Take Flight as Cat Bird in This Charming Platformer
August 30, 2017 by RSS Feed
Cat Bird! (Free) by Ryan Carag is a cute and charming platformer that features flying cats. Because what's better than normal felines? Flying ones, naturally. If you enjoyed other platformers like Super Phantom Cat 2 and the Mikey Shorts series, then you will like Cat Bird as well.
Stress can get the best of me sometimes, so I'm often looking for ways to escape through video games. I grew up with an NES and SEGA Genesis, so platformers are a tried-and-true genre with me. I love playing them because they're usually a fun challenge, and who doesn't like a good platformer? When I saw Cat Bird! on the App Store, I was intrigued because flying cats? Count me in.
Super Phantom Cat 2
Beijing Veewo Game Co., Ltd.
Mikey Shorts
BeaverTap Games, LLC
Visually, Cat Bird! features a gorgeous retro pixel art aesthetic that is delightful and nostalgic. The game is rendered in 2D with lush environments and endearing character sprites that are distinctive. Cat Bird! has a nice color palette that consists of soft and muted earthy tones as well as bright and vibrant colors when needed. The animations are smooth and fluid, so there was no lag on my iPhone 7. As far as audio goes, Cat Bird! has a nice chiptune soundtrack that's fun to listen to, and the sound effects are quirky. For the developer's first release, they did a pretty good job with the visual and audio design.
Since Cat Bird! is a platformer, it's split up into several different worlds that contain a good amount of levels each. To get to the next stage, you'll have to clear the previous one first. The goal in this game is to help your flying cat friend reach the portal at the end of each level so he can get home. While it seems easy enough at first, things get trickier when you encounter more dangerous hazards, such as spikes, pits, saw blades, and various critters.
Controls in Cat Bird! are simple enough. In the bottom left corner are two buttons for moving left and right. On the other side, there's a single button for jumping. You also long-press this button to have your cat flap his arms to fly and hover. The catch is the fact that your cat can only jump and hover once, at least until he touches ground. When this happens, he is able to do it again.
Because of this game mechanic, it's all about timing when it comes to successfully completing stages in Cat Bird. You'll have to be precise with your jumps and time them correctly to get past tough obstacles. Later stages also take up more sections on the screen and sometimes keys are needed to gain access to the portal, so exploration is mixed in with the platforming action.
I've only just started Cat Bird! today, but it's proving to be an enjoyable experience. The game is free to download and play, so there are ads that pop up between levels every now and then. However, it allows players to play several stages at a time before they pop up, so it's not overly intrusive. An option to get rid of ads is available as a $1.99 in-app purchase.
Jump as a cat, fly as a bird, and try to complete retro inspired platformer levels.
The Good
Cat Bird! showcases beautiful pixel art graphics that are detailed and colorful. The music and sound design adds to the overall charm of the game. Stages are crafted tastefully and offer a good amount of challenge for both casual and veteran gamers. The controls work out well enough, and the game offers Time Trial mode, boss fights, and more so the content is plentiful. Ads are not overly obnoxious, which is always a plus.
The Bad
I found the positioning of the buttons to be a tad annoying. The spacing and size is a bit off from other precise platformers like Mikey Shorts, so I would end up going the wrong direction sometimes. it takes a bit of getting used to and readjusting, but it's not too much of a problem.
The verdict
As a fan of platformer games, Cat Bird! is definitely one to try out. The game offers up cute visuals, great music, and is simple to play while offering up a challenge. I do wish that there was an option for customizing the button positioning, as I believe that would help me be more accurate. Regardless, the game is fun and delightful, even with the occasional ad.
I recommend giving Cat Bird! a spin if you're looking for a quirky platformer to kill some time with. Cat Bird! is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There's also iMessage stickers.
8.8
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8
Game Controls 8
Cat Bird!
Ryan Carag
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
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Jail Football Takes Soccer to Another (Fun) Level
August 30, 2017 by RSS Feed
Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon
Soccer can be a really fun sport, especially when you’re playing against people around the world from the comfort of your iPhone.
Jail Football is an exciting and competitive game that puts a unique spin on this classic game by pitting convicts against correction officers.
Concept and Gameplay: 
While nothing beats going outside and kicking a ball around, Jail Football, developed by Zaur Khadikov, does a decent job of recreating soccer in a less-than-desirable environment.
This isn’t your typical version of soccer where yellow and red cards are acceptable; this is an all out contact sport where violence is actually encouraged, and how fun is that?
