Welcome to the New Year, everyone! While we wait for the flood of fresh titles to appear in the App Store, have a look at these excellent titles that came in just before we hit 2012. There are some incredible items in here so don’t miss the opportunity to get all caught up before the new season of games shows up!
Dangerous
Dangerous is, in a word, massive. It isn’t the first iOS title to bring a space sim experience to the mobile landscape, but there’s something about Dangerous that lets it sneak in beside the existing greats (Galaxy on Fire 2, etc.) without looking out of place. The graphics may not be as impressive as GOF’s, but the sheer depth and intricacy of the gameplay is unprecedented.
The game is essentially an open-ended RPG set in a well-realized universe that you can explore in full 3D. You’re pursuing a dark truth in the main storyline, and while it may be tempting in these types of games to ignore the scripted events, you’ll definitely want to run through the main plot here because the NPCs you encounter and the situations you’ll share with them are very compelling.
Prepare to spend some serious time with Dangerous because there is a lot to explore and have fun with. If you happen to have an iPad too, you’ll appreciate the fact that the game is universal, so you can play it on a bigger screen if you want!
Crazy Hedgy
Crazy Hedgy is one of those incredibly polished games that appears without much fanfare and serves as a happy discovery for all who come across it. Besides being a wonderful platformer, Crazy Hedgy also sports beautiful graphics (that work even on older devices), sleek audio, and support for iCloud saves so you can carry on from where you left off no matter what device you have handy.
The tight controls make it easy to get into, and it’s surprising how satisfying the usual running/jumping/attacking formula can be made to feel still, in the hands of a talented development team. Beyond the standard gameplay elements, you’ll find minigames, a survival mode, boss fights, an item shop and a robust upgrade system that helps emphasize the sense of progression.
I cannot recommend this title enough — it’s one of the finest things the App Store has seen in a while. Grab it while it’s still on sale for the holidays!
Combat Arms: Zombies
If you’re familiar with the original Combat Arms, you’ll no doubt recognize Combat Arms: Zombies as an interesting hybrid of their Fireteam game mode. Essentially, the Zombie version is an arena-based survival horror shooter that pits you against waves of the undead in a dark and tense atmosphere.
Built on the Unreal3 engine like its cousin, Combat Arms, Combat Arms: Zombies looks very good and features gruesome enemies and unfriendly environments that help sell the horror aspect and keep things from feeling too much like a mindless shooting gallery. The control system is worth mentioning because you have five different configurations to choose from for maximum customization; and you’ll need to pick your favourite because you won’t have time to fiddle with controls when you’re in the fray.
Customizable weapons (albeit not the full arsenal from Combat Arms), universal device support, and a special code for connecting to the original Combat Arms all contribute to the replay value. If you like survival horror with a particular love of zombie shooting, then this is your game.
Price: $4.99
Developer: NEXON MOBILE
Download: App Store
Youda Survivor
Based on the popular online game, Youda Survivor is an interesting management sim set on a tropical island where you’re responsible for keeping things together for a tribe of natives who are under assault by pirates.
Beyond the basics, you’ll find yourself collecting mystic ritual powers that can help you control the weather and summon animals, and there are many recipes for potions that you’ll need to discover to keep everyone strong. Collecting basic elements leads to finding machines that can refine them into more useful materials, and you’ll need all the help you can get as you progress through the numerous timed levels.
If you’re into battling pirates, crabs and bad weather while helping a tribe of friendly natives, then you’ll find yourself charmed by Youda Survivor’s pleasant gameplay, beautiful graphics and gentle learning curve.
Price: $4.99
Developer: G5 Entertainment
Download: App Store
Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix
This is a special one. Highly acclaimed by industry folks, Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix is a complicated girl with a complicated name. Unable to fit in with the rest of her peers, she accidentally activates a mysterious box that pulls her into a puzzle world.
The puzzle mechanic is a weird blend of platforming and the usual gravity/pushing tropes. To reach the exit of each level, you’ll be navigating rooms that are arrayed on the 6 sides of a cube. This means a lot of rotating, and some mind-bending spatial manipulations that make you think in 3D. The controls are sometimes finicky, but it’s a complicated system so it’s hard to fault them, and they never impede your ability to solve the puzzle.
Conceptually, this is one of the finest iOS puzzle games to show up in many months, and as incremental updates polish up any lingering execution issues, this will become a cult classic without a doubt. All puzzle fans owe it to themselves to check this moody little oddity out!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Replay Games, Inc.
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
Now that we’re in 2012, we want to know what you’re looking forward to playing in the new year, and what titles kept your attention over the holidays — tell us in the comments!