We recently talked about how the mobile market is going through a very particular moment, in which the classic "mobile games", simpler and more immediate (but not lacking in inventiveness or depth, on the contrary) are flanked by productions. with a complex structure and a sophisticated technical sector, which would not look out of place on PC and consoles, and in fact, are often published there as well.
The credit, obviously, goes to those who are investing in this sense, specifically Apple with its Arcade platform and Netflix with the projects reserved for its subscribers; like this new roguelike action RPG created by Ubisoft, which in many ways presents itself as a kind of miniature Diablo Immortal but, unlike the much criticized Blizzard title, it is completely free of microtransactions.
Is this aspect enough to improve the gaming experience? Or is there something else hidden among the twists and turns of the fantasy world that we will have the opportunity to visit? We reveal it to you in review of Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace.
Story and structure of Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace
Introduced by a short animated sequence, the history from Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace tells of a kingdom in crisis since the ruler fell into a mysterious sleep, which envelops him and keeps him imprisoned. The only way to break the curse is to enter the king's mind palace and destroy the evil creatures that populate it, collecting as much loot as possible in the process.
A mechanic that in the case of the Ubisoft title is not an end in itself: the game allows you to unlock well twenty characters, but in order to use them (and consequently choose different paths within the "dream" map) we will have to find their weapons and pieces of armor, to be able to extract them from the dark dimension in which they are located. got trapped.
Naturally, the collection of these objects also has a precise function in the context of our expeditions, regulated by a roguelike structure: We will advance from dungeon to dungeon, eliminating all the enemies within them and finally winning the indicated prize (a weapon, armor, helmet, gloves or boots) to add it to our equipment to replace lower quality components, or to break it. pieces and collect the fragments.
The latter act as currency for the updates on blacksmiths, while gold coins must be used on merchants. However, along the way we will also find other alternative boxes, such as the bonfire for partial health restoration (which we will obviously have to make do with until the end of the expedition, otherwise what a roguelike it would be) or special Places where we can meet with mysterious figures willing to give us something in exchange for gold, blood or the acceptance of an early end to the game.
Gameplay: a little Diablo
Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace uses an isometric action RPG formula that is fundamentally identical to the one we talked about in the Diablo Immortal review, although in the combat system There are some differences. In fact, our character can move, perform a basic attack and a limited number of actions subject to reloading: running/dodging, essential to avoid enemy shots, the special linked to the main weapon and the secondary weapon (if you have it). . ), in addition to changing weapons.
There are no potions, there are no consumables in general, everything is very direct and immediate: what goes beyond these mechanics finds its place in the specifications of the equipment we use, and which can include passive special abilities capable of making some difference in battle. Later, once certain dungeons have been completed, we will be given an extra reward to increase strength, defense, the ability to obtain resources, etc., while at the end of the boss fights we will have to choose between improvements that sometimes involve strong commitments.
How your character develops during the journey is obviously the focus of Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace, although at the end of each expedition (usually due to a defeat) you will be able to return to the camp and spend the essence obtained on permanently improve the basic abilities of all the heroes: a very interesting progression, but very slow considering the mobile nature of the experience.
Whether you play using touch controls or a controller Bluetooth (but support is only partial), the game It's solid and fun, although a little repetitive after a few hours. This despite the fact that the scenarios change and with them the enemies, which present a fairly abundant number of different types and in some cases manage to create truly sarcastic situations, from which it is difficult to come out alive unless very precise use is made. of the dodge.
In the most chaotic and demanding sequences, physical controls make the difference in terms of precision and reliability, while touch controls sometimes tend to "stuck". In all cases Unfortunately, the response to contributions is not always punctual.In fact, it often happens that we have to press a button several times for the game to understand that yes, we want to run that blessed special: an issue that we hope will be quickly resolved by an update, since it can make all the difference. between victory and defeat.
But let's talk again about boss because in this sense a really great job has been done: the creatures that we will meet at the end of each "segment" are distinguished by well-differentiated attack routines, which must be memorized in order to respond as best as possible. as possible and take advantage of the "rest" moments to deliver their blows. Of course they weapons They are fundamental and change the way we act, also and above all thanks to the special connected movements.
Technical realization: cartoonish and interesting.
La graphics from Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace uses a comic style for characters, settings and enemies: an effective and enjoyable solution, although on the animation front not everything always goes well and there are some somewhat controversial solutions, such as "slicing" . " on the screen to manage transparencies and some effects, which at first seemed like a defect and which tends to dangerously distract from the action.
The interface is very difficult to read on the iPhone, with very small writing and, in general, the need to keep the screen very close to your eyes to better distinguish everything that is happening. It goes without saying that playing the Ubisoft title on a tablet, perhaps using a controller, represents the best option if you don't have mobility needs. Fortunately we are talking about an option and not an obligation, because otherwise the experience would have little meaning.
Here, talking about things that do not make sense, we believe that it is not normal that in a iPhone 14 Pro, which is still Apple's top of the range, the game cannot run at the best settings and maintain 60 frames per second: to ensure constant fluidity, essential for the responsiveness of the touch controls, it is necessary to make some compromises and This bothers us a little: here too we hope that the updates will fix things.
Finally, a few words for the Sonoro, which manages to be truly "epic" as expected, accompanying our battles with perhaps not very original but attractive and well-made orchestral pieces, which end up compensating for the audio effects, which, despite being good, are not that impressive.
Conclusions
Tested version iPhone digital delivery app store, Google Play Price Free Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (5) 7.5 your voteMighty Quest: Rogue Palace certainly stands as one of the best games available for free to Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android. A complete and multifaceted experience, which from this point of view shares very little with the average mobile game and which therefore requires considerable commitment and attention, but which is capable of rewarding these efforts with precious rewards, spectacular boss fights and twenty characters to unlock. . There are some rough edges that need to be smoothed out in the controls and optimization, maybe some changes need to be made to the interface, but if you love this kind of experience, the download is an absolute must.
PRO
- Solid and challenging gameplay.
- Very rich structure, zero microtransactions.
- It's nice to see and hear
AGAINST
- Controls are sometimes imprecise
- Optimization to improve
- Progression is a bit slow
