Showing posts with label TouchArcade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TouchArcade. Show all posts

Friday, 25 May 2018

SwitchArcade Roundup: 'Zen Bound 2', 'Bloodstained: 'Curse of the Moon', 'N++', and More

Welcome to the SwitchArcade May 24th! Busy day for new releases, with some really solid new titles and some weird ones as well. I haven't filled my 128 GB microSD card yet...but I'm terrified I'm going to fill it soon. I don't want to start deleting Switch games. Or to have to buy another big microSD card. I have a massive card in my Android phone, and also don't want to switch out cards like I had to do on the Vita!

News

Mario Tennis Aces Online Tournament Demo available for download

Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning's newest Mario Tennis game will have an online tournament happen pre-launch starting on June 1st. You can download this now from the eShop, but the service is currently unavailable, so you'll have to wait until next Friday to actually play the game. It will focus on online play, but a singleplayer mode against the CPU will also be available for practice purposes.

Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido demo now available

There is another Nintendo game that has a demo available today...and this one's actually playable! This action-puzzle hybrid releases on Switch and 3DS on June 8th, but if you want to find out what the heck is going on here, you can download the demo. Unlike the Mario Tennis Aces demo, which has prime featuring on the new releases page, you have to go to the Sushi Striker game page in the coming soon titles, and download the demo from there. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Sale Ending Today: Torquel -Physics Modified Edition- ($7.49 from $9.99 until May 25)

This 2D physics platformer is on the Switch, where you roll around, and can extend the faces of each side of your rolling cube by using the face buttons. The game was originally released on Steam, before it eventually saw a console release, and now you can play it with modified physics after a game engine update required some reworking. This one goes off sale sometime on Friday, so last call on getting it at a discount!

New Releases

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon ($9.99)

The retro game stretch goal for the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter is here. Developed by Inti Creates, this platformer takes heavy inspiration from Castlevania III, with four different characters to play with and swap between. I've picked this one up and am really curious to see how it pans out, as while Inti Creates isn't actively developing Ritual of the Night after early work on the project, but they have tons of experience in making 2D action-platformers, so expect some good quality from this one.

Interestingly, this one is releasing on a ton of platforms at once, with only the 3DS in Europe and Xbox One seeing any kind of delay. This led to an interesting situation where backers couldn't get codes for the game, but they're offering temporary Steam keys to console backers. I mean, I think it's silly that backers have to wait for the game, but hey: I think Steam's laissez-faire attitude toward code distribution is the way to go, and other platforms should be more accommodating to developers distributing codes. Glad I didn't back the game, even as a slacker backer, I suppose.

Zen Bound 2 ($14.99)

You probably played this game at some point in the history of mobile gaming, because the first two titles were rather popular, and showed off how touch controls could help make for a cool puzzler on your phone. But honestly, I'm kind of worried that this will get seen as a Switch port, and not as a huge deal, because this should be. You can play with a single Joy-Con, and rotate the controller around in six degrees of movement to wrap your rope around the different figures. Does it feel as precise as the touch controls do, for example? Not necessarily, but it feels so much cooler to play with just a single Joy-Con, rotating freely in space, to the point that I think this should have been a launch game for the Switch. It would have shown off the power of the Joy-Cons, and how the Switch can adapt to any preferred playing style, in such a succinct way.

Even now, Zen Bound 2 is still well worth playing. The single Joy-Con control is great, and the game concept, where you wrap ropes around figures, trying to cover them in paint, is rarely-imitated because it's so hard to do well. The game has such a fascinating visual style and soundtrack to it, and you should revisit this game if you haven't played it in years. Even if you're only doing so to check out the Joy-Con controls, but they're fun enough that you should give them a shot.

N++ ($14.99)

Metanet Software delivers the second major sequel to its popular ninja platforming game N. If you never played N in the browser, you might have played N+ on Xbox 360, or in the DS or PSP incarnations, all of which are great. N++ released first on PS4, before Steam, and now it's on Switch. You have to command your ninja through levels full of dangerous hazards, relying on the game's unique floaty physics and your acrobatic abilities to survive without dying. This promises nearly endless gameplay with 4,340 levels, all made by hand. There is also a level editor with a the ability to share levels, competitive and co-op play for four players, and 119 color palettes as well. Seriously, over 4000 levels, it's crazy. I'm sure to die plenty of times while playing this one, and so can you!

Punch Club ($14.99)

tinyBuild's popular boxing simulation game makes it way to Switch today. Your objective: become the best boxer on earth, and discover who murdered your father. There are branching paths for the game's story, though if you want to play this in a more straightforward, "become the best boxer in the world" route, you can do that. But maybe a more ludicrous style is more your flavor. Take your pick! Just know that you won't do any real fighting as this is a simulation. There is a lot of strategy, and a bevy of tough decisions to be made.

6180 The Moon ($3.99)

Turtle Cream, which released this game on 3DS and Wii U, along with mobile, brings their unique platformer to the Switch. There aren't any bottomless pits, but the bottom of the screen loops back around to the top of the screen, so you have to master the art of trying not to fall upwards. Good luck with that!

