Burn Through Time in Lit the Torch, a Charming Puzzle Platformer
February 24, 2017 by RSS Feed
Lit the Torch ($0.99) by Beijing Corn Network Technology Co.,Ltd. is a unique puzzle platformer with a fun twist that is unlike most you’ve tried so far. If you enjoyed games like Badland 2 and Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire, then you will like what Lit the Torch has to offer on the App Store.
With so much going on these days, I find my solace in spending time with my boyfriend and playing video games to take my mind off of everything. A lot of my gaming is on the PS4 lately, but every now and then I return to my iPhone for gaming, specifically of the puzzle variety. I also grew up with platformers of all kinds, so naturally, when the two genres are combined, I can’t help but have the curiosity to check it out for myself, which is what happened with Lit the Torch. If you’re looking for a special kind of puzzle platformer to sink your teeth into this weekend, then Lit the Torch will not disappoint.
Visually speaking, Lit the Torch is downright stunning with a beautiful art style that is incredibly detailed. The game carries a somewhat dark and gloomy aesthetic that is full of soft, muted colors as well as darker and richer hues in the environment. There’s a minimalistic and flat look and feel to everything since it’s all done in 2-D, but the textures and other fine details are all present. The main character, a “Night Watch,” has a rather cute sprite that reminds me a bit of the protagonist in Limbo due to the glowing white eyes, but naturally, the Night Watch has a bit more life and personality flowing through her. Animations in Lit the Torch are smooth and fluid, though sometimes I felt that the movement of the Night Watch uphill was a bit slow, which gets annoying. Lit the Torch also features an ambient and atmospheric soundtrack that is a delight to listen to, so I recommend a good pair of headphones while you play this game. It’s rather soothing, adds to the overall tone of the game, and helps you focus on the puzzles that are at hand. As the developer’s first release on the App Store, Lit the Torch is a nice treat in the visual and audio department for puzzle platformer fans.
As per typical puzzle platformer fare, Lit the Torch is level-based. At the moment, there are 41 stages that are spread out across six different worlds, so there is plenty of content available for the price. Like many other games, players must go through each level in chronological order, so the game is fairly linear in that fact, but the game mechanics can be anything but. As a Night Watch, the objective is pretty straightforward: light all of the torches with your flaming hair, but things aren’t as easy as they seem. The Night Watch must get past obtrusive obstacles to reach the altar torches, and use their power to navigate a shattered, alternate timeline in order to get where they need to go.
The control scheme in Lit the Torch is simple and intuitive. In the bottom left corner are two directional buttons for moving left and right. In the bottom right corner are your buttons for jumping and activating the portal, which is your Night Watch burning a hole through time essentially to view different altar placements in the past. Once the portal is activated, you can drag the window around on the screen with your finger to reveal many hidden secrets on the stage that you’ll need to use to achieve your goal. Eventually, you’ll also encounter other things, such as switches, that your Night Watch can interact with just by moving on top of the object.
As I mentioned, the controls are easy enough for anyone to understand, but it does take a few moments to get used to. You’ll have to constantly toggle the portal and move it around to reveal hidden areas that will help you solve the puzzles, and make sure that you don’t lose your place on platforms. But once you get the hang of things, the game is surprisingly satisfying.
I’m still pretty early on in Lit the Torch, but so far I have enjoyed the game. It’s definitely something that’s different on the App Store, which is always refreshing to see these days. The graphics are gorgeous, the music is charming, and the controls are easy enough for anyone to learn on the fly. If you’re a fan of puzzle platformer games in general, then Lit the Torch is one that you should check out this weekend.
Lit the Torch is available on the App Store as a universal download for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Get Animals to Their Destinations in the Puzzling Rhom Bus
February 23, 2017 by RSS Feed
Rhom Bus ($1.99) by Creatiu Lab is a fantastic new puzzle board game that features cute animals and rhombuses. If you enjoyed titles such as Aurora and Partyrs, then chances are high that you will like what Rhom Bus has to offer. It’s from the same developers of The Mesh and Stubies.
