Ah, the fun of fantasy action-RPGs. Managing your party, optimizing equipment, learning the strengths and weaknesses of different classes and taking down monsters on the way to your final objective. It’s a fun thing, and it’s one that rarely fares well away from the click-heavy PC environment. It doesn’t seem like it’s a concept that would work on iOS devices. 

Into that world comes Battleheart, a game from Mika Mobile that distills the experience down to the essentials. You take four characters into battle, then draw a line between the party member and the target. This is how you control attacks, healing spells and boosts. There are also special moves you can tap to unleash powerful effects.

That’s basically it for the gameplay. Enemies come in from all sides, and you’ll need to keep moving your healers and mages to keep them behind your melee fighters, as well as keep changing targets for various situations. Bosses sometimes have certain patterns and weaknesses, and other times you’ll just need to go back to earlier levels and get stronger.

Defeating a level gets you an item and gold, and you can buy, sell and equip items for your party. You can recruit new members from the tavern, and more complex classes become available as you progress. You can keep four extra party members in reserve at any time, though those don’t gain experience.

Everything is presented in a cel-shaded visual style that works well on the device, and characters themselves often reference popular culture (including Monty Python and the infamous pirate-ninja rivalry). 

For a $3 universal app, Battleheart has a lot of depth and fun, and scratches that RPG itch for those who may not be able to find the time otherwise. We highly recommend it.