The Fighting Fantasy series has been around since the early 1980’s. People old enough to remember this era will most likely remember these books, their authors and how they revolutionized paperback D&D gaming. Australian developer Tin Man Games remembers them quite well, and has revived The Fighting Fantasy series as digital interactive books on both tablets and smartphone devices. The Gamebook Adventure series is very similar to the Fighting Fantasy series, but they are written by different authors.
Curse of the Assassin is the eighth installment in the series. The player assumes the role of an upstanding hero who is engaged to the local governors’ daughter. As the story unfolds, the hero finds himself at rest in a local town where he discovers the suspicious death of his former adventuring partner and lifelong friend. Consumed by grief, and determined to find the people involved, he must investigate the events behind the murder and seek his own retribution. The story is intriguing and the character development is astounding for a digital interactive book. The amount of written detail available in the story will sometimes overwhelm your senses.
Like previous Gamebook Adventures, the decisions you make determine the story’s outcome. When you reach a branching path in the story, you are given a multiple choice decision to react to the situation. It may involve speaking to a city inhabitant or engaging someone in combat. An extensive inventory system keeps track of your character’s stats, weapons and armor, and any notes acquired along the way about your dead friend. The inventory system can be accessed any time by tapping the iPhone’s screen and then the satchel bag.
The combat system is identical to all previous Gamebook Adventure games. Before combat begins, a menu appears with the following options – Attack! (which is self-explanatory), Fitness Check and Combat Options. Performing a Fitness Check involves rolling a pair of six-sided dice. If you happen to roll an even number (i.e. like a six), you will receive an additional +1 to your next highest dice roll during combat. This bonus is worth attempting even though it’s temporary. The Combat Options menu allows you to enable ‘Quick Dice’ (which rolls the dice for you), use items to heal your character, and disable the music and sound effects for combat.
Combat starts with the player rolling the dice first. As the dice roll, they can be manipulated by shaking the iPhone. The rolls are then added to your OFF (Offense) to determine your attack power. The same process is repeated for your enemy, but a pair of red dice are used to prevent any confusion from occurring. To the player’s benefit, the enemy’s dice roll can be manipulated as well.
Curse of the Assassin is a lengthy read compared to the previous books in the series. In fact, you are required to read multiple pages before you are even presented with a decision, where in previous books you are making decisions or engaging in combat every couple of pages. Gamers familiar with previous Gamebook Adventures will be pleased by the depth and length of Curse of the Assassin’s story, while newcomers looking for a quick read will find the number of pages between each interaction a bit overwhelming.
Curse of the Assassin is by far the best book in the Gamebook Adventure series. Fans will appreciate the in-depth story, character development and overall length of the adventure. As far as this reviewer is concerned, Tin Man Games succeeded at releasing one of the best interactive books in the series.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: iPhone (iPad Compatible)
• Category: Games
• Updated: Oct 13, 2013
• Version: 1.10
• Size: 98.3 MB
• Language: English
• Seller: Tin Man Games Pty Ltd
• © 2013 Tin Man Games Pty. Ltd.
Rated 12+ for the following:
• Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
• Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
• Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
• Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Developer: Tin Man Games
Publisher: Tin Man Games
Price: $5.99
Gamebook Adventure: Curse of the Assassin’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Beautiful hand drawn illustrations. | |
| Sound | |
| Like all Gamebook Adventures, a compelling sound track compliments the experience. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The combat system is challenging and fun. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Curse of the Assassin is the best book in the series. | |
