In case you haven't noticed, we've really been awaiting the release of Crescent Moon Games' follow-up to their 2009 open-world RPG Ravensword[$2.99] (and so have you, if our anticipated games list is any indication). After years of waiting, including the launch of a new label as well as another excellent RPG, Ravensword: Shadowlands [$6.99] is finally here. Just as the original Ravensword made its mark for bringing a sought-after genre to iOS, Shadowlands demonstrates just how far the genre has come on the platform, making it one of the most ambitious and enjoyable RPGs of the year.
After a magical gambit in the war against the dark elves goes awry, you wake up at a local guild in the city of Aven, wondering how you got there and why you managed to survive. After a few initial quests, you end up at the door of the Archmage, keeper of magical lore and mastermind of the magical spell that nearly killed you. Upon learning of a deeper threat, the Archmage sends you on a quest to recover three Ravenstones, powerful artifacts that will allow you to enter into the Shadowlands and destroy a demon bent on destroying the entire world. In terms of narrative, Ravensword: Shadowlands weaves a tale appropriate for the grandiose scale of the game. While it probably won't be winning any awards for originality, I was satisfied with the game's lore which was apparent in the quests, characters, and books.
Recently we reviewed and enjoyed Gameloft's Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour's [$6.99] single player offerings. While the game's campaign continued the trend of offering a pretty great single player experience, there were a few perpetual nagging issues that seemed to hold it back. Of course, like its console brethren, most folks don't play Modern Combat for its story. Rather, they play it for its multiplayer options, which were introduced with Black Pegasus and greatly refined in Fallen Nation. With Zero Hour, Gameloft has again delivered an awesome FPS multiplayer experience on iOS that really can't be beat.
If you've played any iteration of Modern Combat's multiplayer before, the core of Zero Hour's will be very familiar. Players pick from a variety of game types and compete against others, earning cash and credits for kills, assists and completing objectives. Credits are used to purchase weapons, attachments, killstreaks and more, while experience is used towards increasing your rank. Additional features like WiFi only multiplayer, map voting, parties, and custom matches round out the standard fare.
Walking Dead: The Game [Free] is a five-part adventure game series set in the merciless, dark, and violent universe of the Walking Dead. As a whole, the games feel like a celebration of their source material; the characters are believably fickle, the action is terrifying and sudden, and the potential of violence colors every scenario. If you've ever wanted to experience Robert Kirkman's world in game form, this is the way to do it.
Boil the entire experience down: Walking Dead is a series of games about broken people in a broken world where decisions are made in bursts of anger, fear, doubt, frustration, disgust and greed. You'll make hard, horrible choices in great distress. You'll watch a lot of people die. And you'll do things you regret.
Choices have meaning. Characters you interact with remember what you've said and respond accordingly down the line. There are also significant plot points that you may never see depending on who remains with you.
I've got to admit, when I firstheard that Rovio was set to release a Star Wars themed Angry Birds game, I thought it was a joke. After I realized that it was real, I started wondering how the mobile giant would treat this venerable series that has, admittedly, had its ups and downs over the years. It turns out Rovio has managed to accomplish the impossible: make a Star Wars game in this day and age that's actually fun to play. Angry Birds Star Wars [$0.99 / $2.99 (HD)] is an excellent addition to the series with just enough fan service and formula tweaks to make it a must-play.
Folks even vaguely familiar with any previous titles in the Angry Birds series will have no problem with Star Wars. The same premise of flinging birds in a slingshot into Empire-dressed pigs applies and is as enjoyable as ever. In addition, Angry Birds Star Wars splits its levels between the traditional worlds found in most titles, and the gravitational fields-based worlds of Angry Birds Space[$0.99 / $2.99 (HD)] It's a nice mix of levels and a great example of how far Rovio has come with level design.
One of the coolest things to witness on iOS is when a developer creates a game that successfully makes a complete transition from traditional controls to touch mechanisms. Sure, a lot of games can get by through simply adding virtual control pads and buttons, but it's the games that make perfect use of touch controls that feel much more natural and fun. ARC Squadron [$2.99 / Free] by Psyonix is one such game and is a blast to play on iOS. By including a simple but highly effective control scheme, a decent selection of beautifully detailed levels, and a great upgrade system, ARC Squadron embodies what makes an iOS game great and is a must-play.
