Alright, so posting about iPhone 5 updates might be a little old hat these days, considering the iPhone 5 came out in, um, September of last year... But, you can't miss out on a game this good when it's free. The Blocks Cometh [$1.99] is a great game with a simple premise: Survive as long as you can by avoiding and climbing on top of the endless supply of boxes falling from the sky.
This simple gameplay mechanic is greatly enhanced by a silly amount of playable characters that you can unlock. Each have a slightly different play style, and can make the way you approach the game change substantially. For instance, dudes with a more powerful attack can get away with destroying more blocks, while guys who can jump well are often better off relying on acrobatics to survive.
Oh, and to make things even better, you can play as me, Brad, and Jared in the game if you're a bad enough dude to unlock us. If you missed it the last time the game went free, now's your opportunity to snag it. If you've already got the game on your phone, and you're rocking an iPhone 5, be sure to grab the new widescreen update.
If you've found yourself wondering what in the world Bolt Creative has been up to lately, I've finally got an answer. Aside from updating Pocket God [$0.99] for quite literally years now, releasing Pocket God: Journey to Uranus [$1.99], getting cool toys made and exploring the background of the pygmies in a comic series (which is also available digitally) they've been hard at work on a new game.
It's called Ooga Jump, and it takes the existing mini game found inside of Pocket God and turns it up to 11. We got a very quick look at GDC, and it's definitely as advertised. Imagine a jumping game, but just dripping with everything that makes Pocket God, well, Pocket God. We'll have more details soon, so make sure to add Ooga Jump to your watch list in the TouchArcade App [Free].
I don't know about you, but I think Disney's foray into mobile games might have yielded some of the most creative work of its recent years. Ignoring of course the companies they own, the Mouse House has been seen as lagging in both the movie and videogame departments for quite some time. As anyone not living in a sewer themselves knows, that all changed with the release of Where's My Water? [$0.99] For the first time in...well...ever, a new Disney icon had been created at the videogame level first, and the company seemed to be using mobile to kick off an upswing in the quality department. So naturally, with an alligator as their new face of gaming, they'd follow things up with...a fluffy kitten. Wait, what?
If Mittens [$0.99] - from its seemingly detached concept to its unexpected existence - has you skeptical, you're not alone. Heck, in our TA Plays for the game, Brad drew some early conclusions about the way that the experience seemed like it was playing things disappointingly safe both from a mechanical and creative standpoint. Having now cleared through all of the game's levels and its available bonus pack, it seems that like its in-game collectibles, this one might just be a gem after all. As with the title's titular feline, though, players may go through ups and downs along the way.
The thing is, where Swampy brought with him not only a novel concept but a slew of memorable levels - each of which felt like it had a distinct theme and purpose - Mittens meanders much more on its way to eventual greatness. As with any physics puzzler, the basics are covered in the first few levels of each zone, with the core concept revolving around the need to swipe and tap our brave kitty to safety on a quest to impress his true love. Unfortunately, this introductory mindset seems to bleed into a large portion of the game's first fifty levels, with many of them feeling like indistinct, unmemorable versions of one another.
You know that sense you get when a new level in a three-star puzzler feels vaguely like a rearranged version of the one you played just far enough back that the game thinks you forgot it? Yeah, it's that. All the trademark elements are in place, including sliced ropes, last minute drops onto bouncy objects, and risky collectible snagging - painted with a Disney polish that ensures everything feels smooth and precise. Yet for all its emphatic not-badness, there's a lingering feeling of ho-hum in the first two zones that's hard to shake. A sense that Disney might be trading in slightly on its newly minted supremacy in the genre, doing far less than they could to justify a purchase.
