Beta Preview: Dark Lands, a shadowy combat game for Windows Phone

Dark Lands

We offset mentioned Dark Lands a few months ago. It's an action/adventure game for our Windows Phone that is being developed by Mingle Games and is one of the many projects associated with the Microsoft/Nokia sponsored AppCampus.

Dark Lands is an infinity running game that also has elements of a fighting and RPG game. A boxing runner game if yous will.

We have been given admission to the beta version of Dark Lands and information technology makes a very admirable first impression. Graphics are well drawn up, game play challenging, and controls nicely responsive. It'due south a fast paced game that should appeal to many.

Keep in mind that our feel is with a beta version of Dark Lands and the final release may exist slightly different hither and in that location.

Dark Lands Menu

The main menu for Dark Lands has options to jump into the game, view the data screens, bank check out your character contour, view your achievements, visit the gaming shop, and admission the game'southward settings. Settings cover sound/music levels and the option to display a health bar on the gaming screen.

Dark Lands Character Information
Night Lands Character Information

When you kickoff kickoff playing Dark Lands yous are sent through a tutorial that volition cover all your command gestures and the actions available. After you play the tutorial, you can always revisit it through the "?" symbol on the settings screen.

Game play is straight forwards in that your graphic symbol volition exist running across the screen and you are tasked with guiding him over/under obstacles, battle monsters and collect bonus items hither and in that location. The goal? See how far you can survive.

Dark Lands Gaming Screen

The obstacles are a nasty collection of saw blades, spinning blades or death, deport traps, spike traps, and other items that will plough you into a bloody mess. Monsters range from Minotaurs to small dragon-like creatures to plain old enemy troops.

Your gaming controls are all gesture based and control your jumps, defensive moves, slides and attacks. Your movement is constantly forward and you can't slow your character down.

Dark Lands Store
Nighttime Lands Store

Every bit you play Dark Lands you'll earn gems/crystals that tin can be used to upgrade your equipment and weapons and upgrade your character's abilities. It also appears that you can buy gems/crystals through in-app purchases to help y'all get a jump on things.

Graphics are minimalistic and a lilliputian on the dark side (and not equally in dimly lit) simply look fantastic. The graphics reminds me of the movie "300". Sound furnishings have a painful tone to them that adds to the game. Game play has a fast step to information technology and tin be rather challenging. I like the RPG elements where you can upgrade your character and gear.

Controls are fairly responsive but there were times when I slashed instead of jumped or at that place was a slight filibuster in seeing the activeness played out on the screen. Nada detrimental and probable something that will be ironed out earlier release.

In the short time we've had our hands on Dark Lands, nosotros find it to be an entertaining and challenging game for both Windows Phone 8 and vii.ten devices (in-app purchases not bachelor for the Windows 7.x version). The bodily release date is still a few weeks abroad. The developers have a fiddling fine tuning to practice with Dark Lands and then it goes to AppCampus approval and then Microsoft certification. Nosotros'll keep an heart on things and in one case Dark Lands becomes bachelor, we'll let you know.

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