With spring in the air, it’s nice to get back out there and enjoy the sunshine a bit. But there’s always time for some gaming, so we’re glad you’ve come back to see our picks of the best fresh games in the App Store for this week.
Lightopus
Like a wonderful hybrid between Fl0w and Osmos, Lightopus is a new game from BulkyPix that offers you a jaw-droppingly gorgeous aquatic environment in which to live out the adventures of the last surviving lightopus, seeking to save the stolen young ones.
Amid the scintillating amoebas, strange crystalline formations and minute sparkles of Lightopus’ world, you will find aggressive beasts that will challenge and chase you as you dash about popping yellow containers to free a few more little ones from captivity. Collecting stars in each of the zones will also allow you to turn the tables on the monsters and confront them directly, offering you a chance to attack them while they’re weak.
Lightopus boasts some of the finest animations and visual flourishes we’ve ever seen (with the exception of the poor character’s face, which seems quite static), and if you’re playing on an iPhone 4 or 4S you’ll be amazed by the beauty of the hi-res graphics. Thankfully, the rest of the game’s components also live up to the eye candy, and together they make one of the most wonderful gaming experiences we’ve seen on the App Store in a while.
Monster Flip
After you’re done laughing at the icon, which seems to get funnier the more you stare at it, you’ll find that Monster Flip is happy to offer the same cheerful spirit in the game too.
A match-three game at heart, Monster Flip requires you to flip rows of monsters to match them up in one of three game modes. The classic mode is a simple quest for more points, whereas the puzzle mode awards you stars for completing levels in the minimum number of moves, and the countdown mode serves as the time trial. The monsters are hilarious, with excellent sound effects and endearing facial expressions, and you’ll need to be wary of the “mad” ones that explode and end the game if you haven’t cleared them within six moves.
There is a cute encyclopedia with some fun information about each of the monsters and their predicament, and some great leaderboards to climb if you’re feeling competitive. A tightly woven example of bringing a fresh face to a familiar genre.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Launching Pad Games
Download: App Store
Pebble Universe
Pushing the cute factor to overload, Pebble Universe unleashes a torrent of adorable little pebble creatures that are being attacked by the dark and evil soot-lump monsters. Time to save the day!
In an effort to defend themselves, the pebbles have learned that bashing their heads together produces some interesting results. Explosions, freezing, bullets … exactly the kind of thing they’ll need to triumph over their attackers. In each level, you’ll have to time your strikes perfectly and make the best of your pebbles’ abilities to survive. You’ll also be rewarded for defeating all the monsters, reaching the passing score, or just eliminating the crowned baddies. Careful not to run out of pebbles!
Also featuring some amusing extra environmental items to make use of including sponges and propellers, Pebble Universe is a richly realized title with a gentle learning curve and a powerful addiction factor. Go save some rocks!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Itatake.com
Download: App Store
Coco Loco
Following in the well-worn footsteps of Angry Birds and its brethren, Coco Loco is Chillingo’s latest baby, and it deserves some recognition for managing to be a supremely entertaining spin on the formula.
Playing as a troop of marshmallows struggling to free their friends from some frustrated chocolate coco beans, you can expect a variety of amusing activities to unfold as you work to rescue your fellows. There’s a good deal of the usual flinging creatures involved, but in the case of Coco Loco, the other “Marshies” you rescue come with special useful powers that you can use. Level design is also generally more directly involved in the gameplay as you must take into account rivers of chocolate, jelly structures and other interactive elements.
There are other smaller refinements to the system as well, including the ability to use your Marshies in any order you like for a level, but overall Coco Loco is still unmistakably familiar — which is either a good thing or a bad one depending on how in love you are with Angry Birds.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Chillingo Ltd.
Download: App Store
Sminis
Speaking of escaping evil captors, how about getting away from an evil scientist? In Sminis, you’re in control of some unfortunate robots who have regained their sentience and must find their way out of the dangerous lair.
Powered by the Unreal 3 engine, Sminis features many fun mechanical environments full of whizzing boxes, sharp saws, giant robotic arms, and more precarious obstacles that will keep you on your toes. Your goal is simply to get as many Sminis as possible to the exit, but accomplishing the task will require some very tricky timing and sharp reflexes — the scientist’s lab is unforgiving.
Secrets and extra difficulty modes are available for extra replay value, along with achievements via Game Center. While the 30 levels go by pretty quickly, you’ll no doubt be seeing more soon as the developers continue to polish this awesome little escape story. Save those Sminis!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Angry Rock Studio
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
That’s all for this week, but if you notice something missing from the list then please drop us a note in the comments so we can make sure we’ve played it too!