While perhaps not the busiest week for new releases on iOS, there were still several standout new gaming titles which launched this past week.
Kicking things off is Gameloft’s latest mission-based, world-building game, Disney Magic Kingdoms. The happiest place on Earth has fallen under the control of Maleficent’s evil curse, ridding it of all of its powerful magic. Now it’s up to you to join Mickey Mouse and all of his Disney friends to lift the curse and craft an all-new Disney park, full of all of your favorite iconic attractions, characters and even parades. As with most free-to-play games of this type, it will require a bit of grinding (or a whole lot of real hard-earned cash), but the promise of new unlockable characters, bot recent and classic as well as more of your favorite Disney park attractions will keep you coming back for more.
Winterstate is a visually appealing, new free-to-play “tactical combat trader” from the team at PlayRaven, where players select and upgrade vehicles to build a convoy of deadly vehicles which they then deploy to try to complete a variety of missions. You tap on individual vehicles and draw path with your finger to guide them where you want to sneak up on enemies, grab a power-up point or just go in for a brute force attack. I’ve only just started playing, but it’s pretty satisfying. One downside is that you need an internet connection to play and I highly recommend the iPad over a smaller screen device.
Krosmaster Arena is Ankama’s digital release of the popular tabletop turn-based strategy game, featuring cute little manga-style collectible warriors. Released on Steam in November of last year, the game now comes to the iPad with cross-platform play support. The gameplay is fairly straight forward with each of your warriors having a limited number of movement points and attack points per turn. The different characters have different abilities each of which will const varying points, depending on the warrior. Some will have close-range attacks while others will have more long-range skills. The key is to build a team with a nice breadth of skills. There are currently three game modes (with a fourth on the way) including a campaign mode, match mode for challenging friends and a tournament mode. There is IAP in the form of Krosboxes which will unlock random characters. While the interface is fairly straight forward, at times it feels a bit clunky and unresponsive, not sure if this is a side effect of porting over from Steam or not. Krosmaster is a game I’ve wanted to try for quite some time now, but didn’t want to invest in the physical game, so this is a fun way to be able to finally check it out or free.
A real highlight of the week, it is great to see that cute little white dog back from more adventures in Silicon Jelly’s self-published sequel, Mimpi Dreams. With slightly refined controls, big, bold new imaginative worlds to explore this combination of platformer and adventure game is sure to be a real crowd pleaser. In each level, you control Mimpi using on-screen controls as well as manipulating the environment to sold puzzles and help Mimpi reach new areas as he searches for the exit and the x number of hidden bones. Family friendly and fun for all ages, this charming little game is definitely worth a look, it even offers 4th gen Apple TV support as well.
Onion Force is Queen Bee Games’ nicely illustrated (and sometimes frantic) strategy game which mixes elements of both adventure and Tower Defense. Spread across 30 levels, you start by selecting your team of heroes (each with different stats and abilities) and then it’s battle time. You are trying to protect your King from waves of enemies. To do so, you tap to move your warrior about or tap and hold to fire a character’s ranged weapon. A number of towers can be erected and upgraded on special build spaces. And there are quite a few power-ups.
Next up, an App Store classic, I Dig It, returns to the App Store in an all-new remastered edition. In 2009, InMotion Software launched the original I Dig It and this new version retains pretty much all of the brilliant gameplay of that early App Store title, but utilizes a new game engine, adds universal support, a new HUD and has improved graphics. For those unfamiliar with the game, you take on the role of a down on his luck farmer who “converts an old bulldozer into a fantastic high-tech ‘diggin’ machine. You use this machine to explore the land under your farm, collecting items to sell to earn money to save your farm. However there are several things working against you. First there is a time limit, then there is the matter of maintaining your Franken-digger. You have to monitor fuel and temperature levels, as well as maintain and upgrade the hull and other components so that it can delve deeper and find more and more stuff that you can sell. Do you put the money toward your mortgage or you do some necessary upgrades or repairs to your rig so that it doesn’t overheat or have a hull breach, ending any hope of saving the farm. If you haven’t tried I Dig It Remastered yet, then you really ought to, it’ll put up a nice challenge.
Originally released for the PC 2001, the Korean horror game, Whiteday: A Labyrinth Named School just got a beautiful new port for iOS by ROIGAMES. White Day follows the story of Hui-min, the protagonist, and other students who find themselves locked in the school late at night and struggle to survive against “possessed janitors, ghosts with mysterious pasts, and all sorts of dangers and horrors”. You make choices and decisions throughout the game which culminates in one of 7 possible endings. I just started playing, but so far it’s delightfully spooky, beautifully animated and will keep you engaged, I can certainly see why this was such a popular title. A couple of important notes regarding this release, you have a device where Game Center is working in order to play and once the game launches it will start downloading a huge amount of additional data (around 2 GB) so just make sure you have space and don’t have the dreaded Game Center bug before purchasing.
Finally that brings us to ChemCaper, a rather unique looking hybrid of RPG and educational title. The game is meant to help teach Chemistry concepts in a completely different and fun way. Players take on the role of Roub, a young Moon Being, tasked with searching for his people’s lost deity. On your quest you are aided by companions known as Petticles. These usually friendly beings have been mysteriously transformed into “vicious scheming creatures” who attack the Moon Beings and as you play the game, you learn get to know the different types of chemical bonds through these Petticles, crafting potions to both heal and improve abilities. ChemCaper looks like a really cool concept and a neat way to make learning fun.
Hope you enjoy this week’s selections, even more mobile gaming goodness is on the way next week as well.
 Mimpi Dreams |
 Onion Force |
 I Dig It Remastered |
 Whiteday : a labyrinth named school |
 ChemCaper |
