The new Rajnikanth starrer Kochadaiiyaan comes with not one but two promotional games that tie in with the movie which were recently released for iOS, Android and the Windows App stores. These games are based on generic game ideas like the infinite runner and the gallery shooter and are developed by Vroovy which is a collaboration between Gameshastra and Hungama. We played through both games on Windows PC and Android and our impressions are as follows.
[divider]
Reign of Arrows is a gallery shooter that allows you to play as Kochadaiiyaan (aka Rajneekanth). He must shoot multitudes of arrows from behind limited areas of cover at the mobs of enemies who seem to pop up in waves in the same locations in the city of Kottaipattinam.
The game takes place in just two areas as of writing with more promised. There are multiple levels set in each area and this can make the game boring quite soon. The enemy types are also quite limited with predictable behaviour patterns. There are Bowmen, Armoured Bowmen, Spearmen, Axemen and Bombers. To take them out you must point the reticule at them, preferably at their heads, and shoot arrows.
There are a variety of arrows like Explosive arrows, Split Shot arrows that let you take out 3 targets at once and Rapid Shot which has you shooting multiple arrows as if on steroids. The last one can bug out into you shooting constantly for an indefinite period of time. You also get area powers like Arrow Storm which litters the scene with arrows and Catapult which can kill targets in a specific area. Getting these to work is a chore and you’re better off sticking with the standard arrows.
You can also purchase Health potions and upgrade your armour and weapons. Since each level offers significant earnings, you should be fully upgraded in no time. The armour upgrades are especially useful as they can double your health bar and give you that much relief when lining up headshots. You can take cover behind objects and switch between cover areas, but the enemy weapons seem to be able to penetrate the cover nonetheless.
The game judges you on every level based on your accuracy, number of headshots and time taken to complete the level. You get awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals based on your performance. You need to play through all levels in an area to unlock the next one.
The game requires constant manipulation of the reticule, requiring two handed operation on mobile, which seems to make it redundant to use the cover and zoom functions while trying to aim all the time. This system also has an issue on the PC in that it does not lock the reticule to the mouse and can lead to random summoning of the taskbar or the charms bar, as well as misclicks on the various powerups.
As with the other game, this one is also infested with heavy advertising. While the character model for Kochadaiiyaan is well made, the levels look simplistic and the models for the enemies are of poor quality. The animations are also horrible for all characters. While the same excellent background score plays in this game, the issue with some of the sound effects not muting despite selecting the menu option is also present. One redeeming factor though is the funny sound made by the enemies dying when you get a headshot. It certainly grabs the attention of others who might overhear you playing the game.
