Age of Heroes IV: Blood and Twilight

Age of Heroes is one of the longest standing RPG game brands on the mobile market – in my opinion this is deservedly so as it’s probably one of the best – so how does this latest instalment compare?

In a word, brilliantly! OK, this game’s got plenty of expectation to meet and as a bit of a keen follower of the series, it’s got a tough act to follow, but I’m pleased to say it’s everything it should be and more.

As before, Age of Heroes IV: Blood and Twilight is a story of heroes and monsters; although the line between both good and bad is very blurred. You can play as the warrior, the ranger or priestess. The warrior has the ability with improved attack and defence, the ranger has improved speed and sight, meanwhile the priestess has magic and necromancy abilities. So you have the flexibility from the start to pick the character of your choice which will be able to be used to suit your particular style.

In this rather bleak plotted game, the Elves have lost the war; the few survivors have fled to another world and those that remain fight for their various reasons, despite the fact they’re without food or water – and certain to die! Rather than ending there, death for them was the beginning and they rose from the grave…

As you roam around the map you will uncover various opponents of different classes and abilities. Some have ranged units e.g. archers and magicians, others are able to move further when attacking and the rest are better at close quarters. You will start with a small force of undead skeletons and zombies at your disposal. By exploring the surroundings you will not just find opponents to battle and gain experience from, but also raise their souls to add to your army. Before too long, you will almost certainly have a decent contingent to unlock the various mysteries and defeat all who stand in the way of your quest – revenge!

The game benefits from more intuitive controls, the cursor for example stays in the same location when moving around the level, meaning rather than repeatedly having to pick the location again and again, you only have to click it again at the end of each turn.

Funnily enough though, the game’s taken a bit of a step backwards from its predecessors in the way that the map’s hidden until you’ve roamed around it. Unlike the other versions where you could see all the area of play; including all its monsters and buildings, you must first look around. However, this is not terrible and actually again adds to the game.

Overall then, this game picks up just where the last one left off and cranks it up just a little. In truth, if their games continue to improve like this we’ll need to start looking at going beyond 100% - at the very least, every other RPG can only dream of being this good!

Rating 96%

Positives

Excellent graphics

Improved controls – minimising key presses

Good music

Fun and challenging with a good storyline

Negatives

Just a pity the game’s not quite as long as I would have liked but still many hours of fun

Can be a little confusing using all the spells and objects in battles etc. particularly if this is your first RPG – maybe try the earlier versions to get to grips first (failing that you’ll enjoy the story from start!)