IRON MAIDEN: LEGACY OF THE BEAST Review
When you’ve been one of the most influential metal bands in history for over four decades, you’d think it’d be a solid time to rest on your laurels, reflect on your success, and let those sweet, sweet royalty checks float in over time. You’d think that, but you’d be wrong, and also a fucking nerd/poser. Metal pioneers Iron Maiden, spurred on by the same necromantic forces and lust for money that reanimated their mascot, have brought their sweet riffs and hot licks to your mobile phone in mobile RPG, IRON MAIDEN: LEGACY OF THE BEAST.
Developed by Roadhouse Interactive and 50cc Games, LEGACY follows the story of Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie (Eddie The Head, if you’re into metal trivia), who, while flying through time and space (or doing whatever he does when he’s not posing for album covers), encounters a malevolent force that tears his very soul into shards and scatters them across time and dimensions. Eddie, with the help of allies he makes along the way (Some playable, some not), has to punch the shit out of ghouls and demons in order to reclaim his soul.
COSTUME QUEST 3 looks off to a good start
LEGACY uses a turn-based combat system, and a rock, paper, scissors-esque advantage method where certain classes (Sentinel, Magus, and Warrior) do bonus damage against some and are slightly nulled against others. Then, for some reason, it introduces two more (Assassin and Gunner) that are only powerful against the other and deal normal damage to the other two. This feels largely unnecessary and needlessly complicated, but I guess in the spirit of a true metal concert, this game needed guns and knives in there somewhere.
Outside of combat, players use shards awarded during combat to unlock new allies in a system that feels awfully similar to MARVEL: CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS. Shards are unlocked using the Book of Souls, which is not so coincidentally the name of Iron Maiden’s current tour. Items found during combat can be used to buff the skills of various allies and eventually evolve them into stronger forms, similar to CHAMPIONS. It’s not a very interesting mechanic, especially when it’s been done before.
Dozens of fearsome heroes, but none as mighty as the man selling shirts outside the concert
The undoing of the game centers around its lack of imagination, which is unfortunate because the game’s existence is supposed to represent a celebration of the myriad of worlds and characters described in the storied pantheon of Iron Maiden’s discography. For a band that has made its multiple images a part of its, um, image, you’d think they could come up with a cooler or more visually interesting enemy than Hell Dice, which are literally dice. In the lore of the game, it’s supposed to represent how Eddie’s essence has begun infecting inanimate objects, but as an actual character it just sort of feels lame. With a combination of luck and actual money, players can get their hands on one of the many playable iterations of Eddie, known as Troopers, to keep in line with the aforementioned pantheon.
Throw away enough money and Bruce Dickinson himself will show up at your house and scream in your face out of gratitude
That being said, the characters that aren’t dice or evil hourglasses are actually intriguing, as are the many available versions of Eddie. The game’s soundtrack also features segments of actual Iron Maiden music from albums past, as well as recent releases, which is definitely a treat for the dedicated metalhead.
IRON MAIDEN: LEGACY OF THE BEAST didn’t really do anything that felt new to me personally, though if you’ve never played CHAMPIONS or anything like that game it’ll probably feel more interesting. The story is fairly negligible, reduced to static cutscenes and overwrought-yet-appropriately-metal dialogue. The game caters to those that are fans of Iron Maiden and/or those that don’t play a lot of mobile games, but ultimately that’s pretty much all it’s good for. If you want to immerse yourself in metal nostalgia and kill a few minutes at a time while punching demons in the face, LEGACY is right up your alley. If you’re looking for anything else, you’re better off listening to Spotify.
Verdict: Do Not Recommend
Reviewed on Android
Steven Porfiri
Steven Porfiri is a Crossfader guest contributor that has been slowly learning what true patrician culture is about after spending a lifetime in Bakersfield, CA. In addition to Crossfader you can find him at Top Shelf Gaming.
