Submitted by Sammy Snyder on
Princess Bride - The Official Game is a good example of everything that is wrong with the App Store and mobile games. This doesn't mean the game is bad, but it is the type of App Store title that forces you to talk about download prices and in-app purchases, instead of the game itself. And that's a shame, because as everyone knows, Princess Bride the movie is a classic and it deserves a lot better.
First let me say that Princess Bride - The Official Game does a great job of paying homage to William Goldman and Rob Reiner’s wonderful fairytale world of fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love and miracles. The game is full of music and images straight from the film and it features all the classic lines you have been quoting since 1987. The problem with the game is its layout. Instead of being one cohesive game that takes you through the Princess Bride story it is broken down into four parts or four mini games:
Survive the Shrieking Eels!
Scale the Cliffs of Insanity!
Cross swords and duel with Inigo!
Wrestle against a Giant!
Only the Shrieking Eals is available to play when you download the game for $3.99. You have to earn stars to unlock the other mini games by completing tasks like "Collect 50 coins". While having to earn achievements to unlock additional levels isn't unheard of in mobile gaming, it is the constant prodding to use a miracle pill every time you die that gives Princess Bride its freemium feel. You begin the game with 5 pills and of course you can buy more for $1.99, however, this isn't necessary to advance in the game. You just have to be willing to play the mini games over and over until you complete your task and unlock the other levels (or just pay an additional $0.99 to just unlock everything).
The controls for each game are easy to learn. For example, in Survive the Shrieking Eels you just tap your display to save Princess Buttercup from being eaten alive. This doesn't however mean the games are easy. They do get challenging and unfortunately a bit tedious. Each mini game has that endless level feel, where there doesn't seem to be much of anything to do but beat your own highest score.
Princess Bride - The Official Game isn't a freemium title disguised as a premium game as some customer reviews have suggested, but I can see why users feel that way. Even though you can enjoy the game without spending any additional money, it just has that nagging in-app purchase feel that stains the game. I just wish the developers left out the in-app purchases or found a better way to incorporate them into the game.
Newest iPhone FAQs
I had originally selected Princess Bride - The Official Game as our App of the Week but decided not to title this review as such because some people may be turned off by the game's freemium feel. While the game looks amazing and is well done, it just seems uninspired. The best thing you can say about it is... At least it's not another endless runner.
The game supports all devices running iOS 6.0 or later.