Latest Articles
Sometimes You Die Review
Describing Sometimes You Die is surprisingly tough. Reducing it to its mechanical elements does the concept a disservice. However, recounting journey runs the risk of ruining the various twists and meta-commentaries contained within it. It asks you to think about what a game is, what you consider fun, and what you are prepared to endure in the name of entertainment. That may sound pretentious - and at its heart Sometimes You Die is just that - but it is none the worse for it…
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challengeClash of Clans meets Pokemon in Here Be Monsters on iPad
Ever wished that Clash of Clans had more Pokemon-style monster capturing? Well, you're in luck as Gamesys has just released Here Be Monsters HD. Rather ambitiously, the game allows you to travel the entire world capturing dozens of mythical monsters. Yes, you can finally have your very own Loch Ness monster. In order to capture these fantastical beasts, you'll need to craft a collection of traps and baits. There are 500 blueprints for different snares to collect, so there'll be no shortage of ways of nabbing your own Bigfoot specimen. The collecting gamepaly isn't limited to legendary monsters, mind. You'll also get the opportunity to capture rare and exotic animals on your journey…
AppSpy plays Star Horizon live on Twitch (5pm GMT | 10am PDT | 1pm EDT)
Clear your diaries, dear readers. We are inviting you to join us on the AppSpy Twitch channel this evening, where we will be playing Tabasco Interactive's new space shooter Star Horizon. The stream will go live at 5pm GMT, 10am PDT, and 1pm EDT. And there will be lasers. If you're not familiar with the game, Star Horizon is a space-based flight sim. As such, you can expect to see us weaving past debris and blasting enemy craft to smithereens in true Galactica fashion. At review we gave Star Horizon an admirable 4 out of 5, describing it as "an enjoyable ride that takes us back to classic arcade shooters like Star Fox." To see the game in action, just f…
Inventive block puzzler Shapist reduced to 69p / 99c on iPad
Sliding block-puzzler Shapist has just been reduced to 69p / 99c (down from £1.99 / $2.99) on iPad. Shapist at first appears no different to its block-manipulating genre cousins. It involves trying to clear a space in the shape that will allow you to move to the next level. There is no tutorial and no explanation as to how to proceed. It's pure intuitive trial and error from the get go. However, as you make your way through the game, you'll eventually come across mechanics brand new to the genre. Certain blocks can be shrunk or stretched to fit in a variety of different spaces. Others don't appear to want to move from their initial position, pinging right back as soon as you…
Fight the future in new Plants vs. Zombies 2 sci-fi level pack
Popcap’s free-to-play tower-defense game, Plants vs. Zombies 2, has just received new set of levels, courtesy of the Far Future update. The update sends you and your army of botanical bombardiers into the future to battle an oncoming horde of sci-fi shamblers. As the game's 1970’s-style trailer shows, the update include two new plants - the wonderfully named Infi-Nut and Laser Bean - with which to battle your undead foes. The zombies also have their ranks bolstered with the addition of the new Jetpack Zombie. The Far Future update also introduces Power Tiles. These are scattered across the battlefield, and increase your plants' powers. Similarly, the effects of Plant Food ha…
Card battler Star Wars: Assault Team out now on the App Store
Look out, Star Wars fans, your prayers have been answered. Yes, that's right: You're getting another free Star Wars-themed card battler. In this one you'll be building your own 'assault team' out of your favourite Star Wars characters. You can join up with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Boba Fett, each of whom have their own stats, abilities, and unique attacks. Once you've got your squad together, you do what an assault team does best: assault things. You'll engage in combat with recognisable enemies from the franchise, and be rewarded you with loot and entirely new characters. Once you're feeling confident, you can try your hand out against other players in PvP mo…
The Cap is back on the App Store in Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is now out in cinemas. And, by a startling coincidence, Gameloft's official iOS tie-in game has just appeared on the App Store. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game is a top-down smash-'em-up which places you in the role of Cap himself. The story, co-written by Marvel’s Christos Gage, sees the Captain battling a host of his iconic villains from his comic past, such as King Cobra, Taskmaster, and the Winter Soldier himself. To reach each villain you must battle past all manner of criminal thugs with little more than an overinflated sense of justice, a shield, and a squad of armed S.H.I.E.L.D operatives. Still, if thing…
FLASHOUT 2 Review
If you are going to copy something, copy the best. We have to assume that is what Jujubee was thinking when it developed Flashout 2. Generously, you could think of it as an homage to Sony’s WipEout series, but it sticks so closely to the source material - right down to the graphic design - that it simply feels like a pale imitation. Races take place on metallic tracks that loop high above futuristic cityscapes. Though each track is littered with boosts, weapons, and jumps, they…
