UPDATE: May 16th, 2011
Since we last checked in with Aralon, it's received several updates that fixed bugs, added a paladin class, and enabled cloud saving. All of these are welcome additions, particularly the last one.
It's great that Aralon is a universal app, but because we didn't want to have two epic quests going on at a time, we only ever played it on a single device. With the latest update, you can transfer your save between devices by syncing to the cloud.
The cloud save system isn't exactly ideal, but it gets the job done. First, you have to register using an e-mail address, and a four-digit code is sent to you. Then, each time you want to save your game to the cloud, you have to save your game normally, exit to the the main menu, press the "cloud storage" button, and type in your e-mail address and your code. Pulling your save from the cloud works much the same way. Note that when you retrieve a code from the cloud, your "auto-save" slot becomes your cloud save.
The process seems to require more steps than absolutely necessary, so it feels a little clunky. Also, it would be nice if you didn't have to type in your e-mail address and four-digit code every time you wanted to save or retrieve your progress.
But even if cloud saving requires a few extra steps, it's an extremely convenient feature for people with more than one iOS device, and we applaud the developer for including it. What it comes down to is this: if you like open-world RPGs and you don't have Aralon yet, what are you waiting for?
Calling Aralon: Sword and Shadow a big game doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s big in the sense that you can fit other iPhone RPGs inside it. It’s big in the sense that it will absorb your free time the way a major console title can. In other words, your desert island iPhone game has arrived. And in case you were wondering, Aralon is great.
Modeled on open-world Western RPGs like Oblivion, Aralon casts you in the role of a character whose father, a former member of the king’s guard, has died while trying to save the king from his mysterious adviser. Exactly what is going on in the royal house is something you’ll have to investigate as you make your way through the game, following in the footsteps of your father and eventually doing what he died trying to accomplish.
More detailed than real life.
The first thing you do when you start Aralon is create your character. You can be male or female; human, elf, or troll; and warrior, rogue, ranger, or mage. Your gender and race doesn’t seem to have any effect on the actual gameplay, but your class certainly does. Each class has its own skill tree that you can pump points into as you progress and level up. Rangers can acquire various ranged attacks, for instance, while mages learn spells.
Your class also determines which weapons you can use. As you might expect, Warriors can’t use staffs, but they’re great with battle axes. And if you’re an equipment junkie, don’t worry: There are loads of weapons and armor in this game. At any given time, you can have up to 10 items equipped to your person, each one adding to your attack or defense stats. These items also have slots for rune stones that can further boost your abilities. Thankfully, the inventory system in Aralon is intuitive enough that RPG fans will have it mastered in no time.
The controls are intuitive, too. Whatever person, creature, or item you're focused on has a yellow ring around it. To focus on something else, just tap it. Additionally, you have a d-pad on the left, a customizable action bar in the middle, and context-sensitive buttons on the right. Approach an NPC, and a speech button appears. Walk up to an enemy, and buttons to attack and block pop up. The action bar can hold just about anything you want, from magic spells and special attacks to individual weapons and items that summon steeds.
Sun rise, sun set.
That’s right, to cover more distance quickly you can ride horses in Aralon. You can ride other creatures, too, but we’ll let you find out which ones on your own. A big part of what makes Aralon such a blast to play is seeing what new thing the game has in store for you next. Unlike many RPGs on the App Store whose quests range from picking X number of berries to slaying X number of bees, Aralon sends you on a wide array of unique quests. One minute you’re crafting a healing salve for a dragon, and the next you’re sprinkling magic dust on a corpse in an electrified crypt. And even if you’ve seen the “king influenced by an evil adviser” story everywhere from Lord of the Rings to Aladdin, the many stops on the way to solving it in Aralon are quite distinct.
One reason the disparate story elements hold together so well is because the game world that encompasses them feels so alive. The sun rises and sets. Tiny lizards skitter by your feet in the desert. You can fish in the rivers, light campfires to cook on, and pick herbs from the ground. Each day, the world in Aralon lives and breathes. And for a game with such large environments, it’s surprising how much detail they’ve managed to pack in.
Of course, a game this big isn’t released without some issues. Graphical pop-in is constant when you can see into the distance, like when you’re in a big city or wandering around outside. As you walk, mountains will seem to sprout out of the ground, and trees, enemies, and NPCs will pop up out of nowhere. We also noticed some flickering textures and graphical holes from time to time. And, as we noted in our preview, the sun definitely sets in front of the distant mountains.
Sitting on the dock of the bay.
Also, there’s a log that keeps track of the quests you’ve accepted, but it doesn’t differentiate between main quests and side quests. If you haven't played in a few days, it can be tough to regain your bearings. And the descriptions in the quest log for what your next objective is in any given quest aren’t always clear. It would help if you could make one quest “active,” like you can in Oblivion and Fallout New Vegas. Then your map could show you where you need to go next to complete your active quest.
Lastly, we encountered some non-graphical bugs and points where the game froze. Some of these bugs prevented us from completing side quests, but none were game-breaking. We’ve contacted the developer, who has been working hard to fix these and has submitted at least one update that should squash the big bugs we ran into. For optimal results, however, you may want to wait a week or two for the updates to come through before playing the game.
Regardless, Aralon: Sword and Shadow is an incredible game. It’s not perfect, but any game this ambitious is bound to have a few flaws here and there. The important thing to know is that the overall gameplay experience is superb. The fighting is fun, the story is great, the gameplay is varied, and the options for customization are deep and rewarding. Aralon: Sword and Shadow is the great big, ambitious, beautiful, excellent iPhone RPG we’ve been waiting for.
