Great Big War Game, $2.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - Today is your day if you feel like playing a new game but don't feel like dropping a dime on one. First off is Rubicon Development's fantastic turn-based strategy title Great Big War Game. It's the sequel to the 2011 hit Great Little War Game, with a nice suite of enhancements over its predecessor. What would a potential third game in the series be called? Great Biggest War Game? Great Reasonably-sized War Game? I'll let you ponder that on your own.
Anyway, the point here is that Great Big War Game succeeds at bringing strategic gameplay to the touchscreen but making it accessible to just about anyone, not overly-complex like many strategy war titles. As we noted in our 5 star review, it offers an improved visual engine over the first game, an expanded single-player campaign to work your way through, and most exciting of all it adds the ability to play asynchronous online multiplayer matches against friends and strangers from all over the world. It's the whole enchilada, and being the first time ever that Great Big War Game has been free it should be a no-brainer to download immediately.
Galaxy on Fire 2â„¢ HD, Free - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - Not content with just one freebie, today also sees Fish Lab's groundbreaking space combat and trade simulation title Galaxy on Fire 2 HD drop to zero dollars for the next week. You might remember back in November when the standard version of Galaxy on Fire 2 went free (and is still free, actually) and we sounded the alarm to let everybody know as it was such a fantastic game. However, if you were an owner of a newer device and wanted the visually enhanced HD version you still had to pony up some dough for it after giving the standard definition version a spin. If you held off on doing that but enjoyed the game, today you can finally grab the HD version for free too, you lucky dog.
So what's the difference? Well, Galaxy on Fire 2 HD has been optimized for A5 and A6 chips to provide an increase in visual fidelity, with better textures, rebuilt models, and all the bells and whistles it can handle. If you own an iPhone 4S or above, or an iPad 2 or above, then this is the version you're going to want to rock. Also, conveniently, if you've already been going to town with the standard definition version there is a special process built into the game so that you can transfer your progress to the HD version. Really, there's never been a pair of more must-download freebies that Galaxy on Fire 2 HD or Great Big War Game, so get to it.
Heads up: Edge Extended [$2.99] is now free for what we assume will be a limited time. The app is usually $2.99, so you'll be saving a few bucks if you jump on this sale.
Edge Extended, if you're not in the loop, is a re-mix of Edge, which is a block-based puzzle game that tasks you with rolling a cube through dynamic mazes. This version of the game uses a new engine and boasts other bits of unique content including 48 brand new levels and new mechanics to play around with.
Basically, if you like Edge you'll probably dig Extended. We've embedded a video below to give you an idea of what you're about to get into for zero bucks:
One of our favorite games of 2012, God of Blades [$2.99], is on sale again. For a limited time, you can grab the super atmospheric, side-scrolling action game for $1.99 instead of its usual $2.99. Smell that? That's the smell of savings wafting into your noses, folks.
We've gone over this before in our review, but what this game lacks in mechanical sizzle it makes up threefold with its art and sound direction. The tortured, veiny worlds and the paranoid sci-fi vibe conjured by the visuals and music really draw you in. It's a heck of a ride, too.
Give it a shot. You might be surprised. We've got a TA Plays of the game below, too, if you'd like a closer look at the game.
In early December, Renegade Kid ported their popular and critically acclaimed platformer Mutant Mudds [$4.99], originally a Nintendo 3DS title, to the iOS platform. As we talked about in our review, it was quite a success. While the original price of the iOS version was the lowest tier possible at 99¢, a veritable steal, for today and tomorrow only Mutant Mudds can be had for the even more enticing price of FREE.
Mutant Mudds is somewhat of a different kind of platformer. For the most part, iOS is populated with twitchy speedrun-style platformers, often with a focus on very brief levels and fast action. Mutant Mudds is more of a tactical game, I would argue. You really need to have patience to work your way through its levels and past the dastardly Mudds. A simplistic item upgrading system gives the title legs as you go back through previously played levels and use your new abilities to discover alternate paths. Also, a big highlight of Mutant Mudds is the ability to hop in and out of the foreground and background, something that's mostly just neat but also plays into the puzzle and discovery design of the levels.
