The successor to one of the best iPhone games of last year arrived just in time to finish this year off in style. Last years game relied on a couple of updates to really make it stand out, it was good when it originally came out, but after the updates it was really good. This year we’re treated to the sequel that is already a big improvement in many areas. Unlike last year, the story is available from the get go. It’s also clearer than the last time shinning a light onto some of the things that made little sense in the last game.

The story is a lot more in-depth this time around. It’s also in English instead of the language the characters spoke the last time. You learn more about the character, and his role in this world. As you progress through the castle you’ll notice a lot of the same elements from the previous game. There is a ton of money lying around, and it still looks amazing. The level of detail in this game is far superior to that of the first. The landscapes look photorealistic, and the detail in the characters and closer environment seem to have gotten slightly upgraded. The game will really shine on the iPhone 4S, I only have the 4, so I can’t talk too much about that.

The fighting styles have been changed for the better…kind of. I was the type of person that dodged a lot in IB1. In this game dodging 4 consecutive times causes damage to you due to “fatigue”. It’s cool in a way because it makes you interact more in the fights rather than lazily wait for an open like I used to do. Aside from forcing you to parry and block more, using different weapons also impacts the way you fight. I only used the regular sword and shield and a heavy weapon when playing, so I can really only comment on those. The regular sword and shield is what you’re used to playing with, with the heavy weapons, blocking becomes a bit more difficult. Youll have to accept the fact that you can’t dodge while using the heavy weapon, but if your block and parry are good, you can land some serious damage when attacking the enemy back.

Keeping on the theme of weapons, and all your inventory really. You can now add gems to weapons and armor. No, it’s not to show off bling, the gems actually add different effects in combat and gameplay. from more gold and xp to extra damage or elemental damage, gems can be the difference between being poor and weak to wealthy and super effective. Use responsibly.

I touched on it briefly earlier but I wanted to talk more about the graphics. Like I said, I have the iPhone 4, apparently on the 4S the game really shows updates in the graphics, but it also looks great on the 4. The scenery this time looks more photorealistic in the distance, and they did add more detail to this new castle, lighting is also different from the first game. In the first game it’s always 80 and sunny. This game has sun, and evening skies as well. The game just looks great, plain and simple.

It also plays great, smooth fighting sequences and…well that’s really what you play. That was a bit of a problem for me in the last game and this game it kind of bothers me too. It’s still an on rails game, you can choose where to go, but the movement is pre set, and it’s in the form of a cutscene to show off the beauty of the level. I’m hoping that maybe for the next game they add free movement. I’m sure they can add it, due to the first app that was released showing off the town near the castle. The fighting can stay the same, I believe the combat system is perfect. However adding the ability to explore the level freely would just be amazing.

Overall I think this sequel is great, it’s also pretty long for a mobile game, it could take around 6-7 hours to finish the game, which is not bad for 7 bucks.

+Great sequel
+Improved combat forces you to interact more
+Near console quality graphics on a MF’n phone

-No free roam
-Training was annoying and unskippable