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. There are lots of titles in this week’s article that I don’t usually feature, so I’ve magnanimously decided to give the obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update the week off. 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 While it was starting to look like Ukyo Tachibana was going to be a one-off for the SNK cross-over with AFK Arena, another character has arrived to show that this party is far from over. And it’s a real fan favorite: Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing Haohmaru before all is said and done. Anyway, she’s one of the main characters of the series and it’s a pleasure to see her join the AFK Arena line-up. Why not add her to your team?
MARVEL Future Fight, Free Immortal Hulk has been one of the highlights of the last few years of Marvel Comics, and this new update for Future Fight celebrates it with a whole lot of Hulk stuff. There are two new playable characters: Red She-Hulk and the Abomination. Hulk, She-Hulk, and Hulk (Amadeus Cho) get new uniforms to reflect their more modern appearances as well. A couple of new chapters have been added to the story mode, and a new Ultimate difficulty has been implemented. Rounding things out, Hulk’s Tier-3 Advancement and Hulk (Amadeus Cho)’s Awakened Potential are here for those who want to take their Hulks to the next level.
UNO!â„¢, Free The reality of trying to teach kids a pain-in-the-butt second language as a job means that I have played an awful lot of UNO over the years. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of unexpected collaborations, but this new one for the iOS version of the game may be the most surprising yet. BTS fans, this one’s for you. This latest update brings a new event, complete with BTS-themed voice packs. Earn BTS light sticks and pile them up to see who can get the most, and enjoy all the BTS backgrounds, avatars, frames, and medals. I’m not sure how much of our readership is into BTS, and of those, how many are into UNO. If that’s you, this is your chance to shine.
Mario Kart Tour, Free I suppose it’s technically summer now, though given the state of things this year that’s less exciting than usual. Mario Kart Tour is into the swing of it with its latest tour, however. The Marine Tour features a lot of watery tracks and has a lot of marine-themed characters and items to acquire. Rosalina (Swimwear) and Mario (Swimwear) are ready for the beach, and the Manta Glider and Cheep Snorkel will help them take first place. Last one in the water gets the Blue Shell!
Juicy Realm, $2.99 If you have been enjoying some fruity fun with Juicy Realm since it hit iOS, you’ll likely be happy to see this new update. First up, avatars have been added for co-op mode. You can now see your buddy’s health and current status, which is useful information to have at hand. This new version also fixes some bugs, such as the higher max health issue and the problem with a particular achievement not unlocking. Some display errors in co-op mode have also been addressed. Those are all the juicy details.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game, Free GWENT is probably not the first thing people think of when they imagine The Witcher, but it sure has proven to be a success on mobile. This new version slides on in with more than 70 new cards, an addition sure to shake up the game. Included in that number are one new evolving card per faction. There are also some new cosmetics available via reward trees and in the shop. They’re themed around the Master Mirror expansion, naturally. Finally, there are a bunch of balance adjustments that will affect a number of cards. Best re-examine your strategies before diving back in!
Asphalt Legends Unite, Free A couple of weeks back, Asphalt 8 got a nice little update. So it’s only natural that its younger sibling would also be in line for some fresh additions. This version takes things back to Asphalt‘s roots with a brand new location: New York City! Peel out down the streets of Brooklyn, blast through the bright lights of Times Square, and rip up some of the grass in Central Park among other famous places. Multiplayer gets a new scoring system that is meant to encourage casual players, and emoticons have been added to express yourself while you drive. A new season? Why not? The American Season adds five new American cars to collect, and those who get the Season Pass will be rewarded with an exclusive Chevy Corvette Stingray. There’s even more in this update, but I’ll let you investigate further on your own if you’re interested.
Plants vs. Zombiesâ„¢ 2, Free Well, it’s been about a year. Might as well check in on Plants vs. Zombies 2 again. It looks like the latest update is a summer-themed update, adding new plants like the Olive Pit, some sort of Darker Ages World for Penny’s Pursuit Mode, and lots of seeding of new events and prizes for the future. That includes the Summer Nights event, which will bring back the popular Strawburst. The Champion Blowout Season will bring back old favorite plants from Seasons past, and a whole lot of bug fixes and adjustments. Alright, that’s all fine.
KINGDOM HEARTS Uχ Dark Road, Free I remember when Kingdom Hearts UX first came out and Square Enix said it would be important to the storyline. People didn’t believe them, and whoops – it was important for Kingdom Hearts 3. That’s how it goes. Anyway, the latest update brings the new Dark Road experience to the game, and it covers some pretty important ground. Or at least, it seems important. It tells the tale of why Xehanort became a seeker of darkness and shows his adventures when he was training to become a Keyblade Master. I think I’ll give this update the coveted UMMSotW award for this week, as I’m quite impressed with Square’s dedication to this game.
Shadow Fight 3 - RPG Fighting, Free Let’s finish things up this week with a look at the latest update for Shadow Fight 3, the rather slick fighter from the nice folks at Nekki. The newest version allows you to customize your equipment sets or separate items to give your character a unique style. Three skins for Divine Judge, Warmonger, and Star Chaser equipment sets have been added, and 15 dyes of varying levels of rarity are available to give you even more cosmetic options. Aside from that, new marathons and booster packs have been added to the game. Oh, and there are bug fixes. Glorious bug fixes. Performance improvements? You know it, friends. You know it.
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!
