Doctor Who: Legacy (video game)

Doctor Who: Legacy is a match-3 puzzle RPG video game released on 27 November 2013 based upon the BBC television programme. It is a free-to-play game release to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the popular BBC sci-fi TV show, with rights licensed by BBC Worldwide. The game launched focusing on the 11th Doctor (as played by Matt Smith), then later shifted the focus to the 12th Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi), upon his debut in the show. New characters and content are added to the game regularly upon them being "signed off" with both the actors and the BBC brand team. The game includes every incarnation of the Doctor from the television series (including the War Doctor) and well over 200 companions from both Classic and Modern Doctor Who. The game also closely followed Series 8 and 9 of the show with new levels launching each weekend alongside each episode and included new characters, costumes, and enemies from most of the episodes.

They also have content in the game which does not come from the television series but rather from extended universe canon from Big Finish Productions^[1] audio series, Titan Comics^[2] comic books, and George Mann's Engines of War novel. The game also has a side story entitled Bigger on the Inside which uses the retro 8-bit style art of PixelWho^[3] and follows the story of the TARDIS being infected by a virus.

Synopsis

The story begins when the Eleventh Doctor and Vastra arrive in Cardiff on 16 October 1978, they discover that the Earth has been prematurely invaded by the Sontarans, who have acquired time travel and are rewriting the planet's history. The Doctor must go back through his own personal timeline to defeat them before it's too late. Later story arcs focus heavily on the Zygons and The Master (in virtually all of his incarnations).

Gameplay

The gameplay takes the form of a role-playing puzzle game covering the genres of: puzzle and RPG. As you play through the game, you collect characters which you level up and then use to build your team of 1 Doctor and up to 5 Companions by playing levels in a match-3-gems, detachable gem format. You are required to match different colour of gems to deal damage to enemies. Each character has a special ability which refreshes after a set number of turns (these abilities level up with the character), some examples of these are: colour changing, reset the board, deal damage, heal character and stun enemies. Whilst most colours deal damage, the pink gems are used to heal your team. By leveling up you earn points which can be assigned to different stats in order to improve them. Throughout the game you experience some of the Doctor's most famous tales, tied into an original story.

Reception

• Scott Nichols for Digital Spy rates the game 4/5 Stars saying that "fans are treated to engaging and fun puzzle battles featuring most of the characters from the series' more recent history".^[4]
• Android Central's Paul Acevedo states that "The Doctor Who fan in me is consistently amazed by the game’s arsenal of characters and levels inspired by the show. No other game has managed to capture so much of the Doctor Who universe in a single package, with callbacks to both the classic and modern eras. Tiny Rebel knows and appreciates Who. That genuine reverence makes Legacy a must-play for fans of the show." ^[5]
• Chris Scullion, Editor of the (now defunct) CVG writes "...For the past couple of months, an iOS game has become a daily part of my life. It's a free-to-play puzzle game that doesn't feel like the sort of game that Nintendo's Satoru Iwata recently referred to as a "free-to-start" title; one where players are forced to spend money to proceed."
• Video Gaming Hard Corps gave the game a 9/10 and writes that "Doctor Who: Legacy is the best mobile game ever made. There, I said it. I own quite the collection of mobile games. Some are bad, some are good. Star Command is an amazing game. So is Plague Inc. Vector. BADLAND. Lyne. But none of them match Doctor Who: Legacy. " ^[6]
• Mike Fahey at Kotaku writes that "Like the popular Puzzle and Dragons, Doctor Who: Legacy is a game about collecting color-coded creatures and using them participate in match-puzzle battles. Unlike Puzzle and Dragons, Doctor Who: Legacy isn't all about paying for rare monsters. There are no ads in the game, just a simple, understated store, politely clearing its throat when you wander over and mentioning that, should you be interested, there are things for sale. It's one of the very best examples of free-to-play." ^[7]
• Touch Arcade writes that "Really, we just needed to point out that this game is still kicking and going, and it's a pretty cool phenomenon. In a world where so many games are disposable and don't get updated when they break, there's the occasional Doctor Who Legacy which keeps adding content quietly on a regular basis."^[8]

References

External links

• Dwlegacy.wikia.com
• Tinyrebelgames.com
• seedstudio.com