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…
Heroes and Castles 2
We’ve been fans of Foursaken Media’s games for years, practically since the beginning of the App Store. They are masters of taking multiple genres and blending them into one cohesive package, and they’ve always strived to bring that “console-like" experience to mobile devices in a way that makes sense. While their games aren’t always perfect, they’ve succeeded in that goal time and time again, and built up a loyal fan base in the process. It seems that each new release from Foursaken is better than the last, as is the case with Heroes and Castles 2 ($1.99), the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2013 original.
Heroes and Castles 2 is, as you might expect, a mashup of genres. The most front-facing of them is the 3rd-person hack and slash action game, as you pick a character and take control as they run about the battlefield and lay waste to some bad guys. It’s also a highly strategic castle defense game, as you need to build out and maintain your castle, which is constantly under attack, as well as call upon specialty units to help you in battle. The strategy part is key, this is not an easy game by any means and merely button mashing your weapon into enemies will get you killed in no time flat. You have to really plan your moves and be mindful of your resources and units lest you want to be overwhelmed with baddies. Finally, there’s a heavy RPG-like character progression that sees you growing your character in the direction of your choosing by way of learning new abilities and obtaining new equipment and abilities.
This is all common knowledge for anyone who played the original Heroes and Castles, and this sequel is pretty much what you’d want a sequel to be: bigger and better in every way, along with some key changes and new additions. The most important thing though is that this feels like Heroes and Castles that many know and love, so if you were a fan of the original game you should most definitely have picked up this new one by now. If you aren’t familiar with the series, well, I’d suggest checking out the free version of the original game to get an idea of what it’s like. If you enjoy it, I’d highly recommend the sequel, especially at the paltry price of $1.99. This is very much a gamer’s game, and with its myriad of features and game modes, it’s the kind of game you might end up playing for months and even years to come.
