Looking For An Endless Runner With Some RPG Flair? Meet One Epic Knight
One Epic Knight (Free) by Simutronics Corp is a 3-D endless runner like Temple Run, but with an RPG twist to it. It actually kind of reminds me of FANTASYXRUNNERS, except you can only be a knight.
The game starts off with a lone knight, who is standing outside of what appears to be a dungeon. Think of the entrances to instances in World of Warcraft, because that's kind of what it looks like. Except no one is joining you, of course.
A tree is near the entrance with a piece of parchment on it, which serves as the game’s menu. From here, you are able to see your Feats (high scores, stats, and achievements), the Vault (there are rare items to be found in the dungeon), Store (upgrades, potions, and costumes), and Options.
To get started with the actual game, just tap anywhere on the screen (without the menu) and your knight will charge in to the dungeon. The knight will always say some random line (one of them is even the infamous "Leeeeeeeeeeerooooy Jenkinnnnns" battle cry) while storming in, so I'm sure that you'll get some laughs out of it.
During your run, you’ll encounter “loot” on the ground, which serve as the game’s currency — so be sure to pick these up. You’ll even encounter springing traps from the walls, spikes from the ground, jelly cubes that trap you if you run into them, barricades, and even angry little orcs that will attack you. There’s quite a bit going on, and I love the fact that the game features these interactive elements — it’s a nice change from other games in the genre where all you do is just run around.
If you've played Subway Surfers or Agent Dash (both previous Game of the Week winners), then you will know the controls for One Epic Knight. Swipe left and right on the screen to move the knight between three "lanes" swipe up to make him jump, and swipe down to make him slide under obstacles. I actually would have preferred the tilt controls like those found in Temple Run, but I digress.
Along the way, there will be some power-ups for the knight to obtain. These include the shield to protect you from traps, and the sword to attack critters. These items are stackable as well, so make sure to get as many as you can! There are also treasure chests that will hold a large amount of loot for you, so don’t miss out on those opportunities. You can purchase upgrades for these items in the Shop, which will increase the multiplier you obtain when smashing or attacking.
Additionally, our knight friend can use potions for incredible abilities, such as fireballs that seek out all enemies, faster movement (a head start), and more. Some will require you to fill up your mana meter with purple crystals, so it’s important to get as many of those as you can (an upgrade can increase how often they appear).
There are also some challenges to accomplish while playing. The game will show you what they are as you start a new run. However, these aren't exactly real missions, as they are in Jetpack Joyride or Ski Safari. I noticed that they are basically just the achievements that you get in the game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I would have liked to see specific challenges like "vanquish five goblins in one run" or something to that effect. It would keep the game consistently fresh.
Game Center is integrated for competing globally or with friends on the leaderboards. There are also a lot of achievements to collect, so I’m pretty sure that you will be playing this game for a while, trying to get them all (and kicking butt in scores).
There are in-app purchases if you want more loot to spend, but I found the rate of obtaining loot in the game to be good enough. I’m really glad that Simutronics decided not to attempt to gouge the wallets of players.
The graphics are crisp and look great on Retina devices, the music and sound effects are charming and humorous, and the gameplay is fun and addictive. There is little reason to not check this game out, especially since it’s available as a free download for your iPhone and iPad.
So what are you waiting for? Don’t strategize a plan, just Leroy Jenkins your way through!
