Beowulf Review

Anannya Sen’s Review

I am Beowulf ....

Ok, I'm not really. And I haven't seen the film yet, but anything with Angelina sans clothing, computer generated or not, is worth a look to me. Until then I guess I'll have to make do with the Beowulf game from the stablest of stables, namely Gameloft.

Gameloft are a company that know how to take a movie franchise and turn it into an enjoyable mobile experience. With Beowulf (BW from now on) for example, it's basically an action game that is based in part on a lot of their previously successful action titles (check out our database for some examples). The reason they have been successful is that they know how to put a game together and while BW may not be cutting edge in any way, it's still a fun game to play.

Graphically the game is distinctly 2D but with a large amount of detail thrown in there. Waterfalls in the background, flames spewing up and even enemies being ripped in half. The animation is nice and fluid and it has to be as there's always something going on on screen. Sound is well catered for too, with some tunes to begin and in between levels, and a few basic sound effects while you're playing.

Like all Gameloft games, the game is easy to control. It's fairly intuitive and the controls are basically stock for action games now. Move using the pad or the stick and attack using 5 or the main button. Repeated presses will result in some funky combos you can do which end in 3 different gory yet satisfying ways. This is a nice touch and makes the button mashing worthwhile.

Another thing that looks nice is the way that BW moves around, very Prince of Persia esque. He can roll, jump, climb, fight and most impressively he can leap and stick his sword into giant holes. No sniggering please. This enables him to traverse walls and ceilings and looks very cool. There are additional elements to interact with too, such as casks you break open, giant boulders to ride and things to swing on.

It's basically got a lot of action right out of the Prince of Persia series, and at times BW will be flying through the air with consumate ease. In addition to being quite addictive, I'm told the game mirrors the plot of the film pretty well and the plot scenes do give an added dimension to the story. The game regularly saves your progress via checkpoints so never fear as there are loads of these in the game.

In addition to the simple hack and slash, there's a little variety where you have to protect villagers, and use giant boulders to help you find your way through the levels. This ensures that the game is never boring, and with 14 levels including boss battles, plus a very cool looking rage move (press 0), BW is a game that is solidly put together and a lot of fun to play.