Braveheart Review

By Andrew Nesvadba, on December 5, 2010

Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Genre: Role Playing
Released: 2 Dec, 2010
Size: 34.6 MB
Price: $2.99

PROS

Tonnes of upgrades and perks to earn.
Unique gesture-only control system.
Alternate challenge modes for time-wasting and high-scoring.

CONS

Controls hard to use over long periods.
Relatively repetitive campaign.

VERDICT

Braveheart is a fairly unique brand of action-packed and RPG inspired gameplay, but the constant twirling can be hard to watch and pull off over longer sessions.

Full Review
App Store Info

As knights go, Richard - the hero of Gaijin Entertainment's latest title, Braveheart - is sort of a quirky character. After practically assaulting the daughter of his liege he is sent out to obtain the Holy Grail from the clutches of a Dragon, however instead of smashing his way through foes he'll spin, spin, spin his way to victory instead.

Players have a choice of either controlling Richard purely through gesture controls or a combination of virtual stick/button and gesture controls. This can be a tiresome and finger-twisting challenge on the pure gesture controls as players are forced to keep their melee weapon in motion by drawing circles on the screen; tapping or swiping to move to a new location; and using an awkward two-finger tap to fire their ranged weapon. This doesn't even begin to take in to consideration the need to manage your perks, active abilities or leveling up during the level you're on as well.

While this may all sound like doom and gloom, Braveheart is an incredibly detailed RPG, balancing temporary power-ups with perks that can be unlocked and added to the random selection you are given while fighting. Gold earned can also be spent on unlocking and upgrading various weaponry for your melee and ranged slots, each behaving slightly differently either in power or special abilities. This results in a lot of variety to the gameplay, especially when combined with the variety of animals, mercenaries and mages you'll have to fight on your journey through five different major areas.

If the controls didn't feel so clunky, Braveheart could easily be considered a must have for action fans, but as it stands the game remains amazingly addictive, if somewhat hard to play for extended periods.

Screenshots