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 spread of games for you to check out on this Easter Monday, with some cool titles from Apple Arcade, the free-to-play end of things, and even some paid stuff. Hopefully there is a nice, uh, chocolate egg? Marshmallow peep? Whatever season-appropriate confection you enjoy, hopefully there is a nice figurative one of those in here for you. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself 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!
Hearthstone, Free Hearthstone is still kicking, and its latest expansion has arrived. Remember back when that kind of news was big enough to garner serious attention? Well, that’s time for you. Makes fools of us all. Anyway, Voyage to the Sunken City adds 135 cards to the game with a little bit of just about everything included. There has also been an update to Duels, with new heroes, updated card pools, and more. Enough to keep you playing for a bit longer, I suppose.
subaku, Free It’s not a particularly well-known game by any means, but there was a little puzzle game I played a lot back in the day called Subaku. It stopped getting updates several years back, and I assumed that was the end of it. Imagine my surprise when an update rolled in a few days ago making the game playable on modern iOS versions and newer hardware. This update also gives the game a new look, and I like it. Give it a try if you haven’t before.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Free I’m going to cover the last couple of updates all at once here, because I’m efficient that way. There are two new characters in total, and it’s a double dose of villainy. The first is The Horned King from Disney’s The Black Cauldron, and he’s a design I’ve always been rather fond of. The second is Namaari from Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Add them to your team and see what a little evil can do for you. Okay yeah I know, Namaari isn’t as evil as The Horned King. Close enough! There are also some bug fixes and other improvements to round things out.
Solitaire Stories, I’m guessing the Ben Schwartz stuff in the last update went over well, because here is another update with a brand new Ben Schwartz story to play. Something about fancy cars. Seems amusing. There’s also a story featuring Joel McHale of Community and Talk Soup fame. I don’t actually know who he is, but I assume he’s funny even if he isn’t Sonic the Hedgehog in any form.
Simon's Cat - Story Time, I’m counting this as our obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update for this week, even if it’s not exactly free. I have that power. Don’t make me abuse it. Simon’s Cat has a ton of new levels waiting for you. Two hundred, to be precise. There are also extra gardens to explore. Aside from that, this update is mostly about making some little improvements, bug fixes, and such. But really, two hundred new levels. That’s enough excitement. That’s four Toon Blasts‘ worth of updates. FOUR.
LEGO® Builder's Journey, This game has a whole vibe and I really dig that. But once you’ve played through it a few times, what can you do but shelve it for the occasional return trip? This update has some ideas, and they’re your ideas. There’s a new Creative Mode in the game that allows you to build your own models. Wow, like real LEGO bricks! Choose a themed build plate and put together whatever the heck you want. You can then use the Photo Mode to snap some glamor pics of your spiffy creations. A very nice thing to add, devs. Make sure you check it out if you’ve got Apple Arcade, friends.
Alto's Odyssey — Remastered, Oh nice, more Odyssey for Alto to embark upon. You can never have enough Odyssey, I say. This update adds a new biome called the Lost City that offers fifteen new goals to check off your list. There are also some improvements to the game’s text in various languages, some animation tweaks, performance enhancements, and all that. It’s also easier to track your Lost Goals, and that’s something I know many of you will appreciate.
Star Trek Fleet Command, Free It’s time to head to the Lower Decks in the latest version of Star Trek Fleet Command. Ensigns Boimler, Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford are on a mission that will take them up against AGIMUS, a villainous supercomputer. They’re going to need your help to win. There’s a new ship, the USS Cerritos, some new Below Deck Officer abilities, some new research in the form of the Starships tree, a whopping twenty-five new missions to complete, some new officers, and even some new Avatars and Frames to use. That’s a pretty dandy update if you enjoy this game, and I assume some of you do because it remains quite popular even after all this time.
NBA 2K Mobile Basketball Game, Free The NBA Playoffs are in progress, and NBA 2K Mobile isn’t going to miss a beat with that. Playoff Picker is back, and there are some new powerful theme cards for some of the hottest stars. There are also new Pink Diamond cards featuring tons of NBA MVPs, curren stars, and even some NBA legends like Patrick Ewing, Wilt Chamberlain, and Vince Carter. Neat. You should probably get in on this stuff sooner rather than later, as I imagine at least some of it is time-sensitive. The Playoffs won’t running forever, after all. Heck, for some people they’re already well on their way to being finished.
Dead Cells, $8.99 The Queen and the Sea DLC has finally come to the superb mobile port of Dead Cells, available for the keen price of $3.99. It’s definitely worth it if you’re looking for more game to crunch on. Three new biomes, two new bosses, some new enemies, a bunch of new weapons and items, and a new ending are included. Those who don’t have four bucks to spare can at least enjoy the new Training Room along with a bunch of objects drawn from a number of popular indie games. Yes, that will earn it a coveted UMMSotW award this time, I think.
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!
