Multiplayer, Survivor mode, a strange bug, and a special 'surprise': hands-on with Infinity Blade 1.3

Although it was a major part of the Project Sword demonstration at Apple's September 2010 keynote, multiplayer has been noticeably absent from Epic's renamed slash-'em-up adventure Infinity Blade.

Almost six months since its maiden voyage into the App Store, multiplayer is finally present thanks to the arrival of Infinity Blade's third major content update.

Generous as always, developer Chair has also included a new Survivor mode, Facebook integration, over a dozen new items to equip and master, and a special 'surprise'.

Additional Game Center leaderboards and achievements are also present - one of which hints towards the possibility of new ending.

Unfortunately, as with content pack #2 it's not all good news, and a few problems have managed to creep in.

Infinity Blade's multiplayer takes a best-of-seven rounds approach, pitting you against a friend, or a complete stranger through Game Center.

You'll automatically alternate between control of a Knight or one of the Titans you're so used to facing - each with his own advantages, disadvantages, attack interface, and upgradeable stats.

In combat, the Knight uses a setup familiar to anyone who has played through the single-player campaign, with taps, swipes, and slashes of the screen mirrored by your sword.

The Titan, however, uses a new control scheme which involves moving a slider down the left-hand side of the screen to switch between slow and fast attacks - the former being deadlier than the latter.

The Titan also has access to a Fury Attack, powered by tapping skulls that appear on-screen when you're taking damage.

Finally, you have to keep your eye on the Attack Chain and Attack Timer - both displayed in the bottom-right of the screen.

These indicate the point at which an opponent can break your attack chain, and the time remaining before you become dizzy and unable to attack.

While this control method works relatively well, it's a far cry from the simple drag-and-drop system demonstrated by Epic's Mike Capps last year. Prepare for a learning curve.

Between each bout of action and the next you're able to upgrade the basic weapons and armour that you begin with, using the gold that you've earned from battling your opponent.

Again, this differs by character, with the Titan upgrading its class rather than its equipment. You can upgrade from the basic Feral Troll to the Iron Golem to the Assassin, and all the way up to the God King himself.

This system of upgrading between rounds works well, rewarding those with careful planning and punishing those who spend their gold foolishly - adding an extra layer of strategy to proceedings.

Unfortunately, the two characters seem a little unbalanced, at least during the initial rounds of each battle.

I often felt at a disadvantage controlling the huge Titan. Although it deals greater damage, it has little chance against the nimble Knight, especially if he's controlled by a veteran of dodging, blocking, and parrying.

This is somewhat remedied when you upgrade to a swifter Titan, such as the Assassin.

Loss of connection has also been a problem on numerous occasions.

Surviving the war

Although the limelight is firmly on the long sought-after multiplayer experience, there are several other additions to peruse.

A new Survival mode, for example, tasks you with defeating wave after wave of Titans, while upgrading your weapons in the same fashion as multiplayer mode.

Health doesn't regenerate between bouts, but it's replenished if you can afford to upgrade your suit of armour.

New Facebook integration allows you to view your character's stats on the social network, though this caused me problems.

Instead of Facebook's authorisation page reloading Infinity Blade once complete, it loaded Bay Bridge Explorer - another app built with Unreal Engine 3.

Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown was unable to replicate this issue.

Overall, Infinity Blade's latest update offers more good than bad, and a few teething problems don't overshadow the great new additions.

With Infinity Blade's single-player campaign slowly turning stale due to repeatedly predictable fights, being able to battle against opponents with ever-changing attack patterns is a welcome addition.

If you've yet to pick up Infinity Blade, it's currently on sale for £1.79 / $2.99.