iPad App BreakDown: Samurai: Way Of The Warrior HD
Samurai: Way of the Warrior HD ($4.99) by MADFINGER Games, a.s. We gave you a sneak peek of Samurai: Way of the Warrior HD, and now that it's officially live in the App Store it's time for the full review. The game is practically the same as the iPhone version, but with iPad native visuals. Though that seems like a simple difference, with Samurai it’s an amazingly beautiful difference.
The game looks amazing on the iPad, and it's one of the best looking apps you can find for the 9.7” screen. The 3D modeling of the environments and characters is exceptional. The animations are as great as ever as you slice enemies in half or cut their head off.
There is an explosion of blood on the ground as well as splattering on the screen. As great as the sword animations are, what really looks great are the various surroundings whether you’re in a village, bamboo jungle, or poppy field. It’s really a beautiful environment to do such gruesome things when combined create an amazing visual immersion.
The gameplay itself features the same campaign mode as the iPhone version. This is definitely a good thing if you’ve never played the game as there is an intricate story that will take a considerable time to get through. There are also three dojos which act as survival modes, and there are online high scores to go with them.
The game modes feature the same content, but the gameplay itself is different. On the bigger canvas that is the iPad you can make grander brush strokes to chop up your enemies. It’s much easier to swipe quickly and in different directions.
The game is constructed so everything is touch based, and all sword actions are swiped based. To advance in the later levels you will need to understand the various combos. The combos are much easier to pull off on the iPad making it a more enjoyable experience, and making it feel less like you’re madly swiping on screen.
If you own the iPhone version: If you already own the iPhone version you won’t find much new in the iPad version. It’s a beautiful game that is easier to play on the bigger device, but you’re still playing the same levels. There isn’t much reason to pick it up if you already own the iPhone version unless you really care about looks.
If you only own an iPad: That’s not to say that Samurai: Way of the Warrior HD isn’t a great purchase by itself. If you only own an iPad, and are even slightly interested in fighting games this is a must buy. It’s a whole new take on the classic hack n slash only possible on a touch screen device.
The bigger touch screen allows for a more enjoyable experience. It looks great taking full advantage of the iPad graphics engine. Samurai: Way of the Warrior HD taken individually is a must buy for $4.99 on the iPad.
*If you never bought the iPhone version be sure to check out our full review.
