App of the Day: God of Blades
1970s prog rock, epic pulp fantasy and side-scrolling hack 'n' slash. How can this not be brilliant?
Welcome to CNET Australia's App of the Day, where you can see some of the coolest, silliest and most useful apps in action.
The work of swords-and-sorcery artists such as Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Frank Frazetta and Gerald Brom will be familiar, even if you've never heard those names before. Gracing the covers of hundreds of fantasy novels (Vallejo painted the iconic 1960s art for Conan the Barbarian, for instance), the style is broodingly otherworldly and atmospheric.
It seems strange, therefore, that no one had used it as a basis for a fantasy game — which is exactly what God of Blades has now done, and the end product is appropriately epic. Drawing inspiration from the aforementioned artists, 1970s progressive rock and high pulp fantasy, the game is a perfectly realised iOS expression of all three. You play a long-dead king who has arisen to fight the invading hordes in a 2D auto-side scroller. As you run along, you swipe the screen in different directions to perform a variety of attacks, all set to a magnificent soundtrack.
In the US — we haven't tested it here — you can also unlock cool weapons by visiting public libraries. In theory, we think that's a wonderful idea.
God of Blades for iOS (AU$2.99)