Infinity Blade II

Infinity Blade II expands the first game's combat system with more weapon types, magic, and deeper battles against strangers guarding a new castle, while the basic gestures – block, dodge, swipe attack – remain the same as in the original from the previous year. A more elaborate story was also added, continuing from the ending of the first game, with greater emphasis on characters, their motivations, and relationships inside and outside the castle.

Chair Entertainment released the title in 2011 and used it to push the Unreal Engine's graphical capabilities on mobile even further – textures, lighting, and character animations looked even more detailed than in the previous installment, and the game once again served as a showcase of what iOS hardware of the time could handle. An expanded weapon and armor crafting system gave players more reasons to return even to already-won battles for better loot. More varied environments – from snowy plains to underground dungeons – also brought visual variety that the first game, with its single castle, couldn't offer.

The controls stayed faithful to the original, so players familiar with the first game jump right in without needing to learn anything new; newcomers will appreciate a somewhat gentler pacing of progression through the game and better explanations of the mechanics. The game world also opened up more than in the first game – the castle offers side paths and hidden areas that reward thorough exploration between fights. Like the first game, this one also disappeared from the App Store after support for the series' older engine ended, so today it can only be played on devices where it remained downloaded from before.

Why play it: Suitable for players who already have the game downloaded from earlier times and want to see the series' peak – unfortunately unavailable in the store today for new interested players.