In late 1986 I spent a great deal of time gaming on my Atari 520ST. I received a number of games for it that Christmas, but one in particular stole weeks and months of my life away. It was Rogue, the famed dungeon crawling adventure published by Epyx and dating back to 1980. A nice thing about Rogue is that it and its variants have been ported to most every computing platform in existence. And ever since my first taste of that classic, I’ve gone out of my way to secure a copy for basically every machine I’ve owned. That said, it’s with a heavy heart that I’ve carried around a Rogueless iPhone 2.0 these four and a half months.
And now, thanks to Gandreas Software, my plight is resolved. Rogue for the iPhone just hit the App Store [link]. And it’s free.
Wikipedia describes Rogue‘s gameplay.
In Rogue, the player assumes the typical role of an adventurer of early fantasy role-playing games. The game starts at the uppermost level of an unmapped dungeon with myriad monsters and treasure. The goal is to fight one’s way to the bottom, retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, then ascend to the surface. Until the Amulet is retrieved, the player cannot return to earlier levels. Monsters in the levels become progressively more difficult to defeat. Rare is the adventurer who will again see the light of day.
Features as listed by the developer:
- Playable in either “ASCII" mode, or graphics mode (just rotate the device to switch)
- Obscure keyboard commands replaced with a simple taps for movement, or a handy command picker.
- Commands can also be activated by a unique gesture based command – want to search for a secret door? Swipe across the top of the play area (all the gestures are shown on the command picker for easy reference)
- Graphics can be zoomed in/out via pinch
- Completely faithful Rogue experience (all the levels, monsters, potions, scrolls, etc…)
If you’re an adventure fan or a retro fan…or both, you won’t want to let this classic pass you by.
App Store Link: Rogue, Free
Great review.
I, too, was somewhat disappointed by the length. I've now beaten every level satisfying the first two requirements (saving all the Rolandos and getting all the jewels), but I'm just not up for speed-running every level. Several of the elements in the game seem almost underused, despite the creative ways they could be used. I'm still playing a few levels that I found fun, and I certainly still believe that the game is worth the $10 price point.
And thanks for the disclaimer, by the way. ;)
Super Mario Bros had 24 levels (8 worlds x 3 levels per world).
Sonic the Hedgehog had 18 levels (6 worlds x 3 levels per world).
I don't recall being disappointed with them...
Many games these days are dragged out too long. Too many similar looking corridors (see Halo), too many tedious fetch-quests (see most RPGs). I'd rather a game stayed fresh and inventive for its length and didn't outstay its welcome.
I bought Rolando yesterday and it's fantastic. For my money, it's the first AAA title for iPhone - a game which would be welcome on the Nintendo DS or PSP.
Nice in depth review Arn thanks for the quality. Cannot beat Toucharcade!
I agree with the review. Best game on the iPhone so far (depending on your type of game of course). As far as the length is concerned don't forget two things.
1) It's a mobile game so STOP comparing to SMB or any other console game. Like Alex said the game is really worthy of my money (could have been 20$).
2) it's priced at 9.99$ compare to console games at 39.99$ or 49.99$.
3) If you try to get the 3 medals on all stages you will probably double the length of the game.
For me it's an Instant Classic !
I didn't get what the hype was all about, so I downloaded it and tried it out. It really is like a Super Mario type of experience, but exclusively designed for the iPhone. It's fun, and has interesting physics puzzles.
While I don't feel the re-play value is as high as some other puzzle and word games (e.g. Trism and Quordy), it's still worth the price for hours of entertainment.
I was a big skeptic, but I see why people love it. It really is fun.
I was reluctant to spend another $10 (having just bought BiA and HoS) but after reading all the positive comments I took the plunge.
I absolutely agree with the reviews, this is currently the best and most polished game in the App store - truly a AAA title.
I has been hyped as a potential "Mario of the iPhone" and I think it lives up to the hype. Great control scheme that fits the platform, superb production value in both story, music, soundFX and graphics.
For other platforms like the DS and the PSP a title like this would probably cost between $30 and $60 - so we are lucky that the competition in the app store is currently keeping prices as low as they are - we are really getting a lot of value for the money in my opinion.
I have to say that $10 for 3-5 hours of gameplay doesn't strike me as great value. That's disappointing. It looks fun, but I'm a bit hesitant to pay $10 for such a short game.
