Mobius Final Fantasy vs Vaporum: Lockdown
Mobius Final Fantasy
Mobius Final Fantasy is a rather enjoyable spin-off from the legendary anime game franchise, Final Fantasy. Playable on both Android and iOS as well as on PC (Steam), the game features a fun yet tactically-infused, turn-based combat system with simple controls that perfectly suit the limitations of mobile devices. Newcomers will find this game a Final Fantasy game that's not only easy to get into in terms of its gameplay but also in terms of its storyline. As opposed to most of the standalone Final Fantasy games which have stories that are inextricably linked to one another, this game plops you into the shoes of the amnesiac protagonist who happens to be the prophesized "Hero of Light"... sounds rather cliche? Well, you're not wrong there. The story in this game can be a bit lackluster unfortunately.Thankfully, the gameplay pretty much makes up for the lacking story, allowing players something good to say about this game. So, if you're hoping to get more epic Final Fantasy story, Mobius Final Fantasy might not be the game you seek, but if you're more into an intense and unique gameplay, then you should really check this game out.
Vaporum: Lockdown
Vaporum: Lockdown is a first-person, dungeon crawler featuring old-school grid-based dungeon-crawling gameplay with real-time combat, fun Sokoban-like puzzles, cool steampunk-themed setting, and an intriguing mystery to uncover. In this game, you play as a scientist, Ellie, who’s trapped within a locked-down facility called the Arx Vaporum filled with murderous robots and mutated creatures. Will Ellie be able to escape the place in one piece? What will she discover as she makes her way through Arx Vaporum?In terms of gameplay, you’ll be moving Ellie, the protagonist of the story, one grid at a time. Turning to face a certain direction before you can say turn a corner also requires an extra tap of the keyboard. However, this also means that you can actually move like a crab in this game if you’re sure of the path you’re on. Like most dungeon crawlers, Vaporum: Lockdown comes with devious traps, enemies and puzzles. Traps in this game can be rather easily avoided as long as you got the timing down right.
The interesting part about this game is that combat plays out in real-time here, unlike any other old-school dungeon crawlers we have experienced before. This means that it is entirely possible to loop a sequence of “move and attack” when facing something stationary so you can avoid getting hit at all. However, this also means that more mobile enemies can be trickier to slay – it all boils down to timing really.
There are also fun Sokoban-like puzzles in this game. Most of them involve having you to move crates around to fill holes in the ground, block danger from the path you want to take, or even to serve as paperweights on metal pressure plates. For hardcore treasure seekers, the game even has several hidden compartments that an inquisitive explorer might be able to find, each of these alcoves usually come with some nice rewards. There is a sufficient variety of loot, and you can get better gear as you progress.
Being a prequel of the highly-successful Vaporum, Vaporum: Lockdown definitely does the original game, and the Vaporum universe as a while, proud. Besides the few new features here and there, the gameplay is generally similar to the original title and hence, would be instantly familiar to fans of Vaporum. The storytelling here is great as well, offering so much more lore than before, and of course, the fantastic atmosphere here will pull you right into the fumium-obsessed world that Ellie Teller lives in.