Lili reminds us how far mobile and tablet gaming has come, along with how much further it needs to go. Visually, BitMonster's Unreal Engine-powered effort sits right up there with the best looking titles on the App Store, thanks to a gorgeous world that would have been praised on the original Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Even more so, considering all the tiny details and superior resolution that graphics aficionados will appreciate. As a full-fledged experience, it falls somewhat flat, with an awkward protagonist, bizarre combat (if you can call it that) and questionable dialogue. It's enjoyable, but an extra layer of character and story development could have gone a long way.
To that end, the game's heroine, Lili, sails to a mysterious island called Geos, populated by a strange collection of wooden creatures, as well as a group of antagonistic Spirits that run amok. Upon arriving, she bumps into both, eventually falling under the tutelage of a Trainer that sends her on various missions to give those rascals what for. Not a bad premise, but one that lacks the sort of emotional punch we've come to expect from the highest quality adventures. Dialogue and those wooden figures have a very old school NES quality that works both for and against the game. On one hand, you may appreciate the outright silliness of the writing, and names like Mrs. Skillit (she cooks), Mr. Letterman (the mailbox that vomits letters...quite humorous, actually) and Mr. Shoppington (the shop owner, of course). Conversely, we expect a bit more sophistication from such ambitious projects. Acceptable in 1989, a bit awkward in 2012. Even Lili is a bit of a drag, far too accepting of her situation, and reminiscent of the largely forgotten and nerdy Lester the Unlikely on Super Nintendo, at least in terms of appearance. Then again, it's refreshing to see a female video game character that doesn't fall into usual stereotype.
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