A lot has been going on for me these days, so when I have some downtime I just like to kick back and relax with some video games. While I’ve been on my PlayStation 4 much more lately, I still like to take a break every now and then with some iOS games, especially puzzles. If you’ve followed my work here at AppAdvice for the past few years, then you’ll know that puzzles are one of my favorite genres because they’re mentally stimulating yet relaxing at the same time, which I truly appreciate. Even though it feels like I’ve played every kind of puzzle game there is on the App Store sometimes, I’m still always on the lookout for something new. When the news of Rhom Bus hit my inbox, I knew it was something that I had to check out since I loved The Mesh, and needless to say, I’m definitely not disappointed by Rhom Bus.
Visually speaking, Rhom Bus is downright gorgeous with a minimalistic design that is beautiful to behold. Everything is rendered in 2-D with a flat, vector-like aesthetic that looks and feels modern and fresh. Despite the flatness, the animals (and even the bus driver, Tom) appear realistic and have a ton of fine details, such as their outfits, that breathe personality and charm into them. The color palette in Rhom Bus ranges from bright and vibrant tones to dark and rich hues for the background and game board, while the animals have realistic colors and shading. All of the animations in Rhom Bus are smooth and fluid, with seamless transitions between levels. The game also has a rather quirky and whimsical soundtrack that is a delight to listen to, and the sound effects are a fun touch. Overall, I would say that Creatiu Lab has created another masterpiece of a puzzle game on iOS, especially for the visual and audio departments.
In typical puzzle game fashion, Rhom Bus is level-based with different destinations for the driver to take animals to. At the moment, the chapters include the Gym, Disco, and Spa. There are a handful of levels for each destination, since you know, a bus can only fit so many passengers before it’s full. However, once you play through the first seven levels of Rhom Bus, you’ll unlock the Infinite Mode, which lets you play until you run out of space on the board, essentially, while trying to rack up a high score. But be warned — the seventh level is rather tricky and a decent challenge before you get to the meat of the game. The objective of the game is simple enough: get the animals on the bus by getting enough tiles on the board to match their name. Sometimes though, you’ll need to get multiple letter tiles, as indicated by the number underneath the letters at the top of the screen, and special blocks get introduced as you make progress in the game. Don’t worry about being overwhelmed — the game introduces everything with a brief tutorial screen that explains the game mechanics, so you’re never lost or confused. The further along you get in the game though, the longer the names become, making the difficulty level of the game pick up at a gradual pace.
Controls in Rhom Bus are pretty straightforward and intuitive, though it will take a bit of practice to master. At the start of a level, there may or may not be some letter tiles already on the board. Two tiles appear at a time along the top, and you can slide them left or right to reposition them before dropping them down with a swipe. When two letters connect with each other at their highlighted corners, they will form the next letter in the animal’s name, and you continue this process until you’ve acquired all of the necessary letter tiles to complete the stage. However, sometimes you will have to make adjustments to the board to make the letters connect. You can tap anywhere on the board to rotate all of the current tiles at once, or a tap in one of the four corners of the board itself will spin the board 90 degrees. There is also a “Magic Tile” power-up that you can use to rotate a single tile on the board, but this can only be used once per level, so make sure to use it wisely. Once you have collected all of the necessary tiles (including special ones) for the stage, then that animal is picked up in the bus and you can move on to the next level.
I’ve only been playing Rhom Bus for a little bit and am still pretty early on in the linear levels, but the Infinite Mode is definitely the best part of the game. Rhom Bus features a unique gameplay mechanic that proves to be challenging, fun, and rather addictive. Plus the game has a rather endearing aesthetic, delightful music, and intuitive controls that are perfectly optimized for touch screens. I think the only improvement that can be made to the game would be more levels or modes later down the line. Still, this is a great release and a must for any puzzle game fan.
Rhom Bus is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Soul Knight is the Ultimate Roguelike Shooter on iOS
February 21, 2017 by RSS Feed
Soul Knight (Free) by Zeyang Li is a roguelike dungeon-crawling bullet hell shooter game that is similar to the likes of The Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon, and Nuclear Throne. If you enjoy frantic roguelike shooters like those mentioned titles, then Soul Knight is definitely one that you must add to your mobile game collection.
