The Dark Meadow

The Dark Meadow
(Developed by Phosphor Games Studio)
Available for: iOS
Price: $5.99
Originally published: October

A vividly atmospheric and visually stunning fable powered by the Unreal Engine 3 toolset, The Dark Meadow sets new standards in iOS gaming, achieving a pitch-perfect balance between hyper-realistic detail and fantastical thrills and chills. The Dark Meadow unspools within the decaying environs of Montclair Hospital--how or why you ended up there is just the first of the game's many mysteries. An old man warns of a beautiful ghost whose monstrous minions roam the halls; armed with a crossbow and sword, you must fight your way to freedom, fending off random demon attacks while exploring the hospital's nooks and crannies to collect additional weapons, coins and clues that gradually reveal the details behind your imprisonment.

The Dark Meadow achieves a level of cinematic grandeur on par with any iOS title to date--beyond the fluid animations and photo-realistic graphics, the narrative is packed with unexpected twists, the character designs are richly imagined and the voice performances are consistently excellent, all further ratcheting the intensity. The Dark Meadow also boasts intuitive, gesture-based gameplay mechanics that fully immerse the user within the combat sequences. In short, the Halloween season's best new horror story isn't in movie theaters or on television screens--it's on the iPhone, and it will continue delivering the goods and the goosebumps long after October comes to a close.