RottenCity Review
PROS
- Crisp 2D sprites and artwork.
- Simplified action-rpg gameplay style.
- Open exploration.
CONS
- Repetitive music loops.
- Lack of alternate movement controls.
- Items only explained at shops.
VERDICT
You'll have to be a truly adventurous action fan to get to the juicy core of RottenCity, but the cute style and open action gameplay might be enough for some to muddle through.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
**UPDATE** After a recent patch, RottenCity was given an option to enable D-Pad controls for the game. Movement, aiming and firing feels much smoother and makes it much easier to enjoy the game as you're no longer fighting against your own character. Definitely worth trying if you're after a challenging survival experience.
RottenCity by 3Dpaper could easily be an absorbing action-RPG that could devastate your available free time if it wasn't for the game's tragic flaws. Combining a run and gun style of gameplay with RPG and exploring elements, the game sounds positively great in theory, but in practice you'll have to deal with ill-suited controls and loose open world goals to succeed.
Touching and holding the screen will allow you to move your character as though using a directional pad, but even after an extended period of time it's hard to say that it feels natural. Firing weapons involves different sequences of movement, requiring you to test every weapon out as much as possible, but you'll be doing that a lot anyway as you try out items that are given no explanation at all just to see what they do.
However, at the opposite end of the spectrum is the game's amazing art style that's clear, dangerously cute and for the most part easy to understand. The zombies shamble convincingly and despite Nadia's confident appearance in most of the artwork she looks adorably innocent when attempting to fire her weapons. The game's music could have been brilliant, however it's often sold short by using short low-quality loops.
If you can muddle through perfecting the controls as much as possible, there's still an amazingly addictive title to enjoy, but peeling away those rotten layers can be a chore. Definitely a game exclusively for hardcore genre fans.
Screenshots