Arcade Archives Ikki ($7.99)

Sunsoft's game of farmers rising up in revolution against their feudal overlord should serve as an inspiration to us all. Even if only two of you can toss sickles to fight off your oppressors, you can sink in more coins to try and continue the revolution! Right?

ACA NEOGEO TOP PLAYER'S GOLF ($7.99)

A lot of HAMSTER's NeoGeo releases on Switch were released months and years earlier on the PS4 and Xbox One. Not this one, as Nassau Game's 1990 golf title gets its modern re-release on Switch, PS4, and XB1 simultaneously today. I enjoy some of the flavoring of classic golf games, as they try to replicate perhaps the most three-dimensional of all sports in a two dimensional way. Do note that the more famous NeoGeo golf game, Neo Turf Masters, was released on the eShop last year, and this is actually an older title for the system. At least these games are getting preserved for modern audiences to explore in a legal way.

Discovery ($7.99)

Minecraft is already on Switch (and getting a Bedrock Engine update on June 21st), but I guess there's still an audience for Minecraft-alikes? I know Minecraft has really gotten crazy with all the third-party add-ons and modes that exist, so maybe if you want something more like vanilla Minecraft, this is the way to go. It also supports splitscreen multiplayer, and is only $7.99...so yeah, there you go. Minecraft for the broke! At least the game looks nicer than Minecraft does.

Dead Fun Pack: Penguins and Aliens Strike Again ($6.99)

Two games, Run Run and Die, and Mutant Alien Moles of the Dead, are in this one game, both providing reflex-based challenges. The production values look rather good despite the relative simplicity of the titles.

Escape Game: Aloha ($5.99)

Many "escape the room" games take place in dark, mysterious places. This one takes place in a Hawaiian seaside villa in the middle of the day. And when you beat the game you can play hide-and-seek with animals. That's different, and I dig what the developer was going for here, though the game is apparently really short.

Babobabs Mausoleum Ep. 1: Ovnifagos Don't Eat Flamingos ($5.99)

Now that is a game title! This is a point-and-click adventure mixed with a JRPG (and you can spit in battle), and starring Watracio Walpurgis, a vampire eggplant that works for the FBI. I hate to see good eggplant work for the feds, SMH. Episode 2 is out on Steam, so hopefully that will release not too long after this weird little game is out.

Keep an eye out every weekday for more SwitchArcade Roundups! We want to hear your feedback on Nintendo Switch coverage on TouchArcade. Comment below or tweet us with your thoughts!



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Apple Rejects Valve's 'Steam Link' App on iOS After Previously Approving It Earlier this Month

We all knew in our hearts it was too good to be true, right? It looks like Apple has decided to reject the Steam Link app from Valve Software, according to news coming out of the game developer and creators of Steam. Valve originally announced news of Steam Link coming to iOS and Android on the 9th of this month, with the plan being to launch it the week of the 25th–aka this week. The Steam Link app would allow iOS and Android users to stream games from their Steam library on their desktop computer right to their mobile devices, and the whole thing actually worked quite well as we noted in our hands-on preview of Steam Link about a week later.

Well, apparently Apple is not cool with all of this, and so they've rejected the Steam Link app. But wait! That's not all. According to Valve's press release, Apple had already pre-approved the Steam Link app on May 7th, leading them to announce the news to the world on May 9th. The very next morning Apple revoked that initial approval, citing "business conflicts with app guidelines" that apparently Apple didn't take into consideration when approving the app on the 7th. Here is the full statement from Valve courtesy of Robert Goode on Twitter.

As Valve notes in their statement, it's not like the Steam Link app was doing anything that other remote desktop-style apps have been doing for years now, so it's not entirely clear what Apple's issue is in this particular case. I had some concerns that Apple might take issue with people being able to access Steam and make game purchases through their iOS devices, as Apple usually likes to take a slice of that sort of action, but again, that's the type of thing you could be doing with another remote desktop client. The rejection of the Steam Link app is baffling, but only if you're not already familiar with Apple's completely uneven rulings when it comes to app approvals. In that case it should come as no surprise, but is disappointing nonetheless. Hopefully Apple will reconsider in the future, but for now, the Steam Link app is dead on iOS. Oh, but if you're on Android? Go nuts, friends! *sigh*



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'Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord' Tips and Strategies Guide – Wickedly Good Fun for the Wickedly Evil

Unless you live in an actual dungeon, there is no way you have not heard of Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord [$2.99] developed by GameCoaster, the same indie company to bring the little gem Dungeon Defense: The Invasion of Heros [$2.99] to the mobile gaming world. In my opinion Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord feels like a stand-alone sequel to its predecessor; it’s the natural evolution of a good game becoming great.

Just in case you are stuck in a dungeon somewhere let me tell you about this mind-blowing new release. Celebrating its official release on the weekend, Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord has quickly become a game people are talking about. This is because of its fresh feel and great mix of genres melding together giving the player a seriously remarkable experience. You don't need to take my word for it, you can head on over to our forums and see what other players are saying.