I love platformers, and I love a lot of iOS platformers, but to me there's really nothing quite like Mutant Mudds on the App Store. It was a wholly satisfying experience working my way through the game, and it's also quite challenging. The virtual controls hold up well though, and its slower pace is a perfect complement to my other twitchy platformers that also have a permanent home on my device. Definitely give Mutant Mudds a download while it's free, and stop by our forums to let us know what you think.
Oh, neat: the first two Final Fantasy games are both on sale for the rest of the week in celebration of new language releases. Final Fantasy I [$8.99], which now includes Korean, Thai, and Indonesian language support, has been slashed to $3.99. Final Fantasy II [$8.99], which now includes Korean language support, is also available at $3.99. Both games are typically priced at $8.99, so you'll be saving a couple of hard-earned bones here, no problem.
While definitely old, both of these games are worth your time if you've got an itch that only an ancient JRPG can scratch. That's a pretty specific itch, though, so maybe you should get that checked out, yeah?
Earlier this month, an interesting new puzzle-like dungeon crawler was released called Dungelot [$1.99]. It had you moving from floor to floor deep down into a randomly generated dungeon, collecting items and fighting monsters for as long as you possibly could last. What really made Dungelot work was how well-suited it was to mobile. Each floor was a 5x6 grid of covered tiles and tapping each one would reveal it and its surrounding tiles, uncovering items, treasures, enemies, and more. It felt a little like Minesweeper, and was a perfect fit for a touchscreen and gaming on the go.
Despite a few rough edges we really enjoyed Dungelotin our review, and right now you can snag the game for free for a limited time. The gameplay demo video below is a bit old, but it should give you a good idea what Dungelot looks like in action.
We are huge fans of taking one type of game and slapping some RPG-ish elements on top of it, and Dungelot does this really well. Based on the information in our forums, it sounds like there are plenty of neat updates planned for the game as well. Dungelot went free over the weekend so it's anybody's guess as to how long it will keep on being free, so don't hesitate to head to the App Store and grab it during this promotion.
The App Store, being an entirely digital space and with Apple playing the gatekeeper, can be a tricky place. We've seen some sticky situations in the past when publishing deals expire and there's no easy way to transfer the rights to someone else so that a game can continue being sold. Sometimes that means a game simply gets pulled, never to be heard from again. More frequently, at least in my experience, is that a new publisher or the developer themselves will go ahead and put the game out again, but since there's no way for the App Store to recognize who bought the game already under the previous publisher your only option as a customer is to buy it again to ensure you have the newest version.
So really, the only good option in that scenario is to re-release the game for free for a brief initial period, and let your previous customers know that they should replace their current version with the new one while it's temporarily free. That's exactly the scenario we've currently got with Gesundheit! [$1.99 / $2.99 (HD)], an award-winning puzzle game developed by Revolutionary Concepts in conjunction with the fantastic artist Matt Hammill. Gesundheit! originally launched in July of 2011 and was published by Konami. At some point it disappeared, but today Revolutionary Concepts has re-released the game under their own name, and is offering it for free for a very limited time.
The happy side effect here (well, for the gamers anyway) is that even if you didn't have the previous version of Gesundheit! you can still take advantage of the freebie and grab it right now. And holy moly should you ever grab it. Not only is the art style and music incredibly charming, but Gesundheit! is also a clever puzzler that will tax your brain. It's also got a lot of snot, which is cool. You should give our original 5 star review a look if you need some more details, and you can always check out our forums for more impressions and discussion.
Whatever the case, everyone should definitely download and at least try Gesundheit! while it's temporarily free, and owners of the previous versions should grab this newly released one which will be the one that's maintained and updated going forward into the future.
