Orcs & Elves

The Good
From the Orcs & Elves text “Godless Lands”: “Those who make up this realm are unique, with potential unlike any in all the known Universe…”

Long-time fans of id software may be surprised that such a relatively small-scale production such as Orcs & Elves would come out of that production house. id Software is known for such industry giants as Quake, Doom, and Wolfenstein – legendary and (mostly) ground-breaking software. What could this company have to offer in the mobile market?

In the grand tradition of games such as Phantasy Star and Might & Magic, this title is first-person perspective role-playing-game. Presented on the mobile phone screen as if through the eyes of the protagonist, players take control of an armed, half-Elf character. You must navigate the many dungeons and chambers, slaughtering countless labyrinth-dwelling enemies, collecting treasures, items and potions along the way – nothing too new there. You are not alone in these mazes; your Wand is more than a powerful beam-firing weapon, it yet another character. He provides additional dialogue, hints, directions and the occasional wisecrack. Ellon (yes, the Wand has a name) provides the narrative in the game, (as sporadic and brief as that may be).

On first sight of the game, veteran PC gamers and learned computer-game scholars may be temporarily whisked back to the beginning of 3D gaming, for this title’s game engine resembles the original Wolfenstein 3D to an incredible degree. But make this distinction, Orcs & Elves moves in set grids. That is, forward moves you forward one “space”, left moves you “left” one space and so on. I suppose due to sever technical restrictions on average mobile technology; the game has had to set this limit. Those expecting the smooth scrolling of Wolf3D may be disheartened by this, but those craving a DOS-style RPG adventure must be cheering by now!

So with each input, whether it is a movement, attack, or turn, an “action” is made. This means that all sprites (yes the game is sprite-based (apart from the level-design itself)) will make an “action” in this same key-press. The only modern game that I can think that has reverted to this time/action-scale is the brutally difficult Etrian Odyssey series, and presumably Orcs & Elves DS.

The Bad
As you navigate the different areas, you will be hindered by rats, orcs, slimes, knights and all other sorts of Feudal-age fodder. The action button will attack whatever is in front of you, and avoiding battles is nigh impossible. Traditional elements such as stat-points, levelling-up, armour/weapon integrity and potion power-ups are included in this title, and players new to this genre should find most things self-explanatory, whereas veteran gamers may find the lack of juicy details and colourful description mysteriously absent.

The Bottom Line
Orcs & Elves is really just a DOS-style RPG game crammed into a tiny download. It’s colourful, entertaining in its straightforwardness, and the gamers’ mobile game. If you need a break from real-time action role-playing, and crave the simplicity of yesteryear, Orcs & Elves can provide that no sweat. If you enjoy squinting over geometric maps, searching seemingly endless walls for secret entries and slaughtering rat after rat, then I recommend this game. If you need the skill-building and inventory tweaking that sophisticated titles like Oblivion provide, I’m afraid you’re way, way off!