Escape from Age of Monsters Review
PROS
- Makes you feel like you're playing a Saturday-morning cartoon show.
- Amusing interludes help keep the tone light; also breaks up the pace, keeping down the pressure.
CONS
- Timing for 'perfect' hits feels arbitrary; no real indicators despite the very small window of opportunity.
- Lack of variety in gameplay makes repetitive play laborious; multipliers only act as an incentive for so long.
VERDICT
Escape from Age of Monsters proves to be more of a full-featured game than the series' first outing, but for what it has going for it in terms of presentation it lacks in compelling gameplay.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
'Escape from' is Ayopa Games and Massive Joe Studios latest addition to the 'Age of Monsters' franchise - a series that started off with a free Rock, Paper, Scissors game that introduced us to the world. Gizzard has been chosen by gauntlets infused with power enough to destroy the monsters rampaging around the city, but first he'll need to escape with children in-tow.
The first thing that stands out about Escape is its presentation - on the latest iOS devices the game looks absolutely stunning with sharp, high-detail artwork that's paired carefully with special effects to give the game a real Saturday-morning cartoon feel. Quips from the character and amusing interludes between buildings keep the tone light despite the monstrous and otherwise apocalyptic setting.
Unfortunately, much like the impressive Wizard of Oz, if you peek behind the curtain, things are decidedly less spectacular.
In short, the game is an endless runner, with players being penalized for incorrectly tapping their blue or red gauntlet in time with obstacles in the world that are similarly color-coded. Bonuses such as points, cash and power-ups appear occasionally and must be swiped, making themselves a sort of risk-for-reward as you relinquish control of a gauntlet, but it otherwise ups the difficulty by mixing up the speed and type of obstacles on offer.
Missions provide an opportunity to increase your base score multiplier, while coins collected in each run can be spent on various upgrades, but the most worthwhile one (a permanent increase to your lives on each run) will take a significant amount of time to unlock - or you can drop more cash via an IAP.
Ultimately 'Escape from Age of Monsters' is fun, but limited in its appeal. Without more variety in each run, the game quickly becomes a blur of same-ish corridors, all in the effort of unlocking yet another item. With any luck, updates will put more flesh on this monster's bony frame.
Screenshots
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