Doctor Who: Legacy

Doctor Who: Legacy was a match-3 puzzle RPG video game released on 27 November 2013 and based upon the BBC television programme Doctor Who. The game was developed by American company Seed Studio in collaboration with British company Tiny Rebel Games. It is a free-to-play game released to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the popular sci-fi show, with rights licensed by BBC Worldwide. The game launched focusing on the Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith), then later shifted the focus to the Twelfth Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi), following his debut in the show. New characters and content were 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 closely followed series 8 and series 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.

Doctor Who: Legacy
Developer(s)Seed Studio
Tiny Rebel Games
Publisher(s)Tiny Rebel Games
Producer(s)Susan Cummings
Jack Yee
Peter Hickman
Designer(s)Lee Cummings
Kuenda Lee
Programmer(s)Jack Yee and the Seed Studio Team
Artist(s)Pest Jiang
Writer(s)Lee Cummings
Ben Badgett
Composer(s)Chris Huelsbeck
Fabian Del Priore
EngineUnity 3D
Platform(s)
ReleaseAndroid, iOS
27 November 2013[1]
Kindle
3 March 2014[2]
Facebook
10 July 2014
Genre(s)Puzzle/Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The game also contains content which does not come from the television series but rather from expanded universe canon from Big Finish Productions audio series,[3] Titan Comics[4] 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[5] and follows the story of the TARDIS being infected by a virus. The game was closed down on 17 February 2019 as Tiny Rebel did not want to renew the license with the BBC.[6]

Synopsis

The story begins when the Eleventh Doctor and Vastra arrive in Cardiff on 16 October 1978, discovering that the Earth has been 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 rated 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".[7]
  • Android Central's Paul Acevedo stated 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."[8]
  • Chris Scullion, editor of CVG wrote "...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."
  • Writing for Metro, David Jenkins gave the game a 6/10, describing it as a "reasonable Puzzle & Dragon clone, but matching gems and punching bad guys does nothing to honour the legacy of the TV show" and criticising the "cheap and nasty" production.[9]
  • 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."[10]
  • Mike Fahey at Kotaku wrote 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."[11]
  • TouchArcade wrote, "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."[12]

Doctor Who Infinity

On August 8, 2018, Tiny Rebel released Doctor Who Infinity, a follow-up to Doctor Who Legacy. The game uses comic book style images and voice actors from the show, combined with the gameplay of Legacy, with a few enhancements. The game also has bonus content, which can be purchased as add-ons and features new stories featuring characters from different seasons of the show. Unlike Legacy, Infinity received a PC port via Steam, on top of a mobile version[13]

References
  1. Slater, Harry (26 November 2013). "Free-to-play puzzler Doctor Who: Legacy will materialise on Android and iOS tomorrow". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. "Doctor Who Legacy welcomed to Kindle by First Doctor and Captain Jack | Doctor Who". www.doctorwho.tv. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. "Audiobooks from Big Finish". Bigfinish.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  4. "Amazing Comics, Graphic Novels, Trade Paperbacks, and Statue Selection - Welcome to Titan Comics - Dallas, TX". Titancomics.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  5. "Doctor Who: Legacy". Tinyrebelgames.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  6. New, Daniel (3 February 2019). "Time runs out for Doctor Who: Legacy".
  7. Nichols, Scott (27 November 2013). "'Doctor Who: Legacy' review (iOS): TARDIS takes on Puzzle & Dragons - Doctor Who Review - Gaming". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. "Doctor Who: Legacy – comprehensive review". Androidcentral.com. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  9. "Doctor Who: Legacy review – a waste of time". 5 December 2013.
  10. "Doctor Who: Legacy Review". Officialvghc.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  11. Mike Fahey (20 August 2014). "The Game That's Kept Me Sane Waiting For The New Doctor Who". Kotaku.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  12. "'Doctor Who: Legacy' Keeps Getting Updated as 10th Anniversary of 'Dr. Who' Show Approaches". Toucharcade.com. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  13. "Doctor Who Legacy on Steam". Steam Store. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018.
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