In Niko and the Sword of Light (Imaginism/Studio NX, 2013; iOS and Android) the titular young boy is the only Warrior of the Light left. He has in his possession the last relic of his people: The Sword of Light. Forged by the gods, the sword is Niko’s key to saving his world by ridding it of the demonic Darkness.

Niko journeys to the Darkness's main lair, which happens to be in the center of a volcano (am I saying it’s depicted in exactly the same fashion as the Eye of Sauron over Mount Doom? No. No, I am not. The Eye of Sauron is vertical. This evil is obviously horizontal). On his way, Niko fights several possessed animals with his Sword of Light, exorcising the demons from within the creatures and receiving help on his quest in return.



The story is told in graphic novel format with bold, gorgeous illustrations. Each panel tells a story fragment through animation, text, and audio (though the characters' dialogue and the voiceover narration are not exactly Oscar-caliber acting). In order to reveal the next panel, the user must tap a blinking circle, which opens the panel after the previous animation has completed. To watch or listen again, the user simply needs to tap the panel. A flipped-up page corner appears at the bottom right when the page is complete, prompting the user to swipe and turn the page (the page-turn graphic is also beautiful, with a transparency that allows the user to see the previous illustrations through the “page” as it turns).

Niko’s story develops steadily, building suspense and excitement. The timing of the panels is well designed: if the user presses the blinking dot before the animation is complete, the new panel will not open until that part of the story has been presented. This can make the story drag a bit — there might even be a whole second of waiting for a new panel to open — but each appearing panel will renew interest. Other than the page-turning and dot-pressing, this app is not especially interactive. But, as a storytelling experience, Niko is particularly attractive and enjoyable.

Available for iPad (requires iOS 5.1.1 or later) and Android devices (requires Android 4.0.3 and up); free teaser, full comic $3.99. Recommended for primary and intermediate users.