Relive the bloody glory days of a piece of 'junk' in Redden

Many pieces of so-called junk were once someone’s valued treasures, and several of the discarded tools in “A Hundred Denarii” spent their early lives as wonderful weapons. A cutting board named Jo was once an arrow, Bi the pot used to be a Japanese shuriken, and Cal the cleaver was made from the metal of a bullet. When a discarded iPhone talks down to these pieces of “junk,” they unfold their stories. That is the plot behind Redden, a new game on the App Store.

Not so humble beginnings

Jo begins our tale, reliving his days as the Prince’s arrow. This is no ordinary arrow, so you get to control Jo as he avoids obstacles and headwinds, rides tailwinds to gain more energy, and ultimately strikes the killing blow to his target. The game begins with you striking down birds, boars, and deer, but be warned: it progresses quickly to taking down enemy forces of men and women.

Nostalgic graphics

A haze of memory surrounds this side-scrolling game, lending to the app’s premise of being the reminiscences of discarded tools. The graphics are a bit on the dark side, but there is plenty of light and contrast to see the difference between your targets and the obstacles in your path. You control the characters’ path using either touch controls or by tilting your device, and the game play is both easy to learn and difficult to master at the same time.

A bit more work on the dialogue, please

I like the stories told within games, but the backstory in Redden is challenging to follow. This isn’t because of the story itself; rather, it’s the way the story is told. The spoken dialogue is told in a foreign language with English subtitles. The problem is that the subtitles often flash by so quickly that you can’t read them.

A unique spin

In spite of its flaws, Redden is a unique spin on the magic bullet theme. I find it a bit of a stretch that a cutting board was once an arrow, but putting that aside leaves us with an interesting backstory behind a game that challenges you to guide your arrow, shuriken, or bullet past and through obstacles to strike your target.

Redden is designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It is available for $2.99 on the App Store, with no ads or in-app purchases.

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