Over the past few years, roguelike games have gained immense popularity, especially on the mobile game space. For those who aren’t familiar with the genre, roguelikes are usually dungeon-crawler type games that feature procedurally generated levels, turn-based or bullet hell gameplay, and perma-death of your characters if you die, so the next run involves losing your progression and starting over from the beginning. While these types of games are not everyone’s cup of tea, I personally love them because they always bring in a new experience and I love the crazy action that the shooter style games tend to have. When I heard that Soul Knight had hit the App Store after a bit of a delay, I was eager to get my hands on the game since I love roguelike shooters as a way to detox after a long day. I’m so glad that the game has finally arrived, because it’s definitely one of the better roguelike shooters you can grab on the App Store.
Soul Knight features a gorgeous retro and pixelated art style that will make old-school gamers feel right at home. Despite the pixelated aesthetic, the game is full of finer details like textures, dynamic lighting, and shadows when they’re necessary. The color palette ranges from dark and gloomy tones in the dungeon rooms to bright and vibrant hues for bullets and character sprites, which are all rendered beautifully. Animations in Soul Knight are incredibly smooth and fluid, so I had no issues with lag on my iPhone 7. To top everything off, there is an awesome chiptune soundtrack that will certainly bring a smile to your face as you maneuver your way through stray bullets and lay waste to your foes through a wide arsenal of possible weapons. The sound effects are also delightfully quirky, so I recommend playing this game with the sound on and a good pair of headphones if you can. The developer has knocked it out of the park with Soul Knight’s visuals and audio.
As with other roguelike bullet hell shooter games, Soul Knight features randomly generated dungeons that will never be the same thing twice. There are no level select screens and each run has you starting from the beginning, trying to best your own previous record. The goal is to get through each dungeon by clearing out all enemies in each room and reach the portal that takes you to the next level, at which point you can select a random upgrade for your hero. One of the best things about Soul Knight, though, is that even though it’s a free game, there is no energy system or ads whatsoever, so you can play the game as much as you’d like without any interruptions.
However, before you start a run, you’ll be able to select which hero you want to use from the main room, though only the knight is available at first. To unlock the other characters, you’ll have to accrue enough coins by playing the game, as they all cost a different amount and also have their own unique abilities that can help you out in battle. There are also some characters that can only be unlocked through in-app purchase, such as the Vampire and Engineer, but considering how good this game is for the mobile platform, I would say that it certainly does not hurt to throw a few bucks to the developer for awesome characters. If you’re curious about what each character’s special skills are, you can tap on them from the main room to view their ability description.
Controls in Soul Knight are simple, straightforward, and intuitive. Before you get into the real game, there will also be a brief introductory tutorial that explains the basics to you. Essentially there is a virtual joystick in the bottom left corner that you can reposition anywhere on the screen with a tap, and there are three buttons in the bottom right corner: the aim/attack joystick, special skill, and weapon switcher. If you’ve played dual-stick shooter games before, then the two virtual joysticks will feel natural to you. Soul Knight does include an auto-aim functionality that makes it easier to hit your targets, which is nice.
Each character’s special skill can be used with a tap, but then has a cooldown period before it can be used again, which you can see in a glance thanks to the button’s charge gauge. The weapon switcher lets you switch between two weapons, which can be found in chests that you break open and collect while tossing out the previous weapon with the interact button (the aim/attack joystick converts into an action button in certain situations like picking up loot or interacting with NPCs). Your hero’s stats, such as health and defense, are in the top left corner, so make sure to keep an eye on it if you don’t want to die.
Another control option for the game are MFi controllers, if you happen to have one laying around. I did try and use my new Gamevice controller with Soul Knight, but it was not as responsive as I had hoped. I’m not sure if this is just a compatibility issue with the Gamevice itself, but your mileage may vary with other MFi game controllers.
As you make your way through the dungeon rooms and dispatch your foes while avoiding their attacks, you’ll be able to find goodies like chests and other breakable objects that may get you more coins. There are also some NPC heroes that you can come across, and these guys can be hired to fight alongside you for a price. You can also have a companion pet that accompanies you wherever you go, also helping you take out the baddies.
I’ve only really just started Soul Knight, but so far I’m loving the game aside from the iffy Gamevice controller support I’m experiencing. Hopefully the support for Gamevice gets optimized in a future update, because this is the type of game I would prefer physical controllers for. Anyway, Soul Knight features awesome pixel art, lovely chiptunes and sound effects, intuitive and responsive touch screen controls, and challenging gameplay. And the fact that it’s a free game with no ads or energy system is pretty rare, so I will surely be purchasing a few extra IAP heroes in the near future.