This past November, Cubed Rally Racer [$0.99 / $1.99 (HD)] developer Nocanwin released a long-awaited follow-up title called Cubed Rally Redline [Free]. It traded in the traditional driving mechanics of its forebear for a more streamlined auto-runner type of setup, while still keeping the same awesome retro-inspired look and fantastic chiptune soundtrack.
Cubed Rally Redline turned out to be a pretty fun little arcade game, one that we rather enjoyed in our review. Right now, for no real reason other than just for the heck of it, you can pick up Cubed Rally Redline for free.
If you need another look at Cubed Rally Redline then be sure to check out our TA Plays video of the game embedded above. Also, since our original review, a big update hit that added a sweet new Rally Mode as a 99¢ IAP that came with 20 distinctive levels to race through in addition to the main endless mode. It's all a lot of fun, so don't hesitate to download Cubed Rally Redline while it's free until this Sunday.
Rodeo Games's radical turn-based strategy action series, Hunters, is on sale through the weekend. Starting now, you can grab Hunters: Episode One [$0.99 / $0.99 (HD)] for zero bucks and its follow-up, Hunters 2 [$4.99], for 99¢.
These are both lengthy games with additional random mission content thrown in for good measure, so giving a download to either (or both) is kind of a no-brainer from a value proposition standpoint. Quality-wise, these are awesome strategy titles that'll stress your brain while also delivering loads of action.
Rodeo tells us that this sale is "part of the run up" to Warhammer Quest, its Warhammer-based fantasy strategy game that's due out at some point this spring.
This is a pretty big deal: Rovio, creators of the Angry Birds franchise and future world dominator, has just dropped the price of one of their games to free for the first time ever. Even cooler is that it's for both the iPhone and iPad versions. The game in question is Angry Birds Rio [Free / Free (HD)], a tie-in with the 2011 movie called Rio and one of the very few movie tie-in video games that doesn't absolutely suck.
Angry Birds Rio brought more of the same bird-flinging action that we all are quite familiar with by now, but also threw a couple of new very welcome twists into the formula. First and foremost are the boss fights, which were a first for the Angry Birds series and have you squaring off against the main antagonists from the Rio movie. The game also utilized more advanced graphics and recently was updated with tons of new power-ups and support for the widescreen of the iPhone 5.
You can read our original review if you're stuck on the fence for whatever reason about downloading a free game, but chances are you're familiar with the whole Angry Birds formula and the Rio edition is more of that with enough twists to set it apart from its many other variants. And I mean hey, it's free, just download the dang thing would ya?
To celebrate the release of Time Surfer [$0.99], a new endless runner that we took for a spin yesterday and are enjoying a great deal, developer Kumobius has dropped the price of their first iOS release, the platformer Bean's Quest [$0.99], for a limited time. Bean's Quest has a pretty interesting history. It originally launched in July of 2011, and we thought it was fantastic at the time but woefully short, calling it a "fun five minutes." The plan according to Kumobius was to add more levels and worlds to the game post-release, a promise we've heard many times on iOS but one that isn't always followed through with.
However, Kumobius came through, and through a series of updates they tripled the size of the original game by adding new worlds and levels, culminating in the final update last February. It took a bit of time, but Bean's Quest finally realized its potential and became the full-fledged platformer that we always knew it could be. And right now you can and should grab it for free for the first time ever.
Bean's Quest took a fresh approach to platformers when it released. It tasked you with successfully bouncing your way to the end of each level, which could be difficult in and of itself. But then it turned around and asked you to do it in the least amount of bounces as possible, which really turned up the intensity for those craving a serious challenge. Its level design, controls, and retro-aesthetic were all top-notch, and eventually the amount of content in the game matched that same high level.
Don't mess around, grab Bean's Quest while it's free, and have a look at Time Surfer while you're at it as a way to say thanks to Kumobius for this freebie.
Heads up: Jordan Mechner's new Karateka [$1.99] is now on sale for 99¢. That's a couple of bones off its initial December launch pricing of $2.99, if you're keeping score at home.
