Daily iPhone App: Fara

Fara is quite a game. The gameplay itself new -- in fact, the script even jokes that the hack-and-slash, Zelda-style title has been done before (by a guy in a green cap). It's Fara's style that's special. The backgrounds and characters are all hand-painted, and the script's self-referential writing push Fara past its humble gameplay mechanics. Plus, the intro hints at a much larger premise

Fara offers some fun physics twists and the touch controls are well executed. Most of your moves a swipe or a tap, yet I felt fully in control of the character's actions. That's a great sign with an action game like this.

There's a lot of mystery in Fara. So much so that casual gamers might be turned off by its reliance on gaming tropes and the mix of styles that hints at that larger story. But I would say it's worth sticking with. There's a lot of depth here, and while Fara just drops you into its strange world, it's a world worth exploring. Fara is available on the App Store for US$2.99.