Real Steel, DreamWorks’ sci-fi robot fisticuff film starring Hugh Jackman is due to hit cinema halls on October 7. But we already have got our hands on the official game of the film for iOS from Jump Games.
Think Rocky with robots. Well, that is what many are expecting from the next big Dream Works film, Real Steel, which is based in a future where the noble art of boxing has passed from human hands into those of robots, who are incidentally being managed by humans, one of whom happens to be the film’s hero, Hugh Jackman. Well, the game of the film has already been released, and we have grabbed the iOS version and have given it a run on both our iPhone 4 and our iPad 2. It costs $4.99 and at 87.6 MB, it seemed a slightly small download, when you think that the human version of boxing, EA’s Fight Night Champion, had weighed in at around 385 MB for the iPhone.
However, the reason for this relative lack of megabytes becomes evident once you start the game. For Real Steel is at its heart and soul, an out and out robot brawler. You pick a robot and then use it to bash the crapped metal out of other robots. Each robot has its own combination of armour, power and speed which you can upgrade using Upgrade Tokens which you get when you win a fight, adding an element of RPG to the game. In tournament mode, you come up against tougher opponents one by one, and can move between three different difficulty levels (easy, medium and hard). There is not too much reference to the film itself here – you basically select your metalled warrior and get him into the arena against different opponents. Controls are through onscreen buttons for movement (on the left part) and for punches and defense (on the right part). The basic punches are jab, cross and right uppercut, but you can mix and match punches and directions by different keystrokes – for instance, hitting the Up direction key and the Jab button at the same time will make your robot launch a right hook, while hitting the jab key four times in quick succession unleashes a jab combination. Each punch and combo has a basic point value and the more points you get, the better it is for you.
There are no rhetorical flourishes, no compelling storyline – Real Steel is simply a battle of robots, in which you have to bash the brains (or whatever substitutes for them) out of your metallic opposition. And we must warn you, even at the “easy” level, this is not easy. Your opponents vary their punches cleverly, and you have to keep working out the perfect combination between attack and defense. Maneuvering is limited to moving back and forth and ducking, so do not think about dancing around the arena as in other boxing games.
The graphics are not the greatest but are decent enough for an iOS title, although we wish the crowds had been given as much attention and detail as the robot boxers themselves. For me, however, the biggest disappointment was the fact that no attempt was made to take advantage of the touch interface of both the iPad and iPhone. Instead of relying on on-screen buttons, it would have been nice to be able to throw and defend punches by swiping one’s finger on the screen – something we could do in Fight Night Champion to such deadly pugilistic effect. The accelerometer is not used either, which is a pity. However, that does not detract from the fact that Real Steel is quite an entertaining experience once you get into it, with all the dodging and punching. But is it worth $4.99? Honestly, we think not, and would recommend going with Fight Night Champion for that price if you want a more comprehensive boxing experience. However, if it is just robotic battles that ye seek, this is the game for you.
Get it from: iTunes App Store
Price: $4.99