I agree with the review. It is truly the first 100% for iPhone platform title that seems to be completely polished right out of the gate.
I did experience some slow down for reasons unknown yesterday while in one of the early levels. It got so bad that I had to shut off the phone. No idea what the cause was. I had the game music turned to 0 and I was using iPod audio. Perhaps that had something to do with it.
Despite this slight blemish, I am happy that I decided to give it a try. Well worth $9.99. Many DS or PSP games aren't this much fun (or polished) and they cost 3 and 4 times as much.
I totally agree with this review. Rolando has been on my wish list ever since i first read about its development. It's one of the very few games that spurred me on enough to join the iPhone Development Program and keep me enthused enough to work on my own titles in hope that Rolando would provide a refreshing outlook on what can be achieved with the iPhone/iPod Touch. £5.99 is a reasonable price for such a well polished game, thats only 16p for each of the 36 levels, quite reasonable really.
Other than the general success of the game, it's warming to think that Simon Oliver (the developer) has probably made a fortune in the last two days alone and that with all the positive comments surrounding the game, will continue to succeed in the future too :)
@SteveJ:
Trust me. As someone who is always concerned with replay value and game length, this is totally worth it. Yes, it is a bit too short for me, but the time spent is arguably the best you can have on the iPhone/iPod Touch. This is really as good as it gets.
Damn ! Some peoples are so cheap ! 10$ for a great game is nothing. How much fun can you buy for 10 bucks today ? You could rent 2 movies, buy 3 burgers, 2 beers in a bar and don't forget the developpers need to make some money too. Please stop complaining about the price and if you can't afford the game just wait a few weeks and the price will probably go down.
3-5 hours of gameplay ONLY???!!! Sheesh...
I bought the game yesterday. I've gone through the first quarter of the game thus far. It's a lot of fun. People who are too cheap to pay $10 for a game are probably not worth worrying over. I don't know why a developer would feel compelled to chase cheapskate customers?
Another feature skipped over in this review is that Rolando is the FIRST app to allow you play your own music while in game!
Go to iPod play an album and start Rolando!
If we're making time-money comparisons, what about paying $10 for a 2-hour movie? With that in mind, Rolando is a steal.
I say if you're even tempted, buy it and show your support for developers who take the platform seriously.
Glenn, you're way off. Fieldrunners, I believe, will let you do this, and I'm certain Zombies Attack lets you do it.
FWIW, Mouse House also allows you to play you own music while in-game. ;) As a player, I hope this becomes a standard feature!
Anyway, Rolando looks just chock full of cuteness and personality - great job!
Fantastic game and a fantastic site! iPhone gaming is kicking butt. :-)
Happy Holidays!
iPod Touch and iPhone are such miserable gaming platforms that even lame BS games like this are revered.
@Michael, you're totally right. People are complaining about a $10 game being too short, which is going to give you more +5 hours of gameplay at least whereas going to the movies costs $9 for a couple of hours.
I think we should focus on the fun you have while playing rather than the time it takes to beat the game. Moreover, this is a mobile game meant to be played in short periods of time, i.e. waiting for a doctor's appointment.
I undestand that some people have more free time to play videogames and the fact that iPhone games are short is disappointing for them. But who knows, we might get lengthier games in the near future. As you all may have noticed, Konami is ready to join the iPhone gaming market by releaseing DDR, Silent Hill and MGS. Perhaps, Capcom will do the same soon, yielding a very competitive market with more fun, slick and lengthy games.
Meanwhile, I think we should just appreciate and enjoy this game. But if you feel you can't get enough, I'd recommend you to get a PSP or a DS if you want to go mobile. Otherwise just get a console.
what's with the Rolando skin on TouchArcade?
@mainstreetmark it's called advertising. see the disclaimer at the bottom of the review.
For those who wanted to play their music in games, here is how:
1. Start the playlist
2. Fire up the game, for most games this is going to fade out and pause your music, don't panic
3. Turn off the in-game music
4. Double click the home button to bring up the music control box (this works anywhere in the iphone os)
5. Tap play and enjoy your game
This should work for every game... however this requires some horsepower so if your game is crashing frequently this is probably the reason.
Very cool. I like ngmoco developer..I enjoy this very nice gave. I tell somebody to apply this.
