RPG Aeon Avenger (for Android)

RPG Aeon Avenger ($3.99) is a pretty good Japanese-style adventure game for Android phones and tablets. While the combat mechanics can get a bit dull, and character advancement is entirely through weapon configuration, the zippy, propulsive plot makes up for a lot.

Aeon Avenger is the tale of a young man who saw his family killed by a black-clad baddie, and the time-traveling priestess he's bringing along for the ride. Other characters join or leave the party at various times as the plot demands, and the story takes place in several dozen locations over three different time periods.

Controls here are a simple virtual D-pad and an action button. A menu bar pops up at the top of the screen during battles. You can tap menu item or enemies directly, or use the D-pad to select them; the D-pad works better on smaller phone screens because some of the interface elements are pretty small.

There's one location scale for the little anime sprites, along with a battle view that shows larger monster images. Rather than walking a world map, you teleport among locations that open up on a static map, like on many console-style games.

Character advancement is a little disappointing. While characters do level up from experience, most skills are acquired through adding magic "bits" to weapons. The bits can be swapped in and out, and different weapons are more useful against different enemies, making equipment management absolutely critical. This feels a lot less personal than a traditional class or skill-based advancement systems. The result is that you get much less attached to the characters.

That said, all the classic gaming elements are here: a plot you want to get to the bottom of, plenty of NPCs to talk to, treasure chests with the next cool magic item, and just enough challenge to keep you occupied. RPG Aeon Avenger isn't a masterpiece like our Editors' Choice Symphony of Eternity ($2.99, 4 stars), but it's definitely worth the four dollars.

For more Android App Reviews, see:

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