As an elite pilot in the aptly named ARC Squadron, players are tasked with taking down the Guardians, a nefarious race bent on destroying the universe. You'll fight the Guardians through a variety of on-rail stages that have you destroying enemy ships, collecting energy cubes and avoiding planetary obstacles. Clusters of levels culminate with boss stages, each of which require their own strategies and techniques. While the story is rather cliché, there's still a lot to do in ARC Squadron, as completing the story unlocks harder difficulties to try. Normally, the basic formula and story described above would be enough for a decent game, but ARC does so much more.
It's crazy to think that in a couple of years we'll be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Need for Speed series. The games have come a shockingly long way since the original 3DO release in 1994, and while Need For Speed Most Wanted [$4.99] definitely has that highly-iterative EA feel to it, they're getting closer and closer to perfection.
I'd find it hard to believe that anyone reading TouchArcade hasn't played a Need For Speed game, but assuming you're part of that confusing demographic, here's the gist: If the title wasn't a big enough hint, all the racing games in the series hinge around the idea of going really, really fast. That sensation of speed is a cornerstone of any racer, and Need For Speed Most Wanted is no slouch in that department. In fact, I'd say Most Wanted provides the best sensation of speed I've experienced on an iOS device- particularly when played on the wide screen of the iPhone 5.
Like other games in the series, Need For Speed Most Wanted is home to a whole bunch of licensed cars. There's 35 in all and they range from boring starter cars like the Ford Focus moving right on up to exotics like the Bugatti Veyron. The Tesla Roadster is also included, and, amusingly enough, hitting the nitrous doesn't cause flames to come out the back. Joining these licensed cars is a host of licensed music which seems to fit the overall mood of the game quite well. Most Wanted also offers both touch and tilt control options, and though I don't normally prefer them for most games, I found the default tilt option to be far superior to touch in allowing precision and subtlety in movement.
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the unholy alliance between Rocketcat Games and Madgarden would result in one of the best free to play titles available on the App Store today. There's some serious pedigree behind these two developers with Rocketcat contributing Hook Champ [$2.99], Super QuickHook [$2.99], and Mage Gauntlet [$2.99] to their side of the equation while Madgarden throws their hat into the ring via Saucelifter [$1.99], Sword of Fargoal [$1.99], Sword of Fargoal Legends [$2.99], and the upcoming Sword of Fargoal 2. All of those games would be on any short list of "must have iOS games" of mine, and Punch Quest [Free] easily finds a home among that list as well.
Punch Quest hinges on familiar endless runner tropes, in that the core of the game revolves around a "see how far you can go" mechanic. Where the game diverts from the rest of the pack is through a shockingly deep combat system and a focus on slaying as many enemies as possible- Making Punch Quest more of an endless puncher than an endless runner. In fact, if the game has a flaw, it'd be not making just how intricate the combat system is apparent to the player at first blush.
Tapping the left side of the screen executes an uppercut, and then tapping that same side a second time throws a downward punch. The right side of the screen controls your standard forward-facing punch, and once you spend the 10 Punchos to unlock the ability, holding both sides blocks. In Punch Quest you want to rack up and maintain huge combos, and as you get better at the game and notice all the little nuances between how to deal with the various enemy types and other tricks to keep combos going you sort of have a Neo seeing the Matrix moment- One of my favorite sensations while playing a video game.
As you play, you're tasked with a familiar set of three objectives, ranging from simple things like kill X enemies to complex tasks involving using special abilities in certain ways. These are your bread and butter for earning Punchos, the in-game currency fueling the whole experience. With Punchos, you can buy all sorts of moves, single-use powerups, and persistent upgrades. Customizing which of these unlocks you have equipped adds an even greater level of depth to the game as clear combos become evident and crazy obscure mashups result in ridiculously lucky high scores.
