While searching for quality apps to review, I found Braveheart. I was a bit confused by the title. “Mel Gibson has a game?” No, the app from Gaijin Entertainment is not about the classic movie. Instead, this app is more of a traditional role-playing game. To be clear, this app is not about William Wallace and his struggle for Scottish independence. Instead, it is about an alcoholic knight who quests for the Holy Grail. The story starts off with Richard drinking too much and ending up in trouble with the royal family. Instead of being sentenced to death, Richard must redeem himself by finding the holy grail.
If you like Guild Wars, Dungeon Siege or other similar PC games, you’ll probably be content with this app. It brings classic RPG action to iOS devices. Wait… did I mention action? Aren’t RPGs just boring point-and-click games? That’s why Braveheart works. It has a unique approach to combat that is highly entertaining. It’s basically real-time combat, but it is the game control method that stands out. By moving your finger in a circular motion on the screen, Richard will swing his Flail. This makes for some insane combat. You basically mow through enemies like a giant weed-wacker.
Richard can be moved by gestures or touching the intended location. It’s an excellent use of the platform. Although, if you prefer using two thumb-sticks, you can change the controls in the options menu. Since Richard has two main types of weapons – Flails and Crossbows – the “Sticks” mode of control might be better for shooting.
I didn’t use the crossbow that much. I just focused on the Flail. As Richard gains experience and levels, you can spend points on one of five areas – Flail, Crossbow, Vitality, Mastery and Wisdom. You can specialize in a specific area by spending a lot of points in a single area. There are three stars for each area.
- 100 points = One Star
- 200 points = Two Stars
- 400 points = Three Stars
Considering that the maximum level is 100 and you only get a total of 505 points, a large part of the game’s challenge is spending your points wisely. To help you decide, here’s a list of the game’s three-star specializations…
- Flail – Each enemy kill increases melee weapon speed and movement speed. The effect decreases with time. Also you get permanent perk “Tremendous Weaponry”.
- Crossbow – Each enemy kill increases range weapon speed and damage. The effect decreases with time. Also you get permanent perk “Sniper”.
- Vitality – When hit, the enemies around the target lose the same amount of health which you have lost. Also you get permanent perk “Artful Defense”.
- Mastery – Each Enemy Kill increases death blow chance. Also you get permanent perk “Master Assassin”.
- Wisdom – You have chance to get bonus while getting new perk. Also you get permanent weapon magic “Lightning”.
Each of the five areas has merit. Even though I mainly used the Flail, focusing on Wisdom or Mastery can dramatically change the way the game plays. Testing out the various character builds adds to the game’s replay value.