iRequiem

iRequiem – Like a bat out of hell...

This game is one of the oddest titles I’ve had the fortune of playing. I say this as I’m a little undecided as to how it came to be as addictive as it proves to be. Regardless of whether it was down to accident or design, it is something that probably only you will be able to decide but whether you find it so bad it’s good, or good old fashioned gaming at its best, you will probably find yourself lured to play for hours with little or no break!

There is a bit of a plot to the game but in all honesty it doesn’t really matter that you were such an evil so and so that, now in hell, wishes nothing more than to get your soul back and atone for your wicked ways through killing hordes of evil monsters. All that really matters is... do you want to fight for your life?!

The artwork doesn’t really do much for the imagination as the background rarely changes e.g. when you’ve worked your way through a fairly repetitive task of defending yourself from wave after wave of various nasty looking creatures and kicked the heck out of the end of level boss. After each level you get to replenish yourself by using the gold coins you’ve collected on your way; choose from a huge selection of weapons (both ranged and ones more suitable for close quarters) and artefacts which influence game-play (from luck to more powerful attack or defence).

Besides the coins you can collect along the way from the fallen enemies, you also can collect the souls and use these to your advantage. During the middle of a battle, you can duck into the church and make a prayer, which will result in replenishing health or invulnerability for a period of time through to good old lightning bolts and the magical ability to throw your enemy around the screen (which did prove pretty comical in its appearance but hugely effective and quite satisfying).

So whether you prefer to use weapons or dabble with the odd spell when blasting your undead enemies to kingdom come, this game really does allow you to have quite a bit of fun.

As mentioned, the game does have the odd stumbling block – namely the graphics are a bit basic and the controls aren’t always that easy to use (hacking, shooting and casting spells can all get jumbled in battle – particularly when trying to cause explosions on screen too). Otherwise, this title does all that you’d really want or expect it to and even these faults can be largely overlooked due to the entertainment this game has to offer.

Positives

Entertaining and hugely addictive

Simple and easy to get to grips with

Action hero commentary proves a great distraction

Negatives

Controls are a bit fiddly (facing the wrong way can normally occur)

Graphics seldom change

Very repetitive

3 stars