[FTP REVIEW] Arcane Legends

Marcus Estrada 
(PC, Mac, Android [REVIEWED], iOS) 

This review is of a free-to-play game. Because of this, we are not assigning it a score, as free-to-play games are subject to change dramatically over the course of its life. Also, it’s free.

Are you a fan of smartphone or tablet games? Often, the answer that gamers give to such a question is, “No.” For many, there is a stigma surrounding these types of games; it is thought that they aren’t as engaging or worth your time. When it comes right down to it, though, most of the people making these claims have hardly spent any time with games other than Angry Birds. Both that group, as well as satisfied portable gamers, should give Arcane Legends a look.

First off, Arcane Legends is probably one of the most complex games available on Android and iOS at the moment. This isn’t just some simple auto-attacking dungeon crawler, but something much more akin to Diablo and Torchlight. There are three classes to choose from: rogue, sorcerer, and warrior. Each class has their own special abilities and ranges just like you might expect. Each character also gets a pet to use with them in battle. Once that is all set up, you begin your journey fulfilling quests for villagers and folks trapped in dungeons who need your help.

The game is simple enough to start with, but adds a fair bit of customization as you plod along. As you level up, you may select your stats, as well as learn new abilities. These range between magic, healing, and super attacks depending on the character. Each even has its own set of upgrades to be done to it after being unlocked. For example, you may unlock a healing move first, then later add in effects that extend the range of healing, or make it last longer. The ability to respec your character is also included at no additional charge, which is hugely convenient.

What is it that makes me compare this game to the Diablo or Torchlight series? Just look at the game! It takes a isometric perspective of the world and has you travel around fighting hordes of enemies by clicking furiously. Well, in the case of this game, you’re tapping instead of clicking, but the same principle is there. You’re awarded with gold and loot, and there’s tons of it to be had. Although it’s not quite as addictive as these other games, you may find yourself coming back day after day just to get in one more dungeon run. The only problem is that if you play for too long, then it does cause some strain on the tapping finger.

Although attacking is fairly simple, you can still get in some strategy with it. Each attack includes a charged variety, which is much stronger. Charging simply requires you to hold down on the corresponding button for a second or two before unleashing it. As long as you’re close to enemies, the character will automatically hit it, too. Some more exciting strategy comes in when you use your special skills. They get mapped out around the main attack button and you’ll quickly get a feel for where they are. From there, it’s simple to fire them off whenever necessary. As you might expect, they have to recharge, so this makes deployment a fairly precise science.

Visually, Arcane Legends stands out as looking quite good. The graphics won’t impress those playing the latest hit games, but how can they? For the smartphone and tablet market it’s pretty good, though. They are fairly stylish as well, evoking art styles that would feel right at home with popular indie games. The layout is designed quite well, too, with nice bold buttons to let you know where everything is.

One big reservation that people have with these kinds of games is how much in-app purchases matter. Arcane Legends is free to play and as such there are ways for you to spend real money in it. Although it would have been easy to make this game “pay to win,” there really aren’t as many benefits from spending money as you might think. First off, paying for anything is never required. There are a few times the game suggests that you spend, but it never becomes a necessity to continue playing.

What these IAPs do offer are quick access to new pets, additional gold, and chests filled with random items. There are other ways they help make the game simpler, such as by letting you revive instantly where you died. Even if you don’t have any of the paying coins for that, though, you are transported to the beginning of the section for free. It may be a slight annoyance, but is nowhere near the realm of basically paying to get a super-powered character. However, this doesn’t mean the game is a perfect balance of both worlds.

Those who never spend a penny on the game may find that it moves too slow. When you’re a weaker character with cheaper weapons and armor you will obviously have more trouble. Although most enemies are not hard to take care of, many bosses are extremely tougher. This requires other players to get in on the action and makes it nearly impossible for someone to just wipe down a whole dungeon themselves. Without paying for stronger stuff, it is even harder, and causes many more deaths and potion uses. After being given potions, you are basically on your own to buy more. Although they cost in-game gold (that is found by questing) you may quickly eat up your reserves of money and potions. Someone who pays to get more gold will have a much easier time due to stronger goods, as well as simply having access to more potions.

After a while, grinding becomes a fairly tedious affair. The writing in the game is passable, but hardly fantastic. The voice acting mostly consists of blabbering and is also annoying after a bit. With little story, the main thing that keeps the game going is the compulsion to acquire more gold and goods, as well as playing with others. The game is just not meant for solo play. Thankfully, there are always loads of people bustling in the world which means you’ll rarely have to raid a dungeon yourself. This works best when there are other players around of different classes, as each provides their own methods of supporting the team. So far, though, it seems like the majority of players are picking one class — Warrior.

If you’re looking for a game that is more hardcore than Angry Birds, then Arcane Legends certainly fits the bill. It manages to be a good recreation of a dungeon crawler for portable devices. The issues it suffers are that, in attempting to be a fair free-to-play game, it makes progress too slow for free players. Thankfully, there is no easy way to pay your way to victory either. Arcane Legends is a fair bit of fun, but only if you’re willing to sink the time into it to actually nurture a strong character.