Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. Thankfully, things picked up a little last week, so we’ve got a pretty healthy list of updates to look at. The Christmas and holiday updates are starting to roll in, as well, so we should have a couple of good weeks to look forward to before the freeze takes effect. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself using AppShopper Social (Free), the watchlist in the TouchArcade App (Free), or by participating in the TouchArcade forums, but this weekly summary is here to fill in the things you might have missed. Let’s dig in!
Sky Force Reloaded, Free It’s Christmas time in the world of Sky Force Reloaded, but don’t think that means a cease-fire. No, no, quite the opposite. In the limited-time Christmas level, you’ll have to fly a gingerbread plane to take down hostile cakes, cupcakes, candy canes, snowmen, and more. This update also makes some adjustments to the new friend system, makes the Card Radar a little easier to visually process, and adds nine new avatars. Finally, there are special presents to open. For the next few days, for example, you get a 30-minute star doubler. Yes, that stacks on top of the doubler IAP, if you already own that.
Angry Birds Seasons, Free Sure, let’s call this new episode Ragnahog. It’s cute. Nordic theme works well with the holiday season. I like it. This works a bit like an advent calendar, so you get a new level every day from now until Christmas. There are two new Golden Egg levels, and Tony is back in a Thor-like get-up to take down some pigs. Fair warning, though: some players have had issues with this game not booting up after the update. Mine seems to be fine, but tread lightly if you don’t think you can survive until a patch.
Severed, $0.99 Severed is a really awesome game. I hope you’ve all played it on some platform or another. If you happen to be playing it on mobile, you might enjoy the little touches this new update brings to the game. For starters, there is now 3D Touch support, allowing you to bring up the map during gameplay just by applying the appropriate amount of pressure. There are also iMessage stickers now, because every game needs those, and some audio bugs have been fixed. The developers have also made some adjustments to the UI.
Demon's Rise 2: Lords of Chaos, $7.99 The original Demon’s Rise was constantly updated after its release, bringing a very good game up to the level of a great one. Now the sequel is out, and it looks like the developer is going to be applying a similar level of elbow grease. This update adds two new potential party members. The Vampire Knight is a fighter/mage that can drain her enemies of their life force. The Blade Dancer is a fast and deadly fighter that wield two blades. You might think this would be enough for one update, but a whole ton of other improvements to gameplay mechanics, balance, and UI have been made, along with some bug fixes. Truly a worthy winner of the coveted Update Mondays Most Spider-Mans of the Week award.
The Counter Of Death, Free All kinds of new stuff in the update to The Counter of Death. There’s a new episode called Super Counter of Death with new rankings and achievements. There’s now a floor select function, as well as an option to replay the tutorial and prologue scenes. Part of the new episode involves the addition of a new super gauge that you can build up to fire off a Super Death Counter move. There’s also a new costume and two new playable characters. Remember: just kill.
Respawnables - Special Forces, Free The developers of Respawnables have been on-point with their update game this year. The newest event to hit the game is the SuperStar Event. There are four new bosses and three stages with this one, and of course, all sorts of new goodies to collect and/or buy. The StuntMan set dresses you up like Evel Knievel, giving you a major health boost and a small up-tick in your speed. He comes with a new Splasher Shotgun weapon. You can also earn some new weapons from MiB and Elysium, and most of the old weapons from Ghostbusters, MiB, and Elysium are back in the store again if you have the money to spare and the desire to own them. Complete the event and you’ll win a Dark Matter Gun. Who doesn’t need one of those?
Shadow Fight 2, Free This might be one of the last places you would expect to see a Christmas update, but here we are. The evil Freeze has stolen everyone’s presents, and it’s up to you to get them back by defeating him in the raid. You’ll earn some sweet Christmas gear by doing so, of course. There’s also a new Crystal Ice chest you can open that is sure to contain some goodies, and a new winter-inspired soundtrack.
