Mass Effect: Infiltrator Mini Review

Game: Mass Effect: Infiltrator

Developer: Iron Monkey

Publisher: EA

Platform: Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8

Being the big Mass Effect fan that I am, there is no way I could miss out on this one. I have played all games in the main trilogy, read all the comics and all the novels (STAY AWAY FROM MASS EFFECT DECEPTION) so any new material is welcomed at this point. Enter Mass Effect: Infiltrator, a third-person shooter for mobile devices. Now if you’re looking for a deep engaging storyline similar to what you would find in the main games, then walk away now because you’re not gonna find that here. Instead you find a pretty generic story that’s only there to facilitate your actions in-game. In short, you play as anti-hero Randell Enzo a Cerberus agent who discovers early on that his employers aren't the benevolent force they proclaim to be. You must now infiltrate key Cerberus installations and find Intel that will help put a stop to their sinister plans. Yea did I mention the story was generic?

Controls and gameplay

Let’s face it, playing a third person shooter on a touch screen isn't easy so the guys at Iron Monkey implemented a unique control scheme that aims to ease the difficulty of touch controls. Basic movement is still handled in a traditional manner with virtual thumb sticks; left stick controls character movement while the right stick controls the camera.  During combat however you don’t have to worry about manually aiming at a target. All you do is simply tap the target to aim and fire, some manual adjustments to your aim is possible but in most cases not needed. Movement in combat is accomplished by swiping your finger in the direction of a wall (or conveniently placed chest high barrier, this is a cover shooter after all) to take cover behind it. The same is true if you want to move from cover to cover just swipe in the direction you want to move. Works most of the time but it’s still not perfect as sometimes the game does not interpret your commands properly and you end up vaulting over cover right into the unforgiving arms of the enemy when all you wanted to do was move to another cover position!! Biotic powers are a little bit easier to work with. Just select the power you want from the onscreen power menu in the upper left hand corner of the screen and tap an enemy to activate it. Weapon switching is handled the same way just tap the weapons icon in upper right hand side and select from available weapons.

Graphics and Sound

Mass Effect: Infiltrator is one of the best looking mobile games I have ever played. The art style is similar to the main games in fact many assets from the main trilogy such as weapons and armor are represented well. The character design is a bit blocky but it’s a mobile game at the end of the day so I will let that slide. Sound is a mixed bag; weapons are loud and really sound like they have some power behind them unlike most other sci-fi shooters with their “pew pew” lasers. The soundtrack is made up of music from the main series, so that’s another plus in my book. The voice acting however…………let’s just say….. It’s not too good. It’s not really bad it’s just lacking, when characters do speak it just sounds disconnected somehow.

Verdict

It’s a great game with some sweet graphics and sound. If you’re willing to overlook some of its control issues, lackluster voice acting and cookie cutter story an enjoyable game is under there waiting to be played. The game also links into Mass Effect 3 allowing you to add Intel you find during the campaign to your galactic readiness and completing the game rewards you a War asset that can also be used in Mass Effect 3.