The yin to this more reserved yang, however, comes in the form of the levels that appear towards the end of each zone, as well as almost the entirety of the game's third area. Reassuringly, Mittens does eventually step out of the genre's comfort zone to deliver a much fresher take on a well-trod play style. First appearing as five bonus levels that are unlocked as you collect gems, these more complicated stages feel like a wonderful mix between Amazing Alex [$0.99] and Cut the Rope [$0.99]. Each one departs from the "tap here, swipe this" feeling, instead forcing you to navigate landscapes already full of motion, and piece together the perfect timing needed to play your role as the little furry cog in a miniature machine. Better still? They tie together wonderfully and make up for the feeling of detachment prevalent throughout earlier levels. My particular favorites are the five final circus big-tops of the second zone, that culminate in a brilliant level full of tightropes, cannons, and miniature cars.
And while the last zone and the game's much tougher (and more imaginative) harbor zone continue this trend, I can't help but wonder why it feels like it takes almost half the game to get there. Drawing further attention to the game's design foibles is a seeming lack of effort in - of all areas - production values. Mittens' is completely without stage music save for a repetitive chime at the end of a level, and the cut scenes that exist to punctuate play pale in comparison to the subtle, endearing storytelling achieved in Where's My Water? Except for grating meows when you fall into blackness or foul up, the titular kitty lacks all semblance of a personality, and it proves nigh-impossible to invest in the game beyond the compulsive desire to beat its levels.
This, perhaps, is the predicament I'm having with Mittens. You'd be hard pressed to call it bad by any stretch, and about half way through, it manages to take off in ways not hinted at in our TA Plays video to become a pretty wonderful take on the physics puzzler. At a dollar, and with a future that will doubtless be filled with more content, fans of the genre would be hard pressed not to pick this one up. At the same time, however, it's more than a little disheartening that Disney seems to have followed up their return to form with a return to safety, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more than a competent time-killer from a studio of their pedigree.
Like a top notch student handing in a rush job, Mittens sags not under the weight of what it does wrong, but all that it could have done much better.
Remember when the word "port" conjured up terrifying visions of developers taking your favorite arcade game and cramming them into cartridges that spat out blurry graphics and fuzzy sound? Twisted Pixel does, and they know it wouldn't be proper to make gamers revisit those dark days, so they put forth a solid effort teaching their Xbox Live platformer, Ms. Splosion Man [$2.99], how to speak mobile. Solid, indeed, except for a bothersome implementation of an IAP pay wall.
(Unfortunately the 'sploding star also speaks teenager, and that just won't do. Immediately open the options menu and disable VOX, her constant "Oh mah GAWD!" jibber-jabber. Done that? You're welcome. Okay, then. Let's continue. )
Unlike ports of 3D games that require more virtual buttons than you have fingers, Ms. Splosion Man keeps things nice and simple. You've got a slider to move around and an invisible "splode" button anywhere your right thumb pleases. You can enable a virtual stick, but as you only need to prance left and right, the slider feels better and more responsive. Exploding pops you into the air. Press it twice and you'll do the Ms. Splosion Man equivalent of a double jump.
We're guessing you've already heard this, but just in case: Twisted Pixel's mobile port of Ms. Splosion Man [$2.99] is now available on the App Store. "Port" feels like a good word to use here, too, since the game's a pretty faithful reproduction of the XBLA version. It does have IAP for power-ups and level progression, though, which is new to Ms. Splosion Man overall.
If you're hungry to see this in action, give this video a look. Eli and I spent some of our post-GDC time with the game this afternoon, pounding through a level before getting in trouble with the first world's last boss encounter. You'll probably walk away with a good impression of how this game rolls mechanically and tonally. That's cool, right?
If you're into platformers, you should have probably grabbed this yesterday. It's pretty good.
It looks like Twisted Pixel avoided being picked up in yesterda's coming tonight post because they decided to pull the "release everywhere at once" lever instead of letting the game drizzle out all over the world. Regardless, Ms. Splosion Man [$2.99] is now out in the wild. I saw it at PAX East and was totally impressed with what I saw.
Ms. Splosion Man got its starts on consoles, so the name of the game here is definitely "console quality."
Our forum members are digging the game too. We'll dive in a little deeper after GDC madness is over, but if you've been waiting for Ms. Splosion Man, mash that download link.
