The cinematic Hero of Sparta fails to impress

Hero of Sparta is a hack-and-slash style game that has some of the best graphics I’ve seen for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Indeed, the graphics rival those found on the bigger game consoles.

When the game starts, we see a Spartan soldier running in the ruins of his land and cutting down foes with a swiftness one can only envy. The cinematic clip ends with the Spartan going face to face with a Cyclops. His red cape glistens in the wind behind him and the camera focuses on his determined and fierce glare as the Cyclops roars and saliva drips from its pointy teeth.

Hero of Sparta sets itself up for a win, but after the cinematic entrance, it falls flat.

There’s a touch-screen joystick to your left which you use to move your character around, but it has a hard time recognizing smaller movements. There’s a button to the right of your screen for your sword and shield, but excessive hacking can cause some lagging.

The game has three levels of play: easy, normal and a heroic level which opens up after you beat the game. Once you get used to the controls, the game is easy to understand.

Eight levels of the blood oozing out of your fallen mythological enemies can seem exciting at first, but I quickly bored of the same repetitive actions.

Hero of Sparta is a three-dimensional game with a one-dimensional purpose but for 99 cents, it’s a cheap thrill. There’s not that much to the game—other then you’re repeatedly faced with a new enemy to hack and slash—but at least you can enjoy the beautiful cinematic clips between each level.

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