28 Comments
This looks pretty good; I think I might have to try it.
it works on iphone 1st gen almost decent in 1st person mode with low textures, verry low textures, i must buy a new generation of iphone or maybe an ipad, but i must pay 2 salary in romania for one....so i whait :(
Does it really work on your first gen I can't get it to work on my 2g
Sooooo many games! I can't go to sleep! I think i'm having a nervous beakdown! EA sales. I will be tuned into your website all day! On a sad note Cut the rope christmas is for free but the walkthough is for 3 stars is a .99 cents and is in the TOP 200, 186 LAST CHECKED.
I wish we could get Morrowind.
Thanks for writing up the best review on this game I've seen yet.. You'll be writing for IGN or Gamespot in no time buddy.
Shadow Guardian and N.O.V.A 2 were the 2 games I really wanted to play this Christmas. Too bad Shadow Guardian doesn't work on 2G devices and all my memory is taken up by the other releases like Hook Worlds, Battlefield: Bad Company, and the LEGO Harry Potter update
Only problem for me is the voice work. The actors are terrible and the person who did the audio needs to find a new job lol. It sounds like the voices were not recorded in the same room half the time and sounds terrible. A little bit of work in an audio editor was needed!
I have to admit its putting me off playing the game a little.
There's problems with it especially playing this on the iPad. The movement stick is a little too small for the bigger screen and should be more dynamic like touching anywhere on the left side of the screen to move. You can easily miss the stick and look instead.
The menu system and loading screens shrink down to a puny iPhone screen. The voice audio is constantly being washed out by the music. Voice acting sucks, but at least it's not as god aweful as Gameloft's voice work, which constantly are some of the worst. Needs a better map system. I stopped playing it due to some of these annoyences, especially the inventory system shrinking down to a tiny size, but i got back into it fairly enjoying.
3 hours in so far on normal difficulty, using a rogue and upping my stats so i have a high critical percentage and this game has been way way too easy so. Hoepfully it actually gets challenging soon, cuz my enjoyment of it is starting to go down
My warrior is level 10 now and I must say this is one of the best if not the best game I have played on iOS yet. I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad and am currently playing on the iPad. I do agree with Jeffyg3 that is incredibly annoying to have all the loading screens and inventory popping up in iPhone size on the iPad. Not to mention the quick menu that is way to small on the iPad. I have pushed the wrong menu button on numerous occations due to this. Gulping on my precious health potion with full health is very frustrating. The devs must fix this. None the less - magnificent game.
Can some one help? I just beat the quest where you talk to the gosht queen in calaheim and I'm not sure what to do next. Can some one tell me what to do??
But this is THE best action/RPG on iPhone/iPod touch. 5/4 stars!
The name of the quest is "the plan" where do I go after I beat it??
Love this game!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aralon-Sword-and-Shadow/197542923598939?sk=wall
thanks for great rewiev...awesome game...
Umm... wasn't aralon always a universal app?
seriously good game...
OUT OF THE WORLD FUN!!!
This is easily the best, most inspired iPhone title that I've played. I've never thought very highly of the iPhone as a gaming platform given that the majority of its best selling action games are gameloft rip offs that are bland and boring in my opinion. This game is great though, I can't recommend it enough.
Here I have a cloud save people can use ok email z4ck4tt4k@yahoo.ca pin 9324 hope you like this guy he's level 45 mage
My only complaint is that it doesn't autosave often enough. I was recently in a situation where I accidentally saved as an enemy was about to kill me, and when I went back to my autosave, it took me back to where I was 20 minutes ago.
Can someone please tell me if this game requires a Internet connection? I would really like to get this game but before I get it I would like to know if it requires a internet connection. Please tell me.
hey Doug, nope, this game does not require an internet connection. Go ahead and nab it especially if it's still on sale, I bought it day one and I absolutely love it. I hope you enjoy it as well!
Love this game. Anyone have an estimate of the no of hours of gameplay this game provides.
This game still has alot of bugs and gameplay issues, and the content is not very deep by comparison to console rpgs; as much as this game was hyped up to be the first big "console" game for ios, it should be judged by the same standard. If you have to charge more than the normal 5 or 10 dollars to develop it right, then do so, or dont try to fill such big shoes.
Also if you post an honest review like this to one of their "official" forums, you will be banned and have your post deleted (it made me laugh when the mod cited reason as "belligerant jerk").
Does this game require internet to play?
I find it disappointing that after Aralon, not one game was developed in this specific genre. Mobile gaming could be so much more than just flinging birds, cutting ropes, defending towers or finding water. So come on, game developers, apply yourselves!
Aralon is great as an example of what could be, but far too glitchy to be a truly great game. I've asked Crescent Moon Games if they're interested in making a true successor, but haven't received a response yet. Since Crescent Moon focuses more on easily forgettable App store filler like Siegecraft (which is still pretty fun by the way) these days, I doubt that we'll ever see another Aralon or Ravensword. Which is a real shame, because there's nothing like carrying an "Elder Scrolls-like" adventure along in your pocket, a looking glass into another world, yours to revisit on any opportunity you get.
So, I'm still waiting for a brave game developer that dares to create a similar experience, while raising the bar higher, and using the capabilities of the iPhone 4S to the fullest...
Instead of making YET another infinite runner, jumping platformer or physics puzzler...
Update: I have received a kind reply from Josh Presseisen from Crescent Moon, stating that Ravensword 2 is still in the works and that it, and I quote, "will be awesome." So, let's have faith.
... and oh yeah, about the price thing. I do understand that in a market where 5 euro games are considered "expensive", you can't put the same investment in iOS-games as in console-games.
Therefore I hope that a different market will arise, with just a little more expensive mobile games, that dares to produce something great.
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