News

Best iPhone and iPad Games of the Week: 10/17/14 – ‘Helix’, ‘Zombie Highway 2’, ‘Crimsonland HD’ and ‘Skullduggery’

TouchArcade Rating:

As we’re barreling towards the end of the year, it’s no surprise we’re posting so many great game reviews. It seems like everyone holds on to Q4 to release their best games, so I’m sure it’ll only get better from here- Especially looking at what came out this week. Here’s the highest scored game reviews we posted this week:

Helix-1

Helix, $3.99 [Review] – 868-HACK creator Michael Brough is doing for the arena survival genre with Helix what he did for the roguelike with 868-HACK: take an existing genre and own it with his own style. This is an arcade game that’s got great art, great controls, intriguing gameplay, and even a few secrets to try and dig up, that make this worth checking out if you love arcade games.

Zombie Highway 2, Free [Review] – Free-to-play gets a bad rap among a lot of serious mobile gamers, and often for good reason: there are many games which devolve and infantilize their design because it’s more profitable to do so. But not Zombie Highway 2. This is a free-to-play game that features many of the trappings of the business model, two-tier currencies, and incentivized video ads, but it makes them feel optional, and doesn’t get in the way of being a fun, zombie-splattering good time.

Photo-2014-10-15-16-47-45

Crimsonland HD, Free [Review] – What separates Crimsonland from the pack is in its unusual structure and massive arsenal. The main menu presents you with two options, Quest mode and Survival mode. Quest mode has you play through preset levels trying to survive until all of the enemy waves are cleared out. Do that, and you’ll earn yourself either a shiny new weapon or a nice new perk. Weapons and power-ups will occasionally drop as you mow down enemies, and having the right weapon for the enemies you’re facing can make all the difference in the world. The levels are set up in six groups of ten stages, with three difficulty settings. You’ll probably want to spend time here first unlocking things, but clearing out all of the levels on every difficulty setting is a pretty hefty challenge in and of itself. Even clearing all the stages on the easiest difficulty isn’t exactly trivial. The fact that you’re handed a nice reward after each and every level cleared helps keep you motivated, along with being able to see via a meter at the top of the screen just how close you are to finishing the stage.

Skullduggery!, $2.99 [Review] – Clutch Play is headed back to mobile with their sophomore title, Skullduggery. No bones about it, this game is a head turner. You can find platformers of all shapes and sizes on iOS but this one is the head of its class. Just looking at the graphics(and my amazingly funny jokes), you can probably already guess there are plenty of head and brain puns to be found in this app. What you find underneath, however, is a really great game.

Additionally, we reviewed a few other games this week. As always, you can dig into all of our reviews by clicking here. Alternatively, you can hit up specific scores by using these links:

  • Helix

    A frantic arcade game from the creator of 868-HACK, Corrypt and Glitch Tank. An "anti-shmup". Precise touchscreen contro…
    TA Rating:
    $3.99
    Buy Now
  • Skullduggery!

    Headshots! Paperwork! Semi-Organic Autonomous Skulls collecting taxes from the Deadbeats of the Afterlife! Official Sele…
    TA Rating:
    $2.99
    Buy Now
  • Zombie Highway 2

    The App Store Classic, better than ever! Zombie Highway is AWESOME - The most intense endless runner - 6 detailed cars …
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Crimsonland HD

    Thousands of aliens, mutant lizards, giant spiders and more are on the attack - can you survive the onslaught? Crimsonla…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now