It is another packed night of new iOS releases, but I decided to limit myself to just eight this week (though there are a lot more good-looking titles coming).
While many of these games do feature wizards and mages, the selected titles span just a number of genres so there is bound to be something that appeals to everyone.
Starting as I always do, with a FREE title, we have the long-awaited next free-to-play game from the guys at NimbleBit. Nimble Quest is almost like an RPG version of the game snake in which players swipe to control their endlessly moving “conga line of heroes” as the do battle with hordes of enemies picking up various power-ups along the way. With team-based Guild Quests reminiscent of the group events in Pocket Planes, this is destined to be yet another time-consuming hit for NimbleBit.
Keeping with the retro theme, we have Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold, which is an episodic Old West adventure game that pays homage to the golden years of adventure gaming when Sierra Online & LucasArts reigned supreme. With a classic graphical style, retro ‘action’ hud and modern conveniences like iCloud syncing between devices this looks like a really fun throwback to the games of my youth for just 99¢.
Next up is the debut title from developer Platronic Games. Their free puzzle / hidden object game sets itself apart with its unique 3D effect (see the trailer on page 2 of this post) which must be used to help Jonas and Ava in their exploration of the mysterious dwelling.
Finnish developer Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, is back with Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops the sequel to their popular Real Time Strategy game published by Chillingo. “Bigger and better”, this sophomore entry in the franchise will have you leading Special Forces troops into bullet-ridden battles against both terrorists and even zombies. Where’s my local recruitment office?
Magicka – Wizards of the Square Tablet is a humorous fantasy action adventure game “based on Norse mythology” which first came out on Steam in 2011, and now the franchise makes its way to the iPad. Players take on the role of “a wizard from a sacred order tasked with the ultimate goal of stopping an evil sorcerer who has thrown the world into turmoil.” uses the same spellcasting system from the PC version, but features a new campaign which takes place before the events in the original PC game. It supports multi-platform multiplayer co-op games with up to 4 players mages.
Dungeon Hearts was one of my favorite titles that I got to preview at PAX East last weekend and I’m excited to see it be released so soon. A fast-paced puzzle/RPG hybrid for the iPad, players must quickly slide around various shaped runes on their conveyor belt-like Fatestream to form sets (match-three style), converting the pieces into crystals which can be used to attack that level’s enemy creature and defend against evil spells and enemy attacks. Between levels players try to level up their four heroes to unlock additional special abilities. The game requires quick wits and even faster fingers if you want to survive against the ever-increasing difficulty of the game’s 40 creatures and 7 bosses. I highly recommend picking this one up.
The 3rd largest manufacturer of pinball machines in the world, Zaccaria created and produced more than 30 different pinball machines between 1974 and 1987. Zaccaria has already released a number of iOS pinball titles, and tonight they add Zaccaria Pinball to their roster. It comes with three tables (Time Machine, Devil Riders, Locomotion) and the company plans to bring that total up to 27 licensed Zaccaria pinball tables in all (presumably via IAPs). Pinball fans will likely want to check this one out.
Last but not least we have the iOS release of FINAL FANTASY V. Originally this looked like it’s be a Japanese exclusive (at least for some period of time), but it appears Square Enix has decided to launch it globally. Like the previous titles in the series (which are still on sale) this game carries a premium price tag!
As always, let us know which of these games you’ll be picking up tonight when these (and more) new releases go live at 11pm EST.
 Nimble Quest |
 Secret Castle |
 Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold – Episode 1 |
 Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops |
 Magicka |
 Zaccaria Pinball |
 Dungeon Hearts |
 FINAL FANTASY V |
