➤ By the power of Grayskull! 🎮

Readers born in the first half of the 80s, now close to becoming, to paraphrase Nanni Moretti, the "splendid thirty year olds", undoubtedly lived a truly memorable childhood, in terms of heroes to watch on TV. The examples in this sense would really be dozens but, thanks to the potential of the web and the numerous nostalgics scattered around Spain gathered at fairs and conferences, it is possible in part to go back in time and relive those moments, capturing nuances that perhaps as a child do not you were able to fully understand. An aspect that should not be underestimated, now thinking back to that period, concerns, for example, school furniture, the first true status symbol in a child's life. In those years, before the advent of the most famous brands, the only way to be "trendy" at school was for girls to have a Barbie satchel or backpack and, for boys, strictly something from He-Man and The Masters of Universe.

He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe it is therefore the reinterpretation for iOS of a truly historic saga, which has remained in the hearts of millions of people but which today, despite attempts to re-propose it, could no longer be as successful as it was then. Paradoxically, in fact, the message full of values and good recommendations for children, always present at the end of each episode, would end up making everything seem hypocritical and do-good, given the average amount of violence, naked and junk TV that the children find themselves in. watch for the remainder of the day.

To me the power!

In He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe we will play the protagonist, He-Man, the ultra strong alter ego of the prince of Eternia Adam. We will gloss over how Adam and He-Man, apart from the absence of the shirt, are identical but despite this no one has ever discovered them (except the old friends Orc, Sorceress and Man at Arms) to mention instead the plot of the game, which then recalls that of the cartoon. The powerful sorcerer Skeletor, with a skull suspended in the air instead of a face, wants to conquer the castle of Grayskull to steal its secrets but above all its power and thus dominate, undisputed, the whole universe. He is helped by a series of brawny and stupid henchmen but to hinder him is He-Man, the strongest man in the universe, supported in turn by a team of legendary heroes. Prince Adam becomes He-Man thanks to the power of Grayskull, enclosed in his sword, able to increase his strength and courage out of all proportion. Characteristics that, when transmitted to the fearful cat Cringer, transform him into the terrible Battle-Cat, a ferocious but obedient transport and combat tiger under the orders of He-Man. The title is essentially an old-fashioned scrolling platformer, with enemies to hit, crates to break and obstacles to avoid, but enriched by the original settings of the series.

The first negative note, however, is given by the fact that He-Man will always be used, therefore lacking that splendid feeling of omnipotence that gave the transformation of Adam in the name of the power of Grayskull. As a bonus, which can be purchased with game coins, Man at Arms, He-Man's trusted partner, can be called to help for a few seconds. The control system is simple and intuitive, which does without virtual keys or levers and relies on common sense: holding the device in "landscape" mode, with the left thumb you go back and forth, moving it horizontally, with the right one you go up or down, for single or double jumps. The right thumb tap instead gives input for sword attacks. In addition to normal enemies, He-Man faces a boss battle at the end of each level, always interesting and never banal, at least until you understand the "script" that regulates the behavior of the monster, thus defeating him mercilessly. Although in theory he doesn't need them, He-Man can also purchase upgrades thanks to the crystals collected throughout history. These are new hits, increasingly destructive, and defensive elements, such as an extra heart of life (in the style of Zelda). Also nice is the mini game that appears at each death, in which interacting with Orc you can win bonuses to spend immediately. He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe finally, it can boast a technical sector of excellence, with well-made two-dimensional animations and a deliberately "deformed" realization of the characters which, however, does not diminish the strong charisma of the protagonists.

Comment

Tested Version: iOS (1.0.1) Terminal used: iPad 2 Price: 0,89 € App Store Link Resources4Gaming.com

8.5

Readers (8)

6.5

Your vote

It is difficult to evaluate He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe regardless of the emotional bond that unites the character to an entire generation but, in this case, the excellent exploitation of the license entrusted to Chillingo makes this operation much easier. Even without He-Man, in fact, the title would be confirmed as a valid and enjoyable product, a tribute not only to the Mattel world but to the hard and pure players, those who still remember what the real Game Over means in a video game.