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. There are definitely a few things in here that you’ll know about already if you’re a diligent TouchArcade reader, but I’ve mixed enough other things in here that you should still get at least half a breakfast’s worth of reading out of it. 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!
LifeAfter, Free Let’s start things off with a game I haven’t covered in these articles before. LifeAfter wouldn’t normally be on my radar at all, but its latest update brings in a collaboration with Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. I’m not the biggest fan of the newest series, but I do like Ghost in the Shell in general. It’s difficult to spot exactly how this collaboration will manifest in the game and the update notes are less than helpful, but I’d imagine some skins and items drawn from the series are the least we could expect. At the very least, I can spot the Major and I believe Batou in the screenshots. Well, have a look if you’re interested.
PAC-MAN, Free Gaming’s first mainstream icon keeps the train rolling even after forty years, which frankly indicates he’s doing better than I am of late. At the same time he’s very much like me in that he’s slowing down a bit in his old age. How so? This new update brings in some Valentine’s Day skin customizations. Oh Pac, that was two weeks ago! Last month, even! Too zetta slow! Well, I suppose you can squint and pretend it’s for another holiday. Or just a general celebration of romance. I was going to say that I wouldn’t mind getting a valentine card on other dates at random throughout the year, but that sounds like the MO of a new horror movie killer. I’m not young enough to survive being in one of those movies! And neither is Pac-Man, but enjoy the updates anyway.
Sonic Forces PvP Racing Battle, Free It’s kind of weird to think that the mobile Sonic Forces has somehow gone on this long without Robotnik/Dr. Eggman getting involved at all. That comes to an end in the latest update, which adds the not-so-good doctor as an unlockable character. I was hoping he would run along the ground because, let’s be honest, dude is one of the funniest runners in video games, but he uses one of his machines to hover instead. That gives him access to a few nasty gadgets he can use to turn the tides of any race if used properly. There’s still time to unlock him in the latest event, and even if you miss out I suspect he’ll be back around fairly often.
World of Tanks Blitzâ„¢, Free Jared already used the easy joke, and now I’m left at a loss. If the boss takes all the low-hanging fruit, then what is this article even for? Oh well. The big news in the latest update for World of Tanks Blitz is that Czechoslovakian tanks have finally been added to the game. That sure took a while considering how popular they are with tank fans, but all things come with time I suppose. Five vehicles make up the starting line-up, led by the TVP 50/51. Also in this latest version: collect Mastery Badges and trade them for parts of Loza’s M4-A2 Sherman, enjoy two distinct modes of play, and dive into Operation Colosseum to earn a bunch of cool rewards. Sorry, I couldn’t come up with another joke in time. Tanks a lot, Jared! (Ed. Note: You better put that attitude in Czech, Shaun.)
Hearthstone, Free Hearthstone updates tend to come in two different flavors: preparation and execution. This one is by and large concerned with preparation, adding the ability to pre-order the upcoming expansion Forged in the Barrens. If you log in right now, you’ll be able to claim the Shadow Hunter Vol’jin Legendary. Apart from that, there’s been a major balance update done for Battlegrounds, so you may want to look up the details so that you aren’t surprised by any of the changes made to Heroes and Minions. We’ll hit this one up again when the whole ‘execution’ bit happens.
VOEZ, Free VOEZ got a massive update this last week, bumping its version number up to the magical 2.0. Well, technically 2.0.1 at the moment, but let’s not split hairs. There’s a new VIP Pass that will give you access to new songs and all of the previous ones, a new Quest and Mission system to handle unlocking new rewards, a new Gallery, a new high frame rate setting, and a bunch of small but significant additions and improvements to the UI and customization options. I’m kind of underselling it here, so let me adjust that by giving this the coveted UMMSotW award for this week.
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR, Free Some new Special Signature Fighters have been added to The King of Fighters Allstar with this latest version. Special Signature Mai and Special Signature Athena have been added to the roster, along with new Set and Option Battle Cards. A couple of Fest Fighters have seen their stats improved, with Lady Chang Koehan and Lady Zero (Clone) being the beneficiaries this time around. Throw in a few new events and a bunch of bug fixes, and that’s the lot. Wait, Lady Chang Koehan? What are they doing over here while I’m not looking?
Sneaky Sasquatch, Sasquatch cops, I never thought I’d see the day. This is a rather robust update for the popular Apple Arcade title. It offers a new chapter in the storyline, for starters. Coming with that new chapter, you get scuba diving, the ability to work as a police officer, the ability to head into the sewers, a new smell system that may or may not be connected with said sewers, the ability to change your name at the Town Hall, and some sunken ships with pirate treasure to claim. There’s more to it than that, but I’ll let you uncover some of those secrets and extras on your own.
ANOTHER EDEN, Free The biggest news for Another Eden in the last week was that the game is getting a PC port in the future. That’s good news for the game, but also for players because a bigger install base means a healthier game. But in mobile gaming-specific news, we’ve got another content drop to look at this week. The fifth chapter of Song of Sword and Wings of Lost Paradise has been added, along with a new Ally Encounter in the form of the Western Mythos Series. Not a ton of new stuff, but certainly enough to keep you playing for another week or two. That’s all it really has to do, because the next update is always around the corner.
Rules of Survival, Free We’ll close things out by taking a quick look at the popular battle royale game Rules of Survival. Its newest version sports new content in the form of Special Training. Choose a desired reward set in Special Training and complete the required objectives to collect said rewards. Oh, but it’s not as easy as all that. To do the training, you need special bullets. To get those bullets, you’ll have to do some daily spending. Oh. Ohhhhh. During the limited 30-day period that Special Training is available, special discounts will be available to help ease you into that spending. Hmm. Well, it’s your money.
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!