There's all sorts of power-ups to discover in game, often as the result of choosing the proper direction in one of the many branching paths thrown your way. There's even minibosses, collectable items, and tons of other surprises that I really don't even want to list to not detract from the magic of stumbling across them. Oh, and like all Rocketcat games, there's no shortage of hats to collect.
The ten trillion ton elephant in the room in any free to play game review is how obnoxious the game's monetization is, and Punch Quest takes an insanely hands-off approach to directing players to buying the in-game currency. It's almost worrying in a way, as there is absolutely no reason to buy any additional Punchos. The IAP is hidden in submenus, and Punchos are so plentifully earned in game via completing objectives and killing monsters that the general vibe I've seen towards the game is "I'm throwing a couple bucks at the game to support the developer" rather the all-too-often "Ugh, alright, I've hit the pay wall, you win, here's my money" we see in far too many free to play titles.
This review is intentionally vague because I don't want to rob anyone of the many "Did that just happen?" moments that Punch Quest fires your way, especially as you start investing Punchos into unlocking additional branching path types. What I will say, is that you need to download this game now. Punch Quest needs to be on every iOS device you own. It's totally free, the only way the IAP could be less obtrusive is if they removed it entirely, and you'll fall in love with the game inside of the first minute of play. What's not to like about that?
Seating arrangements can be killer. If you've ever helped plan a wedding, you already know this: the last thing you want to do in the last weeks before a big event are sort through RSVPs and figure out if your Aunt Maude still has a grudge against her sister, and if so, where on earth can you fit her and Uncle Jeb? You just want to make everyone happy, but there's only so much space to work with. It helps to have something to hold on to, cards or labels you can shuffle around. It makes it a little bit like a game.
Someone at Popcannibal has clearly done some event planning in the past, because Girls Like Robots [$2.99] is the game of seating arrangements brought to utterly delightful life. Absent are the tensions of family dynamics, and in their place are schoolroom dramas: who likes whom, which one's the pariah, and who would really just like to be left alone. Here's a primer: girls like robots but they hate nerds. Robots are cool with just about everyone, but can't be left alone with fish. And nerds? Well, they'd like to sit next to girls, but robots are pretty cool too. Hope that's clear, because it's just the start of navigating this social puzzle minefield.
Last year Adult Swim Games and PikPok collaborated to blow our minds with a match-3 game. Yeah that’s right, a match-3, one of the most tired and overdone genres on the App Store. It was really their rethinking of the matching mechanics and a high level of presentation that reinvigorated our match-3 love with Monsters Ate My Condo [$0.99], and now almost exactly one year later they’ve done it again with the follow-up Super Monsters Ate My Condo [Free].
As those of us who grew up with a Super Nintendo or the Street Fighter II series have come to learn, slapping “super” onto the front of your game’s title indicates that it’s built upon a familiar experience, with upgrades or new features to create a better overall experience. You weren't just playing with power, you were playing with SUPER power. That is true of Super Monsters Ate My Condo as well.
The core gameplay concepts remain largely unchanged from the original. You’re still dealing with a condo tower that gets built in the middle of the screen by individual floors dropping from above. The floors come in four different colors and by matching three or more of each color those condo floors will combine into a single, upgraded floor. Combine once to form a Bronze floor, then combine three Bronzes for a Silver floor, three Silvers for a Gold, and three Golds for a Diamond.
Over the years as Rovio has grown from a struggling Finnish mobile development studio to nearly muscling the WWE (and similar brands) off Wal-Mart store shelves in exchange for everything from Angry Birds T-Shirts to dog toys to band aids and decorative wall decals, leaving many of us have been wondering what's next? Angry Birds Space [$0.99 / $2.99 (HD)] mixed up the formula a bit, and the re-release of Casey's Contraptions re-branded as Amazing Alex [$0.99 / $2.99 (HD)] failed to impress.
Apparently, the key to reinventing the Angry Birds universe is by putting the pigs to work.