The wait for Ms. 'Splosion Man on iOS is almost over, guys! During a chat with Joystiq today at PAX East, creator Twisted Pixel said that the long-awaited iOS version of the awesome platformer will hit by the end of March. That's ... soon!
Also of note, Joystiq says this version of the game will be the series' debut of power-ups, one of which will allow you to skip levels if they're too hard.
We've been waiting for this one for a long time, so it'll be nice to get our hands on it at the end of this month. We'll let you know what we think then. Here's the old reveal trailer if you need your memory tickled, by the way:
Heads up: Badland is coming, for sure, to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch this coming April 4, creator Frogmind has said. A new trailer has been released alongside this intel, too, and you don't want to miss it because, man, this game is looking good in just every way possible.
If you're out of the loop, Badland is a super atmospheric side-scrolling adventure game that tasks you with figuring out what's going on in a gloomy, fantasy-ish forest filled with strange-looking machine parts and traps. The game will also ship with a multiplayer race-to-the-finish mode, if you're into that.
We're stoked to get this one in our hands, and chances are we'll be doing just that in a matter of days. Stay tuned!
It'll be soon be time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, so be sure to stock up on bubble gum as for whatever reason Duke always seems to be out- In honor of Duke Nukem II's 20th anniversary the game will be headed to iOS. It's crazy to think that the game was originally released that long ago, but, here we are. If you're unfamiliar with the title, before Duke went 3D with Duke Nukem 3D [$0.99] it was actually a really fun sidescroller. Take a look at the trailer:
Duke Nukem 3D leaves a lot to be desired on iOS devices, largely because of weird on-screen controls which really never seem to work that well for first person shooters. Sidescrollers, on the other hand, seem to work quite well with virtual controls. The actual release date is TBA, but with the 20th anniversary coming soon, we're thinking the game will follow closely. The price has been announced, and you'll be able to enjoy all 32 original Duke II levels for $1.99.
I told myself I'd go get lunch after getting through one more of Bobbing's [Free / $1.99] 86 levels. They're short and sweet, once you know what you're doing. It shouldn't have been a problem. Twenty minutes later, I was finally done. Famished, but finished. I probably should have taken the break I promised myself—Bobbing is not a game to be played on an empty stomach.
It's cute, colorful and quick, but it isn't kind. Most precision platformers eventually let you get by on muscle memory. Repeat a level enough times and you'll know it in your fingertips. Bobbing starts out that way, but it isn't long before it becomes clear that Little Bobby Games has created something more ambitious. Each level becomes a maze, a puzzle that needs to be worked out as you go.
You wouldn't think it would be all that complex. Each level is only half a screen high, and there are only two inputs to work with. Tap the left side of the screen to reverse gravity and the right to swap colors. It's loosely familiar if you've played Polara [$0.99], at least up to that point.
Ravenous Games' Gravity Duck [$0.99] is the sort of game you already know if you’ve played indie PC gaming favorite VVVVVV – you’ve got happy pixelly graphics, the ability to jump's been replaced with a gravity-reversal mechanic that slings you from floor to ceiling, and even the same treacherous spikes litter the landscapes. Okay, there are a few differences. For one thing, this time around, you’re playing the part of a duck.
Our brave hero Mr. Duck is told, by a talking stone head, to retrieve golden eggs. The same head imbues him with the power to flip gravity. Why are there eggs and why does a stone head want them and why does he feel a duck is his best bet at retrieving them? you may ask, as I did. So this isn’t exactly the Dickens of iOS, but hey – you and I are more interested in the badassery of flipping gravity, right?
First impressions of Gravity Duck are unlikely to fall flat – the interface is delightfully uncluttered, the music chirpy, and the graphics wonderfully styled (small touches, such as our waddling hero’s “shrinking” animation upon collecting an egg, really add to Gravity Duck’s charm). In this altered platformer, the whole gravity-flip thing is initially a breeze for inexperienced players to pick up. Levels are short, and your goal is to navigate the spike pits, get to the end of each to pick up the golden egg, and warp through to the next level.
