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. Some interesting ones to look at this week, include a great update for a choice-based adventure game I really dig. There’s even some Monster Hunter in here! But sadly not an update to any of the old Monster Hunter games on iOS. Oh well. 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!
Vampire — Night Road, $11.99 The excellent choice-based adventure Vampire – Night Road has had an IAP add-on in the past, and this last week it got another one. The Secrets and Shadows add-on brings five new clans into the game, along with a new Discipline and two new sets of powers. Those new clans include Clan Nosferatu, Clan Lasombra, the Ministry, the Ravnos, and the Giovanni family. Each has their own specialty and place in the world of The Masquerade. To go with all that, there’s a new mission to tackle. The vampire factions are tussling again, and this time it’s… at an auction house? Interesting. Secrets and Shadows will run you $2.99 and if you liked the base game it is absolutely worth every penny.
Jetpack Joyride, Free Yes, another update. This game is reaching Trese Brothers levels of update frequency. But what can you do? Easter is coming, and Barry Steakfries isn’t going to let an opportunity to get in a silly costume pass without action. Robo-rabbits, a massive chocolate machine, and a glorious bunny outfit highlight this latest version of the game. There are Easter-exclusive vehicles, plus some new jetpacks and outfits that haven’t appeared in any previous events. Limited time of course, and probably pretty difficult to unlock. But there it is.
Dan The Man Platformer, Free Jetpack Joyride‘s Halfbrick stablemate is also in the list this week, but it’s not for Easter shenanigans. For whatever reason, the theme around the new stuff in this version of Dan the Man is decidedly pirate-flavored. There’s a new multiplayer pirate event with some new battle arena layouts, a new pirate fighter costume, and some new rewards to earn. Those include new icons and new emotes, most likely pirate-themed. I mean, why break the pattern?
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Free It’s been a while since we’ve looked in on Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Let’s be honest: that game was in the rear-view mirror for most of us once New Horizons hit. But some of you must still be playing it, because it’s plugging along just fine. This new update adds in some fresh hairstyles and hair colors to customize your character with. Your Contacts will now show which animals you haven’t met yet, and some bugs have had their names changed. Presumably to bring them in line with New Horizons? Not sure on that. Beyond that, it’s a bunch of little adjustments to things you probably won’t explicitly notice but may subconsciously appreciate. There’s also probably some kind of Easter event going on. I don’t know because I try to keep my Zipper T. Bunny intake to a minimum.
Cookie Jam: Match 3 Games, Free Our obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update for this week is Cookie Jam. No particular reason, I just felt like a change from the usual rotation. At any rate, Cookie Jam is doing an Easter event. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that means some new stages to solve, because there really isn’t too much else there could be in a game like this. Perhaps some Easter trimmings? A few eggs and bunnies scattered about while you jam the cookies? The only way to find out is to play, friends. And while I would do anything for love, I won’t do that.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Free I’m always amused by songs that end up outdated because they refer to some sort of technology that has been antiquated or phased out over time. How does that have anything to do with Disney Heroes? Because this latest version is all about Kim Possible, and her theme song makes a direct reference to pagers in its chorus. I mean, it’s not like pagers no longer exist but there’s no way a teenager, even a secret spy teenager, is going to be using one. Uh, right. The update. Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible has joined the roster, and that is pretty awesome. Kim Possible has gotten a Hero Refresh, as well. There’s also a preview of Yellow Rank, if that’s the kind of thing you get jazzed about. Not me, I’m all about the obsolete song lyrics and nothing but.
Star Traders: Frontiers, $6.99 Star Traders actually had a pair of updates in the last week, and it wasn’t like the second one was fixing things that went wrong in the first one like we often see when a game gets updated twice in seven days. No, there are two regular-like updates to look at. The first adds new bleeding rules to the game and the new job Shock Trooper. There are lots of little changes that were probably done to accommodate the new job, plus some bug fixes. The second update adds seven new ultra-rare level 10 Relic Weapons to the game, along with some new level 5 Gear. It also makes some tweaks to the UI and a few balance adjustments of its own. Honestly, I was going to give this game the award but I’ve heard the Treses have run out of room on their mantle for the coveted awards. If they get another mantle for putting them on, I’ll add them back into the mix in the future.
FINAL FANTASY Record Keeper, Free Final Fantasy Record Keeper is six hecking years old. Where on earth does the time go? I remember heading out and interviewing the people behind it, begging them to add Gilgamesh. They were all coy about it, but it turned out Gilgamesh was already in the works. Ha ha, what a nice time that was. Anyway, there’s a celebration going on in the game in honor of that milestone. If you log in, you can get a ton of Relic Draws, while completing special event dungeons will net you up to 140 Mythril. The festivities run through April 16th, so you still have plenty of time to get in on the fun and freebies.
Puzzle & Dragons (English), Free Okay, this isn’t the first time Puzzle & Dragons has collaborated with Capcom’s Monster Hunter, but it is the first time it has collaborated with Monster Hunter Rise. So that’s something, right? Many of the characters from past events have returned, and a Palamute from the new game will accompany you as you make your way through Monster Hunter-themed dungeons. Best of all, this is a good opportunity to power up any of the characters you grabbed in previous Monster Hunter events. I think Monster Hunter Rise is super-cool, so based on the principle of transitive property I’m awarding this game the coveted UMMSotW this time around.
World of Tanks Blitzâ„¢, Free Let’s finish things up with a look at the latest additions to World of Tanks Blitz 3D War. That’s the title now. I don’t make the rules. Actually, I do. And the first rule is that I don’t make the rules. Glad we’ve sorted that. So yes, this update. The Galactic Riches event. You get some rewards in exchange for XP and resources that have been kept too long in storage. A thruster ability was added to Gravity Force mode. There’s some business in here about Operation Red Planet and an Explorer tank, and the Burning Games are making a return. That one’s fun because everyone is more or less on fire, with their HP constantly draining. This game sure does go all over the place with its events and updates, I’ll give them that.
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!
