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. Mmm, not exactly a barn-burner of a week this time around, but there are still some cool updates to check out. Lots of big names, plenty of familiar faces, and one or two less-seen titles fill out our list today. 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!
Marvel Contest of Champions, Free Marvel Contest of Champions continues to do its thing to celebrate Marvel’s 80th Anniversary. A new Champion is joining the fight, and it’s an interesting one. The first Marvel character to bear the name Black Widow, Claire Voyant, is joining the playable roster. She debuted all the way back in 1940, so she predates just about every other character in the game. Claire makes use of a variety of curses to afflict her opponent with problems aplenty, and is most effective against enemies with immunity since it helps charge her abilities. She seems like an interesting character mechanically, and pulling someone from that far in Marvel’s past definitely speaks to the spirit of this anniversary celebration.
Jetpack Joyride, Free How long can one game go on, I wonder? Jetpack Joyride isn’t getting the amazing updates it was receiving a few short years ago, but it hasn’t been forgotten. This new update kicks off a couple of events to keep players busy for a bit. The Zappy Bird event tests your skills at managing the Profit Bird, while the Cut & Run event adds a taste of Fruit Ninja to the proceedings by having you collect fruit to win prizes. The events will take turns, so one of them is probably almost over by now. That’s how it goes!
SEGA Heroes: RPG Match 3 Games, Free There a couple of things in the latest update to SEGA Heroes, but we’re still waiting on one of them to show up properly. First of all, Neff from Altered Beast is now available in the game in his purple rhino form. His shards are a little hard to come by at the moment but you’ll sometimes be lucky enough to run into him as an enemy. Second, there is apparently going to be a new Guild Boss competition feature, but it hasn’t started yet so details are a bit scarce on that.
Subway Surfers, Free In this new version of Subway Surfers, the kids are off to Moscow to continue their shenanigans. Surf the rails in the Russian capital and check out all the fancy buildings and autumn colors. In keeping with the autumn theme, the new board is pretty much just a leaf. But it works, so you can’t really complain. There’s a new outfit to unlock for Alex, and if you collect lots of traditional Russian dolls on the tracks, you can get some nice rewards. Hm, why are there so many dolls on the train tracks? Probably best not to think too hard about it, friends.
Pocket Build, $0.99 So, what do we have to look at in the latest build of Pocket Build? The big news is the addition of Freeform mode, which allows you to rotate and place objects without any snapping. That means you can put objects at any angle you please instead of having to settle for one of the pre-set ones. Aside from that, some bugs were also squashed in this new version. I’m always in favor of more freedom in building, so I think I’ll give Pocket Build the coveted UMMSotW award for this week.
Lords Mobile Godzilla Kong War, Free Oh my goodness, it’s Moonlight Fiesta time! I… I don’t know what that is, but the update notes seem awfully excited and I don’t want to spoil the mood! Apparently there are festivities, and those festivities include but are not limited to: Super Gem Time, three times more Guild Coins from Guild Help, and a Lunar Blessings event. This update also optimizes the mail system, fixes some UI issues, and makes a few other tweaks. Enjoy your Moonlight Fiesta! I will be over here eating a Tsukimi Burger in your honor, Lords Mobile.
Fire Emblem Heroes, Free So, what does Fire Emblem Heroes have to offer in this month’s update? Well, not a whole lot, but what’s here is pretty neat. The new Heroes Path feature gives players a bit of a guide to how to engage with the rather complex mechanics and offers up some quests that are rewarded with 5-star Heroes. There has also been an update to Aether Raids, allowing you to spend twice the Aether to earn twice the Lift when attacking. Sure, it’s more of a time saver than anything, but we’ll take what we can get, right?
Empires & Puzzles: Match 3 RPG, Free Well, let’s see what I can scrape up from the bottom of the barrel. Oh hey there, Empires & Puzzles. Look, this isn’t a judgement on you as a game or anything. I honestly don’t know how good or bad you are! But your update seems a little thin, hence why I’ve compared it to the slightly moldy bits at the bottom of a barrel. Anyway, this update brings in the new Challenge Event, along with some new Stronghold Levels. Aside from that, it’s all bug fixes and improvements in the mighty Update Mondays fashion. Wait, am I still allowed to say that name? Whoops, looks like I’m the one going to the bottom of the next barrel.
Toy Blast, Free We have now dug our way through the bottom of the barrel and are currently digging into the soft, stinky sand underneath it. That’s where we found this update for Toy Blast, which adds fifty new levels to the game along with some story about melted cheese, tomatoes, and pizza. What does that have to do with anything? No idea. No idea at all, friends. And frankly, I’m not sure I want to ask anyone involved. But if you want more levels for your colorful F2P matching puzzle game, here you go.
AFK Arena, Free So as not to end things on a sour note, let’s close out this week’s article with a look at the latest version of AFK Arena, a favorite among many TouchArcade readers. It seems like two new heroes are on the menu. A new Hypogean hero named Zolrath – Voidbinder is joined by a new Lightbearer hero named Gwyneth: The Fair Maiden. Well, I can almost guess what kinds of characters they are. There’s also a new adventure called The Depths of Time in the Voyage of Wonders. It kicked off on the 6th so you might be a little late for the party if you’re just checking now. I’d tell you to tell them that Shaun sent you, but they wouldn’t have any idea who I am, so maybe say that Tom Cruise sent you?
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!