Gameplay is well designed and straightforward in Jail Football, which makes the game incredibly fun to play. All you have to do is tap the player you want to control, then drag your finger back to aim the ball. If you aim at an opponent, you’ll run up to them and physically attack them.
Jail Football gives you quite a few options for gameplay, which is perfect for players who want to experience the game in various ways. For example, you’re able to hone your skills against the computer, or try your luck battling other players around the world.
You can even directly challenge friends to a match.
Features:
Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon
One of the things I really like about Jail Football is that it’s a very versatile game.
Along with various fun game modes to try, you can strive to be the best player by climbing the leaderboards.
The game seems to have quite a popular following already, which means you’ll have to work in order to achieve decent rankings.
You can also customize your avatar and name to your liking, which does add a nice personal touch to Jail Football.
Value:
Jail Football is available to download from the App Store for $0.99 and is universally compatible with iPhone and iPad.
When it comes to fun games to play, Jail Football is definitely up there on the list. It has a ton of versatility and gameplay modes, which means it’ll appeal to all kinds of players.
Jail Football – Prison Soccer Maniacs requires iOS 9.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPad.
Source link:http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2017/08/jail-football-iphone-game/
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Blackjack and RPG Come Together in the Addictive Battlejack
August 24, 2017 by RSS Feed
Battlejack (Free) by NEXON M is a unique social RPG card game that revolves around Blackjack. If you're a fan of other interesting hybrid games like Solitairica and Card Crawl, then you will love what Battlejack has to offer. It's similar to other games like Match Land.
I've been feeling a bit stressed out lately, so I've taken refuge in plenty of games, mostly on my iPhone. While I enjoy many different genres of games, lately I've taken great pleasure in various RPGs, such as Dice Mage 2. There's something about these luck-based games that keeps me coming back for more, and it feels like it's never enough. And while I don't do much gambling in real life, I still love a good game of Blackjack. So when I heard about Battlejack, which combines Blackjack with RPG battles, I knew that this was something I had to try, no doubt about it.
App Feels Like
App Feels Like
Solitairica
Righteous Hammer Games Inc.
Card Crawl
Arnold Rauers
Match Land
Race Cat
Dice Mage 2
Tapinator, Inc.
Visually, Battlejack is fun with a cute and cartoonish art style that's drawn well and is rather eye catching. The game is rendered completely in 2D, but the world map has a bit of a 3D feel to it, thanks to the shadows and depth of each world. Battlejack is full of bright and vibrant colors, and all character sprites are distinctive and appealing. While the menus feel a bit cluttered, it's still pretty easy to follow. Animations are smooth and fluid so I experienced no lag issues on my iPhone 7. There's a generic adventure soundtrack in the background, and delightful sound effects of shuffling cards and elemental attacks.
Similar to other social RPGs, Battlejack is level-based with different areas, and each has a handful of stages to go through in increasing difficulty. Each level features several waves of enemies that you must fight through, with a tougher boss fight at the end. Stages must be cleared in chronological order, and each one costs stamina to enter (unfortunately). If you're out of stamina, you'll have to wait for it to refill or spend gems (premium currency).
In battle, you'll face off against waves of enemies, which may have anywhere from two to four monsters in each wave. You can tap to select a target, and while it's not necessary, it's helpful when you need to eliminate the biggest threat. Otherwise, the game automatically picks targets for you. Enemies have a number on them — this represents the number of turns you can make before they'll attack you.
In the bottom left corner is a button that lets you deal cards. You'll want to deal until you get 21, or get as close as you can without going over. If you go over 21, then your turn ends and you won't be able to attack. Each card is colored, and allows a hero of the same color to attack. The damage they deal is determined by the value of the cards. And the more cards you get in one turn, the more your multiplier goes up, increasing damage dealt.
Each hero unit also has a special skill that can be activated once the gauge is full. To use it, just tap on the hero and select the skill you want. These range from powerful attacks, crippling enemies, and even healing your team.
Some hero units also work in synergy with each other. For example, early on in the game you'll discover fairy and druid types work well together, increasing their healing potential. When you have two units that work well, they both get another ability, becoming valuable assets in battle.
Players gain experience points by completing levels, and this increases the overall rank. However, heroes are leveled up separately, by fusing with other hero cards. You can earn cards by "capturing" them in battle (just defeat them), but only one can be captured on each wave. To keep them, you must defeat the boss.
