The warmer weather has brought with it some fantastic new App Store games, including a tropical new Angry Birds flavour.
We’ve got that and more in this week’s roundup, and lucky for all you folks in the UK, Canada, and so forth who are only lining up now to get your hands on the iPad 2, all of these titles are very addictive and will easily burn off the excess hours for you — so dive in!
Max and the Magic Marker
Max and the Magic Marker
While there is hardly any shortage of drawing games on the App Store, it’s refreshing to get a newcomer every now and again. This is especially true with someone like EA adding their premium publishing polish to the mix. The culprit is Max and the Magic Marker.
This level-based side-scrolling puzzler is friendly and oozing good design. You play as Max, and after receiving a mysterious marker that brings drawings to life, you must embark on an adventure to destroy the monster you accidentally doodled. The levels play out in a creative way, as you’re encouraged to draw shapes, objects, and platforms to help you navigate and find all the hidden goodies.
To make things challenging, you only get a limited supply of ink, so you must be careful with your drawing. Luckily there are ink bubbles you can collect along the way to replenish your stock. Max and the Magic Marker boasts some excellent visuals and a well thought out sense of pacing and gameplay. It’s a premium game in every sense of the word and is well worth your time.
Price: $1.99
Developer: Press Play
Download: App Store
Angry Birds Rio
Angry Birds Rio
What more needs to be said about Angry Birds? The omnipresent super-franchise of mobile gaming is spreading its wings just a bit further with Angry Birds Rio, an obvious tie-in to the upcoming film.
It would be simple to dismiss this game as nothing but another re-hash of the same stuff with a few new art assets, but to Rovio’s credit, they have done a magnificent job improving upon their well-worn formula. Rio deviates just enough to be compelling, but not enough to alienate those who know and love the series.
Episodic updates are promised throughout 2011, and you can busy yourself finding hidden fruit while you wait for them if you’ve already gone through the 60 levels in the game’s two launch episodes.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Rovio Mobile Ltd.
Download: App Store
Get Outta My Galaxy!
Get Outta My Galaxy!
Among the most amusing and charming titles we’ve seen in a while is Get Outta My Galaxy! This bizarre little game puts you in the shoes of Waka, a four-armed, disgruntled alien xenophobe whose peaceful respite on his own private planet has been cut short by the arrival of some pesky little alien nuisances called wikus.
You’ll spend most of the game traveling from planet to planet in your galaxy using the tilt controls to walk around the globe and tap the screen to violently slap the little invaders right off the rock. It’s very satisfying in an odd way and you’ll no doubt end up smiling at the audio and visual treatment of the adversaries.
There are powerups to unlock that give you a leg up against your foes, and the best part is that the retina-ready 3D graphics reportedly run just fine on any generation of device — so if you’re still hanging on to an older iPhone, this one’s for you!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Ookoohko Oy
Download: App Store
The Witcher: Versus
The Witcher: Versus
Following up on the breakaway success of the video game (which itself was based on a novel), The Witcher: Versus brings some of that dark fantasy world with you on the go in the form of a sort of competitive battle arena.
You can pick one of three character classes to develop, and as you complete battles and challenges you’ll find new weapons, items, and all manner of goodies that will help improve your fighter’s chances. Not only can you play iPhone vs. iPhone duels, but your character is synced up so you can play with them on the browser-based version of the game too.
Gameplay is a simple battle of wits; you pick out your offensive and defensive moves ahead of time and your opponent does the same, and then the two sequences are put against each other and you both watch the result. It’s not a terribly rewarding gameplay style if you’re into participating, but the game offers its depth in other aspects like matchmaking, items, and character leveling. It’s a good way to pass the time while you wait for The Witcher 2 to come out!
Price: $0.99
Developer: one2tribe Sp. z o.o.
Download: App Store
GoblinGun
GoblinGun
Tower defense seems like the most overdone genre out there, but it’s only because it’s such a fun and dynamic combination between the instant gratification of casual gaming, and the more strategic gameplay of hardcore games. GoblinGun exemplifies this balance nicely.
Great visuals help sell the otherwise generic gameplay, and while the weapons you can place are interesting and upgradeable, there’s little deviation from the standard routine here. Which is not necessarily a bad thing since a classic concept done well is always worth a look. Try out the different difficulty levels if you’re finding the standard one too simple, but beware: the levels last a long time and you may find yourself having some trouble keeping up.
One nice addition is a fast-forward button to help move things along more briskly during the earlier levels where you’re just building your defenses and swatting away minor baddies. Don’t get too comfy though, the game features 5 boss monsters and they’re quite tough once you get to them. All in all this is a great game for fans of the genre: plenty of gameplay hours and slick presentation for just a dollar is a pretty good deal.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Adwizer Games Inc.
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
As always, enjoy and get in touch if you have suggestions for other titles that you’ve been playing and enjoying — the comments are always open!