At its heart Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord is a roguelike game, it then seamlessly incorporates elements from the card, tower defense and strategy genres to enhance the gameplay experience. Even GameCoasters' approach to in-app purchases is unique. It's a full game, offering in-app purchases for impatient people. Everything you unlock with a purchase can be unlocked through playing the game, something the developer is very upfront about when you look at the in-app purchases area of the game, as you can see below.

Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord is designed to be an offline game, so it's not going to eat your bandwidth and is still available in flight mode. It really is refreshing to find a game I can travel with, one which will not only keep me entertained for a long period of time but will also still be available to me in those times I need to switch my phone into flight mode.

You might ask how I am so sure it will keep being entertaining for extended periods of time, and the answer is pretty simple and actually a little embarrassing. I meant to write this review yesterday, after playing the game for a couple of hours. Nine hours later my husband came home from work to find me sitting on the couch, in the dark, on my phone (by this time plugged into our portable charger), still playing Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord. I played it through dinner (which he had to cook because I was too engrossed), I played it through Masterchef Australia (my favorite show), and I played it in bed way past the time I should have been asleep.

So, what is it that makes Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord so captivating? Well to start with you get to play the bad guys. You are the Dark Lord and it is up to you, your dungeon, and the monsters you hire to vanquish the invading heroes. The villains you choose are all female and stylised, reminding me of Manhwa, which is not surprising since it was designed by a Korean game developer. Essentially the premise is quite similar to Peter Molyneux's classic Dungeon Keeper, but not like the terrible free to play mobile version released several years back.

With over 100 monsters and heroes, 70 rooms, and 130 relics (with more promised in future updates), the replay possibilities are endless. I've played nonstop for an entire day and don't even feel I have scratched the surface. This is a game you will play for hours at a time, and days on end. Getting to day 100 is all you will think about, putting your phone down after downloading this game is all but impossible.

Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord is not complicated, but its simplicity does not in any way make it easy. It will be tempting to buy some if not all the upgrades as you struggle to get past the second, or third (if you're good), boss battle. However, there is no need to spend the money (unless you want to support a struggling indie developer of course) to progress through the game. The following tips, tricks and strategies will help you spend many enjoyable hours in the game without spending every penny you have to spare.

To play you choose a card from a mostly randomly dealt layout, the choice to pick your type of card is removed three days out of twenty. The game always begins with three battle cards, meaning your first move is always to enter the dungeon and fight. Every nineteenth day is a row of dungeon cards, letting you rest your Dark Lord and regain hit points before the following day's huge battle. Then finally, every twentieth day you are presented a boss battle card. The boss battle is the completion of one round of cards, another twenty rows are dealt and another, harder cycle of fights begins.

There are seven different types of cards used, and on any turn only three cards are available to choose from. You can move from side to side on the board by choosing the left or right card in your group of three. This is most useful to reach an upcoming card you want to play. Knowing each of the cards and what they can offer helps to strategically move through the days with optimum hit points left for the boss battles. The seven types of cards are:

The Battle card, just as you would assume takes you straight into the dungeon to fight. The game always begins with three battle cards as your only choice for day one, after this it is randomly (though predominately) dispersed through the card layout. After winning a battle you are gifted with gold and a battle reward gift, which will be a facility (room for your dungeon), a piece of equipment, a monster egg (which gives the choice from three monsters), or even the option to combine two monsters for a new monster or sacrifice one monster to enhance you dark lord.

The Elite Battle card, again you go straight to the dungeon for a battle, but this is a harder fight then you will see in a normal battle. Likewise, you will see greater rewards for succeeding. After winning an elite battle you are gifted with gold, a battle reward gift and a normal relic which gives a boost to your stats. It's always worth taking the elite battle if you know you can win, the relics can really help make your dungeon or monsters stronger.

The dungeon card, a rest or improve type card. You have three options in the dungeon: rest and recover hit points for you dark lord, upgrade a room in your dungeon making its benefits to your monsters or damage to the heroes greater, or train one of your monsters making them elite and improving their stats. The formula for using dungeons I find most useful is to always rest my Dark Lord if I do not have full health, and then choose to strengthen a room or monster depending on what strategy I'm playing. Also, always use a dungeon, it uses up a day without having to fight and the more days you don't have to fight the closer to reaching 100 days you become.

The merchant card, by playing this card you have the opportunity to buy monsters, facilities, enhance the Dark Lord, combine monsters, and even create special room or monster upgrades. If you have the gold this is a great way to fill you battle rooms with monsters or enhance multiple facilities, strengthening your dungeon and increasing your power.

The event card, aka the chance card, you never know what you are going to get when you choose event. It could be a positive happening, a negative occurrence or even just a plain old battle. It could give you a new monster or add an altar (shudder) to your dungeon, it might let you remove a room (great way to get rid of altars) or increase your health, you just never know how it will turn out. Nine times out of ten you will get away with not having to fight, so events are another great way to move along a day without taking damage.

The treasure chest, which is as simple as it sounds, choose this card and get free treasure. You are given a choice of three relics to choose from. Its fast and easy and once again (there is a pattern building here) a great choice to get through a day without fighting.

The boss battle, not much to say about this one, you play it every twenty days and it signifies the heroes getting stronger as a new round begins. Of course, there is the rewards for winning, you receive gold, a battle reward and a random rare relic.

