République Review

I was excited to try République for the iPad since it uses a unique type of gameplay that I haven’t seen anywhere else. When I first got started in the game, I was immediately presented with an option to spend more to get extra levels. This was frustrating since the game is already $4.99.  Also, the game crashed my iPad Air once after about 20 minutes, but I had no issues after that. So, those are some minor setbacks, but let’s get into the gameplay.

République - Story

Once the game started, there was a long video, about 10 minutes, to set up the story. This was a little frustrating since I just wanted to jump in and play, although it did set up the story well. When I was finally allowed to start playing the game, I was a little confused since I had never seen a game like this before and there was a very limited tutorial.

The gameplay works like this: you have control over the security system of a facility where a girl is trapped. You are trying to help the girl escape by using the facility’s cameras and doors to plan a way out for her. You do this by moving the cameras to see around, and tapping on the screen to tell the girl where to go. The game focuses heavily on stealth since you need to be careful and not let the guards see you. It feels like a puzzle game with very nice graphics. At first, it seemed a bit gimmicky, but I quickly got the hang of it and was starting to have fun planning an escape route for the helpless girl.

République - Stealth Problems

Once I understood the gameplay and goals, I was really getting into it, but not without some frustrations. République is very difficult, even when you are just getting started. Plus, if you’re not stealthy enough and get caught by security, you go back to the last checkpoint. In most games, you can immediately start playing again, but République attempts to make this process more realistic by making you watch the girl be escorted back to a locked room through the security cameras. This seems to take about 10-20 seconds each time.

If you fail a section too many times, the game will eventually allow you to skip that process, but I was still frustrated when I was forced to wait to try a section again. Also, an important part of the game is moving the cameras by sliding your finger on the screen to get a better view of the girl’s surroundings, but the cameras move very slowly which makes the gameplay feel sluggish.

The areas where this game succeeds are:

• The story: it is well-written and deep.
• Graphics: the game looks fantastic on the iPad.
• Length: if you plan to go through the entire game, expect it to take you a very long time.

République - The Final Word

Overall, République is an interesting diversion from the typical iPad puzzle/strategy game. If you are able to get past the learning curve and slightly clunky controls, you will be treated with an interesting game that is different from anything else on your iPhone or iPad.