Bad Piggies [$0.99 / $0.99 (HD)] sets the stage with a brief comic book-style introduction setting the foundation for the game: The pigs, always anxious to steal the birds' eggs seemingly crafted a masterful plan to do so. Unfortunately, it got sucked into a fan, shredded, and blown across the land. Since pigs in the Angry Birds-iverse seem to lack legs (or feet), you've got to collect these plan scraps by building various contraptions to get your pig from the start of each level to the finish line where the piece of the plan is.
The game starts off slow, introducing the core building mechanic and the hint book. When you get access to a new item to bolt on to one of your contraptions, tapping an icon in the top right corner will show you how to use it. The first instance shows that you need to build a car of sorts that's three wooden boxes wide, with a wheel on each end. So, you drag the parts into a simple to use grid, place your pig inside, hit the checkmark to tell the game you've completed construction, and (hopefully) roll to the bottom of the hill to the finish line.
The rest of the game grows on this, eventually expanding the grid that you can build in as well as all sorts of new components. The next thing you're introduced to is the concept of thrust by adding a bellows you can squeeze to your contraption. Mashing a virtual button sends out a puff of air, which increases your forward momentum. Eventually you'll get access to balloons, propellers, engines, and all sorts of other odds and ends to put together some truly hilarious machines.
Bad Piggies is almost irritatingly accessible as well. If you've played a physics game (or a contraption building game) before, you'll likely already have a firm grasp of the concepts required to succeed in Bad Piggies. Quite a few of the early levels are mind-numbingly basic as the game teaches the player concepts such as attaching a balloon to things will make them float. These levels feel dull, until you realize how the three star system works.
Rovio has ditched the mysterious score requirements of Angry Birds for a much more tangible almost Cut the Rope [$0.99 / $3.99 (HD)] like style star system. Instead of not knowing if you're 10 points off or 10,000 points off from that elusive third star, you're told exactly what you need to do to perfect a level. These objectives vary from basic things like getting to the goal inside of a time limit, or collecting starts that are strewn about a level- Often in out of the way or hard to reach areas. My favorite goals, however, are ones that involve not using what seems to be a vital component for your contraption's construction (For instance, build without using a wheel.) or making it to the end without any damage to your flying machine. These can be very tricky.
The early levels lead you to believe that the real puzzle element in Bad Piggies is in the construction of your pig transportation gizmo. There's even a (remarkably optional) IAP item where the game will build the "perfect" contraption for you. In later levels, especially if you're going for three stars, Bad Piggies is a game of flawless execution and piloting of your machine. If you check out our TA Plays video, you'll see me failing at a level over and over as I fail to release a sandbag at the proper time, give my craft too much (or too little) thrust, don't pop balloons early enough, and a bunch of other things. Even if you "cheat" by looking up the perfect design, or use the IAP, you're hardly negating any of the challenge of the game.
Without obsessing over three star requirements, the included 90 levels in the initial release will likely only take a few hours to complete. Like all Rovio games, a mysterious pack of "coming soon" levels appears, indicating Bad Piggies will likely see the same stream of updates and content additions that the various Angry Birds games have received. But, in my eyes, these levels aren't even the best part of the game. That title goes to the sandbox mode.
In sandbox levels, you're given a massive grid to build in as well as tons of various components. Instead of reaching a finish line, you're challenged with a shockingly long level filled with stars to pick up. I've spectacularly failed at completing any of these to 100%, but it is amazing tweaking your design and managing to barely limp to one more star, rolling down a hill in your almost entirely broken contraption. If there was one thing I could add to Bad Piggies, it'd be the ability to create your own sandbox levels to share with friends. There's so much potential hidden away in something like that, and Rovio has already shown they're more than capable of doing it with Amazing Alex.
Bad Piggies is awesome, and needs to be a part of your iOS game collection just as much as the rest of the Angry Birds series. Rovio nails the same accessibility of the Angry Birds games while taking the franchise in a direction that feels both totally fresh and entirely appropriate. It sucks that Rovio still isn't releasing universal versions of their games, and it's disappointing that the iPhone variety doesn't take advantage of the iPhone 5's wider display, but neither of these things make Bad Piggies any less fun. Definitely pick this one up.