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CLARC | Hands-On
One game stood out when I blasted through the week's new releases on Twitch yesterday. It wasn't the WipEout-inspired Flashout 2, nor Clash of Clans successor Boom Beach. No, the game that captured my attention was an unassuming but charismatic offering called CLARC. It's an isometric puzzler in which you navigate an adorable maintenance robot through a series of corridors. Along the way you'll manipulate blocks with an anti-gravity beam, make friends with a missile, and try to power-up a robot disco. The visuals are lovely, the controls are tight, and there's a robot disco. Still not sold? Check out our hands-on video below to see CLARC in action.…
Prepare for season 4 with Game of Thrones Ascent on iPad
Popular Facebook RPG strategy game Game of Thrones Ascent has just been released for iPad. Based on the Game of Thrones TV series and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, the free-to-play game is set just after the death of the King’s Hand. It's up to you to harness the ensuing fallout to raise your character's status through the fiction's feudal hierarchy. You build your own character from scratch, deciding their upbringing, allegiances, and even what gods they will worship. Once established, you can send your noble on "thousands" or missions and quests, all in the service of expanding your territory and increasing your influence in Westeros. The gam…
Death isn't the end in fatalistic new indie platformer Sometimes You Die
Sometimes You Die is a new punishingly hard indie puzzle platformer from Philipp Stollenmayer. It seems influenced by games like Super Meat Boy, in which dying over and over is an integral part of the gameplay. But unlike other titles, Sometimes You Die it leaves your lifeless corpse in the level to aid in future attempts. You take control of a tiny silhouetted square which you must guide through each stage. Once dead, you will respawn and be able to bounce on through the level again, this time using you old corpse as a bridge or platform. If you're prepared to put in the time, you can fill pits with dozens of cubic cadavers in service of getting just one of your squares to the…
TriBlaster Review
If you've ever seen the 1981 arcade game Tempest in action, then TriBlaster’s influences will be immediately apparent. The new tube shooter utilises the same visual style and gameplay mechanics as the Atari classic, but it does so with enough flair to make it feel fresh. TriBlaster's early stages look like you are standing at the blocks of a neon-soaked 100m race track. As you progress though the levels, the shape of these stages begins to warp and twist to awesome effect,…
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Eye on the App Store: Boom Beach, Flashout 2, Little Big Adventure, and more
It’s the middle of the week! You know what that means - Snowden’s favourite spies are back to give you your weekly injection of Eye on the App Store, going live today at 5pm GMT / 9am PST over on the AppSpy Twitch channel. Most of the games we’ll be covering will go live on the App Store at midnight tonight, so come get a heads-up on which games will suit your delicate taste buds before they’re locked to your iTunes account forever. Watch us grind up the walls something awful in Flashout 2, a futuristic racer heavily inspired by Sony’s WipEout series. Cult classic Little Big Adventure is alive and well on iOS almost 20 years after its initial PC release (apo…
Classic '90s adventure game Little Big Adventure is coming to the App Store at midnight
Twenty years after its original PC release, the classic adventure game Little Big Adventure is being re-released on the App Store at midnight tonight. Little Big Adventure follows the story of Twinsen, an inhabitant of Citadel Island. His world is ruled over by the evil - and oddly named - dictator Dr. FunFrock. When Twinsen starts to have dreams about the destruction of his planet, the doctor throws him into an insane asylum. Taking control of Twinsen, it's up to you to help his escape from captivity, and discover his destiny as protector of his world. The new iOS release features a host of updates for touchscreen. Firstly, the dev has streamlined the interface for touchscreen, and thr…
Forever Lost prologue episode Cabin Escape: Alice's Story out now on iPhone and iPad
If you're a fan of developer Glitch Games's point-and-click adventure series Forever Lost, then you're probably on tenterhooks waiting for episode three to arrive. However, to tide you over until then, the team has released a prologue episode called Cabin Escape: Alice's Story, which is available free from the App Store right now. The game exists in the same universe as Forever Lost, and features similar gameplay tropes. Playing as Alice, you find yourself trapped in a log cabin, and must examine your surrounding to find clues to help you escape. Your trusty camera returns, allowing you to photograph important items and locations to reference later. You'll also get some back story relat…
