I received a whole slew of sport games for iOS devices last month. I guess you can chalk it up to the Olympic Games for that influx but if there’s one game that gave off the whole “Chariots of Fire” vibe, it would be Czech developers CINEMAX’s Retro Decathlon 2012. The word decathlon in the title is a giveaway that tells you that this particular title, released in conjunction with the Olympics focuses on track and field events.
Presented in 2D, pixelated retro style, players tap and swipe their way in order to succeed in a series of events, which in real life had heralded superstars such as Ashton Eaton (gold medalist in the Olympics for the decathlon) and Jessica Ennis (gold medalist for the heptathlon, and official “It” girl of the London Olympics). The events include the 100 meters sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters run, 110 meters hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and the exhausting 1500 meters run.
The game can be exhausting for players as the game makes it a priority to train, whether it is to tap in sequence quickly or to swipe accurately and fast at the same time, in order to set record times/distances/heights. If you are good enough, you might end up beating some world records. The game reminds me of this other game, International Track & Field for the Nintendo DS, which I reviewed several years ago, and this new game compares favourably with that.
If you are a track and field fan, Retro Decathlon 2012 is something really worth checking out. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates the game at a 4.5 out of 5. Highly recommended. The game is available on the iTunes App Store as a universal binary at the price of USD 1.99, check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/retro-decathlon-2012-run-jump/id545613617?mt=8
A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review.
