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Newly Available On iOS : Monument Valley, FTL: Faster Than Light, Fairway Solitaire Blast and More

Finally it seems that in April we may get a slight breather in the new release department. Unless we have an influx of surprise releases tomorrow, it appears we are back down high, but more manageable levels.

That being said, I still have 12+ titles I’ll be covering tonight, so let’s jump right in with the freebies, starting with Fairway Solitaire Blast. Gutsy McDivot and Big Fish Games’ are back with new twist on one of the best mobile solitaire games. Each level plays out on a golf course with all the usual golf hazards as players play cards that are either one higher or lower in order to clear out the board. The original was so much fun with all sorts of unique twists to mix up game play and add to the challenge. With awesome power-ups and social features, I’m excited to hit the links with Fairway Solitaire Blast which, unlike the original, IS a universal app…YAY!

Next up is Chilie, an interactive watercolor storybook adventure game in which players help a little red-headed Asian girl named Chilie and her guardian to achieve their goals by performing the actions on the screen. There is some optional IAP for speeding things up, but otherwise it is free.

According to the publisher, Lightbringers: Saviors of Raia is quite a mash-up, it is a “cross-platform, drop-in/drop-out, real-time multiplayer co-op, hack ‘n slash game in which you face hundreds of enemies on screen, battle alongside your friends and become Legends of the Light”. It’s got a pretty sweet cinematic trailer, and allows for play with up to 3 friends in real-time multiplayer co-op. I’m curious to see what the actual gameplay is like.

Last week we saw some iOS giants release a couple of new social word games and now we have another new entry in this genre called SpellBounders. It is a fantasy word game in which players select their heroes and then compete in a battle of “wits, words and magic”. Each hero has its own unique set of abilities which can aid you in battle, along with spells an other special tiles which keep the gameplay fresh and interesting. If you are tired of the existing crop of word games SpellBounders looks like it could breath new life and a little more action into this genre.

Speaking of action, MY.COM has just released their new sci-fi action RPG, Evolution: Battle for Utopia. You play as human operatives “on a mission to explore, chart, and uncover the dark secrets of a mysterious paradise gone silent – the planet Utopia.” With some impressive looking graphics and built from the ground up, specifically for mobile devices, the game has already garnered some nice momentum in other countries leading up to today’s worldwide release, so I suspect this one will continue to do well.

Bulkypix’s episodic gamebook / action RPG mashup Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf is still available for free for a limited time to celebrate the launch of the game’s second (or four) acts, which is available as an in-app purchase. Right now you can also pick up the complete season pass at a 20% discount (also for a limited time). So at the very least, if you haven’t grabbed the original app, you should definitely do so, before the price goes back up.

Onto the paid apps…

Millie is a cute new casual puzzle game that follows the adventures of a millipede (named Millie) who decides to pursue her dream of getting airborne by joining the local Aviation School…makes sense. You navigate maze-like levels, dodging danger and growing bigger as you collect these little pellets and try to avoid eating your own tail. Looks like it may have a bit of a retro Pac-Man / snake type vibe to it.

15 Coins is a new fast-paced minimalistic arcade game from first time developer Engaging Games. You must survive long enough to steer your ever-moving ship around an increasing number of enemy ships, collecting 15 coins which appear randomly throughout the screen. The enemy ships follow your previous flight pattern, so there is some strategy involved, but even on ‘easy’ mode, the game can be pretty brutal. If you are up for the challenge, then you can grab 15 Coins for a special launch price of 99¢ (50% off).

The Sago Sago team is back with another fun little app for your 2-4 year olds. As the name suggests, in Sago Mini Monsters your child gets to create their own monsters, decorate and paint them, feed them a snack and brush their teeth. It looks like a another cute app that is perfect for keeping your little monsters out of trouble.

Also for the kids, Oceanhouse Media released a new collection of four of their popular Learning Library titles giving you a $9 discount over purchasing them individually. Outside Your Door! Learning Library Collection teaches kids all about nature and the great outdoors. The set includes I Can Name 50 Trees Today!, Fine Feathered Friends, My Oh My-A Butterfly!, and Oh Say Can You Seed? and is available at a special launch price of $14.99.

It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten a new app from ustwo™, but it’s clear that they’ve been putting that time to very good use with their gorgeously crafted new puzzle adventure game, Monument Valley. Players must manipulate beautiful surreal M.C. Escher-inspired architecture to help guide the silent princess Ida through a series of mysterious monuments and optical illusions, to reveal the game’s unique, mysterious and enigmatic plot. I received an early copy of this game and it is quite outstanding and the reason this post may be a little late as I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance the highly anticipated lane strategy game from Eutechnyx Limited, set in the popular Warhammer 40,000 universe. Players must choose sides as either Grand Master Belial, defending the planet with “only 100 Dark Angel Space Marines”, or Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka and attempt to annihilate the planet “using the cunning of the Ork Waaagh! and their telly-porta technology”. I’m not terribly familiar with the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but according to the iTunes preview page, the game offers 50+ missions per faction as well as an in-depth skill tree for each faction, so there should be a nice amount of replay with this one.

Finally, we have what is the most anticipated game of the night for many, an indie darling of PC gamers, FTL: Faster Than Light. This top-down real-time strategy / simulation game is set aboard a spacecraft. Lead your ship and crew on a randomly generated adventure with different enemies, events, and results to your decisions every time you play. The iPad edition includes the FTL: Advanced Edition (for free), which adds new ships, enemies, events, weapons, and more. It is available for $10, the same price as the PC release. I’d be surprised if FTL: Faster Than Light doesn’t make it near (or to the) top of Apple’s Top Grossing apps chart by week’s end.