Finally, an accessible rogue game! This is a much simpler, graphically pleasing, and smooth rogue experience. All you other rogue games out there listen up: THIS IS HOW I WANT TO CONTROL MY @! The controls are spot on, well done! -ex
I bought Rogue Touch about a week ago and have really liked it, although it was quite hardcore. As soon as I heard that Sword of Fargoal was available, I immediately bought it and enjoying it very much! This game is all that, what Rogue Touch should have been, the graphics are far better, the controls are spot on and overall the game is just more enjoyable. This will stay a long time on my Touch. Great work!
Game Impressions Initial impressions: It's obvious right from the start that a lot of work went into this title. It's got tons of polish and charm. The interface is great, the swipe controls are very intuitive and the old school feel combined with a fluid engine gives it a really unique feel. The sounds and music are also great and have that C64 vibe to them. I only played it for a short time, but I can see I'll enjoy this game for hours. I missed out on the original (I was only 4 at the time of release) so I'm looking forward to catching up on the revamped release Anyone who enjoys dungeon crawlers or roguelikes should definitely look at this game.
It should be said that the intro movie is so beautifully done that I let it play through almost every time I play the game. It puts all those garish Gameloft cinematics to shame.
There is something to be said of keeping stuff as simple as they do in Sword of Fargoal. In Rogue Touch (as the original Rogue) how well you did often really seemed to rely on the luck of the food/equipment/items scrounged whereas in SoF, finding certain items can save your life later to be sure, but most of your risk can be mitigated by carefully choosing when and who you engage as well as making sure you level up as much as possible before leaving a level (there is rarely a reason NOT to explore every nook and cranny of a level on your way down to the Sword even if on the way back out you'll want to move as efficiently as possible).
I'm enjoying this game for the most part, but I do have one complaint: I spend a LOT of time waiting to regain hit points. Pretty much after every major battle I have to sit around, or wander, or avoid enemies while my hits regenerate. I really miss having something like "Rest" that will just accelerate time until I've healed. Have I missed something, or is there no solution to this problem? It would be nice to have an accelerate button, that makes time pass quickly until a monster approaches... I'm also not clear on what a lot of the spells/items do (magic sack?), but I think I'd be more willing to experiment if I didn't feel like it'd taken so long to get to where I am now (which isn't much, ~level 8).
That temple, if you're willing it stand there for a bit, does more than merely convert gold to experience.
Yes, the temple can provide healing in multiple ways. Also... got a regeneration spell? There are plenty of healing opportunities around... Also... try to avoid traps? You can certainly try to "grind" your way through everything, but it is not the easiest of paths.
I haven't had a lot of time to play this yet (somehow the management frowns on me playing games here at work), but this appears to be an excellent game so far. The mini map is maybe a little small for my eyes, but since the game allows for zooming the map out perhaps that isn't going to be a huge issue. I think we are lucky to have two very nice rogue-likes that have been so well adapted to the platform (the other obviously being the excellent Rogue Touch).
Yeah I've died a couple times because I got impatient. But given that the game isn't turn-based, I do like the challenge of avoiding enemies while regenerating HP.
Madgarden thanks for info. i could not stand opportunity to buy new rogue game, hope it has a lot of challenge.
I am really enjoying this game! I've played the other rogue-likes on the iPhone and there are nice, but Sword of Fargoal takes rogue-likes to another level - which seems odd to say knowing Sword of Fargoal probably predates many rogue-likes. The cinematic background music overlaid with retro action sounds works quite well. The 3D-2D dungeon is a nice touch. It gives the map a sense of depth without obscuring the action. The stair-up and stair-down cut animations are hypnotizingly elegant. Controls work very well, anywhere on the screen. Flick to move. Or drag and hold for continued movement. You don't have to have your finger in the way of seeing the action. The UI is well-thoughtout, offering valid action buttons automatically. HP and EXP bars fade in and out as needed. Although, I'd like access to see them when I'd like Someone in another post said, and I agree, that there is a very nice combination of retro and modern graphics and sound, while using iPhone/iTouch features nicely (multitouch zoom, etc.) Sword of Fargoal is the most fresh retro dungeon crawler on the iPhone - a must-buy for folks who enjoy casual dungeon crawlers.
I just had to toggle off the fanfare sound which really annoys me. But besides that, this game is a BOMB and I see me playing this for the next weeks ... every single free minute. Love the sequences of descending the stairs - so beautiful - never skip them. Thanks for this game. With Rogue Touch I checked out this genre for the first time and got hooked. Now you really lift it to new heights...!
Hi jackiemac, glad you're liking it. If you want, you can show the HUD/status all the time by turning off the "autohide stats" option in the menu. Also, if you like the autohide feature but just want to see the status sometimes, then you can click on the Pause button in the lower-right and then resume (basically double-tap) and it will trigger the stats again briefly. Also, while you're standing on a temple, they will be shown. your personal robot, see I just *knew* you were going to want that fanfare option, so I added it to be safe.
Yeah, I'm pretty much hooked on this. Some of those levels are absolutely massive. There are so many interconnected sections, not just by holes in the wall, but by taking different stairs on different levels. Even the stairs themselves may go up or down two or three levels, particularly the steep, rickety ones that only go down. Add the secret walls that usually reveal some nice swag (found 6 enchant weapons so far, which is cool) and there's a lot to explore here. I'm on the 7th level with a 10th level character and I'm still exploring. Whew.
I'm a huge fan of Rogue Touch, and I've been waiting for this game to drop. I usually dont like to spend more than 1.99 on an app, but I instantly purchased this one. I'm not in love with the swipe controls, but I'll get used to it I suppose. Looks very polished though, nicely done.
I agree with the controls. I would love to see a virtual D-Pad like Rogue Touch has. I do find myself going diagonal when trying to go straight many times or vice-versa. Regardless, this game is a ton of fun. It isn't any easier than Rogue Touch from what I can see (which is good), and I have yet to devise a decent strategy. The levels in this game are massive.
I personally love how the maps connected by tunnels don't even have to make sense, almost like Portal where you might even be connecting to the same additional map to the south and the north of your current location.
Great game! Just wanted to congratulate the devs on this game, i'm really enjoying it and it's definately got me interested in rogue-likes now!, sounds and music are awesome, controls great, animations brilliant, and loads of challenge! will be playing this a long time, exspecially with updates coming. As a suggestion, I thought it would be cool if the minimap could grow larger if you tapped on it, and then shrink back again when you tap again. That would make it a bit easier to see when you're looking for a corridor you haven't yet explored, bit easier on the eyes! I also think this a good thing for Rogue Touch as I quite fancy picking that up now after playing this and realising I like the genre. Great job!
