The idea behind the TouchArcade Game of the Week is that every Friday afternoon we post the one game that came out this week that we think is worth giving a special nod to. Now, before anyone goes over-thinking this, it doesn’t necessarily mean our Game of the Week pick is the highest scoring game in a review, the game with the best graphics, or really any other quantifiable “best" thing. Instead, it’s more just us picking out the single game out of the week’s releases that we think is the most noteworthy, surprising, interesting, or really any other hard to describe quality that makes it worth having if you were just going to pick up one.
These picks might be controversial, and that’s OK. If you disagree with what we’ve chosen, let’s try to use the comments of these articles to have conversations about what game is your game of the week and why.
Without further ado…
Glyph Quest
This week was kind of a strange release week in that there weren’t any big name, highly-anticipated, blockbuster titles released. However, there was a respectable list of lesser-known and quirky games to dive into, and I’ve definitely been surprised by some of the gems that have come from that list. However, one game which was not on that list but has captured my attention the most since the moment I fired it up is Alex Trowers’ Glyph Quest (Free). It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of game like Dungeon Raid and Puzzle Quest, and in general if you can take an already solid game mechanic and toss in a bunch of RPG elements on top, you may just have a hit on your hands. Well, Glyph Quest does just that but with its own twist.
As you might expect, you’ll partake in quests and engage in combat with enemies by making matches on a board. But, it’s not simply a matching game, as there are all sorts of strategic mechanics layered on top. The board is made up of different kinds of elements, like Water, Air and Fire, and you can create all kinds of different attacks based on how and what you match up. There are also items on the board as well as standard weapons you can buy in the shop to further add variety to the formula. Seriously, though, the whole elemental matching system is deep. One big drawback to Glyph Quest however is that it isn’t the best about fully explaining the ins and outs of the gameplay. Thankfully, our forums come to the rescue again and this post in particular lays out how the combo system works in detail.
Once you do become familiar with the mechanics, Glyph Quest really opens up and digs its hooks into you. Definitely take some time to read through that forum thread if you’re struggling to understand something, and the developers are already working on making a more informative tutorial to add to the game. The most important thing though is that you check out Glyph Quest if you’re into these sorts of games, as it’s already one of my very favorites. It’s free to try too, and if you like what you see then a one-time purchase of $1.99 for the “Mage License" will unlock the entire game for you. Give the free content a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Oh sweet! Sounds epic and exciting!
I was a bit disappointed before, but hey, this stuff could come to iOS, and at least multiplayer is being implemented somewhere.
That street view sounds awesome!
Early Access? That's too bad, that's getting really old. Pre-Purchase and Early Access is the norm now. No thanks, I'll wait until final release.
Thats fine :) Will be posting more info about what will actually be in early access vs final release in the coming days
I love your iPad version and have played it lots. If the final PC version is as good then you will have a hit on Steam. :)
This is why I prefer PC over smartphones for dedicated gaming. Recently, there's been a trend where games that release on PC have more features/enhancements over smartphone versions.
Sure, smartphones have infinitely more ways of sharing their content, but pcs have infinitely more ways of enhancing the core gameplay experience, and that is the most important thing for me as a gamer.
Games on PC have always had more features/ enhancements then mobile games, it's definitely not a trend, it's the hardware. And though Plague Inc. may end up having a little more flash on PC, it was born and raised on IOS.
I don't want to argue with you on details, but it's definitely a trend. If iOS was released around the same time as the first Windows OS, it wouldn't be a trend. However, iOS is recent, and developers porting iOS games to steam is even more recent. I realize I may have not worded my initial comment properly, so I apologize for the confusion.
I honestly hate that stupid "born and raised on x platform" argument. If developers had the resources to properly optimize games for the PC, these counterparts would be vastly superior to iOS in every way, no questions asked.
Still have to pick this one up.
I do like this developer, but I'm a bit disappointed that things are not being released concurrently on Mac and iOS. I really don't want to see Mac and iOS games being developed as afterthoughts to PC markets.
Don't worry - mobile will absolutely never be an afterthought. There is enough love to go around for everyone (I have some guys helping me with the PC version so it doesn't slow things down for mobile)
What can we expect in the next big iOS update? Give us a clue if you want it secret :)
I would really love to see the 3D disease models and street cams on my ios version...
More scenarios ;)
Not that I'm expecting an answer but when will the alien spaceship crash land on earth and start spreading across the globe? I think we're due for one soon.
Just something the devolopers should be aware of: PRICE IT ADEQUATELY. Yes it's got enhanced features, but it's still a mobile game. People went nuts over tiny thief being $15, though it didn't have enhanced features. Anyway, I personally say under $10 is a great price, with steam sales making it $5 or less probably. But hey, that's just my opinion.
The iOS version, by now, is worth $10...
Especially if you bought the IAP.
I predicted it.
"While many of Evolved's new features wouldn't be possible on iOS due to screen size/file size limitations"... Really, Jared? Because of file size limitations?
Yep - I told Jared that. Can't take up loads and loads of space on mobile devices - you just get uninstalled :P
I don't know if if it specifically refers to this, but iOS apps also have a file size restrictions that is, the download size and not how big it is when extracted to the iOS devices HDD. Now, I'm not sure.. but, I think the size is about 2gb? Maybe someone can confirm this, or whatever.. Look it up online you'd like.
I thought Plague Inc was a mobile adaption og the old pc browser game 'Pandemic'. It's te same game, same map
Plague Inc. is a similar game, but not the same as Pandemic/Pandemic2.
The team behind Pandemic does have a iOs game though. Pandemic 2.5.
They've tweaked features for mobile, added difficulty levels (including one called Madagascar) and updated the game since it's Flash days.