A world of teddy bears and pretty lights doesn't sound like the perfect setting for a killer platformer, I'll grant. Penumbear's [$0.99] teddy bear is, however, a ball of fluff in serious trouble, and the pretty lights are all that stand between it and a gruesome stuffing evisceration. The shadows, in this case, outweigh the light.
Those shadows are an integral part of the platforming experience. The titular Penumbear awakes alone in a dreadful tower with only a firefly for company. That firefly can manipulate light switches, and the bear can explore the penumbras: the places where light and dark meet. With directional controls and a jump button, it's well equipped for classic platforming. But it's the ability to walk on light that gives the bear real hope of escape.
From the simple building blocks of platforms, darkness and light, over 100 levels are formed. There isn't much too them, really: a few solid stones, a couple light switches, and maybe a few more aggressive obstructions make up the brunt of every level. With that formula, Taco Graveyard put together dozens of layouts that rarely repeat themselves, creating a massive, sprawling beast of a platformer.
I gotta hand it to Spunk and Moxie [$1.99]. It's a 2D platform game that actually plays to the strengths of the iPad and iPhone's touch screen while still offering a challenge. It's also a looker, too, and has a ton of charm to spare.
Backing up: in the game, you play as a blob that auto-runs. You're in charge of jumping and the timing of those jumps with one-touch screen controls. The longer you hold down on the screen, the higher and longer a jump. The level and scenario design does all the heavy lifting. As you play, you'll be tasked with squeezing through passages by timing a jump perfectly, avoiding pits, and generally progressing through each level's maze-like structure. There's also potions, which give your characters' powers. The red potion is the one you'll see the most in the following. It gives Spunk the ability to smash crates that would otherwise be blocking the way. The catch is that the effects are timed.
Anyway, if you're in the market for a new platformer, you should probably check out our video. This game is really fun and surprisingly difficult at points.
Chillingo's position in the App Store has become somewhat of a double-edged sword. As a mega-publisher with a huge user base, getting signed to work with them can mean instant success for a smaller developer. Yet with the crazy flood of new releases, the blessing of brand recognition can just as easily be a curse. Hand-crafted standouts from talented studios risk being dismissed as "this week's Chillingo game," passed over by players and reviewers as they scour for something more 'unique.' Until a couple of days ago, I had typecast Room 8 Studio's Cyto [$0.99] as one to skip. While checking out our forums, though, it became clear that it had readers intrigued and impressed, wondering why there wasn't more being said. One non-stop play session later, I'm here to make amends.
Cyto puts you in control of the world's cutest piece of cytoplasm (I think this may be the only time someone has ever written the words "cute" and "cytoplasm" in the same sentence). A smiling, blinking, blue amoeba missing its memories and desperately searching for its friends and family. As usual in the puzzle platform genre, it's all a thinly veiled excuse to fling, stick, and drop your way through a slew of bite-sized levels in an attempt to collect three tokens. In this case, glowing pieces of Cyto's past. Familiar mechanics are where the slippery slope to boredom ends, however.
Deftly avoiding the trap of lazy visuals, Room 8 delivers a vibrant and ominous little world. Static backgrounds filled with painterly orbs and tentacles dwarf your microscopic protagonist and allude to the body of something sinister. Meanwhile, the playing field is abuzz with life as microbes pulsate and motes of glowing particles spiral in all directions. It even seems like Cyto is reacting to it all with wide eyes, agape mouth, and looks of trepidation mid-flight. Tying the experience together is an evocative piano soundtrack; part nostalgic waltz, part funeral dirge, it'll have you taking the game's recommendation to use headphones seriously. Cyto tickles a lot of the same synapses as Chillingo cousin Contre Jour [$0.99 / $2.99], and the comparison goes further with the game's absorbing design.
