There goes August. Whether you’re starting school, coming back from holidays or just forging ahead at work, it’s always nice to keep a fresh supply of new games to enjoy.
This week, we have an eclectic assortment that will have you dealing with everything from space travel to censorship — come see!
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Blackbar
A breath of fresh air is always welcome on the App Store, and this week we have one of the most incredibly unusual games ever making its debut: Blackbar.
There’s nothing to it but text and the story it tells, which is a brave direction in today’s visual world. Except … it works. It works really well, and it’s a necessary format for the kind of story that Blackbar tells, which is a topical one concerning censorship. Everything unfolds through a series of letters, each increasingly affected by “edits” from the sinister-sounding “Department of Communication,” for which the writer of the letters now works.
It’s difficult to describe Blackbar, but it isn’t at all difficult to pick up: you’ll be guessing at censored passages in no time, though your momentum will quickly slow as the puzzles become increasingly difficult. There’s no help, no fancy graphics and no IAP or any other silliness like that — this is a reduction to the essentials, a pure form of gaming that you’ll either find appealing or off-putting depending on your preferences. For those who appreciate it, Blackbar is one of the most important App Store releases of the year.
Price: $2.99
Developer: Neven Mrgan
Download: App Store
Asphalt 8: Airborne
Among the most well-loved and long-lived series on the App Store is Gameloft’s beloved Asphalt racing series, which has had its fair share of ups and downs over the course of its numerous iterations.
This time around (the 8th), it’s aerial stunts that lead the identity of the sequel. Airborne adds a bevy of ramps to its 9 environments, and there are now 47 car models to choose from (most of them new), each with its own handling characteristics. To facilitate the new aerial stunts, Gameloft has equipped Asphalt 8 with an entirely new physics engine … for better or worse. While the new system offers incredible damage simulation and fun in-air maneuvering, these come at the expense of the overall feeling of realistic handling that Asphalt 7 offered.
Whether it’s because of the inconsistently responsive controls or the new physics engine, the end result is a game that looks better, has more features, but is ultimately not as big an upgrade over its predecessors as we might have hoped. That being said, if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll certainly find plenty to love here — just don’t uninstall the other entries in the series too quickly.
Smash Bandits
We’re not done with cars just yet! Smash Bandits is a spiritual successor to Hutch Games’ successful Smash Cops. The core gameplay has remained largely intact here, and that means that you’re looking at a polished and updated version of the best top-down Burnout-like game to ever hit the App Store.
As you’re driving through the game’s procedurally-generated world, you’ll be doing your best to avoid police while generally being a terrible driver and smashing into everything in sight. Leaving a trail of destruction is the name of the game, and it’s rarely felt so satisfying. One of the best aspects is the ability to jump between vehicles as you go — some aren’t even cars! — and traverse the diverse terrain using whatever you can find. All the while, a TV helicopter follows your every move, and you earn higher ratings and more money by keeping the chase going for as long as possible.
Needless to say, the game isn’t actually “free,” so if you don’t feel like progressing slowly then you should be prepared to shell out a few bucks on the in-app offerings. But hey, you can pick it up and try it for free, and it’s an incredibly satisfying and gorgeous looking game, so there’s nothing to lose!
Price: Free
Developer: Hutch Games Ltd.
Download: App Store
Little Galaxy
Positively brimming with charm, Little Galaxy is a very simple game with elaborate presentation values that focuses on one boy’s dream and the leaping between planets that he must do to achieve it.
One-tap gameplay allows you to hop between spinning worlds in space, collecting star dust, power-ups and points while using the gravity of suns and other orbital bodies to fling yourself precisely to the next landing spot. The levels are procedurally generated, making it perfect for quick gaming sessions.
While there’s not much to it beyond the hopping and gathering and combo making, Little Galaxy captivates with its incredibly rich graphics and music, making it a perfect choice for gamers on the go who appreciate good production values.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Bitmap Galaxy
Download: App Store
Jelly Splash
Last up today is a match-three title that’s bound to make you smile. Looking so colourful and vibrant you almost want to lick it, Jelly Splash is a thoroughly entertaining contribution to the genre.
As always, you need to swipe to match coloured jelly blobs, and the ideal scenario is to create chain reactions like you would in Bejeweled to clear huge numbers of jelly blobs at once. There are more than 100 levels, five game modes and an interesting “super jelly” system that works like the power blocks in most match-three games. The developers have made an interesting choice in selecting Facebook (rather than iCloud) as their sync and save platform. It means that keeping your progress in sync requires you to sign in via Facebook, and worse than that is the requirement of Facebook sign in to access certain in-game moves.
Alternatively, you could also pay to unlock things via IAP, but all in all it seems like Jelly Splash has done itself a disservice by hiding some of its content not only behind the IAP wall but also behind a Facebook login. We just want to play the game! Of course, if you don’t mind all that then you’ll find Jelly Splash is a fantastic and well-rounded (if not particularly deep) take on the genre staples. Your kids will love it.
What Have You Been Playing?
That’s all for this week — see you all back in September with five brand new App Store winners!
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