One minute spent with God of Blades [$2.99] and it's clear that it isn't the most mechanically complex or the tightest side-scrolling hack-and-slash out there. Its biggest problem is its scenario design, which is ignorant of how floaty the core combat feels. Boss fights in particular are too technical and desire a level of mastery impossible to summon given how your guy kinda glides and bounces through the battlefield.
But what God of Blades lacks in functional mechanical sizzle, it makes up for threefold with amazing art and sound direction. The tortured, veiny world the art conjures and the surreal music it uses to bolster its paranoid sci-fi vibe are both riveting aspects that suck you into a surreal universe and refuse to let go.
In short, God of Blades is one of those style over substance games in which the creative elements manage to trump everything else. Its ability to consistently deliver the exotic and bizarre pays off; its curiosities are the engaging thing here, the mechanics are an oddly secondary kind of thing.
Supergiant Games' Bastion [$0.99] is truly a game whose reputation precedes it. When the indie game released in July of last year, it quickly became a hit with its fascinating story, catchy music and well-done action RPG gameplay. Fast-forward a year later and iOS gamers are finally able to check out the land of Caelondia. Suffice to say, Bastion makes a near-perfect transition to iOS and should be experienced by just about everyone.
Bastion follows the narrated story of the Kid, one of a few survivors of The Calamity, a world-altering event that destroys the land and has turned once docile enemies against everyone. After the Kid reaches the Bastion, the area of the world designated as the survival zone (should anything go wrong), he embarks on a journey to find survivors, recharge the Bastion, and hopefully bring clarity back to a shattered world.
For gamers entering the world of Bastion for the first time, you're in for a treat. Supergiant Games has created a masterpiece of gaming narrative that extends to the game's visuals, story, narration, music, and gameplay. The Kid's tale, narrated by a strange voice from the moment the game starts, adds so much personality and context to every action. The experience lends itself well to the story, which starts off with you in the middle of a disaster and charges you with a path towards resolution while simultaneously feeding you snippets of backstory. Without spoiling much, be advised the game is full of twists and turns and the narrative hints dropped while you're on missions as to what'll happen next is superb.
Bastion's soundtrack, meanwhile, consistently steals the show with an eclectic mix of soft reflective tunes and fast-paced melodies that constantly set the mood. The visuals serve as the last piece of the puzzle, offering a beautiful glimpse into the world of Bastion with soft colors mixed with palette shifts whenever the game's tenor changes. Finally, everything is wrapped in an action-RPG shell featuring tons of weapons, upgrades, and choices offering a good deal of customization as far as how you want to use the Kid in battle. In sum, Bastion simply nails every facet of the game, with little to complain about and everything to praise.
If you're a veteran of Bastion and are curious of the differences between the console and iOS versions, I'll refer you to the awesome FAQ put up by Supergiant Games that describes all the differences. For those looking for a quick summation, Bastion for iOS incorporates the Stranger's Dream DLC package, has a new aspect ratio (4:3 vice 16:9) and features visuals for the retina-enabled iPad. While these are all nice additions to the title, the real change lies with its completely redone controls that focus on a more touch-centric experience.
Unlike other versions, Bastion defaults to a tap-to-move control scheme somewhat similar to Orc: Vengeance. Unlike Orc, however, Bastion's controls are far smoother and much more responsive when it comes to moving the Kid. The controls also condense most of the virtual buttons down to two: a combination block/manual shot button and a secret move button. Normal attacks are automatically initiated (and targeted) and dodging is as simple as double-tapping in the direction you want to move.
I'm a huge fan of this modified control scheme. It does a great job utilizing the iPad's screen space while keeping most of it clear of buttons to let you experience the action more organically. I also think removing the virtual control pad and condensing the buttons allows you to concentrate more on aiming and moving in the middle of the action. Admittedly, there is a certain amount of precision lost in regards to moving and aiming when allowing the game to make some of the decisions for you. However, if you're coming into Bastion for the first time on iOS, I doubt you'll have much of an issue with the controls. For returning console veterans, however, a 'Classic' control scheme is available that incorporates a virtual pad as well as more traditional buttons.
