Universal Ire - Blood Memory (by 10Birds)

Ok, I spent some time with the claws and holy crap -- it's like a completely different game! I'm actually enjoying it now, and dying less (so far). Will upload video soon.

I hope I won't regret using everything I find to reinforce the equipment I have?

Also, gold seems to be incredibly hard to come by. If I didn't have the 5,000 the game gives to start with, I wouldn't have been able to afford to reinforce anything. My gold is not replenishing. I hope this isn't the Freemium part of the game kicking in. I wouldn't mind spending a few bucks on this if it were a premium game, but not gonna spend money on consumables.

Also, I know my iPhone 5 is ancient, but any chance you could shorten the loading time both for starting up the game and starting a quest?

Edit: I forgot about the challenges! Just collected a bunch of gold and other fun stuff from them. Carry on.

Edit 2: Consider a floating joystick like in Implosion? The current joystick feels more like a directional pad. If I place my finger on it slightly to the left, my character changes direction from facing right. Ideally, only dragging my finger should make him change direction.

 

Why in the world does a completely single-player game require network connection...?? It's like they slap on this stupid restriction now on all games as if making some deal with carriers and their highway robbery data prices. What's next, pac-man requiring network connection or the dots won't appear?

 

I didn't even notice, since I haven't played away from home yet. But I agree, it's a nuisance. Defeats the point of having it on my iPhone vs iPad, bc I don't have enough data to let my games sap it up.

Edit: I assume it's to minimize hacking, something that wouldn't matter with a premium game.

Edit 2: Here's a new video with some claw action. Will try the sword next, since I just collected one from the challenges.

Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel

 

Haters gonna hate.
This was a pointless comment and you are insanely disrespectful towards the devs. A simple i don't like single player games that require network connections would have gotten the point across a lot better then that rant..

 

Great game devs! Like others said besides the network connection this game is pretty amazing for being free.
The gameplay is way different from any other dungeon crawler on the AppStore in a really good way. The combos are a little hard to get used to but when you do it's really fun. The menus could use some touching up though.
When I first killed the fairy to revive health my first thought was DAMN that reminds me a lot like bloodborne haha great job you guys.

 

Look at the guide section in the main menu and see the combos for the duel gauntlets. They are a little tough to do at first but they're really fun and look b.a

 

I didn't realize there are combos! You're right -- I should take a look at the guide.

 

Man, only a fellow sunbro/Souls player could come off so jolly. You sir are so grossly incandescent.

Jokes aside, if you're a PR, you make an excellent PR. I'm enjoying reading your inputs to our feedback. Incredible game, you have an instant fan in me for future games. Can't wait to play after work.

 

I wish they would offer a premium version for $5-10 with an offline version. I would definitely be hooked. I feel limited in my game time having to get a steady Internet connection and data to play.

 

Agreed. With perhaps fewer currencies and a less cluttered UI? I normally wouldn't even give Freemium games the time of day. But those visuals...

What about a separate, premium version, devs?

 

Yep. They don't need to mess with the current version, just make a separate version for us premium-only buyers. I see "Angry Birds Free" and "Angry Birds Premium" types all over the app store. I don't bother with the free ones in the slightest, but if there's options, the premium one gets my money every time.

Want my $10 and a repeat customer for life? Set me up with an unlimited, offline version, and you have it in a heartbeat.

 

The dev has been very receptive so I have hope that one might come.. maybe

To make it easier, if they don't change anything but offline I would still purchase it (though the changes you mentioned would be nice).

 

Maybe i suck, but Im in chapter 3 atm and finding myself repreating a lot previous stages for lvling up, cause some boss is way too hard. This feeling is so "freemium". When Im not sure if Im right but it seems that there is no "invincible" time when dodging?
Another thing I dont like is UI is so... a mess. Too many things in too many tabs...

 

Ok, just got to Chapter 2 and forged my first weapon (my claws, which I'm sticking to because everything else feels too slow). I had over 7k gold and now I'm down to 2k. Battles give next to no gold. So it seems the only gold comes from the challenges. With reinforcing and forging costing so much, it's now starting to feel like a Freemium game.

Also, I agree that the joystick is terrible on the iPad. It's not great on the iPhone, but much worse on iPad. Which is a shame, bc the game looks great on my Air 2.

 

Ok, the game starts crashing a lot for me (6plus). Very annoying, especially after I finished one of the 2 bosses or after defended 2 waves of instruder (btw why the f*** u let 2, maybe more instruder in just 1 game session, or because its a *freemium*?)

