Windows Phone 7 review: Twin Blades
Twin Blades is so, so pretty. It's the kind of game you want to love, just because of its impeccable production values. Take a gun-toting nun, throw in an endless supply of zombies, and you should have a recipe for hours of fun. Unfortunately, Twin Blades suffers from design that's as intelligent as the enemies that inhabit it.
After setting off from your cathedral (the only safe place in town, apparently), you go on a quest to murder every zombie in your path. The first level introduces you to the basics. Shooting your pistol reduces your ammo meter (represented by the blue orb), but using your scythe to cut down enemies will fill that back up. Zombies spawn from the ground, but they're rather unintelligent. They can spawn around you, forcing you to shoot and jump your way through. It's pretty cool at first ...
But then you see that every level in the game plays in exactly the same way. There's no platforming, no enemy variation, and no need to ever change your strategy. You'll want to upgrade your weapons and health, which requires a large amount of grinding. But don't worry, the game will force you to replay (and replay, and replay) levels over and over again, doing the exact same thing. The gameplay isn't compelling to warrant a repeat visit, even in short bursts.
Respite comes in the form of the game's three bosses, the latter two which actually involve puzzle solving! Unfortunately, the cumbersome virtual D-Pad controls make it difficult to avoid fast-moving attacks. You'll find yourself figuring out ways to exploit the AI to win, instead of using actual skill ... provided you have the patience to make it that far.
It's unfortunate that such a gorgeous game has such shallow, uninteresting gameplay. Even though it's only $3, I expected much more of a "real game" experience out of Twin Blades than what it ultimately offered.
See also: Windows Phone 7 launch games reviews hub
This review is based on a retail Samsung Focus provided by Microsoft and AT&T.
