchmen, your offspring would rock up to the ultimate bad guy and last a little longer in a battle of wits, parries and blocks.

In this area, Infinity Blade 2 offers much the same thrills as its immediate ancestor. It's still a volley of fingers and gestures as you fend off a snaking queue of monsters, knights, assassins and ninjas. It's a sharp and clever combat system about biding your time and waiting to attack, about reading tells and anticipating ambushes - Punch-Out, if it were in Elder Scrolls canon.

'Infinity Blade 2 Review' Screenshot 1

Enemies sometimes offer bonus XP if you can, say, go a round without blocking or get five combo strikes in. It encourages you to mix up your favoured style of play.

But this time round, the fighting system has fathoms more depth. You can trade in the traditional sword and shield combo for a pair of short daggers, for example, which is much more zippy, as turtling behind a shield is replaced by rapid dodges and ducks. Or you can swing the other way, clutching a monster war axe as you fend off incoming attacks with a satisfying clash of steel.

By having three types of sword - light, heavy and dual - on your person at all times, you can quickly leap between loadouts for different types of enemy, or focus on one particular class and tailor it to your style of play. In much the same vein, Infinity Blade 2 encourages customisation through a bagful of magical gems.

These crystal shapes - found in treasure chests and lifted from downed foes - can be infused in the game's enormous department store of blades, helmets and rings to give them a variety of buffs. Add an electrical zap to a hatchet, say, or make a shield that restores health upon a perfect block. It leads to more RPG-style inventory tinkering, and a more personal combination of loot.

Infinity Blade 2 also carries over the first game's unique Groundhog Day formula of repeatedly going up against a seemingly impossible foe until persistence finally pays off and your blade tastes blood. Only this time, the new castle is bristling with numerous Level 100-or-so bad guys, and they can be taken on in any order desired.

'Infinity Blade 2 Review' Screenshot 2

Overusing a weapon causes you to 'master' it, which stunts your overall levelling up. It stops you from holding on to favourite old gear.

This fresh castle is an intricately designed maze of intertwining corridors and underground passages that crisscross into several different boss lairs. It's dynamic, too: a sapling on your first time round grows into a yawning oak by your seventh, using the interim decades to snake up the back of the fortress' main tower.

Those high-level baddies - the ones with the bottomless pit of hit points, and a little spoken manifesto before they tear you to shreds - are similar to the first game's God King. It's all about the heightened stakes, because slipping up and getting yourself killed means warping back to the beginning of the castle and having to do the entire trek again.

These fights dangle your mortality over you in such a way that your brow will sweat and your palms will clam up and you'll miss your tube stop in the focus. Games don't often supply such tense moments these days because there's usually a checkpoint just before the boss. Such unwavering, retrograde punishment for failure is refreshing. And it makes your eventual win that much sweeter.

Infinity Blade 2's less linear map does mean the game slightly loses its focus. Instead of going back to the same boss over and over again until you defeat it, it's easy to get distracted down a different corridor and end up in the mitts of a completely different high-level baddy. The singular pursuit of your nemesis, the God King, in the first game was more feisty, if less ambitious.

'Infinity Blade 2 Review' Screenshot 3

Infinity Blade 2 mostly centres around a castle, but a few prologue bouts take place in a gorgeous Japanese garden.

Chair has also attempted to add more story to the game. There are proper cut-scenes and the voices are now in English rather than the first game's fictional tongue. However, it's all a bit cheesy and laced with generic fantasy tropes, and the American accents are just plain off for the setting. Thankfully, it's all skipped easily.

More agreeable is the sequel's graphical bump. On the newest devices that are packing A5 chips especially, the game shines with gorgeous lighting that spills through stained glass windows and washes over open courtyards. Sharper textures add even more detail to a world rich in tiny charms and architectural flair. They make the bigger monsters even scarier, too.

For all that's new and improved, Infinity Blade 2 is still a game about high stakes combat and bloody perseverance. Still a game about fast and smart fight scenes bolstered by a personalised assortment of weapons and shiny hats.

More on Infinity Blade 2

The novelty of repeated bucket-kicking has dampened a little. And towards the end, the game just starts throwing high-level bastards in your face to see how many you can take. The core formula that defined Infinity Blade and made it so interesting has been tarnished in the move to write an App Store description with some higher numbers than before.

But Chair's unreal sword-swinging romp still puts up a hefty fight, and most of the added loot adds just enough to bring Infinity Blade fans back for a second, vengeful stab at victory.

8 / 10

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About Mark Brown

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Comments (48) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • King_Edward #1 3 months ago

    Still shit then?

  • spliffhead #2 3 months ago

    Shadow Complex 2 please Chair!

  • MattEdWithCheese #3 3 months ago

    <Obligatory comment about 8/10>

  • Widge #4 3 months ago

    I felt a bit ripped off by the first game...

