You look like you could use some new games to play! Step right this way, because we’ve got your weekly fix of fresh material from the App Store.
Today we’ll march turtles, train monsters, fly paper planes, and even break some blocks! Have a look after the jump …
Shellrazer
Shellrazer, our first game, is a truly spectacular combination of a good idea and good execution. And war turtles.
Playing as a war chief from a clan of turtle wranglers, you must guide your war turtle through the terrible goblin lands in an annual trek. Along the way, you’ll have to rescue clan champions, outfit them with gear and feed your turtle — all of which will help you to unleash a vast arsenal of attacks and abilities against the goblin horde.
Shellrazer is Retina ready and features iCloud saving, Game Center achievements and more than 50 levels to help round out the experience. IAP are present, but not slimy, so you can choose to avoid them without gameplay penalties if you’re not interested. It’s a terrific formula, simple but wildly entertaining, and the cartoony graphics and funny animations will keep you coming back for another round.
Price: $2.99
Developer: Slick Entertainment Inc.
Download: App Store
Monster Life
Serving as a fine cross between a tamagotchi and a strategy game, Monster Life lets you train your own adorable critters and then develop a training ground where they can live, grow and interact with each other. As you build up a strong foundation, you’ll be able to venture out into the world and battle the monsters of Chaos who threaten the land. Progress is slow if you don’t resort to IAP, but certainly possible, and the monsters are so adorable that you won’t mind spending time with them as they grow stronger.
Special mention must be made of the game’s attractive art style, which mixes a beautiful colour palette with a 3D papery look that’s not unlike certain cel-shaded games. With tons to unlock and plenty of zones to battle on, Monster Life makes for a worthy addition to the Gameloft lineup.
Flight!
Another classic from the online catalogue of Armor Games, Flight! is a charming and accessible game about paper planes.
While there’s not much more to it than controlling a paper plane and collecting powerups, Flight offers an almost zen-like clarity and features wonderfully designed levels, internationally themed, that let you explore various locations while flying. Challenges, achievements and social integration extend the basic gameplay, and the ability to customize the look and colours of your plane brings a new level of immersion.
Simple, enjoyable and free, Flight is a faithful port of the Flash game and will be welcomed by fans and newcomers alike.
Price: Free
Developer: Armor Games
Download: App Store
Wizorb
Today’s dose of nostalgia is two-fold: not only is Wizorb a pixel art game, it also centres around the long lost block breaking genre — you know, the one we all used to play on our dumbphones way back when?
This is a much more involved evolution of the genre though; Wizorb is set in a fantasy world and features a terrific blend of traditional fantasy tropes and block breaking madness. Because you play as a wizard named Cyrus, you will make use of a number of awesome spells that let you do everything from shoot fireballs to teleporting a magic orb around the level — all while managing the usual block breaking gameplay.
Earning gold lets you help the villagers, and as you work your way through the 60 levels, you’ll come across nasty bosses that will challenge your skills and force you to be creative about how you use your abilities. Wizorb is a fantastic extension of the genre and a perfect mobile gaming experience.
Price: $2.99
Developer: Tribute Games
Download: App Store
Static Motion
Last up today is a pure arcade game called Static Motion. This Tron-like title may look like Flow, but it’s far more frantic.
Instead of controlling an avatar and attacking enemies, you must tap to destroy them and then absorb their energy. The pacing increases steadily and introduces more complicated monsters that take longer to annihilate. You’ll be racing against the clock in each level to eliminate all the baddies, and performing especially well will earn you some achievements.
One thing to be aware of is that Static Motion does not hold your hand at all — there is virtually no tutorial and no ongoing indication of how to face off against your enemies, but the game is straight forward enough that the simple act of exploring the interface and gameplay will teach you everything you need to know. Then practise makes perfect!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Founder’s Hill Entertainment
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
Those are our picks for this week, but we’re always happy to hear about what you’ve been playing, so let us know in the comments!