Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins | iOS Review

March 22, 2021 Alyssa White

Doctor Who is one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time, featuring rich storytelling, incredible enemies, awesome alien species, and the titular iconic Time Lord. This seems like a bountiful vein to tap for the gaming industry, but very few games have been created based on this venerable franchise. As a massive fan of the television series, I was eager to get my hands on Maze Theory & Kaigan Games’ Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins. I was not left disappointed, and this is hands-down the best game based on the lore and mythology of Doctor Who. If you are a fellow Whovian, you need to play this as soon as possible.

Don’t Blink

You are thrown into the eyes and hands of an individual who finds the phone of Lawrence Nightingale. Mr. Nightingale is seemingly just an ordinary man who has lost his phone, but you are soon contacted by a mysterious woman named Petronella Osgood. She informs you that Nightingale has ties to the Weeping Angels, one of the creepiest enemies in the Who universe. She tasks you with scouring his phone for clues to his whereabouts and his fate, but things quickly take a sinister turn.

I loved how authentic this felt, with you as the player using your own phone to investigate. It felt natural, and very voyeuristic. The game places real pictures and videos inside the folders of Lawrence’s cell phone, making you believe he could be a flesh-and-blood human being. This adds a realistic layer to the gameplay, which drew me deeply into the experience and refused to let me go during its roughly two and a half hour journey. I yearned to solve the mystery and felt highly rewarded when I did.

Timey Wimey Stuff

If you’re not a fan of Doctor Who, this probably won’t be the game for you. Seeing words such as TARDIS, Gallifrey, Time Lord, and Weeping Angels will only connect with those knowledgeable of this specific universe, and will probably confuse anyone who has no idea what the heck is going on. For Whovians, though, this is an incredible dive further into the world that we’re sorely missing right now. The actors are excellent, and two incarnations of the Doctor make brief appearances. I’m not ashamed to admit I squealed with delight when they popped up.

The Weeping Angels are woven into the narrative brilliantly and are a true, menacing presence. There were actually a couple of instances where I was genuinely unnerved by them. I wasn’t expecting to be scared while playing, and really enjoyed those moments. Every gameplay mechanic was well-implemented and I did not have a single qualm with this title. Sure, some of the info doesn’t have any significance in the game, but it was still fascinating to read and fleshed out the character of Lawrence even more. The puzzles are simple, yet require some light brainwork that leaves you feeling satisfied once you crack the code.

The Last Message

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is easily the greatest game based off of the series to date and is a must-play for phones. The casual gameplay makes it easy to pick up and dive in, but the wonderful story, excellent characters, terrifying enemies, and realistic mechanics, videos, and photos enrich the experience. This probably won’t be a game that someone who isn’t invested in the Doctor’s journey will be interested in, but if you are, don’t hesitate to download this immediately.

To hear me talk more about Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins, be sure to listen to Episode 338 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on an iOS copy of Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins provided by HomeRun PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Steam and Android.