Happy Friday, game fans!
Good news — we’re back to a weekly schedule now, so you’ll have a fresh batch of games waiting for you at the end of each and every week. We hope you’ll keep sending us your tips and suggestions so we can include them. Let’s have a look at this week’s picks…
Fruit Bomb
Fruit Bomb
If you recognize the art style in Fruit Bomb, it’s likely that you’ve played one of spokko’s other games — most likely Tiki Totems or its charming sequel (if you haven’t, you ought to, by the way). The art is only one aspect that carries over. A fiendishly addictive gameplay system is another.
The game asks you to feed Froo, a cute little critter who enjoys fruit and hand grenades. Your goal is to use your grenades to knock fruit off the big tree so that Froo can scoop them up at the end of each “day.” The launching system is pretty familiar for those used to iOS games where you fling things, and the presentation and variety of weapons and fruit make it easy to find yourself getting addicted.
Though the game itself is free, you can opt to pay for a certain kind of in-game currency that can speed up the acquisition of more weapons. It’s really not necessary though, since the game is pretty generous about rewarding you with currency for good performance. The one frustrating aspect is an ugly iAd that’s slapped across the interface, so hopefully that will go away in a future update. Beyond that though, Fruit Bomb is light and fun for you pick-up-and-play folks.
Paper Munchers
Paper Munchers
So long as we’re talking about new work from familiar developers, it’s only fair to showcase Big Blue Bubble’s new game, Paper Munchers. You’ll find much of the same charm and polish from Burn the Rope here, and the paper art style feels like a cross between LittleBigPlanet and a Tim Burton film.
The game itself is also about feeding things using explosives, but in this case you’re using bombs to knock little coloured monsters around a level so that they land in the mouths of hungry paper munchers. If you manage to get the colours to match, you’ll earn an extra bomb that you can use.
There are 75 progressively more difficult levels set in beautifully textured environments, which is great because some of the harder levels you will likely be staring at for a while until you figure out how to best solve them. Game Centre achievements are an extra incentive to do well, and with more content on the way it seems likely that Paper Munchers will enjoy a lot of success.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Big Blue Bubble
Download: App Store
Match Panic
Match Panic
Match Panic has been making some waves on the App Store with its pitch-perfect balance of simplicity and addictiveness. The reviews have not exaggerated: this is a game that is almost frighteningly easy to get fixated on.
It’s essentially a timed matching game, and your only move is to tap on the left or the right side of the screen to match the characters. Don’t let the basic setup fool you though, this game is fast-paced and can get extremely challenging. It will test your reflexes and hand-eye coordination and keep you returning for “just one more” round.
Regardless of how you feel about retro-themed games, you owe it to yourself to check Match Panic out. It’s incredibly fun and we heartily recommend it!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Chaotic Box
Download: App Store
Absolute Instant
Absolute Instant
Many of the iOS vertical shooters we’ve seen have actually been ports or remakes of arcade classics that spawned the genre. While there’s nothing wrong with doing this, it’s refreshing to see Mobili Studio take a step back and build a vertical shooter especially for the iPhone. The result speaks for itself.
The inconsequential plot is merely an excuse to get you into a ship and fighting off enemies, which is perfect since the gameplay is a lot of fun. Your ship shoots automatically so all you have to do is maneuver and avoid enemy fire, but what makes Absolute Instant different is that there’s a very cool teleportation feature that lets you tap anywhere on the screen to teleport to that spot. This may seem cheap, but when you encounter some of the tougher enemies you’ll realize that you still really need to keep your wits about you. This is especially true since there aren’t really any significant power-ups in the game; hopefully these will show up in a future update.
The graphics and audio are also top-notch, and the HD graphics run smoothly even on the older 3GS. Well-paced and well-designed to feel right at home on the iPhone, Absolute Instant is a vibrant and enjoyable vertical shooter.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Mobili Studio
Download: App Store
Infinite Blade
Infinite Blade
Last up for this week is Infinite Blade (no, not Infinity Blade). Besides the name, it would be near impossible to mistake this game for the similar-sounding showpiece for the platform. Instead of aiming for blockbuster graphics, Infinite Blade scales things back and offers an aesthetic that in many ways mirrors the watercolour sensibilities of the Okami series.
the game is a take on the slicing mechanic, where each slice will cost you some mana. Mana recharges, but you need to be careful about how you use it because enemy swarms can come unexpectedly and last for a while in each level. Defeating them earns you points that you can trade for upgrades, and you’ll eventually be able to unlock powerful spells that you cast with a gesture. It’s actually an extremely cool system.
The one downside is that whoever did the English translating for the marketing copy and in-game tutorial material had a very poor grasp of the language, so you’ll mostly just have to figure things out on your own. Take the 30 seconds and do so though, because this game offers quality gameplay with a cool mechanic wrapped up in some very gorgeous artwork.
What Have You Been Playing?
If you aren’t too busy being absorbed by one of these fine titles, drop us a comment and let us know what else you’ve been playing and what you think of this list!