I highly recommend checking out Soul Knight if you’re looking for a crazy fun roguelike dungeon crawler and bullet hell shooter in one. You can find Soul Knight on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There are in-app purchases.
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Hidden Folks is a Charming, Modern Day ‘Where’s Waldo?’
February 20, 2017 by RSS Feed
Hidden Folks ($3.99) by Adriaan de Jongh and Sylvian Tegroeg is a modern day “Where’s Waldo?” that is designed for mobile devices. If you love a good hidden object game like Where’s My Geek?, then you will get a kick out of Hidden Folks.
As I was growing up, I remember “Where’s Waldo?” being quite popular, though I didn’t get into it too much. But when I did go through some Waldo books at school or even friends’ houses, I did find it pretty fun and enjoyable to scan the pictures in my sometimes futile attempts to find Waldo. Even if you don’t find him, checking out every inch and detail of a picture is a great way to pass the time and it makes you appreciate things even more. Normally I don’t actively look for hidden object video games, but I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Hidden Folks over the past few days, so it became something that I knew I had to check out for myself, even though it’s not my usual cup of tea. I’m glad I decided to give it a try, though, because it does not disappoint.
Hidden Folks has a unique art style that is completely hand drawn and animated, so it looks fantastic and is especially sharp and crisp on Retina screens. The cartoonish aesthetic is perfect considering the nature of the game, and the developers and artists made sure to spare no detail, because there are even shadows and other textures that are represented by small black dots. Even though the landscapes can be rather small and cramped with a ton of various people and things, there are fine and intricate details woven throughout the image that make it full of life. By default, Hidden Folks uses a white background with black ink for the drawings, but there are two other color options available through the settings: Sepia (beige background and black ink) and Night Mode (black background and white ink). Since the landscapes come to life with bouncy movements from all living creatures that are in the level, all animations in Hidden Folks are smooth and fluid, so I experienced no lag on my iPhone 7. There is even haptic feedback for those who are using an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, which is nice to have when you’re scrolling through the things that you must find in the scene. As far as music goes, there isn’t much of a soundtrack in the background, but Hidden Folks is jam packed with plenty of realistic background noises and the sound effects of things when you interact with them is fun and charming.
Like many games before it, Hidden Folks is level-based and players must progress through the game in a fairly linear fashion. At the moment, there are four different types of environments that you can explore, and each section contains two to five stages of hidden object goodness. From the level select screen, you’re able to see your progress on a stage through the circle that is underneath it — if there’s a lock, it’s currently unaccessible until you meet the requirement threshold, a circle partly filled in means that’s how far you are in that stage, and a completely filled in circle means you’ve cleared that level. For each scene, you’ll have to find a certain number of objects in the environment before the next level becomes accessible to you, but if you’re a completionist, you can go back and find all of the hidden items if you so desire. While some of them are easy to find, others won’t be, and when that happens, it’s best to tap around and interact with everything you can, because some of them are just hiding better than others.
The controls in Hidden Folks are pretty straightforward and intuitive, given the type of game that it is. Along the bottom is a scrollable ribbon of the objects that you must find in the scene. Just swipe your finger left and right along it to see a description of the thing you must find. You can pan around the scene by dragging your finger around the screen, and tapping on the landscape lets you interact with various things, such as cutting through leaves and bushes, opening and slamming doors, and poke different people and animals. Once you find a target, it gets highlighted with a circle and tells you the name of what it was, and then it gets checked off from the ribbon. The end of the ribbon informs you of the remaining number of targets you have to find before unlocking the next area, but finding all of the targets on a scene is entirely up to you.
I am taking my time with Hidden Folks since diving into it this weekend, and as someone who doesn’t normally get into hidden object games, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it. The hand-drawn visuals are done incredibly well, the sound effects are original, fun, and charming, and the controls are designed for touch screens, making this a perfect modern age “Where’s Waldo?” kind of game. Having the three different color mode options is much appreciated as well, since the default option can be blinding if you’re trying to play before bed. All-in-all, Hidden Folks is a wonderful hidden object game that is suitable for everyone and worth checking out.
Hidden Folks is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $3.99. There is also an iMessage Sticker Pack that is included with the download.
