Greak: Memories of Azur vs Infinity Blade II
Greak: Memories of Azur
Greak: Memories of Azur is a gorgeous action-adventure game featuring a young boy in search of his sister in a world engulfed in turmoil, no thanks to the bloodthirsty Uglars. Playing as the boy Greak, you’ll venture across various regions in Azur, exploring every inch of it for hidden stashes, completing quests, and battling enemies along the way.The game starts off like a relatively regular action platformer, where you’ll get to jump, swing your sword around, and solve relatively simple puzzles by switching characters once you manage to reunite him with his sister. This part is actually pretty similar to the gameplay in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a favorite of mine.
In fact, you’ll get to control both characters at the same time, which is interesting, though it does complicate things a bit during combat especially considering that the sister is a magic user and deals damage from afar while the brother is a sword-wielder and does best dealing damage from a much closer range.
In a way, Greak: Memories of Azur also feels a bit like a Metroidvania in the sense that the game hides secret chests and rare flowers in places that you, if you don’t pay too much attention, might miss. Even if you spotted the items, you will still need to figure out a way to get to them, which usually involves some creative and sometimes very precise jumping. Expect to get frustrated… a lot!
The gorgeous hand-drawn art in Greak is definitely one of the highlights of the game as well. The out-of-focus background in the distance matches well with the stuff at the front too.
In a nutshell, not only is Greak: Memories of Azur a gorgeous action-adventure game with a heartwarming story about a brother trying to reunite with his sister in a world embroiled in war and infested with dangerous creatures, it also comes with a fun gameplay that's perfectly "midcore". So, if you're into story-driven platformers, you'll want to check out this one!
Infinity Blade II
Infinity Blade II continues the storyline from the previous game by letting you reprise your role as the hero-savior, Siris. Being curiosity-driven, you’ll need to travel across the realm of the Deathless Saydhi to find clues as to unlock the mystery behind the Infinity Blade you now wield. Of course, being Infinity Blade, there will always be tyrants and Titans for you to slay via the game’s excellent action-based combat (now in three new styles) as well as a plethora of weapons to slay them with.The game has also improved on the game’s hallmark character customization, providing you with the option to now forge even more powerful items and infuse them with elemental powers and capabilities. Interestingly, the game has an optional ClashMob app where players can recruit friends to their respective mobs and participate in fun and massively social global challenges to reap amazing rewards.
Infinity Blade II definitely builds on the success of its predecessor and it has managed to do so successfully. A worthy sequel to add to your game library, I’d say!