iPhone Game Friday: New Releases

Good to see you! As always, it’s time to unwind after a busy week with some excellent App Store games.

This week’s roundup includes some fiendishly addictive titles, so dive in, take a look at our recommendations, and keep sending us your tips!

Stenches: A Zombie Tale of Trenches

Stenches: A Zombie Tale of Trenches

Stenches: A Zombie Tale of Trenches

Just in time for Remembrance Day, Thunder Game Works (makers of Trenches) presents us with Stenches: A Zombie Tale of Trenches. It was only a matter of time, let’s be honest.

Given the popularity of the unlockable Zombie Horde in the original game’s Skirmish mode, it was a good idea for the developers to detach it and form a dedicated title. Gameplay is very similar to the original in that it’s essentially a kind of mobile tower defense setup. You collect coins from killing zombies and use them to purchase more reinforcements, including different types of troops and devastating artillery strikes. The zombie waves can become quite punishing, with some especially menacing bosses.

Stenches is a well designed extension building upon the success of its predecessor. Even if you’ve never played Trenches (I hadn’t), Stenches is a well made game that’s easy to pick up and enjoy.

Price: $0.99
Developer: Thunder Game Works
Download: App Store

Kiko: The Last Totem

Kiko: The Last Totem

Kiko: The Last Totem

Brightening up this week’s collection is Kiko: The Last Totem. FABULAPPS has created an exceedingly attractive game here, featuring gorgeous visuals and audio elements and a rare level of replay value in the form of a level editor.

Gameplay in Kiko is fairly simple. It’s a unique puzzle game in which you control various small animals, friends of Kiko the kitty.]. They each move only up/down and left/right and won’t stop until they hit an obstacle. The goal is to get each one sitting on a pad of its colour. There are over 150 levels in the game, but the true treasure here is that the game includes a simple level editor with which you can make your own levels and share them with friends. Talk about endless replay. The editor is intuitive and makes it easy to produce great-looking levels quickly.

Kiko earns two thumbs up for being a truly attractive puzzler with a lot of great content and a fun spirit.

Price: $0.99
Developer: FABULAPPS
Download: App Store

Defender of the Leaf

Defender of the Leaf

Defender of the Leaf

Defender of the Leaf is a good example of an unknown developer producing a competent and attractive game.

Making use of the tilt controls, you’ll control Gonk, the ladybug defender of a leaf, as he hunts aphids, stinkbugs, and other troublesome insects that try to drink the sap from his leaf. There are 100 waves of increasing difficulty to survive, but luckily you have some help in the form of magical orbs of various types. Some will regain health for your leaf, others will slow your opponents or grant you invincibility. There’s even one that summons ants to help you ward off invaders.

Overall Defender of the Leaf is surprisingly engaging, with enough variety in the gameplay that it doesn’t get stale too quickly. The best part is that (at least for an unspecified time), it’s free! So grab it and have a look.

Price: Free (Limited Time)
Developer: FireBat Studio
Download: App Store

Silverfish

Silverfish

Silverfish

Silverfish is a throwback to the glory days of arcade visuals, but it doesn’t sacrifice a modern edge to accomplish it. Despite the nostalgic art style, the animations, sounds, and overall performance are clearly the product of today’s excellent technological means.

Controlling the silverfish with quick swipes, you must avoid the various species of critters swarming around while seeking out floating bombs. These bombs explode when you hit them, damaging all nearby enemies and giving you some extra breathing room. It’s a fresh gameplay mechanic and the three different game modes (Reaper, Onslaught, and Scavenger) each offer their own spin on the system.

It’s a hair pricier than your average game at $1.99, but Silverfish is a thrilling and very well polished game that deserves your attention.

Price: $1.99
Developer: Chaotic Box
Download: App Store

SteamBirds

SteamBirds

SteamBirds

This week’s final item is SteamBirds, a steampunk turn-based flight game from Semi Secret Software. You may have heard of a little title of theirs called Canabalt?

Anyway, SteamBirds is just as nicely produced, although the game itself is obviously completely different in style. In an alternate version of history, you control one or more planes against your opponent in a turn-based setup where you can use your main guns or several additional weapons to bring down enemy planes. The art is fairly basic but very effective because it keeps the interface from looking too cluttered as you try to set up your next move.

SteamBirds features just 20 levels for now, but they’re quite challenging and we shouldn’t be surprised to see more in an update. Some users have also reported a few issues with one section of the tutorial, but we couldn’t reproduce them and the developers have already submitted a fix that should be live by the time you read this.

Price: $0.99
Developer: Semi Secret Software
Download: App Store

What Have You Been Playing?

That’s it for this week, folks! Any of these titles strike your fancy, or have there been other games winning your favour this week instead?

Fill up the comments for us, we love hearing from you!

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