Battleheart Legacy Review

BHL006
Battleheart Legacy is one of the best RPGs for iOS. If I didn’t have work to do, I’d be playing it right now.

Battleheart Legacy: On the plus side

The witch Erika approaches the three ogres around the campfire. They roar aggressively, sensing an easy meal. She casts a lightning bolt that courses through all three, causing minor damage.
Then suddenly she vanishes in a puff of smoke, and shurikens start raining down from everywhere. One ogre turns into a frog, and another suddenly finds his loincloth on fire. Another is struck down with a volley of arrows, as a wolf emerges from the smoke.
When the smoke clears, only Erika is left standing.

Ogres are like onions. They're fun to slice and dice, but you need to freeze them if you don't want your eyes to water.
Ogres are like onions. They’re fun to slice and dice, but you need to freeze them if you don’t want your eyes to water.

Erika was alone, though, despite displaying skills more appropriate for a Ninja or Ranger than a witch.

RPGs have had a rather set formula for decades now, built around the idea of classes. When you donned your mostly-fantasy armour, you were a mage, a paladin, a rogue or a ranger, and that’s what you did. You could spend some skill points making your mage a little tougher, or your warrior a little more magic-resistant, but you picked a path and stayed with it.
A number of RPGs have muddled around with that formula to one extent or another, but I can’t recall one that does it so particularly well as Battleheart Legacy. Your skills are based purely on the stats you choose to upgrade, with the usual strength for warriors and intelligence for wizards making that key determination, but as you upgrade you can learn from any skill tree you’re suited for. That gives the game a lot of flexibility as you pick and choose your skill combinations suitable to the task at hand.

Smoking is bad for you. Except when it stops skeletons chopping your head off. I guess it's acceptable then.
Smoking is bad for you. Except when it stops skeletons chopping your head off. I guess it’s acceptable then.

There’s obviously no shortage of RPG options for iOS devices, but few that I’ve played that control quite so smoothly as Battleheart Legacy either. Targeting is a single tap, or automatic when attacked, while movement is either a smooth single tap or a double held tap to continue running. All your special abilities have cooldown periods with colour coding, and while combat can get very busy, you’re rarely overwhelmed with too much to do at once. You can be overwhelmed if your level 7 character opts to take on a level 23 instance, but that’s just asking for trouble.
Sometimes, though, it's fun to go looking for trouble.
Sometimes, though, it’s fun to go looking for trouble.

Battleheart Legacy also scores well with me for its branching plot. Several times along the journey you’ll have choices to make, and these choices have genuine impact on how the game rolls out. It’s not just your usual “you really don’t have a choice, but we want to make it seem like you do” RPG, in other words.

Battleheart Legacy: On the minus side

As much fun as Battleheart Legacy is, there are some issues. While you can easily multi-skill, it’s also feasible to build a quite weak character who can’t easily tackle levels that they should be able to.
There’s also a certain amount of level re-use, not only in terms of levels that offer harder challenges when you beat the easy ones, but also level layouts. You’ll wander through more than a few caves, a few bandit camps and a few snowy wastelands on your way to victory.

 There's one thing you never put in a trap — if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow — there's one thing you never — ever put in a trap. … Me.
There’s one thing you never put in a trap — if you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow — there’s one thing you never — ever put in a trap. … Me.

The tap to move and aim system can be a little quirky, which can sometimes lead to unwanted deaths because you wander into the middle of a mob rather than firing at them. As with many RPGs, there’s also an element of grind present, if that bothers you.

Battleheart Legacy: Pricing

Battleheart Legacy is a universal app for iOS with a current price of $6.49. There is, at the time of writing, no IAP present.

Battleheart Legacy: Fat Duck Verdict

The issues with Battleheart Legacy are exceptionally minor, and while it’s not the cheapest iOS game, it’s one of the best that I’ve played in a long time. If you’ve got any interest in fantasy RPGs, it’s a must-buy game.

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