Mid-week iOS releases: Monkey Island Tales, D.A.R.K., 1-bit Ninja, BackStab, Continuity 2, and more
Fill your boots
For some reason, Wednesday tends to be the day all the biggest iPhone and iPad games hit the New Zealand App Store – New Zealand being the first port of call for newly published apps.
This week has been a big one. We can't give a story to each of the games that deserves one, so here they all are in round-up form.
Monkey Island Tales episodes 3, 4, and 5 HDMonkey Island Tales 2 HD hit the New Zealand App Store this time last week, then disappeared, then reappeared, followed today by the shock arrival of the remaining three Monkey Island Tales games all at once.
If you've played a Telltale game on iPad you know the drill – the studio makes solid, amusing, faithful point-and-click adventure games that run fitfully on first-generation iPad but well on iPad 2.
To grab the complete Monkey Island Tales collection you'll need to fork out £20, but if you're a fan of LucasArts's classic series it'll be money well-spent.
Download Monkey Island Tales 2 HD
Download Monkey Island Tales 3 HD
Download Monkey Island Tales 4 HD
Download Monkey Island Tales 5 HD
D.A.R.K.
Chillingo's twin-stick shooter D.A.R.K., which we played back in May, is an an usual proposition for the publisher. Developed by Polish studio GameLab, it puts you in the shoes of a member of D.A.R.K. Squadron aboard the scuppered USS Storm Bringer.
It features action, puzzle, and RPG elements, and it's available at a 66 per cent discount for just 59p on iPhone.
Download D.A.R.K.
1-bit Ninja is a trendy 2D pixel-art platformer that looks like it could be a big hit. As the name implies, it's a stripped down effort with stripped down controls.
Pressing the left side of the screen makes your avatar run (always to the right), and pressing the right makes him jump. If you want to go backwards, developer kode80 says, “there's a spring or platform for that!”
Despite its apparent simplicity, there's a fancy modern hook to 1-bit Ninja. Holding a finger down on the upper portion of the screen lets you change the perspective, allowing you to find hidden paths.
The game boasts four worlds, 20 levels, and more than 100 challenges. An update is already planned. It's £1.19/$1.99.
Download 1-bit Ninja
BackStab
BackStab originally came out on Android as a limited Xperia Play-exclusive. In this Gameloft-made answer to Assassin's Creed, you have to take on the role of betrayed 18th century Naval officer Henry Blake, running around on a Caribbean island, stabbing people, and clambering over buildings. It costs £3.99/$6.99.
Download BackStab
Another freemium game from the excellent Nimblebit (Pocket Frogs), Tiny Tower is another pixel-art game, this time letting you build a tower and manage the lives of its inhabitants, or Bitizens.
You have to match the number of residents with available jobs and skills, while ensuring that your restaurants, shops, casinos etc are fully stocked with products and services so you keep generating the coins you need to add floors to your tower.
In addition, you'll want Bux to speed up tasks. You can earn these through tasks or - of course - splash some cash and buy them via in-app purchases. But Tiny Tower ain't no FarmVille. The non-IAP pace is decent, while social aspects are supported via Game Center.
Download Tiny Tower
Glu Mobile is going more traditional casual freemium with new game Circus City. Obviously based around circus performance, you have to build up your troupe of performers to create the best show possible to rake in the cash and continue the cycle - more cash, better performers, a bigger Big Top show.
And alongside the clowns, acrobats, and knife throwers, there's also a hint of Theme Park, as you can add concession stands to maximise your take. Of course, Game Center and Facebook provided the social glue required.
Download Circus City
WWII: Hills of Glory
French publisher Bulkypix is looking down the slope guns blazing when it comes to WWII: Hills of Glory. A sort of hill defence game, it has you protecting your high above sea level turf from the waves of attacking grunts.
You start off with a sniper rifle but quickly upgrade to be able to call in grenades, airstrikes, artillery, and even UFOs. Gameplay-wise, there are 15 campaign missions plus an endless mode, with social features supported via OpenFeint and Game Center
Download WWII: Hills of Glory
This was a long time coming. Trenches came to iPhone all the way back in 2009, and Generals is the iPad reworked release. A real-time strategy game set in a version of The Great War containing zombies, it features a new campaign, perk upgrades, and both co-op and versus split-screen multiplayer. It costs 59p/99c.
Download Trenches: Generals
Ionocraft Racing
We haven't heard much about Ionocraft Racing, but it looks pretty snazzy in the trailer. Like a version of WipEout set in a universe made entirely out of rust and concrete, it lets you race for some unknown reason in a densely customisable hovering vehicle. Developer PAN Vision promises “hours” of gameplay from its 13 tracks. It costs £1.19/$1.99.
Download Ionocraft Racing
Tower defence games may be two a penny on the App Store, but War Grimoire HD is certainly looking like it’s trying its hardest to stand out from the crowd, with its eye-catching graphics, 30 varying environments, and a whopping 60 upgradable weapons to deploy. It costs £1.79 / $2.99
Download War Grimoire HD
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing may have taken over a year and a half to jump from consoles to iPhone, but the bright graphics and ten familiar characters from Sega’s history do much to pique our interest in this Mario Kart-esque racer. It costs £1.19 / $1.99.
Download Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Continuity 2: The Continuation
Sequel to the award-winning indie game, Continuity 2: The Continuation is an innovative pixel-art puzzle platformer in which you have to move tiles around to enable a little black sprite to pick up keys and unlock doors. It contains 50 levels created specifically for iOS, and it costs 59p/99c.
Download Continuity 2: The Continuation
