We’re back with another roundup of great new titles on the App Store!
We love your suggestions for upcoming titles, so keep them coming while you browse over this week’s picks…
Supastar
Supastar
Here’s an odd one. Supastar is probably one of the most valuable apps you’ll ever spend money on — I mean that literally: the amount of content stuffed into this single-dollar app is nothing short of incredible. There are no fewer than 6 individual full games to be had in here and there are more than 15 different challenge types on top of that too.
This variety makes it hard to describe, but essentially the title is a collection of minigames that are centred around a cute character called Supastar. Each of the games feels solidly crafted and shows a good attention to detail and balance. The downside is that they’re all also fairly familiar…Asteroid Jump is a lot like Doodle Jump, etc. That being said, each has been tweaked to give it a unique personality and you may actually find yourself preferring the Supastar versions.
With the sheer quantity of gameplay in here, Supastar would be easy to recommend even if it wasn’t as tightly polished and charismatic as it is. With all things considered, it’s a no-brainer.
Price: $0.99
Developer: eBatallion
Download: App Store
Dark Break
Dark Break
On the darker side of things, we find Winking Entertainment’s intriguing 3D shooter, Dark Break. Somewhere between an on-rails shooter and a flying game, Dark Break is a solid combination of several Eastern action RPG elements.
Gameplay is controlled via accelerometer input, touch, or onscreen joystick, and the primary goal is to make your way through each level and defeat the numerous enemies. The story is delivered through a series of extremely well-illustrated on-screen graphic novel panels, and especially on the retina display you’ll want to spend time admiring all the detailed artwork.
Though the style may not appeal to everyone, those who appreciate this type of game will find it engaging, and the quality of the art and sounds helps seal the deal.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Winking Entertainment Corporation
Download: App Store
Treasure Seekers 2: The Enchanted Canvases
Treasure Seekers 2: The Enchanted Canvases
Treasure Seekers 2: The Enchanted Canvases is one of the better hidden object games in recent memory. As per usual, the storyline is fanciful. In this case, involves saving your brother from imprisonment in a large Romanian castle by traveling through its magical paintings (Castlevania, anyone? Or even Mario 64?) to progress.
Treasure Seekers 2 sets itself apart with sleek and seamlessly integrated animations, beautifully layered motion elements in each scene, and an exquisite level of detail in the artwork. Played with headphones to best appreciate the excellent music and sound design, it’s one of the most immersive games on the platform. The developers have also kindly provided two difficulty levels, one casual and one advanced, to cater to all kinds of players.
If you haven’t yet tried a hidden object game but are curious about them, do yourself a favour and pick Treasure Seekers 2 as a starting point. If you’re already a genre fanatic then you’re probably halfway to the App Store by now.
Price: $4.99
Developer: G5 Entertainment
Download: App Store
Flying Hamster
Flying Hamster
Prepare yourselves. Every once in a while a game comes along that’s so charming and well produced that it wins over all who try it. Flying Hamster is the latest entry in this small list of titles. Like Cut The Rope and others before it, Flying Hamster wins you over from the moment it launches with a hilarious little note about buying games. From there, the opening cutscene introduces the premise: your hamster buddy has been carried off by an evil bird and it’s up to you to fly to the rescue!
Gameplay couldn’t be simpler to pick up, which is always a good thing. You control your hamster avatar by touching the screen to move up, down, slower, and faster. As you fly, you press a button to inhale and then let go to spit out projectiles. Inhaling nothing but air will give you the basic small projectiles, but sucking up everything from seeds to bee hives to juice will grant you all sorts of interesting firing patterns and weapons. It feels a bit like a cross between Kirby and your favourite space shooter, in fact, and the combination works surprisingly well.
There’s a hard mode that you can unlock if you become addicted (it’s only a matter of time), and an extensive list of achievements, leaderboards, and absolutely spectacular art design will keep you coming back either way. Well worth the premium price tag.
Price: $5.99
Developer: Game Atelier
Download: App Store
The Blocks Cometh
The Blocks Cometh
It’s been a while since we’ve featured a retro game, so let’s fix the problem by mentioning The Blocks Cometh. This port of a popular web game has made a very good transition to the iOS platform, offering addictive and challenging gameplay wrapped in a familiar 8-bit inspired aesthetic.
There isn’t a whole lot to the gameplay really, your goal is simply to make your way as high as possible on a tower of blocks as more and more fall and pile up around you. You are able to slash at and destroy them if they get too close, and you can jump around to avoid being crushed, but once you get past the beginning the game becomes very challenging. Never unfair though, which keeps it from getting frustrating.
Compete for highscores through either the Game Center or OpenFeint, and then share them on Twitter or Facebook with your friends!
Price: $0.99
Developer: EdisonGame
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
If you’re somewhere where the snow’s still falling, then you’ve no doubt got some extra time on your hands to enjoy these fine games. If there are others that have been keeping your attention, then give them a mention in the comments!