Pacific Rim Review

In the United States there is an entire generation of young adults that spent their formative years closely following the exploits of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The plot of each episode didn’t matter. All that mattered was as the story came to a close, it would always involve the massive hulking Megazord duking it out with some oversized monster, usually leveling the city in the process. If the newly released iOS tie-in game for the film Pacific Rim is any indicator, the motion picture may be banking on a similar vibe.

Far too many reviews have been penned using the phrase, "just like Infinity Blade.” Unfortunately, this is another case of déjà vu, so buckle up. Pacific Rim revolves around a collection of military mechs named, “Jaegers,” that serve the sole purpose of defending earth from monster invasions. Each mission consists of being placed in an area with the beasts and then going toe-to-toe. Sound familiar?

Combat is conducted using a series of dodges and swipes, with a few screen taps mixed in for good measure. Virtually every mechanic of this title has been shamelessly ripped from Epic Games’ iOS powerhouse, all the way down to upgradeable weapons and equipment. Each battle has a collection of primary and secondary goals that need to be completed in order to progress the campaign, if you could call it that. Essentially the storyline is used to string the player from fight to fight, against alarmingly repetitive looking foes, providing as minimal context as possible.

Get ready to learn four enemy attack sequences and commit them to memory, because that is all that is necessary to succeed in Pacific Rim. The monotony of each conflict is only mildly overshadowed by the lack of variety in animations. In another baffling twist, the game will require the player to use a new mech, in order to progress the story at certain points. The problem is that these mechanical marvels are locked behind a wall of in-game currency that would take hours of grinding on lesser foes in order to afford… unless, of course, if you want to pitch in real cash instead.

The App Store has seen a steady stream of mediocre film-inspired games grace its hallowed marketplace. Pacific Rim follows in the great tradition by delivering one of the most uninspired cross promotional tools to date. Lackluster visuals, gameplay, and story all help this title earn a gold star of complacency. Move over, Man of Steel, there is a new sheriff in the town of Blahville. Maybe those two should just duke it out to the death and save us all the trouble…

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