Armed and Gorgeous Review
Price: $1.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 4
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Overall Rating:
Even if I'm willing to give Armed and Gorgeous the benefit of the doubt, I have to say that unlike Bayonneta the core hack-and-slash play is severely lacking in depth. No-one's expecting a Devil May Cry-like litany of combos, but with only two hit buttons who only produce combos when mashed singularly, only one special move, and no dodge or roll it's hard to get too engrossed in the action, even across the short hour or so it lasts. Even the weapons and outfits unlocked as the game progresses are purely cosmetic.
It's a shame because Armed and Gorgeous' engine is actually gorgeous and deserves far better. Moving the heroine around is wonderfully easy, as is aiming her attacks. In fact, the analogue-like button for movement is one of the most graceful I've played on the iPhone. The enemies have impressive ragdoll physics to complement superb animation, and the visual quality in general for a fully-fledged 3D game on the iPhone is quite high. The boss fights, in which I actually have to think about my attacks and timing them against a hard-hitting brute, show in particular the potential of this game and its engine.
Right now, Armed and Gorgeous is hard to recommend. It's not just the character's wardrobe that's skimpy as the game itself is lacking depth and length for the current asking price. Nonetheless, it's worth keeping an eye on Armed and Gorgeous should the developer ramp up the hack-and-slash through updates so that the play better complements the engine.