IOS Spotlight #10: Reaper - Tale of a Pale Swordsman

Title: Reaper - Tale of a Pale Swordsman
Developer: Hexage
Platforms: IOS Universal
Price: Free to try, three game unlock tiers (2.99, 3.99. 4.99)
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Reaper's art style might be the first aspect that stands out. Stylized, cartoonish, bloody, the game is wonderful to watch in motion. But looks aren't everything. Luckily, Reaper's gameplay matches the quality set by its visuals.

An action RPG, you travel across an overworld from quest to quest, stopping at shops and towns along the way to buy or sell items, gear, and weapons. Combat is a mix of swipe based melee and bullet hell. The controls work quite well and complement the fluid, evasion focused gameplay. While early battles may seem tame, later ones will be put your skills to the test as projectiles, enemies, and hazards fill the screen. You automatically attack when near an enemy; successful hits fill a meter that allows you to perform special attacks. This adds some strategy to the gameplay, as you must decide when and where to best utilize those moves. Furthermore, dozens of skills and upgrades boost your stats and enhance your attacks.

Reaper is free to try. Three game unlock tiers are available, each offering more content than the last. (That is the only IAP.) The $2.99 Adventure Edition tier removes the level 10 cap and unlocks the full game. The $3.99 Destiny Edition tier offers an arena location to test your skills, a special item set, and more. The final $4.99 Dark Legend Edition tier adds more special items, a side quest, and Dark Harvest mode, which is a wave based mode separate from the main campaign.