Action-packed game based on the blockbuster movie

Iron Man 3 is an elaborate endless runner-style game for Kindle Fire tablets in which you star as the famous superhero featured in the third installment of the movie series.

Endless running expanded

The format of Iron Man 3 is essentially that of an endless running (or, in this case, flying) game. But it’s far more in-depth than many popular titles of this genre (Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride, Monster Dash, etc.), following a story based loosely around the plot of the Iron Man 3 movie.

Iron Man 3’s gameplay is based around flying over various different levels, dodging obstacles and shooting enemies as you go. There are lots of objects and power-ups to collect that can help you upgrade your suit, purchase new suits (18 in total!) and weapons, and boost your defenses.

Besides the goal of traveling as far as you can without dying, there are lots of missions in Iron Man 3 which, if completed, give you rewards such as credits and ‘ISO-8’, the game’s currency. There are even daily missions to complete which help you to piece together the story and earn more credits.

Like many games these days, Iron Man 3 relies on in-app purchasing to help you progress through the game. Without paying your progress is severely hampered and you’ll be waiting around a lot for Iron Man to be repaired, or left with not enough capabilities to complete the missions. It’s frustrating, but it’s a fact of life in these days of ‘freemium’ gaming models.

There’s no multiplayer mode as such, though you can pit yourself against others online by comparing your high scores.

Taking flight

The first few times you play Iron Man 3 you’ll no doubt be a bit bewildered by all the missions, items to collect, baddies you can shoot, baddies you can’t shoot, and the way that Iron Man chooses for himself whether to fly high or low.

What’s more, controlling the metallic superhero in Iron Man 3 feels a little clunky and awkward. The default movement controls are based around swiping the screen left or right to change direction but it isn’t particularly precise, making it difficult to avoid obstacles. However, the controls can be optimized, allowing you to adjust the sensitivity or even switch to tilt-based controls (which we found to be more comfortable).

Once you’ve fine-tuned the controls and got used to what all the on-screen mayhem is all about, Iron Man 3 becomes a joy to play and you’ll find yourself gradually becoming addicted to the action-packed gameplay.

Hollywood look and feel

Iron Man 3 is one of the most elaborate endless runners you’ll play in terms of its presentation. The 3D graphics are eye-popping, explosions are over-the-top, music is thundering and the voice acting is very good. All of this combined leads gives Iron Man 3 a real Hollywood feel, befitting of a blockbuster movie tie-in.

The verdict

Iron Man 3 is tricky to master at first, and the waiting around before being able to play does get annoying if you’re not a fan of paying as you play.However, with its Hollywood presentation, action-packed gameplay and plethora of challenges and missions, Iron Man 3 is less repetitive and monotonous than many endless running games.