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. Well, it’s a lot of familiar faces this week, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. Some of them are good, some of them are popular, and a couple are both. At least there are lots of dragons? I’ve gathered up some goodies for you to check out while you have your morning beverage, unless it isn’t morning where you are. In such a case, please enjoy an adjectiveless beverage of your choice. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself using AppShopper or by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it!
AFK Arena, Free I’ve been told by reliable sources that AFK Arena is pretty fun, so I figured I’d rope in its latest update and see how things go. There are two new heroes in this latest version, and they’re both Maulers. The first is Antandra – Desert Fury, who certainly sounds like the sort of person who enjoys a good mauling. Next, we’ve got Satrana – Flame Weaver, who sounds more like the melty sort than the mauling type, but I’m not going to tell people they have to follow their name like it’s destiny. Finally, a new event called Champions of Esperia is available, allowing players to rack up rewards by battling bosses in the Arcane Labyrinth.
SEGA Heroes: RPG Match 3 Games, Free There isn’t a whole ton to the latest update to SEGA Heroes, but it did add in the second Altered Beast character, the Dragon Centurion. Most of the rest of the update concerns little tweaks to the UI, like making which stage you have highlighted on the map more visible and an adjustment to how the pieces on the board animate. Well, it’s the little things that add up, right? I’d imagine we’ll be seeing the third Altered Beast character coming in later this week, and whoever they may be, I bet their name is ______ Centurion.
MARVEL Battle Lines, Free Yay, let’s hear it for extremely vague update notes. That definitely helps me write a paragraph about the game. Well, let’s go. Marvel Battle Lines is the perpetual fourth place Marvel game on iOS, but it seems to still be popular enough. The latest update adds three new cards, some new events, and fixes some bugs. Those new cards may or may not have something to do with the new Battleworld Card Pack, which apparently adds some new characters from Endgame and other sources. I can’t be sure, however. Well, that’s probably good enough, let’s move on.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Free The Lion King event in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode continues, and makes an odd pit stop to pick up some Aladdin stuff. First up, new characters have arrived from The Lion King. Simba and Nala are now available to add to your team of heroes. Curiously, a third character was included in this latest version, and it’s Jafar from Aladdin. I mean, I guess the live action movie’s release wasn’t that long ago, but I thought once the next one was out, the one before it ceased to exist? Are we not consuming content here? C’mon, Disney.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free It’s time for the monthly update to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which seems to be getting more popular of late. So what can we look forward to in this one? Well, for starters, the Protector Bruno has been revamped. An SNK Exclusive skin is now available in the form of Orochi Chris, and some limited-time King of Fighters skins have been made available, representing K’ and Kula Diamond. The Diamond Draw event has been upgraded, and optimizations have been made to a few different modes and features. SNK sure does show up in some weird places sometimes.
Merge Dragons!, Free Merge Dragons continues to find great success with a certain segment of dragon fans. At any rate, the new update brings a new event, and it’s… based on a years-old meme. Cool, cool. The Shogun Shiba event brings Shiba dragons to the game for the first time, and in case you’re wondering, the update notes do indeed refer to the “wow" meme. Well, whatever brings more dragons to the yard, I guess. This update also prepares for another event coming up, which will be a Merge 5 event. It will bring plenty of rewards, so keep your eyes peeled and practice bringing five things together.
Homescapes, Free Yes, I’m including Homescapes again. What can I say? I prefer the update notes to the plain and/or nonsensical ones that accompany its rivals. In this new version, there are naturally some additions to the storyline and a new gimmick in the match-3 mode. In the story bucket, the Guest House storyline is being wrapped up. Open the new Studio, put on a charity art exhibition, and meet Arthur Goodman, a town council officer who absolutely, positively has to be Doctor Doom in disguise. I mean, come on. A politician named Arthur Goodman? Nice try, arch-villain. Nice try. The new gameplay gimmick is the magic hat, which you have to fill up with pieces to clear the playfield.
Township, Free It’s been a while since I looked in on Township, and yep, it’s still a thing. There’s a new adventure in this latest update that sees Samuel trying to take his crops to the farmers’ market. You have to make fuel at the temporary factory to keep your trucks on the road, and you have to make sure they get where they’re going without any accidents. A new regatta season kicks off tomorrow that has you exploring ancient Egypt, and a jungle event starts later this week. Basically, it’s non-stop events for the next little while. Beyond that, there are some new expansions, residents, and a new house type. Lots to dig into, it seems.
Injustice 2, Free A new character has been added to the collect-and-fight game from Warner Bros., and it’s a neat one. Gorilla Grodd from Batman Ninja is now available in the game, and he’s not here to monkey around. Ha ha, what a great joke. What am I doing writing about games when I should be doing stand-up? Anyway, Grodd uses his psychic powers to battle his enemies, and he naturally has a few extra bonuses when you team him up with other Batman Ninja characters. Grodd shards are available in the new hero chests, or can be earned by participating in the Batman Ninja Gorilla Grodd Versus challenges. This update also adds the eighth chapter of the story mode and makes some adjustments to some of the other Batman Ninja characters, among other things.
Star Traders: Frontiers, $6.99 It’s been a couple of weeks since the last Trese Brothers update, which means it’s time for the next Trese Brothers update. And woof, this is a big one with lots of little details. Feel free to check the notes if you want all of the specifics. The highlights include a new search feature and some filters for the Star Atlas, improved mission offers and pricing, some new ship components, and a new way to help break Infected Rumors. Which sounds like the name of a 90s grunge band, but is actually not the name of a 90s grunge band. I checked. Anyway, there’s a ton of other little UI tweaks and balance adjustments. Be sure to fire up the game and have a look if you’re curious. A coveted UMMSotW award for Star Traders: Frontiers? Again? Yes, again.
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!