For better heroes, you'll need Rare or Honor Summon Tokens, which may be found in chests or you can get them from in-app purchases. Otherwise, you must spend gems to get a summon, or honor (feathers) for Honor Summons. Honor is earned when people borrow your hero in battles or you accept friend requests.
The game also has potions that you can take with you in battle, with up to three able to be equipped at a time. You can use potions any time between card dealing, so if you need a heal before an enemy attack, use it!
As mentioned, there are guilds and you can add friends in this, after all, it's a social RPG. Guilds are useful for taking on raids and getting epic loot, and you can get help with experience points and fusing (it's beneficial for everyone). There's also arenas that you can participate in at rank 10 and above.
Blackjack meets RPG as you battle foes on your way to 21.
The Good
Battlejack is a unique RPG that I never thought I'd see, and now I'm wondering why it hasn't been done sooner. The art is cute and fun, and the gameplay itself is different and rather addictive. Even if you aren't a huge Blackjack fan, it's hard to put this down once you start. There's a lot of content available, and it's fun to go back and replay levels just to get more hero cards in order to level up your stronger ones.
The Bad
Like with other social RPGs, since the game is free-to-play, there are timers involved. The timers are for stamina refills and even opening chests that you get from each completed stage. Plus, you can only hold so many chests at once, so if the slots are full, you'll be letting chests go to waste because you can't collect them. I also wish that it was possible to level up heroes without the need to fuse, because that means a lot of grinding's involved.
The verdict
Despite the flaws, I'm seriously having a great time with Battlejack. I'm a big Blackjack and RPG fan, so this is a mashup that I fell in love with immediately. I'm enjoying the fun art style, and the game mechanics are easy enough for anyone to understand. The difficulty does pick up once you hit the third area, but that just adds to the challenge. I wish that the game menus weren't so cluttered, though, and I'm not the biggest fan about the timers, but I'm willing to put up with it for now.
If you enjoy hybrid games, then Battlejack is one you should check out. Battlejack is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free with in-app purchases.
8.9
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Replayability 9.5
Gameplay 9.5
Graphics 8
Sound/Music 7.5
Battlejack
NEXON M Inc.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Test Your Luck in Dice Mage 2, a Pint-Sized RPG
August 23, 2017 by RSS Feed
Dice Mage 2 (Free) by Tapinator in collaboration with Boarding Party is a bite-size RPG that tests your luck. It's the sequel to the original Dice Mage that came out in 2015, and it's a worthy upgrade. If you like recent titles such as Cat Quest and Miracle Merchant, then you'll enjoy what Dice Mage 2 has to offer.
As I went through high school, I spent a lot of time on RPGs in my free time (you know, after homework). Back then, I didn't have to worry about jobs and other adult responsibilities, so I felt like I had all the time in the world for games. Thus, I poured hundreds of hours into whatever RPGs I could get my hands on at the time. Now that I'm older and have more things to worry about, I don't have as much time as I would like to put into every single RPG. So I appreciate ones that let me play in quick sessions. When the first Dice Mage came out, I was impressed with the quick battles and how it was a perfect pick-up-and-play game. Now that the sequel is out, I'm not disappointed.
App Feels Like
App Feels Like
Dice Mage
Tapinator, Inc.
Cat Quest
The Gentlebros Pte. Ltd.
Miracle Merchant
Arnold Rauers
Visually, Dice Mage 2 is gorgeous with a cute pixelated art style that's a nice homage to the 16-bit games of yesteryear. The pixel art style will always remain a classic, and all of the character sprites are as detailed as ever. Dice Mage 2 features pretty, lush environments as you make your way through different worlds, and the colors are bright and vibrant. All animations are smooth and fluid, with no lag on my iPhone 7. There's also an upbeat and quirky soundtrack that gets your adrenaline going, as well as fun sound effects in battle.
Dice Mage 2 has a pretty generic story that isn't too captivating. There's a mage who stumbles upon some tough looking monsters, and discovers that they're going to destroy the world. So of course it's up to him to stop them, through dice magic. But honestly, you don't play this game for story, you play it for the fun and exciting battles.
The game's split up into different worlds, which all have its own unique set of enemies and a large boss at the end. The worlds consist of floating rocks that hold an enemy sprite (engage in battle), gems (premium currency), or even item shops. To go to a rock, just tap on the one you want. Treasure is automatically collected when you get there, and you enter shops immediately, but this can only happen once, so make sure you're stocked up with gems!
