This week on Game Friday, we bring you creatures of all sorts: octopi, foxes, even mutants!
Come on through and have a look at our picks for best iOS games of the week …
Oh Hi! Octopi!
We’ve been fans of kode80 ever since they released the wonderful 1-bit Ninja. After a period of silence, they’re back in full swing with Oh Hi! Octopi! which is a fresh and impressive game.
Best described as a colour-matching platformer, this game is something like a cross between Super Crate Box, Pac-Man and a match-three game, and it’s full of octopuses so that’s interesting. Gameplay is straightforward: you have a hammer and must eliminate octopuses, preferably through combos, and the switch in the middle of the level can be pounded to produce a blob of paint that will allow you to change the colour of any octopus it touches, helping you make those combos.
Two-button controls, delicious retro visuals and a soothing audio treatment combine to make Oh Hi! Octopi! a fantastic addition to the kode80 lineup, and an equally valuable contribution to the App Store.
Price: $1.99
Developer: kode80 LLC
Download: App Store
Super Hexagon
Super Hexagon is a simple concept executed flawlessly. And it’s murderously difficult.
Part reflex game, part acid trip, Super Hexagon requires you to keep your cursor from hitting the walls of a maze of hexagonal shapes closing in on you. The hexagons spin and twist, and you often have a very brief window of opportunity to escape through the gaps before the next one shows up. It’s obscenely difficult to last longer than a few seconds, but somehow it’s equally difficult not to keep trying.
This is probably what one might call a hardcore casual game: an arcade monster for the modern age. It’s magnificent, but not for everyone. If you can dig the epileptic visuals and insane pacing, then this is going to be a supremely rewarding addition to your gaming roster.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Terry Cavanagh
Download: App Store
Linkies
There’s nothing like a physics puzzler as a pivot point in our list, so let’s talk about Linkies.
It’s one of the most beautiful match-three games we have ever encountered, most reminiscent of Moonies, but instead of just tapping to clear groups of like-coloured pollution blobs (you’re cleaning up after a nasty polluting robot), you must actively draw links between them to remove everything. This makes for more involved gameplay, and the organic levels are imaginative and often feature non-standard layouts to further spice up the experience.
Be sure you own a newer device if you’re going to play, since the incredible graphics come at a performance cost, but if you do then you’ll be able to enjoy it across your entire set of devices since it’s universal.
Price: $0.99
Developer: VisualDreams Handelsbolag
Download: App Store
Project: Mayhem
That cute little blob is Mayhem, a genetically engineered weapon of mass destruction who is desperate to escape from the evil science facility where he was created.
Along the way, he’ll face off against a variety of hazards, including evil clones of himself. The platforming gameplay is tight and fast paced, playing similarly to Super Meat Boy, only decidedly retro in its visual aesthetic. The two gameplay modes, Adventure and Conquest, are distinct and enjoyable to play through, with Conquest being particularly challenging.
Free DLC is planned that includes levels, the ability to change Mayhem’s colour, and more. Project: Mayhem is a straight-forward and satisfying platformer.
Price: $0.99
Developer: OneSmartBunny, LLC
Download: App Store
Twang the Fox
We’ve saved one of the best for last today: Twang the Fox.
This vertical platformer variant is a fascinating and beautiful spring-loaded adventure starring Twang the fox, who hopes to rescue his family. Throughout the extraordinarily rich levels, you’ll be asked to draw elastic platforms around Twang to allow him to bounce higher (or lower) and avoid the many creative hazards. The game features a wealth of strange and wonderful contraptions you can use, and many different kinds of items to collect as you struggle to earn 3 stars on each level.
Featuring iCloud saving and achievements, it brings some extended functionality to this universal game. Twang the Fox is gorgeous and extremely fun — highly recommended.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Conix Games
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
While you have a look at those, let us know what’s been keeping you busy this week in the comments!