The cards are an integral part of the game, second only to your dungeon, which you will grow and strengthen throughout the game. When you begin there is only a three by three grid dungeon, with one battle room and three deployed monsters smack bang in the middle. As the game progresses you expand, building your own dungeon and increasing the number and strength of your indentured monsters. Choosing the right mix of rooms and their placement is important if you want to maximize the number of days you can successfully defend your dungeon and keep the Dark Lord alive.

You can upgrade rooms by playing the dungeon card or you can enhance them by using another facility. This increases the level of your room and the damage or boosts it provides to heroes or monsters. You don't need to use matching rooms to enhance one already in your dungeon, any room can be used. As far as rooms for your dungeon goes there are four types in play:

Battle room, you employ up to three monsters (unless it is the gigantify room in which case you only get one monster, but he fights with 2x life and 2x attack). Depending on which room it is a battle room will buff monsters, debuff your heroes, or perform a little bit of both.

Trap, here there is no monster deployed, the room itself will deal damage or status effects to the heroes as they enter. Placing your trap rooms at the entrance to the dungeon and keeping them well enhanced is an excellent strategy. The heroes lose health and stats before ever engaging your minions in battle; what evil overlord doesn't like the idea of fighting an already weakened hero?

Facility, this room offers no effect to the heroes who enter, it does however, give the Dark Lord or their monsters a boon. For instance, the hatchery increases the level of monsters emerging from the monster egg by one. A great idea is to place this type of room at the back of the dungeon, so heroes receive the maximum damage the dungeon can dole out before reaching rooms which do nothing and fighting the Dark Lord herself.

Altar, this is a room you want to avoid whenever you can, and if it's placement is unavoidable (which is often the case) you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. The altars benefit the heroes with stat increases or other advantages. You often find yourself burdened with them from events, where your choices are limited, and you can not steer clear. Always take the first opportunity to remove them, after all you don't want to altar (whoomp, there it is) the balance of a battle in the heroes' favour.

I'll wind the guide up with a few other noteworthy points to help you make the most of Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord. The Dark Lord has special attacks and skills to unlock, which consume mana crystals when used. The mana crystals regenerate throughout battle. At first glance I thought it was stamina, so that should let you know what kind of regeneration you are looking at.

To perform the basic attack, tap anywhere on the screen, for special attacks you pick up along the way tap the little icon at the bottom of the screen. Your mana crystals fill up quickly enough to let you launch a few special attacks without putting yourself or too many monsters in danger. If you are worried about the health and wellbeing of your monsters, don't be, they are made to serve the Dark Lord, their lives are expendable. In fact, throughout the course of the game sacrificing monsters for enhancements is one of the ways you will get stronger offensive stats.

Battles go quickly even at normal speed, and you will find yourself tapping the screen like crazy to help defend your dungeon. Choosing the placement of the rooms gives you a feeling of being in a tower defense, and while the placement of the rooms can matter it doesn't have the make or break a level doggedness you find in true tower defense games.

A very easy mistake to make is getting too wrapped up in creating and training monsters while ignoring the dungeon rooms. This strategy will actually seem like it is working well up until about day fifty, then the wheels totally fall off and the heroes start passing through the rooms and your defenders and hitting the Dark Lord enforce. A much better strategy is to concentrate on your dungeon and the strength of your rooms.

So that's it, my first guide for TouchArcade, hope it has been an informative and worthwhile read. For even MORE great tips and strategies, be sure to visit our forums where Dungeon Maker players are swapping tactics left and right. I'd love to tell you I'm off to play the game some more but I'm currently under a self-imposed ban, no more dungeon making until I look at this week's new games and get my reviews done. I'm not gunna lie, it’s a hard ask, I dreamed about this game. I've not had this level of infatuation with anything pixelated since the first time I saw Groot on the big screen. This game is under my skin and if you download it and give it a go I guarantee it will get under yours too.



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'Sky Squadron' is an On-Rails Aerial Dogfighting Game Looking for Beta Testers

The developers of Astro Attack [Free], an incredibly fun vertical shoot 'em up that launched back in the spring of 2016, are back at it again with another game about flying vehicles and shooting stuff. This time around it's a game called Sky Squadron, and they describe it as a blend of Star Fox and Crimson Skies. Ah Crimson Skies, a game I remember fondly for being bundled with the Xbox Live starter kit on the original Xbox way back in the early aughts. Anyway, the idea behind Sky Squadron is to have an on-rails shooter experience similar to the Star Fox games but using the more grounded "sky pirates in the era of World War I" theming. I mean more grounded compared to anthropomorphic animals flying around in space. Here is a VERY early video showing where Sky Squadron is currently at, but keep in mind that it's EARLY so things look pretty rough around the edges.

So that whole part about Sky Squadron being very early in development is where you can come in, dear readers. The developers loved the feedback and engagement they got from the TouchArcade community when developing Astro Attack, so they're hoping for a similar level of interest while creating Sky Squadron. This means that if you're liking how the game is looking and want to help shape its outcome, you can apply to be a beta tester by visiting the game's forum thread and looking for the links in the first post that will whisk you away to a Google Doc to sign up for testing as well as a link to a Discord server to facilitate easy communication. We'll be keeping an eye on how Sky Squadron progresses but in the meantime if you want to get an early peek then be sure to sign up for beta testing.



