My Top 5 iOS Games - August 2012
There are so many good iOS games out right now, narrowing it down to a Top 5 is tough. But I will go with the four that I have spent the most time with recently, as well as a new favorite. These are the games that have been keeping my glued to my iPhone instead of my consoles...
This one definitely caught me by surprise. When I downloaded it, I was really expecting a Zynga-style game with an energy meter and a pay wall if you want to actually play it for longer than 2 minutes. Was I ever wrong! The game is $0.99 up front, and although there are IAP options for those who want them, it is entirely possible to play this game with no extra cost ever. I haven't spent a penny on IAP, and I have played for hours at a time without running out of cash. I don't mean to focus on this aspect too much, because the game is brilliant in many other ways. It just pleasantly surprised me that this wasn't the typical social city builder we've all grown to hate.
The city building itself is really just a nice addition to the game's main mechanic, which is puzzles! There are two main puzzles, but the depth and complexity they offer is astounding. As you play the game more, collect more resources, and upgrade your town, more types of puzzle items become available by combining lower-level items. By the time you've got all of them unlocked, it's quite hectic. The desire to level up and grow your town is definitely what keeps you going back into the fields and mines for more, but it doesn't feel like work because the puzzles are so enjoyable.
On the downside, there was one particularly nasty bug in the release build that deleted your town randomly and wouldn't let you start over until you uninstalled and reinstalled the game. Chillingo and AT Games have since released a patch for it, and they even gave all current players 5,000 coins for their trouble, which I thought was particularly nice.
Suffice it to say, after I had gotten to level 17 and my town was erased by the bug, I still couldn't put this game down. I rolled up my sleeves, started over, and it was just as fun the second time around. I expect to be playing this one for a long time to come.
Download Puzzle Craft (iTunes link)
I have spent more time on Outwitters than any other competitive multiplayer game ever. Not just on mobile. That may be because competitive multiplayer isn't my thing most of the time. I'm not much of a twitch gamer, I much prefer things that require a little bit more thought and strategy. That's why the asynchronous turn-based strategy madness of Outwitters hits such a sweet spot for me. It's a lot like Hero Academy, which I also love, but it doesn't have an undo (which makes it way more tense), there is fog of war (which makes for good sneak attacks), and there is no randomness (which makes it boil down to sheer wits [pun intended]). The other amazing thing they have done here is create a League system that does skill-based matchmaking. This brings the multiplayer addiction to a whole different level than Hero Academy, because you want to move up the ladder and achieve the fearsome Super Titan title. The graphics and sound have charm to spare, making this one a no-brainer. Outwitters is pure brilliance.
Download Outwitters (iTunes link)
Bad name. Awesome game. And actually, I think the name may actually have helped it. The name and icon were so bad that they helped it to stand out when it hit the app store. People's first reaction was probably, "WTF is this crap game..." But then, if they are like me, they get blown away when they try it. The game's premise is deceivingly simple. On the surface it's just a match-3 puzzle game. But when you dig a little deeper, the game really starts to shine. There is an amazing amount of depth to this game. There are RPG elements, so you can level up your character's abilities as you get more experience. You get experience from killing monsters. You kill monsters by matching things. That description doesn't even really do it justice, just suffice it to say that it took me about five and a half hours to beat this game, and I was sad it was over. Also, this game has the absolute best chiptune soundtrack I have heard on an iOS game. This would be my #1 game for sure if it had been a little bit longer.
Download 10000000 (iTunes link)
I initially downloaded GBWG because I was tired of waiting for my turn in Outwitters, and I still had the itch for turn-based combat. I'm glad I did, because this game turned out to be excellent! If you've ever played the Advance Wars series, this will feel familiar to you (in a good way). It really feels great to move your soldiers around using the touch interface, and there is an Undo in case you fat-finger something. The Campaign mode is what I've been playing mostly, since I have Outwitters for the multiplayer side of things. The story line is hilarious, and they've clearly put a lot of effort into the game's charm and sense of humor. It's all very lighthearted for a war game, but it works perfectly on iOS. You can save anywhere and pick up right where you left off, and I haven't had any issues with bugs at all. I was blown away by the art and animation in this game. Everything just looks so fluid, and it runs lightning-fast! If you are a fan of strategy games or the Advance War games at all, you definitely owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Download Great Big War Game (iTunes link)
McPixel is a tough game to describe. It is a point-and-click adventure game, but with puzzle rounds that only last 20 seconds. After that, a bomb goes off. Then, whether you've solved the puzzle correctly or not, you are whisked off to the next round. Levels consists of 6 of these speed-rounds, and you cycle through them trying to solve 3 in a row so that you can move on. Also, the game is hilarious! It's heavily influenced by the Saturday Night Live skit MacGruber, which is a parody of the classic TV show MacGuyver. So this game is a parody of a parody.
The puzzles and solutions in this game are so ridiculously outlandish, hilarious, and irreverent, the only way you will beat this is to tap on things randomly and see what happens. But that's half of the appeal, because there are so many gags for choosing the wrong option that you want to see all of them anyway. For example, in the first puzzle, there is a stick of dynamite in a hotdog bun. There's a hotdog stand nearby, as well as a mime. There is also an ominous-looking pair of red eyes in the background. Trying to interact with the hotdog stand or the mime result in the bomb going off, but the solution is to give the dynamite sandwich to the red eyes, which turn out to be an alien smoking a joint, who then eats the dynamite and the day is saved. At least for the next 10 seconds and then it's on to the next scene.
There is actually a warning at the start of this game that says "Warning: It is highly recommended to take breaks while playing this game. Longer play sessions can damage your brains and gameplay experience." If this sounds like your jam, then definitely give McPixel a try. Its goal is nothing more (and nothing less) then making you laugh, and it does this in spades.
Download McPixel (iTunes link)
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