Engaging in battle is done by tapping on a rock with an enemy on it. Battles are pretty easy and straightforward, so learning is a snap. In each fight, you have a row of dice at the bottom — these are what you roll for your attacks. Colored dice have spells and skills attached to them that activate when rolled. You get to pick two dice to roll on each turn, and you must roll higher than the enemy for it to be a successful attack. If you're not happy with your selection of dice, you can re-roll a new dice hand by spending some gems.
In each battle, you continue to roll dice until the enemy's HP whittles down to zero. If your health runs out, then you'll have to restart the world, or watch an ad to continue. When you're low on health, you should try to roll green health recovery die, or stop by a shop and spend some gems to refill hit points. Unfortunately there's no potion item that you can carry with you, so replenishing health is a scarcity.
If you're on a bad luck streak, then a gauge fills up in the bottom left. Once it's full, you can tap on it to activate your Super, which deals a good amount of damage to the enemy. But be careful — this can deal a ton of damage, but requires you to take plenty of damage too. High stakes, big rewards!
As you defeat enemies, you're rewarded with treasure chests. These may contain upgrades, like increase your attack power, give you some health, or even have equippable gear (armor, weapons, and spells). The random shops you find also sell gear, but they cost gems, so you'll have to save up and grind.
Along with regular battles, Dice Mage 2 has some mini-games that give you more opportunities for chests. These mini-games involve rolling die and having the total roll fall under the green bar on a scale. If your roll is in the green, you get a chest; if not, then you spend a gem to try again.
Roll the dice to battle various enemies with magical dice boosts included.
The Good
Dice Mage 2 is a perfect quick RPG to play when you have a few moments to spare. The graphics are endearing, the music and sounds are fun, and the controls are super intuitive. The battles are fun and fast, relying on a mix of luck and strategy to win. Once you get going, Dice Mage 2 becomes pretty hard to put down.
The Bad
While there's more good than bad to Dice Mage 2, it's not perfect. I was a bit disappointed to see that there are no health potions, so replenishing HP is an arduous task. I also think that I should get more than one gem for some items, because they're already hard enough to come by. Having to restart the world just because you ran out of health is also annoying, as it forces you to watch an ad just to keep your place.
The verdict
Despite the flaws, I'm finding Dice Mage 2 incredibly fun to play. I always love pixel art, so the graphics are delightful to see. The music and sound effects are also fun to hear, and the combination of luck and planning makes for a distinctive gameplay mechanic. I can see myself coming back to this one for a long time — it's perfect for short burst gaming sessions.
I recommend giving Dice Mage 2 a try if you're in need of a quick RPG. You can find Dice Mage 2 on the App Store as a universal download on your iPhone and iPad for free with in-app purchases.
9.0
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Replayability 9
Graphics 9
Gameplay 9
Sound/Music 8
Dice Mage 2
Tapinator, Inc.
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Super Phantom Cat 2 Gives You Purr-fect Puzzle Platforming Action
August 21, 2017 by RSS Feed
Super Phantom Cat 2 (Free) by Veewo Games is a cute and charming puzzle platformer game that involves plenty of cats. If you are a fan of games like the Mikey Shorts series or even the recently released Cat Quest, then you will love what Super Phantom Cat 2 has to offer. It's a sequel to the hit original, Super Phantom Cat.
As someone who grew up in the late '80s and early '90s, I pretty much grew up on platformers. I had the Sonic the Hedgehog games for my SEGA Genesis, and of course, Super Mario Bros. for my NES. Platformers were all the rage back then, and they continue to be even now. Plus, how can anyone resist the cuteness of a feline protagonist?
While I love platformers, I considered it hard to find the perfect platformer on iOS, since precise touch controls are hard to nail down. The Mikey Shorts games got them perfectly, and it's been hard to find another franchise that matches it. That is, until Super Phantom Cat.
App Feels Like
App Feels Like
Super Phantom Cat - Be a jumping bro.
Beijing Veewo Game Co., Ltd.
Cat Quest
The Gentlebros Pte. Ltd.
Mikey Shorts
BeaverTap Games, LLC
Visually, Super Phantom Cat 2 follows in the footsteps of the original. The game features a somewhat blocky, 2D world that is bright and colorful. The game gives off an old-school, retro aesthetic that reminds me of Super Mario Bros., which is not a bad thing — I love nostalgia.