It's a hallmark of too many three-star, one-screen platformers that I can barely remember one level from the next. They all mix together in a soup of vaguely rearranged obstacles and objectives that enter occupy my thoughts one second, and are gone the next. With Cyto, many of the game's 81 levels stick around after the score screen has faded. This is due in no small part to the surprising sense of choice that runs throughout the game. Instead of having essentially two ways to complete each level - the easy way, where you careen straight to the exit, or the substantial way involving collectibles - it's often apparent that you took one of a handful of paths to the level's glowing exit orb. The meticulous arrangement of the game's sticky surfaces, thorny obstacles, and precious open space allows for ample experimentation as you try to chart your course to the far corners of each level. I'd often finish with that wonderfully satisfying feeling that the way I played and beat the level had been a complete fluke; that only I had beaten it that way.
Cyto doesn't mollycoddle when it comes the difficulty curve, either. The back nine levels in each world deliver shades of the same cerebral thrill that made Portal so spectacular. Instead of slingshotting around, proverbial guns blazing, you'll have to digest portions of the level as you take yourself through the paces and consider cause and effect. When pulled off perfectly, the game becomes an opponent you outplayed in chess, conquered at the hands of your mental trapeze work. Easily the crowning jewel here is the game's "gold" levels, given out as sadistic rewards for perfecting the eight levels that came before. Each one caps off the mechanics of that section, and adds huge longevity to the game by sucking you into a brain-busting challenge that's best served when you have plenty of patience on hand.
Mechanically, Cyto is also a breath of fresh air. Sure it's got all the typical add-ons like wind, portals, and bouncing pads, but every new feature rolls out in such that each stage has a healthy mixture of what you've seen and what you haven't. Function even becomes form as new obstacles like multiplying spikes and fading memories throw a wrench in the game's measured pace and turn levels into tense races against the clock. The result is an experience that very much keeps you on your toes...perhaps too much so, in some cases. The game takes a noticeable hit by demanding extreme precision, but not delivering it in return. Shots that launch you onto a safe piece of grass during one try seem to bounce you off a wayward edge during another; detaching Cyto to roll down an edge to the exit will often send him tumbling the other way, all with little to explain why. Luckily, the game traces your last five shots with angled dots, making retries far less frustrating than they could be.
That's ultimately Cyto in a nutshell. With every opportunity it has, it proves that it's not lowest common denominator fare. This is one of the few in this genre with the promise of more levels "Coming Soon" which has me eagerly awaiting the update notification on my iPad. Rather than judge a book by its publisher, pick this up today: it'll be a delight for your left and right brain alike.
The run 'n gun platformer genre hasn't fared especially well on iOS. Usually this boils down to the whole touchscreen virtual controls thing, since these kinds of games typically demand faster reactions and more precision than a smattering of virtual buttons can offer.
Wandake seems to have figured out a great solution though with their title Apocalypse Max [$2.99]. They kept all the running and gunning intact, but made the simple decision to have aiming handled automatically. It sounds like something that might dumb down the action, but it really doesn't. We found Apocalypse Max to be a lot of fun when we reviewed it last September.
This week, a pretty big update was released for the game which adds four additional playable characters to the mix. Each character has their own unique abilities that differentiate themselves from the default Max character. For example, Commando Max has unlimited ammunition on all weapons, and Ninja Max does double damage with his melee blade. These new characters add a good amount of variety and let you play the game in new ways.
Each of the four new characters are available as a 99¢ IAP purchase or you can save yourself a buck and buy the whole lot for $2.99. And, if you haven't picked up Apocalypse Max already, it's currently free to download in celebration of the new update. It's one of my favorite games of its kind, and especially for free I can't recommend it enough.
Alright, so posting about iPhone 5 updates might be a little old hat these days, considering the iPhone 5 came out in, um, September of last year... But, you can't miss out on a game this good when it's free. The Blocks Cometh [$1.99] is a great game with a simple premise: Survive as long as you can by avoiding and climbing on top of the endless supply of boxes falling from the sky.