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Latest 'Super Cat Tales 2' Developer Video Says Goodbye to Helpers and Hello to the Item Slot

I've been following along closely with the development of Super Cat Tales 2 ever since it was announced back in April, but despite keeping tabs on the game's progress it almost slipped by me that developer Neutronized had posted another developer video over the weekend. If you haven't already, be sure to check out the first devlog video from a couple of weeks ago which goes over solving the problem the first game had with having to backtrack through levels in order to switch off between the playable cats in the game. This latest video discusses something similar, and it's in regards to how the "helpers" worked in the original game. There you could purchase consumable helper creatures that would follow you through a level and, well, help you out. This video talks about the problems associated with that system and how they'll be improved in the upcoming Super Cat Tales 2.

In addition to talking about the changes and how items will now work, this video also shows off a good chunk of new footage from Super Cat Tales 2, and it continues to look incredibly awesome. If you aren't familiar with the series, the original Super Cat Tales [Free] (you may know it as Super Cat Bros. if you're on Android) was a platformer released in 2016 that paid homage to all sorts of classic games from back in the day, namely Super Mario Bros. 3. It featured a really unique touchscreen control system that, once warmed up to, provided really great control of the colorful cast of playable cats. We loved the first game in our review, and based on everything we're hearing about the sequel, it should be bigger and better in every way. There are likely more dev videos to come in the near future and if all goes according to plan Super Cat Tales 2 will release at some point in 2018.



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New Tribe Brings Unicorns and Rainbows to 'The Battle of Polytopia'

Developer Midjiwan's turn-based strategy game The Battle of Polytopia [Free] has earned cult-like status in the world of mobile gamers. Originally launched in early 2016 under the name Super Tribes, The Battle of Polytopia offered a brilliant touchscreen interface and compelling strategy gameplay that we loved in our review. That early version of the game was pretty limited in scope, but Midjiwan continued to update the game with additional tribes as DLC which was constantly keeping the game fresh for players. The ultimate goal was achieved just this past February when the long-requested feature of cross-platform online multiplayer was added to the game. Now the developers are getting back to their tribe-adding ways and have just added possibly the weirdest new tribe to The Battle of Polytopia to date. Say hello to the ∑∫ỹriȱŋ tribe.

Yes, ∑∫ỹriȱŋ is the name of the new tribe, and I'm not entirely confident that all those characters will render properly in your browser. No matter! Here's the new tribe's description: The mysterious ∑∫ỹriȱŋ defend their woodland homes with colorful magic and the ferocity of fire-breathing dragons! They regard Nature as a holy spirit and cannot hunt animals or chop down trees, instead they start the game with the unique Enchantment tech that can turn regular animals into powerful monsters." Similar to the other tribes in the game, the ∑∫ỹriȱŋ can be unlocked for a $1.99 IAP. If you enjoy turn-based strategy but somehow have slept on The Battle of Polytopia for the past couple of years, you should rectify that immediately and download the game for free, which gives you a full four tribes to play with and many more available as optional DLC. And with this year's addition of online multiplayer, you can find TONS of folks to play with by checking out the comments on this article as well as our forum thread dedicated to username sharing.



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'Pocket Run Pool' Review - Help Me, I Can't Stop Playing

Pocket Run Pool [Free], the latest from Zach Gage with Denver Coulson, was a tough game to review. Not because it's bad, but because I would pick it up to check out some particular element of the game, and get sucked into playing it for a long amount of time. That's the sign of a brilliant game. This is another winner from Zach Gage, and another ingenious twist on a familiar concept.

Pocket Run Pool is, at its heart, a game of billiards. But it tweaks the pool concept just enough to feel familiar, yet with its own strategies. You have 10 balls on the table, ranging from two to 13 point values, and each pocket has a rotating multiplier: 1x/2x/4x/6x/8x/10x. So, getting the seven ball in the 8x multiplier gets you 56 points. Every ball that goes in a hole causes the multipliers to rotate clockwise, so if you want to chain together x10 scores, you'll need to make sure your previous shot leaves you in a good position, or be willing to take a difficult shot. You get three lives per game, and you get bonus points for leftover lives.

Pocket Run Pool controls well, as you just drag left and right to aim your cue. I wish you could make tiny movements more easily, though. Tapping a button on the side will call up the cue shot, where you swipe back then forward to shoot your shot. It's easy to hit a shot with just about the amount of power you want, but of course, some shots will require just the right amount of power. The indicator that shows how hard you're hitting the ball you're targeting is absolutely brilliant interface design. It makes perfect sense, and doesn't extend too far, so as to make hitting long shots too easy.