The classic control scheme works as well as virtual buttons typically work on iOS games, which is to say that it is adequate, but not necessarily preferred. This is why I give Supergiant Games a lot of credit in creating and fine-tuning an iOS specific scheme that I feel does the game a lot more credit on this platform. However, I recognize that not everyone will be as pleased with the controls as I am, and it's simply an issue that players need to be aware of.
Minor control issues notwithstanding, Bastion for iPad is just as good, if not better than its console brethren. Every element that made the game so amazing and fascinating returns and the subtle refinements to various features in making the jump to iOS simply add to the experience. In the console realm, Bastion has been nearly universally regaled and recommended and there is no reason not to do the same on iOS.
Like a lot of gamers out there, I'm tired of your standard JRPG protagonists. They're always the same, always sullen, good-looking lone wolves with tragic pasts. The headphones-wearing, purple-vested Neku Sakuraba of Square Enix's The World Ends With You: Solo Remix [$17.99 / $19.99 (HD)] is no different but that's okay because it's still a ridiculously brilliant game.
Why am I so willing to forgive its faults? There are a lot of reasons. Some of them are connected to the fact the game's an audiovisual feast for street culture enthuasists, others to the fact that the gameplay is, even now, a refreshing change from the norm. Most of all, however, it's because the emo-ness actually makes sense here. The World Ends With You: Solo Remix is a story about children transitioning from a safe environment into a darker, grimmer world. It's a game set in freakin' Shibuya, a place where high fashion and high pressure meet. If there's anyone who deserves to be a little neurotic, it's the kids in this game.
When I was six or so, I spent my afternoons in the house of a woman named Joan, tagging along with her three kids in an after-school care situation. It was there I got my first introduction to console games, playing things like Paperboy and Jeopardy! on their NES. But my first true love was Super Mario Bros. I wasn't very good, but whenever my turn came around I'd play my little heart out, running across World 1-1, memorizing the jumps, eventually picking up the trickier hops in 1-2, and barrelling through over, and over, and over. Mikey Shorts [$0.99] brings that feeling back like it's brand new.
Now, Mikey Shorts isn't quite as complicated a game as Super Mario Bros. But that transcendent feeling, when you time each jump perfectly and soar past every enemy? It's right here, and it brings me back to the late '80s, piling on Joan's sofa with a bunch of other kids and passing the controller back and forth. If I could just keep playing without dying, I'd get to go a little longer. That mindset makes it awfully hard to put Mikey Shorts back down. Just one more level, please?
The best part of my job is randomly stumbling across a game no one knows about, by a developer no one has heard of, and have it absolutely blow my mind. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it results in drained batteries and dropping everything to get something on the site about it while I wait for my iPhone to charge only to return to the fray. 10000000 [$1.99] popped up on the Hot New Games list on the TouchArcade App [Free] this afternoon (True story!) and, as usual, I downloaded it to give it a spin. I lost most of my afternoon and the better part of this evening to 10000000, and I'd do it all again (and probably will tomorrow).
Developed by EightyEight Games, 10000000 feels like a spiritual successor to Dungeon Raid, another favorite of mine. Its core mechanic hinges around a simple matching game. Where Dungeon Raid had you drawing lines to match tiles, 10000000 instead has you swiping to move entire rows of tiles either up and down or across. This mechanic has been done countless times before on the App Store, most notably in PopCap's Chuzzle [$2.99]. Also like Dungeon Raid, this matching element is merely the engine that drives a much, much deeper game.
Check out the following TA Plays video where I walk Brad through how it works (It's easier to see what's going on if you kick it into full screen and HD):
In a nutshell, the top side scroller looking area of the screen is a cleverly disguised timer and health bar. Your character runs through a dungeon, and all of his actions are controlled by the blocks you match. Need to unlock a door or a chest? Match some keys. A monster blocking your path? Physical attacks are executed by matching swords while magical attacks fire off by matching staves. Standing still by not matching causes the timer to tick down, pushing your character to the left, and getting hit by monsters also pushes you to the left. The damage aspect can be mitigated by matching shields, which are absorbed instead of pushing your character. Fall off the side of the screen and it's game over.