The protagonist, Ari, along with all of the other cats and other critters, have unique and distinctive appearances that are endearing and hard to resist. The color palette is eye-catching, as it has a fantastic mix of soft pastels, vibrant bolds, and even dark shades to represent night and darkness. The game runs smoothly on my iPhone 7, so the animation is fluid. The game has a quirky and whimsical soundtrack, with lovable sound effects. Overall, Veewo has done another excellent job with this sequel in terms of visual and audio design.
Like the original game, as well as many other platformers, the game is level-based. This means players go through each chapter and stage in chronological order before they're able to move on to the next area. The goal in each stage is to make your way to the portal at the end, but there's many things that get in the way before that happens. You'll encounter many different enemies, obstacles, treasure chests with prizes, and many other hidden secrets of the Phantom World. Fortunately, Ari gains access to some super awesome magical phantom powers on his journey, which help him achieve the impossible.
The controls in Super Phantom Cat 2 are simple and intuitive. In the bottom left corner are your buttons for horizontal directional movement. The bottom right corner has your button for jumping — tap-and-hold on it to do longer jumps. As you come across Phantom Powers in levels, you'll get another button adjacent to the jump. This lets you activate those powers, which include growing vines for climbing, turning unbreakable bricks into crushable blue blocks, jumping higher, freezing enemies, turning invisible, and more.
If you've ever played platformer games before, then you'll know that secret rooms could be anywhere. It's recommended to hug all of the walls if you can, because you never know what you'll find! Plus, you earn "Discovery" points if you find secrets, and there's plenty to find on each stage.
On each stage, players can earn up to three stars: one for completing it, another for finding the star, and one more for opening a chest. The first two are completely manageable if you take the time to explore thoroughly, but the last one can be a bit tricky. Some chests are free to open, but others may require keys, which you buy with the premium currency. They give you some freebies in the beginning, but after that, you're on your own.
As you complete stages, you gain experience points. Leveling up gives you access to new buildings that you can build at your base, such as locksmiths for keys, a brewery for elixirs (let you continue if you run out of hearts and die), and more. To create these items, you have to spend some gold coins and also wait for a timer, which can be annoying. If you're impatient, you can spend blue gems to speed it up.
Since Super Phantom Cat 2 is a free game, it has an energy system and occasional ads. This is disappointing, considering the fact that the original game was premium, allowing you to play as much as you want. During my time with the game so far, I have yet to encounter an ad, though, so at least it's non-intrusive.
While players start off with Ari, there are other heroes that you can play as later on. To unlock new playable characters, you must collect the necessary amount of hero fragments (found in chests), or reach certain points in the game. While most of the heroes are merely cosmetic, some of them (like Alpha), have special abilities, like getting hero fragments each time you play.
To add to the game's high replay value, there are also quests that can be completed for even more rewards. These are accessed in the "Quests" tab, and they have various objectives to complete. If you fail to do the objective, then it's game over and you'll need to try again. These keep things fresh and interesting, so if you want a break from the regular levels, the Quests provide even more challenge.
The classic inspired platformer returns with a sequel of its own.
The Good
Super Phantom Cat 2 is a worthy sequel from the original game. It has the same adorable art style and music, and the controls are super simple and responsive. The controls are on par with the Mikey Shorts series, and that is hard to accomplish! The game offers a ton of content for free, and there's high replay value with many secrets to discover, playable heroes, quests, and challenging levels.
The Bad
Unlike the first game, Super Phantom Cat 2 is freemium, which comes at a disappointment for many fans of the original. Having an energy system and timers in place can be rather annoying. This game is definitely worth a few bucks, and it seems many would have rather seen it stay premium, rather than go the free-to-play route. However, the game itself is good, so at least there is an option to eliminate the energy system and ads.
The verdict
Like many, I am a big fan of the first Super Phantom Cat, so I'm glad to see the sequel finally available on the App Store. Despite the free-to-play route that the developers decided to take, I still find the game fun to play, and it's rather challenging. Plus, I'm in love with the graphics and delightful music, and I can't resist a game full of sweet kitties. After trying the game out, I think it's worth plopping down a few bucks to get rid of the energy system and ads for a more enjoyable experience.
I highly recommend giving Super Phantom Cat 2 a try, whether you're a fan of the first game or just want a good old puzzle platformer to pass the time with. Super Phantom Cat 2 is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for free with in-app purchases. There are also iMessage stickers.
9.4
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Graphics 10
Replayability 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Super Phantom Cat 2
Veewo Games
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
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