The popularity of the unreal engine on iOS can be seen by the success of games like Infinity Blade and Batman Arkham City. These games are bringing the excitement of combat games to that little device in your pocket; however these games are primarily another example of games on rails. Guiding your players thru a series of battles where your are blocking, hitting and doing combos. Players learn to do patterns to beat the hordes of baddies, in order to gain experience and loot which can be sold for upgrading your skills.

You can’t fight the popularity of the engine, but are these games really showcasing the power of the unreal engine? The beauty of the engine can’t be denied! The shading leads to some stunning vistas, while keeping the game play from completely degrading.

Is the reason that the popular unreal games are all on rails that iOS devices are not really created for good game input? Or is that we, as developers, are struggling with new game play mechanics that can leverage the beauty of this engine?