Mother of Myth Review

Action RPGs have become quite the popular commodity on the App Store recently. Countless titles have delved into Diablo-inspired gameplay mechanics, each to varying levels of success. Mother of Myth, the new game from Playnery Inc., takes a more minimalistic approach to combat and instead places the emphasis on a Greek and Roman mythology storyline. But can the title manage stand on its own as a free-to-play experience, or will it end up feeling more like pay-to-win?

One thing that is great about the action RPG genre is that all the player needs is a sword and a mission, and everything else just falls into place. Mother of Myth follows the quest of a young man trying to reunite with his friends, using a little help from this friends in godly places. What follows is an epic quest that spans countless dungeons and features more demented creatures than you could shake a scroll at.

The actual in-game mechanics are where this title really shines. Utilizing a straightforward “touch onscreen where you want to go,” style of navigation, the same single tough approach also applies to combat. Without any sort of player interference, most fights would play out on their own, with the player’s avatar launching round after round of the base attack animation. Additionally, there are a collection of cards that can be assigned to a series of simple gestures such as a slash or “v,” that will kick off more powerful attacks. These advanced actions also have a “mana”-esque supply attached to them, as well as a standard cool down period, post-use.

And where would dungeon exploration be without loot? Mother of Myth seems to have received this memo loud and clear, because there are random collectables to be found everywhere. They have even gone as far as to include a crafting system, which can be used to design equip-able items to increase the player’s stats. Much like the combat, the process of turning these nonsense trinkets into powerful augmentations proves to be both worthwhile and extremely gratifying.

Now the question becomes whether the free-to-play implementation gets in the way of character progression. After several hours of play, the most notable instances of paying involves the cap on the number of consecutive stages that can be played, which is signified through “keys” that are used to unlock the front doors to a level. If patient, these keys respawn at a reasonable enough rate that it seems trivial next to the usual dual tiered currency of coins and gems that the game also leans on. This is another situation where, if patient, almost every aspect of the game is attainable for free.

An interesting world populated with odd creatures, mobile friendly combat, and loot galore, all highlight why Mother of Myth is well worth delving into. As long as players are willing to tolerate cringe-worthy cutscenes they will be treated to an otherwise enjoyable experience. So suit up for battle because these dungeons are well worth crawling.