Star Warsâ„¢: Commander, Free Friends! Did you know? There is a new Star Wars movie coming out soon! Okay, it’s not as novel as it was last year, and it’ll be even less novel as the years go by, but I am still pretty excited. So are the developers of this game, apparently, as they’ve added some content inspired by the upcoming Rogue One. The Security Droid and Drabatan Saboteur join as new mercenaries, while the TIE Striker and Fang Fighter pad out the starfighter roster. This are available for a limited time only, so if you want them, get on it.
Family Guy The Quest for Stuff, Free Hey, remember Q*Bert and Pac-Man? Family Guy remembers, and they’re at the center of its big Christmas event this year. Stewie’s Dream Machine brings Chris’s dreams to life, and it turns out they’re filled with things from before he was born. Hm. Well, whatever gets Stewie in a Bubble Bobble costume, I suppose.
The Sandbox Evolution, Free Ahhh, they’ve added a T-Rex to Sandbox Evolution! Oh man, now we just need a Utahraptor and a Dromiceiomimus and the comedy will begin to flow! Until those get added, we’ll have to make do with unicorns, dragons, bigfoots, and megalodans. Also in the new Animal Pack: cats, hellfish, sheep, direwolf, and goldfish! I recommend hugging only the sheep and maybe the cat. Maybe. Sheepy hugs!
Rayman Adventures, Free Uh, so I guess this game got 200 new levels? Just like that? That’s pretty impressive. Of course, in keeping with the season, there’s also a special winter event where you need to collect decorations to unlock a Steep-themed costume for Barbara, winter eggs, and more. Yes, that means the Rabbids are back. Look, Rayman isn’t going to be getting rid of them anytime soon. They’re bunnies. You can’t beat numbers like that.
Sonic Dash: Fun Endless Runner, Free In the WTF Department, it looks like Sonic Dash is rolling with a Sanrio collaboration for its holiday event. You thought it was weird having the Angry Birds in here? Well yeah, that was pretty weird. But Hello Kitty, My Melody, Badtz Maru, and Chococat are even weirder. Like… I don’t even know what to do with this. Kitty-chan is running into spikes and taking down Eggman. Does he still use missiles on My Melody? I mean, he must, right? Just bizarre.
Eggggg, $4.99 I’m not going to pretend to understand what is going on in this game. The important thing for my purposes is that it has a cool Christmas update that adds a new appropriately-themed level. The developers have also added Apple TV and MFi controller support. For good measure, they’ve tossed a couple of Christmas stickers in the iMessage pack, and also made some improvements to the UI.
Tiny Wings, $1.99 We’re almost at 2017, and Tiny Wings is still getting support. Amazing. So, this update brings support for iPhone 6 screen sizes and up, which is a welcome addition. There are also five new levels known as the Gupy Islands. Apple TV controller support is in, as well, allowing you to use your iPhone as a controller for the Apple TV version of the game. And of course, some bug fixes to round things out.
Mr. Crab 2, Free A little fire and ice in the update to Mr. Crab 2. First up, there are eight new beach-themed levels for those of you pining for the summer. Or I suppose those of you living in the Southern Hemisphere, or even just living in more temperate climates. Look, I didn’t think it through, okay? Let’s move on. The other thing to mention in this update is the addition of Christmas gear to the vending machine. Get a Santa hat to wear on the beach!
Pinball Arcade Plus, $0.99 This update fixes all the ages-old bugs on older tables and… nah, just joking. You get more tables! You get a table, and you get a table, and you get a table! But you get no bug fixes. Sorry. This month you actually get two tables for your $4.99 IAP purchase, but there’s a catch. They’re two older EM tables, which I know some pinball fans aren’t all that into. Still, Jacks Open is a classic, and Centigrade 37 is no slouch, either. As long as you aren’t totally opposed to playing EM boards, it’s a pretty good value. But seriously, Farsight. Fix some bloody bugs already.
Hearthstone, Free We’ll finish things off this week with probably the biggest game of the bunch in terms of sheer fame. The latest expansion for the game, The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, is here, bringing with it more than a hundred new cards and all kinds of new content to play through. Tri-Class cards, new card backs, and a new game board all feature in this robust addition. I’ll leave it those who know better to fill you in on all the details, however.
That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!