To supplement these mechanics are a set of shockingly deep loot, item, upgrade, and experience systems. Monsters can drop loot, and you can also get loot by matching backpack tiles or unlocking chests. Loot can either be gold to buy upgrades or actual usable items. A few items you'll come across are a red orb that'll damage whatever monster is in front of you, a key to instantly unlock a chest or doorway blocking your path, scrolls to spawn more tiles of a certain type on the board, and much more.
The other two types of tiles are wood and stone. These are used to upgrade your castle, and by collecting these resources you'll unlock additional rooms your character can enter to do things like buy persistent bonuses, a better sword, stronger magic, and more. Swords and spells are bought with gold you earn, while persistent abilities (such as matching wood or stone adding time to the timer) are purchased with experience points.
It's seriously just silly how much is going behind the scenes of such a simple looking matching game. As you rank up, you face tougher opponents, but are rewarded with higher point multipliers. Oh, and there's even a Jetpack Joyride [Free] style objective system where there will be three goals each time you play, completing them awards bonus gold. Also, even though your dungeon run will inevitably end in death, you keep all of your upgrades and even unused items for your next run. This invokes a fantastic sense of progression, compared to Dungeon Raid, where a death means starting over.
The strategy that goes in to playing this game well is downright incredible. The balancing act you need to execute is crazy, as you need to keep the game board in a constant state of readiness to fight monsters, unlock a door, and/or restore your shields. Meanwhile, backpack, stone, and wood tiles are randomly interspersed with your new tiles. These are useful, but not in the heat of battle. So, when your character is running forward you need to focus on matching backpacks, stone, and wood, all while making sure you're not accidentally clearing keys, shields, swords, and staves. If you focus too much on resource collection, chances are you'll be beaten to death by a monster or time will run out while you're trying to unlock a door. Similarly, if you focus on the tiles vital to dungeon crawling, you can wind up in a situation where you've got no way to attack because the game board is filled with resource tiles.
It's gloriously hectic.
The only down side for us Dungeon Raid veterans, if you'd even call it that, is that character customization seems to be lacking. So far, your upgrade path is fairly linear in you basically just buy the bonuses and upgrades you can afford. This could change deeper into the game, although what I've seen so far doesn't make me think it has anywhere near the customization of Dungeon Raid. Also, oddly enough, there's no pause functionality. If you need to pause while you're playing, the only thing you can really do is double tap the home button to bring up the multitasking bar. A weird omission, sure, but most games are short enough that it doesn't seem like it'd be much of an issue.
I can't wait to find out what happens when I hit 10,000,000 points in 10000000. After each game your point total goes into a running tally labeled "FREEDOM." [Edit: your point score is your high score ever achieved in one run, not a total.] There's a part of me that hopes its something awesome, and, another part of me that hopes it's just like Desert Bus [$0.99] and when you hit your goal your actual score merely increments by one. Either way, it's going to take a lot of playing to find out.
The chiptune soundtrack in 10000000 pairs perfectly with the retro art style, and the game is even universal. It seems to play equally well on both the iPhone and iPad, although iCloud save game synchronization is sadly lacking. Regardless, I still can't believe just how good this game is. Its non-descript name and even vaguer icon left me with no clue as to what to expect, but I've found a new love on the App Store. 10000000 scratches the itch of a quick puzzle game that works fantastic on touch screens all while having a much larger and much deeper purpose to every game session.
This is a game you need. In fact, download it, tell two friends to download it, and tell them to do the same. You won't be disappointed.
In case you haven't noticed, we've really been awaiting the release of Crescent Moon Games' follow-up to their 2009 open-world RPG Ravensword [$2.99] (and so have you, if our anticipated games list is any indication). After years of waiting, including the launch of a new label as well as another excellent RPG, Ravensword: Shadowlands [$6.99] is finally here. Just as the original Ravensword made its mark for bringing a sought-after genre to iOS, Shadowlands demonstrates just how far the genre has come on the platform, making it one of the most ambitious and enjoyable RPGs of the year.
