News

Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘Marvel Future Fight’, ‘DOOM’, ‘Matchington Mansion’, ‘Threes!’, and More

TouchArcade Rating:

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. We’ve got a nice mix of the usual suspects along with a few faces we don’t often see, making for a fun selection of titles to look through. 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!

KartRider Rush+, Free I don’t know too much about this game, but it is wildly popular. When a kart racing game is done right, it’s probably one of the most broadly appealing concepts in gaming, so I’m not that surprised. Anyway, the new update kicks off Season 3, which brings a bit of early winter with its new Ice theme. While they make for odd bedfellows with slippery tracks, motorbikes have also been added in this update. The Championship Mode is now open as well, giving you new ways to play. Neat.

Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Free You know friends, I believe you can see Spider-Man everywhere if you’re willing to look hard enough. Sometimes, you don’t even have to put in much effort. Like with this new update for Disney Heroes. It adds a new character to the game from Disney and Pixar’s Onward. The new hero is none other than Ian Lightfoot, who was brought to life in the film by the vocal talents of one Tom Holland, also known as SPIDER-MAN. Wow, that merits some heavy consideration for our coveted award this week, but sadly there is one more suitable. Oh, this update also has some new Red Skills for more heroes.

Matchington Mansion, Free Here’s the obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update for the week, and I’ve decided to pull in a game I rarely check in on. Matchington Mansion‘s inspiration is pretty obvious, but that hasn’t stopped it from being quite popular in its own right. A new timed room is available in the form of the Tranquil Study, which you can spruce up with 75 decorations. Ski Shop Part 6: Ski Lift Station has been added, offering up 54 new levels to puzzle your way through. Things are rounded out with some bug fixes, as is generally the case around these parts.

Pokémon GO, Free Pokemon GO has been around for years, but only now is it finally getting Mega Evolution. Battle Mega-Evolved Pokemon in Raids to get your hands on some Mega Energy. This update also adds the Reality Blending feature to more devices. If you don’t know what this is, it basically allows Pokemon to move behind objects in AR mode. Just a little added immersion, really. The in-game store now features new stickers that you can send with gifts for your friends in order to personalize them. How fancy.

Minecraft Earth, Free Speaking of AR games based on popular properties, Minecraft Earth also got itself a spiffy new update this week. Since we refer to update schedules as ‘seasons’ now, this one is called Season 9: Biomes. True to its name, it allows you to explore deserts, water, and more. There are new challenges and rewards waiting for you, of course. The Fancy Chicken buildplate is coming soon, which makes sense as the Fancy Chicken itself arrives in this new version. There’s a new crafting ingredient, Slimeballs, which allow you to craft new Slime Blocks. Beyond that, you get some UI tweaks and the usual bug-smashery.

ANOTHER EDEN, Free Another Eden is constantly getting updates. It’s just how it is. But it’s slightly uncommon for those updates to include new episodes to play through. This update offers just that with a new episode called The Lost Tome and the Silver, Unfading Flower. Well that just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? There’s a new character named Hardy, and a paid Fateful Encounter. The Ally Encounter Zone Series is now available as well. Hardy, eh? Like Felicia Hardy, aka the BLACK CAT, off-and-on love interest and/or nemesis of SPIDER-MAN? I see what’s going on here! Oh wait. I’ve just been informed that Hardy is a very common name and I shouldn’t jump to conclusions about every little thing. Well EXCUUUUUSE me, princess.

Skate City, Florida Man Gets New Skate Location. That’s the headline, print it. And bring me pictures of Spider-Man! I ask everyone for them but only that kid Sebgo ever pulls through for me. Uh, anyway. Skate City. It has a new city to use for skating purposes. That new skate city is Miami, and it includes 30 new Endless Skate goals and 63 new challenges. Jared wrote more about this in its own story a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw it because Skate City is a pretty cool Apple Arcade game.

Threes!, $5.99 It’s been a hot minute since the last update for Threes!, but here it is. I was happy to see this game show up on Eurogamer’s Top 10 games of the generation, by the way. It totally deserves it. Anyway, this new version increases the edge buffer so that you won’t accidentally make a move when you want to pull up the home menu on your device. It also fixes the display on non-notched phones, makes it so that the GameCenter button takes you to the high scores, changes the Puzzlejuice link to direct you to the new GameClub version of the game, and fixes a couple of small issues.

DOOM, $4.99 I don’t think it’s any secret that a lot of DOOM mobile players were less than thrilled with the new version’s controls. While there have been a lot of general improvements made to both DOOM and DOOM II since the new ports hit the App Store, this latest update actually aims to fix the touch controls. They’re greatly improved in my opinion, though I’m still not sure if I like them better than the controls in the Carmack version. Oh well! It also adds controller support in case that doesn’t work out for you, and 16:9 rendering for wider screens. There’s also support for 120hz devices, which you can enable by heading to the Video Options.

MARVEL Future Fight, Free With no new movies to run events off of, we’re seeing the various Marvel games digging into comic storylines and original plots to base events on. Marvel Future Fight picks up the rather interesting Damnation story as a basis for its latest event. Las Vegas faces a supernatural threat, and an unlikely team has to save the city. There are new uniforms for Doctor Strange, Dormammu, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Blade. Two new characters join the roster: Morbius and the original Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly. Dormammu gets his Tier-3, and a few characters get their Potential Awakened options. Alliance Battle gets a new boss and some new daily stages, and the Danger Room gets Extreme added in. Being a clone of Spider-Man, Ben Reilly’s presence alone is enough to secure the coveted UMMSotW award for this game.

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!

  • DOOM

    Celebrate DOOM’s 25th anniversary with the re-release of the original DOOM (1993), including the expansion, Thy Fles…
    $4.99
    Buy Now
  • Threes!

    Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. This is the buy-once-play-forever version. ³ Apple Game of the Year 2014!! ³…
    TA Rating:
    $5.99
    Buy Now
  • MARVEL Future Fight

    An epic blockbuster action-RPG featuring Super Heroes and Villains from the Marvel Universe! The Avengers, Guardians of…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Pokémon GO

    NEW! Now you can battle other Pokémon GO trainers online! Try the GO Battle League today. Join Trainers across the glo…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Skate City

    Capture the heart and soul of street skating in a style that’s all your own. Push to perfect your flow and improve you…
    TA Rating:
    Buy Now
  • Matchington Mansion

    Do you have a knack for home decor & matching puzzles? Match pillows for a house makeover in this fun match-3 adventure!…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Disney Heroes: Battle Mode

    Join the battle and collect 100+ heroes in this action-packed RPG starring Disney and Pixar heroes from The Incredibles,…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • ANOTHER EDEN

    Embark on a journey beyond time and space. To save our lost future. Before the darkness of time falls upon us all... Sc…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • KartRider Rush+

    The kart racing sensation enjoyed by over 300M players worldwide is back and better than ever with more style, more game…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Minecraft Earth

    Discover a new dimension of Minecraft as you create, explore, and survive in the real world. Join a community of builder…
    Free
    Buy Now