iPhone game of the day: Archetype

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A legit first-person shooter that actually controls pretty well? Bring it on.

Game:Archetype
Price:£1.79/$2.99
Size:7.4MB
Out:Now
Purchase on iTunes:UK/ US

There's a very simple reason you don't see many first-person shooters on iPhone: it's almost impossible to make one that controls well. Sure, you can draw two analog sticks on the screen and fine-tune them until they actually control well - but where to you put the fire button? Archetype has a unique, yet brilliant solution to this dilemna: auto-fire. Sure, you can tap the screen to fire, buy why take your thumb off the stick? If the enemy is within your crosshairs, the game pulls the trigger for you. This keeps the 5-on-5 multiplayer action fast, frenzied, and remarkably good.

Don't go looking for any sort of single-player storyline. This is team deathmatch all the way, with an almost Quake-like vibe. You can carry two of the six weaponsat a time,including a bitchin' battle axe, as well as either of the two types of grenade, both heaved using an onscreen button that really should be located closer to the thumbstick (so should the melee button, while we're at it). You've got five maps, which seems a little light, but they're big andcomplex - you'll appreciate the radar.

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With such an emphasis on online-enabled multiplay, we're a little concerned about a few reports that certain models of iPhone (3G in particular) aren't playing nice with Archetype, but we've had no troubles. Puzzle gamers should run hard in the other direction - this one's for the adrenaline junkies.

Jul 8, 2010

Eric Bratcher
Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.