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…
The Executive
Riverman Media cut its teeth in iOS development back in 2011 with a trio of simplistic games. The tilt-based “fall down" game Deathfall, the stylish endless runner Iskaro, and the fixed-point space shooter Space Frak. All decent games in their own right, but all fairly shallow experiences. Still, you could see that Riverman Media had a knack for awesome artwork and interesting themes. It was in early 2012 when the two-man studio really put itself on the map with their absurdly entertaining (and just plain absurd!) Pizza Vs. Skeletons. It proved that Riverman could still explore unique concepts with a focus on style while providing a fully fleshed-out gaming experience that felt quite at home as a mobile touchscreen game. It was a “gamer’s game" for lack of a better term.
So where the heck am I going with all this? Well, just based on their past releases, Riverman Media is one of those developers I’ll always be excited to hear about. So I was definitely excited when they originally announced their new game The Executive ($2.99) way back in May of 2013. I mean, a suited-up corporate dude busting through walls and beating the snot out of werewolves? How could you NOT be excited?
It wasn’t until I actually got my hands on a nearly finished build of The Executive that I realized it was truly something special. Something even better than I could have imagined it being. This is a game that expertly blends together familiar concepts in a new and refreshing way, and then ties it all together with fantastic audio and visuals and a high level of polish. Engaging and deceptively deep combat sections are strung together with timing-based, fast-reaction running sequences. It sounds so strange on paper, but it works incredibly well in practice.
On top of those two core concepts, there’s an entire clicker-style sub-game built in that allows you to earn some in-game coins even while you’re not playing. This sub-game is more fun than it has any right to be, and I’m obsessed with building up my company and watching as it grows and earns me more and more income. This probably could have been its own game! Instead it’s just a little touch that’s there to bolster the extremely strong core gameplay of The Executive.
Again, like Pizza Vs. Skeletons, The Executive is a gamer’s game. First off it’s a buy-once premium game with no ads and no IAP. That’s always a nice bonus. It’s also highly skill-based, and the kind of game you can actually see yourself improving at the more you play. The levels are fairly short chunks that are a perfect for mobile, but there are A TON of them, so it’s definitely not lacking in content. There’s also a tremendous desire to go back and replay earlier levels to try an improve your score due to the intelligent scoring systems.
I feel like I’m gushing and could go on and on, but well, I can’t help it. The Executive is one of the most entertaining games I’ve played on any system all year, and will definitely be a favorite for a long time to come. Our forums have been incredibly positive toward the game, and our own moderator metalcasket in particular wrote a fantastic user review that should sell the game for anyone on the fence. The Executive is currently available for the launch price of $2.99, which is a pittance for the stellar experience you get in return.
