Aurora Feint: The Beginning

Update (2008-07-25): Ok, drama over - version 1.0.0.1 has been posted to the App Store -- fixes the security issue and many bugs - more info from the developer.

Update (2008-07-24): Aurora Feint has been pulled from the App Store apparently due to a security concern.  You can get more info from the developers here and from Gizmodo. Rating reduced to zero from the original 4 stars until this is fixed.

Developer: Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron
Price: FREE
Date Listed: 7/11/2008
Version Reviewed: 1.0

First, let's just get this right out on the table. I don't like RPG games.  Too much walking around, carrying things, and leveling up to do.  To me, that's not a game it's more of a long walk.  I avoid RPG games like the plague. Aurora Feint: The Beginning is billed as a sort of hybrid RPG / puzzle game.  So, I immediately downloaded it, not sure why.  Perhaps it was the payote.

You start out in Aurora Feint by creating a character, why you need to do that to play a puzzle game I don't know.  This includes all the usual stuff, male/female, levels, etc.  You know, that boring RPG stuff that I already said I hated.  Why can't I just play Bejeweled for free?

Oh, here we go, that's more like it.

Once you have your character created the game guides you into the puzzle game.  This is where this app currently shines as it's really the only part that's even partially complete.  The game works similarly to Bejeweled, which I'm sure veryone is familiar with. The difference being that the new items come in from the bottom and push up one row at a time instead of falling in from the top.

There are a couple interesting twists though.  For one you can request more block by using two fingers in a push gesture.  Second, if you rotate the phone the blocks fall into place with gravity.  This allows you to get some combinations you wouldn't normally be able to do.

MMORPG?

This game seems to have aspirations of becoming a massively multiplayer online role playing game.  Seems to make sense and as a mobile one.  For more information on this, see this article by someone who is way more into RPGs that I ever will be.

Take a look at the following video to get some idea of the game play.

[youtube mP7r9AhiqfQ]

Overall, this is a pretty good game.  If you like puzzle games in addition to RPG games, you will love it.  The price is right (though that is likely to change in the future). While it aspires to be something much bigger than it is (or than we've seen on a mobile platform), right now it's just a good puzzle game with some annoying RPG elements put in to show what is coming.  I'll give it 4 stars for being a good puzzle game that's free.

[rating: 4/5]