The app's description doesn't note when this sale will end, by the way, so grab it now just to be safe -- and you probably should. In our review, we praised its rhythm-based brand of combat, as well as more than a few of its production elements. Give it a read if you're on the fence.
Oh, and in other Mechner video game sales news, The Last Express [$4.99] on iPad and iPhone is still on sale, too. Never before has there been a better opportunity to double down on your Mechner mobile experience on the cheap.
Liv Games' excellent strategy defense title Legendary Wars [$1.99] received a massive version 2.0 update back in November, adding fan requests, fixes, tweaks and heaps of new content that had been bubbling up since the game originally launched in January of 2011. Now its follow-up title Monster Wars [$0.99], which offers a lot of the same style of gameplay as Legendary Wars but from the bad guys' perspective, has also received a big update. And, since both titles had launched in January, both Legendary Wars and Monster Wars are celebrating their two and one year anniversaries this month, respectively. Because of these milestones both titles will be free over the weekend.
Now, this update for Monster Wars isn't quite as massive as Legendary Wars 2.0, but it's welcome nonetheless. The biggest addition is full iOS 6 and iPhone 5 widescreen support for the game, along with a lovely new icon and some new in-game graphics for loading screens and menus. There are some new Tier 4 monsters in the game, and you can now play the "Hero" campaign from Legendary Wars right from the main menu of Monster Wars. Finally some additional optimization and fixes should make Monster Wars an overall better performing game, especially on older devices.
It's been an interesting ride watching both Legendary Wars and Monster Wars release and evolve over the past couple of years. Legendary Wars really brought a fresh approach to the fairly stale castle defense genre, offering tons of content and variety as well as a great art style and a fun story. Monster Wars basically took those ideas and improved upon them, while also tying things into the original Legendary Wars in a lot of cool ways. The two games really complemented each other, and after so many updates and improvements that feels more true now than ever.
If you don't own either Legendary Wars or Monster Wars yet, definitely take advantage of this freebie promotion and pick them up, as they should keep you entertained well into their next anniversary milestones.
The mobile and touch version of adventure game sensation The Last Express [$4.99] is now on sale on the App Store. Starting now and for a limited time, you can grab it for $2.99 instead of its usual $4.99. Not bad at all, eh?
A fun note: this is the first time Dotemu has offered The Last Express at a discount. It was released in October of 2012, and has stayed at its launch price despite seeing a few updates since.
The Last Express is widely seen as a fantastic adventure and mystery game. Its look is certainly dated, but it does have some pretty interesting things to share. Soak in its focus on the micro elements of an adventure game while enjoying puzzling out a conspiracy.
It looks like we're off to kind of a slow start in 2013 in terms of weekly releases. That's not to say there weren't a few interesting looking games in our weekly Coming Tonight post (and all of those games should be out in the US App Store now, by the way), but I guess it just doesn't have the same impact as the usual onslaught of new games that typically hit in the weeks that aren't so close to the holidays.
However, I think the most notable new release has to be the puzzle game Hundreds [$4.99]. It's notable for one just by being the collaborative effort of Canabalt [$2.99] creator Adam Saltsman of Semi Secret Software and Greg Wohlwend of Solipskier [$0.99] and Gasketball [Free (HD)] developer Mikengreg. Both are well-respected indie developers and basically anything they're a part of is something to be interested in. Beyond just good game developer pedigree though, Hundreds is also fantastic. I spent the better portion of the day playing the original Flash version, and became completely hooked. Adam and Greg have spent the last year improving on that initial version for Hundreds on iOS, adding new mechanics, modes, and more.
It should be a winner, and although I've literally only spent a few minutes with the just-released iOS version of Hundreds I can already tell it's head and shoulders above its Flash counterpart. If you're on the fence though, give that Flash version a go because it should give you a good idea of what you're getting yourself into. It's the kind of game that once it "clicks" there's no turning back. Check it out, and give our forums a look too for more impressions from early adopters of Hundreds.