@shaug - yeah. thanks. Didn't see that disclaimer.
no wonder ngmoco games gets so well reviewed in this site... i know they are top-notch, but still...
as much as this revue seems great, it is hard to take it as being truthful when the whole site is being sponsored by Rolando right now
*review
@LennyL
...so...I guess PSP is also fail at gaming, m i rite? I mean...Patapon is held up as one of the best games on that platform, and it isn't so much different in terms of style suited to all ages. Rolando is a damned good game. I could see DS and PSP owners, even Wii owners, wanting to play this. But it's iPod touch/iPhone exclusive.
As for the $10 whiners, seriously...c'mon. A 3-5 hour game, one that you know will most likely have updates down the line, isn't worth $10? Seriously? C'mon....
"Disclaimer: Ngmoco is a current advertiser on this site. While we don’t believe it influences our review or coverage of the company and their titles, you should be aware."
This is very honest of you guys. I appreciate the transparency.
The transparency on the Rolando site-skinning is indeed appreciated. However: That entire skin, from pagetop to pagebottom (blue area), is hyperlinked to the App Store. Is this intentional? If so, it's a pain.
On the issue of playing your own music while playing a game: I wish this were a required setting option (except in obvious situations were sound is a real part of the gameplay). The most time I spend with my iTouch is during commuting, and that means keeping the music going. I don't want to have to choose between my tunes and playing a game. In fact, I pretty much make it a deciding factor on whether or not to buy a game.
And yes, there are tons of existing games that let you play your music: Blue Defense!, Sumo!, Cube Runner, Moonlight Majong, the Papi games (at least PapiJump)... All ones that I own, obviously.
@People saying this is the first game to let you play your own music
7 Cities also lets you play your own music.
Start the game with music playing and the ingame music is automatically muted. And if you want to start playing music after you've started the game, you can still go to the options and mute the ingame music manually.
And IIRC, Cuberunner let you do the same and that's REALLY old.
Also, I never thought I'd see a LocoRoco clone... I mean, it wasn't even so successful to make random people feel the need to cash in on it?
I've seen ' first AAA iphone game ' too many times now, didn't anyone play Dizzzy Bee? that game and its follow up are both superb games and very polished. I'm not knocking Rolando in any way just wanted to point out that we already have the above games which match the quality of R.
So it happens to be "one" of those games that have controls suited for the touchscreen?
What does that mean? Yah, the absence of pathetic control overlays that offers no tactile feedback and requires you to constantly remind yourself not to slide your fingers off the flushed touchscreen?
What do have left? Constant tilting and touching? Whee, tedious. A game that requires you to change your holding position and tilt of the device is immersive, but nonetheless tedious and gimmicky. Not today you say, because the concept is still relatively fresh, but we will see.
I met ngmoco founder Neil Young a couple of times when he was at EA. He's one of the smartest devs out there, with a total focus on quality. I suspect this is just the first of many cool games we'll see from this developer.
@ Mobile Hack
Agreed Ngmoco could easily become my favourite developer, althugh gameloft has set the stander high
If the game is crashing for you change the language to french then start the game. Then just hit home to exit out and change of back to English.
I don't really care about the ability to play my own tunes library when playing the game. Am I the only one that thinks the game's own soundtrack is pretty damned good? Totally fits the game, and is one of the better soundtracks for any game on the touch/phone.
people should note that ngmoco is a publisher not a developer. they don't make games, they pay developers to make them. thats why some of their other games are kind of crappy, like maze finger. a lot of the reviews and articles on this have been getting this wrong and listing ngmoco as the "developer." it's too bad because the actual developers who did the work under ngmoco's financial aegis (they got like $10million from apple to sponsor development) aren't getting enough credit
@ oliver; I'm not comparing the content of the games, just the quality/polish level of both games. Sure they are different types of games but dizzy does what it does extremely well and feels like a complete product with its level of polish, control ( yes gravity based ) hasn't been bettered yet, not even by rolando.
bad
Just got this game today using a xmas giftcard. Definitely a great game. I gotta say, the music is catchy and adds a feel of polish and fun. This is good stuff!
I'm not sure why no one mentions how similar Rolando is to Loco Roco.
I like this game, even if it's little more than a Loco Roco rip-off.
Also, I never thought I'd see a LocoRoco clone... I mean, it wasn't even so successful to make random people feel the need to cash in on it?
Rolando was the first full featured game designed for iPhone. That is the reason we got excited.