  • ThrowingTuba #5 3 months ago

    When is this out?

  • dr.glyndwr #6 3 months ago

    Does it still become a tedious grind-fest aimed at selling you in-app purchase moon money, though? I never got so far as being able to unlock the Infinity Blade in the first one -- I didn't have the stomach for X more hours of repetition to earn the cash for it, having already reached Bloodline 10 or so. This also means some of the free extra content they released was locked for me (as it appears to need the titular Blade to open it).

  • GamesConnoisseur #7 3 months ago

    1st Dec- tomorrow

    Shit? 8/10 a shit score and only 9/10 or 10/10 worth anything?!

    Glad they expanded the game and would look sexy on my iPhone 4S, though the first game's replayability wasn't robust and this looks better but not quite as much as I hoped.

    Touch screen only means options were always limited but the combat swipings were refreshing, portability and the fun factor in short bursts sold it for me.

    Dying for Shadow Complex 2 like others!

  • King_Edward #8 3 months ago

    <quote>GamesConnoisseur wrote:
    1st Dec- tomorrow

    Shit? 8/10 a shit score and only 9/10 or 10/10 worth anything?!

    Glad they expanded the game and would look sexy on my iPhone 4S, though the first game's replayability wasn't robust and this looks better but not quite as much as I hoped.

    Touch screen only means options were always limited but the combat swipings were refreshing, portability and the fun factor in short bursts sold it for me.

    Dying for Shadow Complex 2 like others!</quote>

    Actually I read the review and came to the conclusion it was still shit, like the first one.

  • kinky_mong #9 3 months ago

    It's not mentioned in the review, but will this actually run without horrific slowdown on a 3GS model? Infinity Blade is the only original IPhone game I've actually felt was worth more than 5 minutes play so I'm eager to buy the sequel.

  • Drunky #10 3 months ago

    Version tested: iPad
    What about iPhone 4s?

  • photoboy #11 3 months ago

    I'm not sure I'll be buying IB2. I found once the novelty of the graphics in the first one wore off it quite quickly got a bit boring replaying the same bits over and over. I'd much rather Chair did something with more open world freedom like their Epic Citadel tech demo or (even better) got on with Shadow Complex 2.

  • Nazo #12 3 months ago

    Nicely avoided the elephant in the room there, i.e. whether the controls are any good.

    Is it too much to ask for EG to include basic details like this?

  • Killerbee #13 3 months ago

    The first one was shit and this sounds much the same. Pretty graphics aside, Angry Birds was precisely 15.48 times more fun for much less money.

    I won't be suckered into buying another tech demo, thanks.

  • marmaduke #14 3 months ago

    The first was a mix of Dragon's Lair, Trauma Centre and one of those game trailers where a big monster roars at the main character rather than just attacking. Is this one really going to be any better?

  • Vyggo #15 3 months ago

    Call me crazy, but I want this game on Kinect. Seems like a perfect fit. For 800 or even 1200 points I would be all over it.

  • Roarster #16 3 months ago

    But does the frame rate and rubbish gesture recognition still make it unplayable? Can't believe the positive reviews the first game got, even on an iPhone 4 it chugged along and constantly slowed down resulting in tons of cheap hits where it was impossible to judge the timing.

  • subjectxen #17 3 months ago

    @dr.glyndwr You wouldn't have survived in the new content without the Infinity Blade or better, trust me. If you couldn't kill the God King, you certainly wouldn't be able to kill what's in the new content.

  • FarbrorBaku #18 3 months ago

    Ok great, now make Shadow Complex 2.

  • dingo75 #19 3 months ago

    Wow! Are they sure the iOS users will grasp all this stuff? No idea if they aim for the typical iPhone user but I cannot imaging most of the guys that have it in our company to understand "loadouts" and using mats to upgrade the weapons. They want something simple to play while traveling / waiting.

  • bladdard #20 3 months ago

    I agree with all the haters here, I bought the first one on the back of the excellent EG review only to find on my 3rd or 4th bloodline it was spectacular looking game but incredibly shallow so never played it again.

    The original overrated and massively overscored .... I'm out.

  • JayKwon #21 3 months ago

    Sounds great. Is it a bit as Dark Souls if we're talking about tension?

  • Widge #22 3 months ago

    No. Where Dark Souls peels away to reward satisfaction in increasing depth and exploration, Infinity Blade peeled away to reveal an empty shell.

    It LOOKED great and the slow deliberate animation (which I partially believe was a design choice to give the illusion of length of game) gave it a unique atmosphere.

    At the end of it all, it was a COD like hook that was centre. A constant XP grind for stats and weapons, with none of the gameplay finesse and progression the From know how to deliver. There is a grind for the shinies in Dark Souls but it is never the core.

