The best time of year is upon us, and along with holiday cheer we’re also getting a deluge of fantastic new game releases just in time for Christmas.
We’ve gathered up some of the best, including a new Halfbrick title, a casual mega-sequel, a deep RPG, and more!
Colossatron: Massive World Threat
Remember Super Mega Worm? Okay, now imagine that but from a top-down perspective with Halfbrick’s signature personality and you’ll understand Colossatron: Massive World Threat.
Colossatron is a gigantic mechanical serpent that earns upgrades as it unleashes destruction upon the world. There’s no subtlety here: you’re supposed to utterly decimate anything in your path. Powercores and upgrades diversify the action, and the presence of “Rick Dalton” and “Katie Hazard” as news commentators makes the presentation of this concept simply perfect.
Boss fights and survival challenges round out the experience alongside the campaign, and a modest implementation of IAP make it feel both charming and filled with replay value. May just oust Jetpack Joyride as my subway distraction of choice!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Download: App Store
Cut the Rope 2
This one hardly needs an introduction, right? The adorable Om Nom, hungry monster extraordinaire, is back again in a safe but entirely enjoyable sequel.
The inclusion of new characters and their individual abilities are probably the biggest changes in the gameplay. The rope cutting remains a strong foundation, and while the new levels present creative challenges using the mechanics, there’s nothing fundamentally different about Cut the Rope 2—which is not a bad thing.
The presentation has been noticeably polished, with cleaner graphics and incredibly organic animations. Altogether, Cut the Rope 2 is a smart series of changes that look small when taken individually, but contribute to a far superior game overall. A worthy and effortlessly charming sequel not to be missed.
Price: $0.99
Developer: ZeptoLab UK Limited
Download: App Store
The Shadow Sun
Made up of developers of titles like Neverwinter Nights’ Mysteries of Westgate expansion, Ossian Studios has a wealth of RPG talent to draw from. The Shadow Sun is a culmination of much hard work, and it was worth waiting for.
With 15 hours of story content, a large world to explore, and a customizable character, you’ll feel right at home in the RPG setup here. Quests are more open-ended than in most mobile adventures, and you’ll even have the option to bring along a companion, not unlike Dragon Age’s system. Your companion will be influenced by your decisions, and how you develop your skills will change what speech options and quest paths are available to you.
While it lacks the visual fidelity of some other iPhone games we’ve seen, it’s no ugly duckling: Shadow Sun looks like a console game, albeit not one with all the bells & whistles activated. On the other hand, it works on almost any iOS device as far back as the first iPad and the iPhone 3GS, so no one needs to feel left out.
While pricey, the game is universal and offers extremely minimal IAP content, so you’re paying for a full and wonderful RPG experience on the go. Highly recommended.
Price: $7.99
Developer: Ossian Studios, Inc.
Download: App Store
Brutal Loop
It takes a special kind of gamer to appreciate arcade-style frustration engines like Brutal Loop, mostly those who are used to the harder games of old, but for those who are up for the challenge, this is an incredible title.
Like Super Hexagon before it, Brutal Loop is dead simple to describe: a beam of light sweeps around the screen, and you need to tap anywhere while it’s hovering over an empty cell. If you miss the empty cell twice, you lose. If you tap while it’s over a filled cell, you lose. That’s all there is to it. If you manage to survive 3 stages of each colour, you’ll have a rapid bonus mode where you need to fill as many cells as possible with no penalty.
Needless to say, the pacing is where things get crazy, and they do get CRAZY. Your reflexes will be tested to the limit, and if the developer is to be believed, fewer than 2% of players can complete the game. I wasn’t one of them.
Are you?
Price: $0.99
Developer: Ten Ton Toy
Download: App Store
Endless Boss Fight
Let’s finish off with a freebie, shall we? Normally, boss battles are the fun part of any game; they’re a chance to test your new skills and face off against a truly challenging opponent. So why not make a whole game just dedicated to boss battles? White Milk Games did exactly that: meet Endless Boss Fight.
An endless beat-‘em-up, this is one zany game. You’re up against a constantly-evolving robot continues to improve its abilities as you fight it. You’ll need to keep up by powering your character with a detailed upgrade system. The missions are enjoyable, but what’s most neat about Endless Boss Fight is that you can actually design your own boss robot and send it out into the world to make trouble for other players.
It’s a very cool system that works well and keeps you coming back. IAP is plentiful, as you might imagine for a freemium game, but at least there are no stupid timers or anything awful like that. Definitely worth a try if you like evolving arcade brawlers.
Price: Free
Developer: White Milk Games
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
That ought to keep you guys busy until present time! Have fun and we’ll see you back here next Friday!
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