Developer/Publisher: Cosmos Inteactive, Inc.
Genre: Maze/Puzzle
Price: $4.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Review Platform: iPad
Verdict: A fun arcade-type puzzle game that is reminiscent of some great NES puzzlers with some added twists.
Pros: Great graphics, fun gameplay.
Cons: Controls are a little loose.
Babylonian Twins is an adventure puzzle game from Cosmos Interactive, Inc. The basic premise is that of two brothers, Babylonian princes named Nasir and Blasir, who are trying to take back their kingdom from the clutches of an evil sorcerer. In order to do so, they must find a mythical palm tree that will grant them the power to defeat the sorcerer. Does Babylonian Twins ride triumphantly to victory, or does it deserve to be hung in the hanging gardens?
At its core, Babylonian Twins is a maze/puzzle game in the same vein as the original Prince of Persia. The game begins with Nasir and Blasir in prison following the rise of the sorcerer. First things first, they must find a way out of the prison before they can ever get to the palm tree. Each brother has a specialty, and you can control either one at any point. Blasir can jump really high and has a sword that can temporarily stun guards. He also has a super dash that can break through weak walls. Nasir has a hammer that can break certain vases, and a tornado-type ability that allows him to break through weak floors. When you are playing as one of the brothers, the other brother is a statue. This comes in hand when you need something to set on a floor switch, or when you need to get a little extra height on a jump.
The brothers are controlled by the same on-screen joystick made popular by countless iPhone games. Though I am now used to this type of touch-screen movement, in Babylonian Twins it seemed that it could have been done a little better. You must be quite precise in where you press. You cannot press the center of the joystick and then pull to the left or right to move. No, you have to actually press to the left or right of the joystick. Also, the sliding physics in the game are a bit touchy. As one of the brothers stops moving, he will slide a little in that direction as he “puts on the brakes.” We’ve come to see this in numerous games, but it seems that they always overshoot more than what I am used to with other games.
The graphics in Babylonian Twins are beautiful. I still cannot get over how amazing things look on the iPad. Whether it is a testament to the design of the iPad or to the game designers, it looks gorgeous. The only graphical issue I did find is that the characters move so quickly, with the screen moving with you, that things become a blur. When you are moving, it is sometimes hard to see what is actually going on around you.
Babylonian Twins is a great game. The issues that I had with the game are tiny nuisances rather than large issues. At $4.99, I would recommend this game to anyone with an iPad.
