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 big games got updates this week, and a lot of the usual suspects are here along with them. It adds up to a nice mix of titles to look at while having a delicious bagel-and-bacon shake for breakfast. 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!
Mortal Kombat, Free It’s apparently the sixth anniversary of this app. Time sure does fly. I remember reviewing this one and not liking it quite as much as Injustice or Contest of Champions, and I still sort of feel that way. I mean, Injustice is basically dead, but you know what I mean. Anyway, this update has a lot of little improvements and a couple of big additions, chief among them being MK11 Rain. The other substantial new bit is the Sorcerer’s Tower, a new challenge that will allow you to get your hands on Sorcerer’s Tower Equipment. Honestly, I expected to see some movie tie-in stuff in this update, but perhaps that’s coming in the next one.
Injustice 2, Free Joining its partner-in-crime, Injustice 2 also got a big update this week. No anniversary or anything, I think. The headliner here is the new Legendary character Raven, who was the winner of the community request vote held last year. As you would expect from Raven, she uses her dark power to wreak havoc on her foes. She can also heal herself, in case you thought she wasn’t powerful enough. There’s a new Solo Raid in the game called Advent of Chaos, a limited time event where you battle Raven and some brainwashed minions to free them from the grip of her father, Trigon. You can collect and use new Chaos Artifacts to help tilt the odds in your favor. Add in some bug fixes and a few adjustments to the Champions Arena, and that’s the lot.
Subway Surfers, Free This update was just in time for Easter, but this recap of it is not. I mean, I guess today is Easter Monday so it should be okay. Hopefully Jared won’t fire me. At any rate, the kids are in Oxford this time. There’s a new Surfer named Bonnie, and a new Hatter outfit for Jamie. Grab the new Bunny Board and make your petty mischief that much cuter. Collect Tokens and you can get some cool rewards in the Season Hunt, including something called Rabbot. I can kind of imagine what it is, but I doubt reality will match my expectations here.
Hearthstone, Free Hearthstone‘s latest expansion launched last week. Forged in the Barrens brings 135 new cards to the game, along with the Frenzy keyword and a rather nebulous “more". Sounds promising, friends. A free Core set has replaced the Classic and Basic cards in Standard, and you’ll note that Spells in your collection now have Spell Schools added to them. Feeling like going a little old-school? You can now craft decks and compete using just the 240 cards that Hearthstone originally launched with all the way back in 2014. Not bad at all, really. I wish every game that got updated regularly over the years let you play the “original" version if you wanted to. Probably difficult to do that, but it would be neat.
Toy Blast, Free The obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update for this week is a familiar rocking horse. Toy Blast has 50 new levels, as it always does. I know someone has to hand-craft each of these stages in these puzzle game updates, and if I put on my design critic hat most of them pass muster, but wow, the sheer amount of them makes them gaming “content" in its purest form. The story this time has something to do with a rhino who reads too many knight stories and starts tilting at windmills. I bet more people experience that story through this game than by reading Don Quixote. That’s how things are, friends.
Real Racing 3, Free Real Racing 3 has an update, and as usual that means some new cars to gawk at and possibly get your hands on. Probably not, but hope springs eternal, eh? So here’s the hot wheels in this update: the Hennessey Venom F5. It’s the fastest car in Real Racing 3, and you can try to earn it by playing its associated event. Two LeMans prototypes are in here as well, the Audi R15 TDI and the Aston Martin DBR 1-2, and you can attempt to get them in a couple of Race Day Special Events. There are two new Formula 1 Time Trial Competitions to challenge as well. All that and more in this update, though that ‘more’ is mostly referring to the mundane stuff like bug fixes and performance improvements.
Dead Cells, $8.99 This last week saw the release of the Bad Seed DLC for the mobile version of Dead Cells. Plunk down your four bucks and you’ll get access to two brand-new areas full of potential rewards and significant dangers. That includes some new monsters that you’ll have to learn how to deal with, including the excellently-named Yeeter. There are some new weapons to help you do just that, with the Rhythm n’ Bouzouki and Scythe Claw giving you new offensive options. Capping it all off is a new boss, the Mama Tick. She’s, uh… she’s a handful. Good luck. I really like this DLC and this game, so I’ll go ahead and give this update the coveted UMMSotW award for the week.
Gangstar Vegas - Mafia action, Free Everything has a Battle Pass these days, it seems. Gangstar Vegas has kicked off its new Battle Pass seasons, with Premium-Plus (soda crackers?) getting access to fun bonus challenges. In a new limited time event, alien invaders are attacking Vegas. Get your hands on the new Dark Matter melee weapon and get ready to whip some extra-terrestrial booty. Do they have booties? Locate the booty, then whip it. Apart from that, the main changes in this update involve some new benefits connected to incentivized ads. Woo-hoo.
Dungeon Hunter 5, Free Oh no, another Easter update! Jared’s definitely going to fire me. Oh well, I had a good run. This new version of Dungeon Hunter 5 is almost entirely devoted to Easter fun, with special events and festivities running for a limited time. You can get the Moon Rabbit Easter Armor, Weapon, and Trinket if you really want to go all in on the holiday. There are now Golden Rush Tickets in the Shop, and the Trial of Elements has been reworked. All that, plus the usual bug fixes and performance improvements. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised this is still running but I guess it must have a healthy userbase even after all these years.
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR, Free Let’s finish things up with a look at the latest goings-on in The King of Fighters Allst Ar. It seems as though there’s a collaboration going on with one of NetMarble’s other games, Seven Deadly Sins. During this event, you’ll be able to get some free collaboration fighters, Tavern Master Meliodas and Elizabeth. The former is a login bonus, while the latter is earned by completing Super Missions. There are other characters you can get your hands on, but they might not be free. In fact, they probably won’t be. There are also some appropriately-themed dungeons to dive into, with a fresh story and some cool rewards. Yep, just another typical King of Fighters game, diving into dungeons and meeting Tavern Masters. Nothing is forbidden, friends.
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!
Editor’s Note: Shaun has been fired.
