Mobile Watch: Joust Legend

Joust Legend, the latest title from Oxford-based developer, Rebellion, taps into an obscure medieval tradition rarely found in the realm of video games. Where fantasy settings are concerned we’re used to spell-casting, monster hunting, and dungeon crawling, not so much sporting knightly livery and going head-to-head.

Although the premise is intriguing, Joust Legend doesn’t really stand out as a good quality mobile title.

Getting into the game is easy – after naming your champion and their steed, you’re hauled through a cluster of tutorials which gradually unveil the core mechanics.

Joust Legend is all about timing and rhythm. Riders stand at opposing ends of the tourney ground before clashing in three passes. The winner is either the last man ahorse or the one who scores the most points. The competitors are awarded for accuracy and other bonuses. For example, striking the crest on an opponent’s will produce a five-times multiplier.

The riding and tilting itself is just as simple to get your head around. A gauge will appear, requiring players to tap and hold, allowing for either an appalling or perfect start. This will influence the speed of your horse and, ultimately, your accuracy.

Tapping or swiping down will bring the lance into position though you’ll need to occasionally tap and hold to keep it floating over the desired gauge icon. Then, you wait for impact. Victory brings with it gold and new challenges. Eventually you’ll unlock wager fights as well as new King’s tourneys. The unfortunate thing is that each one has you doing the exact same thing; it’s just a little bit more difficult or even easier each time.

Progression is also a bit of a grind; saving up for new steeds, armour, and lances can be heavily time consuming, which isn’t good news if you can’t connect with the repetitive gameplay.

The only slight change-up is the use of skills. These perk-like abilities can be slotted before each pass, giving players one-off buffs or risk-reward propositions. One, for instance, will shower a champion with points if they hit their opponent’s target. Another will double your damage, but only if you don’t lower your lance during a pass.

Joust’s visuals are probably its highlight. Although the game’s arenas and knights will become familiar in heartbeat, the title is vibrant and rarely stutters. Through text-driven cut-scenes Rebellion has also tried to weave a narrative in between gameplay.

It’s not a bad game, yet Joust Legend pretty much gives everything it can offer within the first twenty minutes or so. Watching two champions collide is a hail of splinters is satisfying, sure, but the lack of diversity really shows.