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, seven days-ish. It’s been a bit since the last article of this sort, mostly because of where holidays and the App Store freeze fell this time around. But hey, we are back! And I will be going on vacation in two weeks! So we will miss another one soon. But for these shining two weeks, let us enjoy a selection of game updates, okay? 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!
Knives Out, Free Ha, it’s funny how there’s now a popular movie that has the exact same title as this but has nothing to do with it. Ah well. Knives Out remains incredibly popular in Japan, but not so much in North America. Luckily, it’s still getting updates in any form. This one sees the start of Season 9, and it’s decidedly winter-esque. You can even get a throwable snowball. Sure, that sounds fun enough.
AI Dungeon, Free I’ve been enjoying AI Dungeon quite a bit. Sure, it’s less of a game and more of a goofy toy, but it entertains me, and isn’t that what this wild hobby of ours is all about? The latest update adds support for custom prompts and the Creator Studio that allows you to build your own adventures. As I don’t see anything else that is particularly exciting this week, I’ll be giving this the coveted UMMSotW award. How lucky!
Typeshift, Free After a certain amount of time, many puzzle games stop getting new content and players largely settle into the groove of solving daily puzzles and what-not. If that’s where you’re at with the word puzzle Typeshift, you’ll be happy to know that the latest update adds in support for daily puzzles from 2020 to 2029. Wow! That could be longer than the survival of humanity. Now that’s what I call future-proofing.
Pokémon Masters EX, Free I feel like Pokemon Masters hasn’t been quite the game people were hoping it would be prior to release. Along a similar line, I think the game hasn’t done as well for its publisher as expected. Well, that’s how things go sometimes. The latest update continues to try to improve the experience, adding in some new Bingo-style missions, reducing battery drain, and addressing load times and the overall slow speed with some fixes. Load screens will also contain hints, which at least gives you something to look at while you wait.
Subway Surfers, Free The kids from Subway Surfers have headed to the next destination on their never-ending world tour. This time, they’re off to the Windy City, surfing the rails during twilight. Unlock the Jazz board and show off your love of music, and pick up new surfer E.Z. and his special Jive Outfit. Collect musical instruments and unlock a variety of rewards as you enjoy the beautiful Chicago scenery. Now, when do I get a job as a writer for travel guides?
Gardenscapes, Free I know the app icons don’t usually update immediately through our backend anymore, but I really do want to mention how clever Playrix is with how they change them according to trends. Like, I’m pretty sure the current one is meant to evoke Untitled Goose Game. Anyway, new year, new events. Right now bedroom renovations are going on as Austin is suffering from insomnia and needs some help to get a bit of shut-eye. The Lunar New Year is right around the corner, and this update also makes the necessary preparations for that. Some new story content has been added, along with a new puzzle element in the form of Picnic Blankets that need to be removed from the field by collecting mushrooms.
Rules of Survival, Free We checked in on Japan’s favorite battle royale game, so let’s have a look at one that’s popular in China while we’re at it. Rules of Survival actually gets a ton of updates on a fairly regular basis, but I like to keep things varied around here a bit. The latest version of the game adds new heroes: Surreal Dream and Surreal Boy. There’s a new Credit system that aims to encourage good manners and behavior by rewarding players who are keeping their noses clean. There’s also a new mode called ROStopia where you can just mess around and practice by yourself or with friends. Add in some bug fixes and optimizations and you’re all set.
Temple Run 2, Free Volcano Island sounds like the name of one of those overly-elaborate board games from the early 1990s that seemed super-awesome on the commercial but was such a pain to set up that you ended up just playing Connect-4 instead. It’s also the name of the new map in Temple Run 2, with new obstacles, music, and more. There are two new characters in the form of King Fafnir and Queen Astrid, and three new artifact sets with hats. Also, new Volcanic Coins which I presume can be exchanged for something nice if you get enough of them. Now that’s hot!
Toon Blast, Free Hey hey, it’s requisite free-to-play puzzle game update! Toon Blast is the game of choice this time around, and as usual it adds 50 new levels with some bizarre story built into the update notes that almost certainly is not reflected in the game itself. Apparently the toons are heading to the countryside for a little rest and relaxation away from the city? Sure, that’s enough context for some extra levels. I guess. Not really looking for Tolstoy here or anything.
AFK Arena, Free AFK Arena is off on its way again this year, adding some new content for players to dig into. A new Hypogean Hero, Khazard – The Frozen Terror, has been added, along with the new Heroes of Esperia event which is happening right now. This very minute. You’re already missing out, get on it. Also, there’s a new campaign chapter in this version, Chapter 33 – The Fallen Stones. Somebody pick up those freaking stones already!
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!