The main game takes place in Standard Run mode, where you have your 10 balls to sink. A perfect score in this mode is 800, but this is a pipe dream to attain with regularity, unless you're really, really good at hitting shots. It is quite possible if you get a good break, and can hit your shots well, just don't necessarily expect to be getting it right away! Do remember that while you're going for high scores, the game also tracks your total number of wins, so if you get into situations where you might lose the win, it might be worth eschewing high score opportunities. This mode also tracks your average across all play sessions, in case you want to track how well you're doing across all play sessions. I sink a lot of time into this mode, just because the core game mechanics are so much fun to play with, and you can get through a round in just a couple of minutes.

The Break of the Week mode gives you one specific puzzle to try and get a high score on. The mode will track your streaks of 650+ and 750+ scores, so you can see how well you're doing over time. This mode is a great way to learn how to hit tricky shots, as if you want to maximize your score, you'll have to hit some difficult shots. And this mode will let you get a static setup for every time you play, so you can try to get certain strategies down pat.

The riskier half of the game comes in with Insta-Tournaments and High Stakes mode. These two modes use an in-game currency of chips, and if you run out, you have to use a Rebuy to get back in. These can be earned by watching video ads, buying more through in-app purchases, or using one of the five free ones you get for purchasing the full game unlock.

Insta-Tournaments run every few minutes, with every player that enters getting the same break. You get one shot to score a high score on this table, and the top players win chips. This mode will really test you to get more consistent, because while anyone can put up the occasional 700 round, can you do so when the pressure's on? Even if it's all asynchronous multiplayer, it still feels rather intense. It's easy for standard games to feel at least a little disposable, because hey, if you lose, you can just start over. Here, with stakes on the line, it forces you to be just a bit more careful.

High Stakes mode is where the game gets weird. You have to pay 1000 chips to enter, and then do your break shot. After the break, the game randomly selects a condition, such as balls of random sizes, or death balls, or placing bumpers on the table. You have to pay an additional 1000 chips to accept the condition, 100 chips for a re-roll (with the cost increasing each time), or you can just back out, losing the 1000 chips. You can win back more than you bet for playing this mode, and since wins only count, it's a test of your survival skills, though a multiplier of your prize increases based on how well you score. You can score low enough to where you won't make your wager back!

Still, I'd play it really careful in this mode. This is where the rebuy system comes in. It's not as risky as Sage Solitaire's [Free] True Grit mode, since you can buy your way back in, but it's still something you might have to pay money to play again! At least you can win more credits for doing well in Insta-Tournaments (which only cost 250 credits to enter), and can watch ads for more rebuys. But it's fun to have something where there's the stake of losing something.

This little game is just so incredibly compelling. The controls and mechanics work really well, making it really easy to just play. The indicator that shows where a ball will go on its first impact helps out a lot. You still have to be good with hitting particular angles, and knowing how much power to use (hitting a ball too hard into a pocket can cause it to bounce around the edges and back out). If you like to just get sucked into round after round, the Standard mode is for you. But the addition of the money system, particularly with High Stakes mode's twists, gives the player who enjoys some risk in their experience something to get out of the experience. I can also see the potential for more upgrades, particularly with new modes and new conditions for High Stakes mode that would be fun to play with.

But it all wouldn't matter if Pocket Run Pool wasn't fun to play, and it's so much fun to play. The game strikes a perfect balance between being casual enough to just idly pick up and play, but requiring enough thought and strategy to remain compelling. Its modes have enough intrinsic motivation to drive you to keep going. Definitely give Pocket Run Pool a download, and see if you get hooked as I am. Send help.



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Thursday, 24 May 2018

Out Now: 'One Deck Dungeon', 'Pocket Run Pool', 'Sir Questionnaire', 'Eden Obscura', 'Faraway 3', 'Words Royale', 'Stickman Soccer 2018', 'Scalak', 'Epic Skater 2', 'BattleHand Heroes' and More

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a big old list of all the best new releases of the past seven days. Back in the day the App Store would showcase the same games for a week, and then refresh those features each Thursday. Because of that developers got into the habit of releasing their games throughout Wednesday or very early Thursday in order to hopefully get one of those coveted features spots. Nowadays the App Store refreshes constantly, so the need for everyone to release all on the same day has diminished. Still, we've kept our weekly Wednesday night format as for years that's the time people knew to check TouchArcade for the list of new games. And so without further ado please check out the full list of this week's new games below, and let us know in the comments section which games you'll be picking up!

 

BattleHand Heroes

iTunes Description

Calling all Super Heroes!

The interdimensional being Omega has settled in Silver City to bring chaos and destruction. Crime is through the roof!

Take Mr. Sunshine and his incredible powers and build a team of Heroes known as The Sentinels to take back the city from evil.

From Kitty Karma to Cloud-9, rally a team of Heroes and save the world!

Forum Thread: BattleHand Heroes (by Kongregate)

Deploy and Destroy

iTunes Description

Welcome to Deploy and Destroy ft. Ash vs. Evil Dead and Divergent.

Dive into the terrifying fun of Ash vs. Evil Dead and the post-apocalyptic locations of Divergent. With its awesome graphic quality, cinematic arenas, PC-quality visual effects, and Hollywood action characters in addition to customizable original characters... "Deploy and Destroy" has it all.