 

In the depths of hell lie strategy

My immediate and initial response to playing Ire: Blood & Memory was “Whoa, this is freaking hard!” While in most cases the follow-up to that statement would be to erase the game on my iPhone to make room for another, there are several factors that kept me coming back to this game for more.

The game is surprisingly deep and varied in terms of the strategy one can apply to win battles, and brutal battles they are. In these days when most similar games employ ‘auto play’ features that allows the players to defeat enemies in embarrassingly exaggerated and unrealistic fashion at the touch of a button (or an extra 99 cents if that seems hard), the battles in Ire are more realistic and all the more satisfying for being result of both brawn and brain. The levels of strategy that can be peeled one by one is a completely unexpected but pleasant surprise (familiar for any fan of From Software’s ‘Souls’ series of games), and represents a level of intelligence that is present in no other any hack and slash mobile game in memory. The pacing of the game is perfect in that it gives time for the player to regroup after individual battles. Another big surprise is the destructible environments and how they could be used intelligently to destroy harder enemies. The other point I’d make is that as you level up in armor and weapons, new strategies can be discovered that one didn’t immediately recognize before. So I’d recommend players to poke around and experiment with different moves. The controls are very responsive, except for a few situations where the evading roll plays out in awkward directions, and all three attack choices have their own pros and cons enough to use in combination as opposed to indicriminate mashing. Clearly intelligence is required to fully enjoy this game but make no mistake… this is a game of carnage and destruction, so don’t think your smarts can get you out of every situation.

Dungeon-crawling RPG action games are a dime a dozen these days, thus it is difficult to expect much of originality when these games are released. Nevertheless, Ire is different in that its universe is unique for both what it includes as it is with what it keeps out. I was happy to see that the developers at Tenbirds kept out the over-used Blizzard-inspired creature designs, opting for the style of a surrealist nightmare that is more reminiscent of a Silent Hill game. The creatures are perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this game, as their designs are among the best I’ve seen on a mobile platform. In addition, each unique physical aspect of the creatures translates into unique aspects of their combat as well—I just love it when there is a purpose to every aesthetic detail, rather than mere decoration. The overall atmosphere of the game is of solemn loneliness and sadness, reflective of the long and arduous journey of our protagonist. While it may seem counterintuitive to say that such an atmosphere leads to longer gameplay, I am quite surprised to say that it actually does. The brutal action is strong and entertaining enough to keep the player engaged and in anticipation of what comes next, and the moodiness is complementary to it. The background story is a bit difficult and convoluted to comprehend but personally it did not matter much, as I doubt anyone walking through the depths of the game’s hinterland would know much about what is going on any way. My weapon shall be my guide.

In conclusion, I tip my hat to the game designers at Tenbirds who chose to tackle a genre and style that took real balls to achieve, especially given that it travels an alternate path from most other trend-chasing developers. Yet, it’s the path of creating an ‘entertaining and original’ game that a mobile game skeptic such as myself could enjoy, and they have been successful. While the user interface and its background story could use a bit of cleansing simplification, there is no denying that in terms of fun and brutal hack and slash gameplay as well as fantastic creatures to encounter and defeat, no other game on the mobile platform rises to the level of Ire.

 

I agree, the creature designs are definitely the main thing keeping me coming back for more.


So...I'm a bit confused about these "Boons." I think they're other players helping me out? But so far I've had two level 25 boons and they could basically take out the bosses very easily for me. I don't know if there's a down side to using them? They don't seem to take my loot and I'm still getting experience. So I'm not sure what the trade-off is. And are there actual people controlling them, or does the AI just take control of people's characters?

 

Not to mention the armor and weapons you can forge look INSANE!

I've been wondering about the boons too? But the ones that help me suck and can't hit anything. I mean they reallly suck when they "help" me. Lol

 

Well, given that this game is influenced heavily from the Souls series, I would confidently guess that "boons" are simply summoned NPCs that help you. Whether or not they are helpful depends on the creator's attention to their AI, hence why they can be OP or just unhelpful. I doubt there are downsides to these "summoned NPCs," since they are there to help you. On the other hand, the app description does say that you can summon other LIVE players to your world and that you can invade others too, so you just might encounter real players as you play.

Anyways, here is my shameless plug (aka gameplay and commentary of my first 15 minutes). Again, really well done 10Birds, I enjoyed every second of it. Especially after I discovered good ol' backstab.

 

JHC, when did this thread get so long? Maybe I should stop contributing.