The Inferno is an excellent puzzle game that may force you to touch up on your medieval history.  While the plot is closer to that of an action/adventure game, it plays more like a typical puzzle game with darker undertones.

You play as Middle Ages poet Dante; who is aided by his friend Virgil (a classical Roman poet) on your quest to rescue your beloved Beatrice. It turns out she was murdered by her husband after learning of your affair with her – which of course has landed her a court date in Hell. You must find and rescue her before her sentence is handed down.

In order to pull this off, you must work your way through the circles of Hell by collecting lost souls and avoiding the beasts, ghosts, and other creatures who try to ruin your path. The Inferno requires skill in quick thinking, patience, and careful planning.

To control Dante there are two directional pads on either side of the screen: one for vertical movement and the other horizontal. This arrangement takes a bit of getting used to, although if you don’t like it just head to the settings menu and switch to a four-directional control pad; available on either side of the screen.

Dante’s movement in gameplay is not as fluid as it could be, though it does make sense given that the gameplay involves carefully moving through the mazes one square at a time. After a bit of time with The Inferno you should adjust to the controls pretty easily. After conquering each level The Inferno will mock you with snarky phrases like, “You are going to love dying” or “Here’s an easy one.”

Virgil gives you a pretty good tutorial on how to maneuver through the circles of Hell. The first few scenes are pretty easy, with little to no enemies. But as the game progresses there are bridges that disappear after you walk on them, fireballs, spikes, and mazes to work through. In order to pass each level you must collect innocent souls, which are represented as glowing orbs. Dante informs you that some of them are from unbaptized youth (didn’t your grandmother tell you to get baptized?) Once you have collected all of the souls for a level, then the portal to the next one opens.

The Inferno is an excellent challenge with great screen response and a good pace of difficulty. It should satisfy puzzle game fans and lovers of Medieval poetry.

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app category: Editor's Picks, Games, Puzzle