Forum Thread: Deploy and Destroy (by Apps Ministry)

Dungeon Maker: Dark Lord

iTunes Description

Prepare for battle - a mob of heroes is about to invade your territory!
Build traps facilities in your dungeon, hire monsters, discover relics with mysterious power, and protect your dungeon from heroes that came to take you down.

Forum Thread: Dungeon Maker : Dark Lord (by GameCoaster)

Eden Obscura

iTunes Description

Welcome to a paradise of sound and life.
Journey to the garden of sound and life, a mysterious and artistic place full of the extraordinary!

Eden Obscura, named after the historic camera obscura, is quite literally "light" entertainment; it uses the camera in your phone to create interactive visual effects while you jump around the screen gathering pollen to grow surreal artistic plants and landscapes in a world that is like no other. Vibrant colors combined with eclectic and sophisticated electronic music take you on an artistic and mind expanding journey, while at the same time it is quite simply a ton of fun to play.

Forum Thread: Eden Obscura (by Q-Games)

Epic Skater 2

iTunes Description

Epic Skater is back, rebuilt from the ground up and bigger than ever! Thank you for your feedback!

Hop in, unlock and upgrade all of your tricks to land the biggest combos!

Play the way you want! Look the way you want in Epic Skater 2!

Explore the Streets of Epicwood. Launch up to the Rooftops for a long half pipe session, or cruise down to the Subways to catch every rail.

Forum Thread: Epic Skater 2 (by Your Daily Fill)

Escape Zombie Land

iTunes Description

"Escape Zombie Land' is an Armageddon (zombie) theme, the pixel style horizontal action RPG game.

The hero of the game is trapped in a world surrounded by zombies. The only friend for him is a dog. In order to find his lost families, hero steps on the road of no return with arms and also determination.

Fight against the zombie army that come in 35 different shapes with the help of various weapons.
Experience diverse challenges, solve more than 10 original puzzles and avoid 30 different traps.

Forum Thread: Escape Zombie Land (by Boltfish)

Faraway 3

iTunes Description

Escape all-new distant places in Faraway 3: Arctic Escape that are full of mind-bending puzzles and new exciting locations to explore. This room escape game will challenge your puzzle solving ability. Sequel to one of the all-time best escape games with over a million players! A room escape puzzle game that will completely challenge your mind, captivate you & offer hours of amazing mobile gaming entertainment.

Forum Thread: Faraway 3: Arctic Escape (By Pine Studio/Snapbreak)

Head Smash Zombie

iTunes Description

"Head Smash Zombie" is a terrifying shooting game with sci-fi style in space.
AR is included, you can play with zombies in real world.
Zombies are cartoon style with lots of cartoon blood.

It is easy to learn: slide the screen to aim. The machine gun will automatic fire.
It is hard to master: You must shoot zombie's head, or they will NOT die.

Forum Thread: Head Smash Zombie (by Xi You Di Wang Limited)

Ninja Kid AR

iTunes Description

Ninja Kid from Ninja Kid vs Zombies is back. Finally a ninja kid in your phone which you can summon with the latest Augmented Reality technology.

Place it on your table, floor or even out at cafe where ever you want. The app is not marker based which means just one tap on anywhere is enough. Control and move him around and make him makes his amazing Ninja moves which are kicking, acrobatics and power punch. Change the color of the uniform and see him come to life.

Forum Thread: Ninja Kid AR: Augmented Action (by Volkan Kutlubay)

Odysseus Kosmos - Episode 1

iTunes Description

Odysseus Kosmos and his Robot Quest it’s a traditional 2D point’n'click game with retro-pixel style graphics. You are the ship engineer Odysseus Kosmos; you and your service robot Barton Quest are stuck in deep space near a black hole, all by yourselves. Your shipmates are down on the surface of a planet where time moves far, far slower and you, along with your robot, have been waiting for years for them to return to your orbital station. You were used to your comfortable boredom, but then the ship starts acting funny: it looks like this mysterious black hole affect your ship in strange and unexpected ways, cutting off your communications and threatening with de-orbiting the station and sending you stranded into deep space… unless you can do something to stop it!

Forum Thread: Odysseus Kosmos - Episode 1 (by HeroCraft Ltd.)

One Deck Dungeon

iTunes Description

Adventure calls... but you don't always have time to spend hours optimizing your character sheet or managing your inventory! One Deck Dungeon lets you jump right in to bashing down doors, rolling dice, and squashing baddies with style. Get a full roguelike game experience, boiled down to its essence, and captured in a single deck of cards and a handful of dice!

Forum Thread: One Deck Dungeon (by Handelabra Studio)

Planet Soccer 2018

iTunes Description

Play a happy physics' soccer with super simple controls. The planetary field affects the ball creating different situations. You choose left or right to control your player. Kicks are automatic but the timing and precision are yours.
Win the matches and you can be the Champion.
Play against the CPU or with a friend, with the two players mode.

Forum Thread: Planet Soccer 2018 (by Invent4)

Pocket Run Pool

iTunes Description

The return of arcade pool from the creator of Really Bad Chess and Flipflop Solitaire.