  • cheeky-sod #23 3 months ago

    Video reviews or gtfo :(

  • videogangs #24 3 months ago

    Just a quick note- it looks stunning on my 4S. Will download onto the iPad shortly to compare. The combat is a bit slicker and the (skippable) improved story is a nice touch.

  • Cosmopolitan #25 3 months ago

    I bought the first one knowing perfectly well what to expect and I was not disappointed.
    That's what reviews are for, surely?
    Beat the first one completely, even the add-on bosses. Getting the Infinity Blade was not that hard if you had patience and equipped your hero with those 'Gold+++' items.
    I will *definitely* get this one as well once it goes down a bit in price. I like the graphical aspect of it, and the gameplay is perfect for short bursts. It sure ain't Skyrim, so don't come near it expecting an RPG or something.

  • dr.glyndwr #26 3 months ago

    @subjectxen I beat the God King five or so times (in 15 or so Bloodlines; I'm level 38), but I could still never accumulate anywhere near enough gold to buy the Infinity Blade. I did the things the walkthroughs said -- equip the Gold+++ items and keep replaying, basically -- but just got thoroughly bored.

  • AliRay #27 3 months ago

    I'm guessing this won't work on my old, dog-eared 3GS? Loved the first one, would love to get this.

  • UncleLou #28 3 months ago

    Liked the first one, bought this one immediately today. Clearly not a game for everyone, but it appeals to the loot whore in me, and I like the atmosphere and combat.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #29 3 months ago

    Will this run well on my 3GS?

  • jablonski #30 3 months ago

    cheers eightgamer

  • Seoh #31 3 months ago

    It's such a great looking game, been playing this morning.

    Also the menus and general interface have been substantially improved however looking at the item list i suspect i will never master everything, will treat like previous, kill all deathless then retire.

  • Seoh #32 3 months ago

    @Roarster Yeah that was actually due to the patches, the first version played very well on my 3GS but by the time they finished i had to factor lag into every fight.

  • ZuluHero #33 3 months ago

    Does anyone know how big the game file is? Im clearing out files on my ipod left right and centre, but at 2GB free, its still asking for more space! :o

    EDIT: Ok - its somewhere between 2.5 and 2.1gb! :o:o:o
    Edited by 1 at 01/12/11 @ 13:00

  • BobbyUK #34 3 months ago

    Hate Out Of Ten

  • cowell #35 3 months ago

    As great as the graphics are, I just found the first game dull after more than5 minutes of play. Brilliant to impress your friends with but actually not that much fun.

  • Feanor #36 3 months ago

    @GamesProgrammer I think that's unlikely.

  • marty_k #37 3 months ago

    I'm buying 8/10 t-shirt next week.

  • jstar #38 3 months ago

    Just got it, I really like it though I can see why some might not. However on the iphone version there don't seem to be any sound fx. No sword slashing noises or anything, just music and some heavy breathing when you win. Please tell me this is not intentional... and yes I have fiddled with the settings.

  • MARKIV #39 3 months ago

    @jstar Reboot your iPhone, coz on my iPhone 4 there is sound fx.

  • jstar #40 3 months ago

    @MARKIV aight cheers, will give it a go and report back ^^

  • jstar #41 3 months ago

    @MARKIV worked a treat - cheers mate

  • guernican #42 3 months ago

    600 words for a review and not a mention of Demon's / Dark Souls?

    Kudos.

  • scoop #43 3 months ago

    No offense, but is this a press release or a review?

    No mention of the controls, this new depth of combat (bar a passing reference: you can carry lots of weapons), or the rather massive (nearly 1GB) download, which is to be expected but hey: details, details...

  • septimus #44 3 months ago

    Good game. I like the skill factor that is involved with it. Pretty old school in a lot of ways. Haters gonna hate.

    Maybe they'll like it when it comes to Android? /s

  • darkmorgado #45 3 months ago

    @dingo75

    "I cannot imaging most of the guys that have it in our company to understand "loadouts" and using mats to upgrade the weapons"

    Yeah, because geeky blokes who love a geeky hobby aren't likely to own a gadget like an iPad or iPhone.

  • space_ace #46 3 months ago

    Dark Souls iOS, please

  • ShiroBen #47 3 months ago

    So putting aside all of that is it actually, y'know, fun?

  • iago71 #48 3 months ago

    Played through the first and enjoyed it though doubt I'll bother with this. I enjoy the style and atmos. of the world but couldn't help but feel I wanted to step off the rails and have a proper look around.

    Also, whats with all the Dark Souls comparisons. It's kind of insulting really to be mentioning the two in the same breath. Dark Souls (and Demon Souls before it) is really is a work of design brilliance. Infinity Blade is an impressive tech demo with some game play that was successfully integrated and then marketed on a new platform with a new audience that, to be fair, have little awareness of what makes a good game.

    The fact that they both feature a medieval setting and you wander about feeling lonely a lot is really all there is to compare the two.