As always, a variety of new titles coming at you today as we round up some of the best iOS games that you may not have noticed.
Hit the jump for a look at this week’s picks!
The Flood: Salvation
The Flood: Salvation
Our first entry is an intriguing physics puzzler that puts you in charge of saving “Joe” from certain doom when the water rises at the end of each level.
Basically, you get a series of objects, mechanisms, and other widgets that must be strategically arranged around the level in order to interact with the environment and allow Joe to float to the surface — the water automatically rises once you’ve placed everything. The difficulty swiftly ramps up from obvious to tricky, and there are over 40 levels at the moment to keep you busy.
With Game Center support and Retina-ready graphics, The Flood is a unique twist on a familiar formula that’s worth taking a look at.
Price: $0.99
Developer: CloudGears
Download: App Store
LastStandStan
LastStandStan
STAN (STatic Alien Neutralizer) is in an awkward position. It seems that he has been left alone to defend the homeworld against the invasion of the unkind Sleevils. In plain English, you’re playing as a static robot defense turret trying to fight off waves of increasingly savage invaders.
LastStandStan falls somewhere between a tower defense and arcade shooter game, with upgradeable weapons, two different game modes, Game Center support, and beautiful visuals. As you play through the 20 or so current campaign levels, you’ll unlock interesting new weaponry — each of which has unique advantages/disadvantages against specific enemy types, adding an excellent layer of strategy.
The second game mode is essentially an endless mode where you fight to survive for as long as you can against an endless horde of enemies. It’s a nice diversion for racking up highscores, though you only get access to the weapons you’ve unlocked thus far in the campaign mode, so keep that in mind. LastStandStan is very addictive and well produced, with more levels no doubt on their way in future updates!
Price: $0.99
Developer: GreenBean Games
Download: App Store
Van Pershing – The Showdown
Van Pershing – The Showdown
From The Oak Team, who brought you Van Pershing, comes Van Pershing – The Showdown, which is an entirely different take on the character that in many ways is far superior to its predecessor. Remember Monster Dash? Well this here is Van Pershing meets Monster Dash.
As the titular character, you’re on rails running through various environments while jumping and shooting your way past obstacles and various types of enemies. There is a lot of variety in the game’s levels and enough weapons and extras to keep you busy for a while through the 20 or so levels. There’s an endless mode here too, and perhaps the best part is that you can grab a motorbike and jetpack of sorts as you progress.
Van Pershing – The Showdown is a lot of fun, and the production values and gameplay tuning put The Oak Team in the list of promising developers to watch.
Price: $0.99
Developer: The Oak Team
Download: App Store
Robofix HD
Robofix HD
Robofix HD is fairly vast puzzle title with over 100 levels to play through and a random puzzle generator too. The premise is basic but it fits the gameplay mechanic well: you’re a robot and must arrange a sequence of movements in order to navigate the levels and retrieve a missing part.
At first all you’re doing is sequencing movement directions, but as you make it past the first few levels you’ll be using a booster, a freeze ray, and a sonic wave as well to help you get past the obstacles between you and the part you’re after.
While Robofix HD clearly excels in scale, we look forward to further updates that can expand the depth of the gameplay a bit. As it is, this is a very easy to pick up puzzler with a huge amount of gameplay time, though you might find it gets repetitive after long sessions.
Cows vs Aliens
Cows vs. Aliens
XMG Studio is no newcomer when it comes to mobile gaming, and their attention to detail shines through with Cows vs Aliens. What presents itself on paper as a very simple game of herding cows into a barn before the aliens can abduct them manifests as a strangely addictive little game that seems to abduct hours of playtime.
The straight-forward touch controls allow you to tap on the screen to repel the little cows from that area. You can use multiple fingers to help you as you coerce the bovines into the safety of the barn. Aliens will zoom around trying to abduct them, so don’t dawdle — and make sure not to accidentally “herd” a flying saucer into the barn or you’re done for.
With stellar graphics and a catchy musical score, Cows vs Aliens is a great example of a basic concept that’s been lovingly refined into a truly winning product.
Price: $0.99
Developer: XMG Studio Inc.
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
This was a great week for suggestions and tips, so please keep them coming and we’ll see you next week with a fresh pick!