Pocket-Run Pool combines 8-ball pool with the thrill of a chasing the perfect highscore. In Pocket-Run, your goal is to sink all the balls, but where and when you sink them is what matters most! With each pocketed ball, you're awarded points based on the pocket you sunk. So sink carefully, but watch out, with each miss or scratch you lose a life — run out before you finish the table and it's game over.

Compete against yourself, the world, or the bank in a variety of thrilling game modes! Can you make the perfect pocket-run? Arcade pool is back!

Forum Thread: Pocket Run Pool (by Zach Gage)

Scalak

iTunes Description

Hey, Hamster here. I made PUSH, Zenge and Art Of Gravity.

GOAL: Fill up the figures. Relax. Have fun. HOW TO DO THAT?
-Match shapes.
-Find patterns.
-Use spatial awareness.
-A bit of rotation and logical thinking.

Scalak contains 90 levels and is packed with ever evolving game flow that will let you feel quite good about yourself.

Forum Thread: Scalak (by Hamster On Coke Games)

Sir Questionnaire

iTunes Description

Sir Questionnaire is a turn-based hack’n’slash game, where you enter a dungeon full of loot, creatures and mystery. Each room gives you two options to choose from, choose wisely and survive room after room, collecting loot which will help you defeat more and bigger monsters as you venture deeper into the dungeon!

Take pictures of your various encounters and complete your codex with information on the various entities that roam the dungeon. Take on Quests as you enter every game, ranging from easy to hard, with each quest type giving you a reward for your next game. The harder the quest, the bigger the reward, so again: choose wisely!

Learn monster weaknesses, alternate uses for the many items in the game, and uncover secret items and hidden area's in this procedurally generated adventure

Forum Thread: Sir Questionnaire (by Orange Pixel)

Stickman Soccer 2018

iTunes Description

Stickman Soccer 2018 is the brand new and better than ever sequel to the award winning Stickman Soccer with more than 75 million players. Experience pure soccer fun with fast paced arcade gameplay, an astonishing atmosphere, stunning smooth animations, simple controls, insane action and tons of replay value in this from the ground up redesigned Soccer game. Choose your favorite soccer teams and rank up while playing various seasons, national leagues, cups or the World Cup 2018 in Russia. Stickman Soccer 2018 has tons of new gameplay features like yellow/red cards, sprint button, slow motion replays, overhead kicks, free kicks, … an outstanding stadium and finally the ability to customize all teams, every soccer player and upgrade your team within the transfer market. Choose your favorite soccer team from more than 150 different skilled teams and lead them to glory!

Forum Thread: Stickman Soccer 2018 (by Djinnworks)

SwayBods

iTunes Description

Bubble monsters are sad and get delighted when they are swaying.

Tap them to get them swaying!

... but then they dislike bumping into each other.

Forum Thread: SwayBods (by Seema Datar)

Tap, Click 'n Destroy

iTunes Description

Tap, Click ‘n Destroy is free space mining simulator with core game mechanic of incremental clicker games with small additions of arcade elements. Tap to destroy asteroids, planets and even stars in your endless adventure across the universe. Earn money with your mining skills, improve your spaceship with various modifications and build your private space station with various modules.

Forum Thread: Tap, Click ‘n Destroy (by Toskaigra)

Tap Roller

iTunes Description

Tap the screen to change room rotation and guide the balls to the exit!
But watch out for lasers, buzzsaws and spikes!

Forum Thread: Tap Roller (by Kiemura)

WindWord

iTunes Description

Sail a sea of words to trade goods, battle pirates, build a fortune, and find the treasure!

In WindWord, you use words instead of wind to sail your ship from one port to the next. You can buy and sell goods at each port to earn money. If you find good (long) words you can sail fast enough to avoid pirates. But if not, you can always battle the pirates to take their gold. Visit all of the ports to upgrade your ship, buy more cannons, and get pieces of an ancient treasure map to win the game.

WindWord is endlessly replayable as each game features a randomly-generated map of the seas with islands, ports and words. Each game is a new adventure. See how fast you can build up your rank, earn money and find the treasure. Advance from "Swabbie" to "Commodore!" Be sure to read through the bullet-list how-to guide for all sorts of helpful tips and hidden game features!

Forum Thread: WindWord (by CleverMedia)

Wing Shooter

iTunes Description

Enter the amazing sci fi fantasy world to shoot down star invaders. Embracing super challenging bosses protected by air monsters. All come with real lightning actions make this one of the best spaceship game that can be play on tablet, phone or WATCH.

Not only show them your skills of a born gunner, but pick the right ship as well in order to complete your missions.

Finish easy, normal then hard, which is the most brutally beautiful mode.

May the thunders lend you their strength... to save our world from this long dark war. Because you are the chosen one, the best pilot, the last hope!!!

Forum Thread: Wing Shooter (by Cakeogame)

Words Royale

iTunes Description

Bring your brain to the battle in the addictive word based strategy game Words Royale.
Play words on the board to increase your territory at the expense of your opponent. Capture their crown to win!

- Vanquish your opponents with your voluminous vocabulary!
- Sweep aside your adversaries with skillful strategy!
- Battle against your friends, or compete against the AI to rank up!

Forum Thread: Words Royale (by NimbleBit)



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