We’ll start things off this week with a few titles that look very promising, but who’s lack of online multiplayer might ultimately hurt them. The first of these is Mille Bornes®, which is available in separate iPhone and iPad releases. French for ‘a thousand milestones’, this is the classic French ‘road race’ card game that you may have played as a child. I loved this game as a kid, and I’m really excited to see a fully licensed version make its way to iOS. However, I really wish they had included online multiplayer instead of just Bluetooth and pass and play. Another new release in a similar boat is the rather nice looking arcade racer called VS. Racing from Maciek Drejak Labs which features up to 7 player multiplayer action via local WiFi or 4 players via Bluetooth.
Some of our favorite studios are back launching new titles for both the iPhone and iPad. Big Blue Bubble (Burn the Rope) is back with a fun and challenging all physics-based puzzle game called Paper Munchers. G5 Entertainment, masters in the hidden object genre launched the third title in their popular Treasure Seekers series, Treasure Seekers 3 – Follow the Ghosts. Cobra Mobile (Storm in A Teacup) released Powerslide Penguin, a Chillingo-published puzzle game that will have you sliding Penn Gwynn to collect coins in over 75 obstacle-filled levels. Speaking of Chillingo, this week they also published D.A.R.K, their much anticipated sci-fi action RPG game which is currently available for a discounted launch price of 99¢. SEGA released an iOS version of their Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing game complete with Game Center supported online multiplayer races.
Looking for something a little different? Ragtime Games released Continuity 2: The Continuation. It a unique puzzle game where everything is broken into various tiles and you must rearrange the tiles to move the character through each level, collect the key and unlock the door. The original game won a number of awards, but this sequel features all brand new levels made specifically for iOS. I know I’ve played a similar game recently, but I cannot for the life of me remember what the title was. Although, I suspect that title drew it’s inspiration from Continuity. kode80 launched 1-bit ninja, a 2D/3D Mario-esque scrolling platformer, with retro Gameboy-like visuals and a really unique interface whereby players drag the 2D world into 3D at any time to reveal hidden paths.
Like defense games? Bulkypix is back with Hills of Glory: WWII, their fresh assault on the castle defense genre. Thunder Game Works returns to their popular Trenches series with Trenches: Generals, an all new version of Trenches “built for the iPad from the ground up” and which features some cool new exclusive features and content including split-screen multiplayer on the same device. Gameloft games can’t be described with out using a “-like” so I’ll call their latest title (a universal app), BackStab, an Assassins Creed-like 3D action game, that was supposed to be an Xperia™ PLAY exclusive.
Last but not least, if you are short on funds or just like social style games, then there are three freemium titles that were released this past week that are worthy of your attention. First off, it’s been a while since we’ve seen anything from IUGO Mobile Entertainment, but they are back with Sunshine Cruise Lines. It is a game that puts you as the captain of a cruise ship where you must keep all aspects of the line running smoothly. Glu Games released Circus City, a circus sim game that tasks you with creating your very own Circus, hiring the entertainers, building attractions, concession stands and more! Find out if the Circus life is for you! And Finally, NimbleBit (Pocket Frogs) released Tiny Tower, a game in which you must build up your own tower-like structure (one floor at a time) and manage all of the residents and businesses that inhabit it.
As always, please leave a comment below letting us know what new releases you picked up this week.
