Tiger Style’s Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor [App Store] is a clever adventure game where you play as a spider, spin webs, eat bugs, and so other spidery things– All the while either unraveling or completely ignoring the mystery of Bryce Manor. We love the game in our review, and particularly enjoyed how well the entire game is controlled:
As a spider, you are able to crawl across objects, jump great lengths and lay down silk to weave your web. Spinning a web simply requires you to create closed geometric shapes using your silk. Tapping on the spider toggles silk production while swiping on the spider causes it to jump. Finally, crawling is invoked by simply tapping on the screen. All in all, the controls work incredibly well and makes it feel like a natural iPhone game.
The recent update adds 10 additional levels, 24 new achievements, a level select, new music, and hornet’s nests. Dubbed the “Director’s Cut", this update seeks to flesh out some of the game’s story, answer some of the mysteries, and even provide some new ones along with providing other refinements and additions.
Hornets, one of my favorite bugs to devour, are actually the star of their new not-quite-a-lite free spinoff game, Spider: Hornet Smash [App Store]. In Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, eating hornets involves tackling them in-air, as they’re impervious to your webs. Hornet Smash turns this in to an entire game where you must tackle as many hornets as possible before getting beaten to death by angry hornets.
With online leaderboards, multiple levels, and a teaser for the full game, Spider: Hornet Smash is different enough that it’s still worth downloading even if you own Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor and if you haven’t downloaded the full version yet, Hornet Smash serves as a great introduction to the mechanics of being a spider of Bryce Manor.
App Store Links: Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, $2.99 – Spider: Hornet Smash, Free
