It works out nicely that we get to round off not just the week but the entire year this weekend. It’s been an extraordinary one for iOS gaming, and although there are many titles out there that we’ll be playing for months to come, we wanted to end the year with another collection of games that only recently made it to the App Store, in time for New Year’s shoppers …
Wind-up Knight
Although it’s been on the Android market for some time, Wind-Up Knight has only just come to the App Store, and it’s a good thing too because it’s possibly the finest example of what a challenging game in the running genre can be.
Playing as a mechanical knight rescuing a generic princess in a totally irrelevant story, you’ll find yourself dashing through amazing levels that are deviously designed to offer many layers of challenge depending on your skills and patience. As you go, you must collect keys to keep yourself wound up, and progressing through the levels gives you access to new moves — from the usual jumping and ducking to more involved swordplay and a shield.
When all the elements come together in the later levels, you will find yourself sorely and excitingly tested. Manage to get an “A” rank on a each level in a stage (or “Book,” as the game calls them) to unlock its Knightmare level for some extra punishing goodness. This one is difficult to put down, and easy to pick up even if you’re not normally a fan of the genre.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Robot Invader
Download: App Store
Dungeon Hunter 3
Let’s just get this out of the way first: this is not the Dungeon Hunter you’re used to, and possibly not the one you were expecting. Gameloft has been pushing its IAP based ecosystem very strongly of late, and now its star series has received the treatment too, for better or worse. But despite the changes, if you take Dungeon Hunter 3 for what it is — an arena-based, arcade hack-and-slash — then you’ll find you have a terrific game on your hands.
Gameplay is no longer RPG-like in that you are not really pursuing a story or developing specific characters. Instead, you’ll delve into 16 large arenas where you must face off against waves of difficult enemies at several difficulty levels. There are four character classes to choose from, and a gigantic variety of unlockable items and skills. You can either earn these, slowly, or buy them outright with real money, but whichever way you choose to obtain them, you’ll find that upgrading your characters and defeating monsters is as rewarding as ever.
It’s also immediately evident that Dungeon Hunter 3 is probably the best looking title in the series; environments, animations and special effects all look extremely good, and the solid art direction that the series is known for has been carried across. Whether or not you like Dungeon Hunter 3 depends on what you expect going in. Since it’s free though, it’s hard not to find an excuse to have a look. Despite the annoyance of no longer being a true RPG game, there is a lot of fun to be had with this title, so give it a try and see for yourself.
Terra Noctis
Terra Noctis is the unusual story of a nightmare creature called Allan who, as you might expect, is not quite as scary as the other nightmares are. The story is light and entertaining, but where Terra Noctis really shines is its gameplay, which is some of the most responsive and engrossing of any side-scroller on the App Store.
Although it’s pegged as a “retro” platformer, you won’t see anything too old-fashioned when it comes to the visuals. Rather than push the 8-bit look, this game keeps the old-school visual vibe more subtle and focuses on being more inspired by the tight and straight-forward gameplay mechanics of older games. The gameplay is at its finest during the large boss fights, where the power-ups and your skills really make or break how well things go.
With some surprises thrown in like secret levels, an aim-and-toss system for attacks, and the ability to meet companions, you’ll find that Terra Noctis is unlike any other platformer you’ve played.
MEGA MAN X
Capcom has been taking an interesting approach to participating in the App Store craze: rather than using it as an opportunity to develop and market a new generation of brilliant games, they’ve been spending the time porting over their arcade classics to the new medium, with varying degrees of success.
Most recently, they’ve brought over the iconic MEGA MAN X to the iPhone. The quality of the original game shines through undamaged, which is ideal, but there have been some modifications that have upset some purists. Namely, the removal of some music (an odd decision) and some unfortunate loading times that have snuck in. Nevertheless, fans will find their favourite game largely intact and positively glowing with its new coat of visual polish.
If you’d like to relive some old memories with a solid port and the added Challenges, or if you’re new to the game and seek to experience one of the most influential games in the genre’s history, then MEGA MAN X will not disappoint.
The Treasures of Montezuma 3
Although Bejeweled is certainly the most popular, there are other match-three franchises that have gathered quite a strong following — chief among them, The Treasures of Montezuma.
Now in its third outing, this game (which you can also grab on your Mac, by the way) has expanded its horizons a bit and included some excellent puzzle stages in between the usual timed matching levels. The timer adds a frantic level of challenge, especially on the Expert difficulty mode, but the abundance of powerful magic totems will allow you to pull off combos that may save your skin at the last moment.
Between the generous quantity of levels, trophies and achievements, you can easily spend many hours with Treasures of Montezuma 3. Pick up the lite version for free and see what you think if you’re not convinced!
Price: $1.99
Developer: Alawar Entertainment, Inc.
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
As always, we hope you have a great time with these games and that you’ll share your own discoveries with us in the comments. Have an exciting New Years this weekend and we’ll see you on the other side!