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Survive and Expand as Big as You Can in Evergrow
February 17, 2017 by RSS Feed
Evergrow ($2.99) by Imagility S.L. is a physics-based arcade game that is about survival and growth. If you liked games such as Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous and Smash Hit, then there’s a good chance that you will enjoy what Evergrow brings to the table in terms of gameplay.
Life has been pretty hectic for me lately, with a lot going on in the world’s current events as well as my personal life, so I like to take a breather from reality by playing games these days. While I’ve been on my PlayStation 4 much more lately, I still like to check out what is new in the world of mobile gaming, especially when it comes to my favorite genres. Usually I like to relax with a stimulating puzzle game, but every now and then I like to give myself a challenge in the form of a survival arcade game, especially when there are cute things involved. So when I stumbled on Evergrow as it is being featured on the App Store this week, I knew that this was a game that I had to check out for myself. Needless to say, I’m not disappointed with this fantastic gem.
In terms of graphics, Evergrow features a wonderfully minimalistic aesthetic that is downright gorgeous. The game consists mostly of basic geometric shapes that are set against a colored background, but thanks to dynamic lighting effects, everything appears with a layer of depth to it because of the shadows and vignette effect around the screen edges. Evergrow makes use of a wide color palette that includes darker, more muted tones to bright and vibrant hues that contrast nicely with the dark backgrounds, and the colors you see depend on how far you get in the game.
Animations in Evergrow are smooth and fluid, so there was zero lag on my iPhone 7. And your Chromaroid (the cute life form that you grow) has the cutest facial expressions that reflect what is happening in the game — smiles when it grows and sad frowns when it gets hurt. Seriously, if you like adorable and endearing characters in games, then Evergrow is right up your alley. The game also features a soothing and ambient soundtrack that is immersive and engaging, and the sound effects are delightful. If you have a good pair of earbuds or headphones, then you’ll want to make sure you put them to use when playing this game. Imagility may be a new developer on the block, but they hit a home run with Evergrow’s visuals and music.
While Evergrow is a game about survival, it’s not infinite. Instead, it’s level-based with linear progression, so players must go through each stage one-by-one and acquire power-ups and new items in chronological order. The game also has a tutorial that explains the basics of the gameplay well, and new game elements are introduced with a clear and thorough explanation. No matter if you’re a veteran or casual gamer, no one will be lost in Evergrow. The game contains 40 stages, and each level has three objectives that you’ll want to strive for if you want to earn three stars (one star for each completed goal). But the main target for the game is to help your Chromaroid grow big enough to fill the designated area that is indicated on the screen with the white markings, which expand twice once the previous threshold is reached.
While there is no time limit, the game also throws obstacles at you, such as wrong-colored blocks and even bombs, so you have to watch out for those as they damage your Chromaroid. There are also power-up blocks that can help you out as well, and items later on.
The controls in Evergrow are as simple and intuitive as they come. While your Chromaroid sits in the center of the screen at the start, blocks come in from all sides of the screen. Your job is to drag like-colored blocks to your Chromaroid (you choose the color of your Chromaroid at the start of the game) while flicking away wrong-colored blocks and other dangers, such as the bombs. Evergrow prides itself on multitouch, so more than one finger can be used at once to control the movement of blocks on the screen.
The game’s physics engine is fairly realistic, so the bouncing effect when blocks are being dragged and reach your Chromaroid are fun to watch, plus the stretchy trail that guides the block is a nice touch. Different types of power-up blocks are introduced as you go, such as the wildcard block (can be any color), grow block (fills in your Chromaroid to help it grow faster), shields, coin magnets, and more. These activate as soon as they snap into place on your Chromaroid. If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, Imagility packed in quite a bit of haptic feedback, which I found to be lovely. There is also full 3D Touch support for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus and later.
Eventually, you will obtain the Dimensional Bucket item, which is a key part of the game. The Bucket allows players to store blocks to use later in the game, and you can even purchase power-up blocks in the shop to use in the Bucket. There are also upgrades available that you can purchase with the coins that your Chromaroid manages to collect while growing and surviving in the game, so it’s important to grab them when you can by having your Chromaroid move towards them through the game’s physics engine.
I’m still pretty early on in Evergrow, but I have found the game’s original gameplay mechanic to be rather challenging yet fun at the same time. It’s not your typical arcade game, and the Chromaroid is just oozing with personality and charm. The minimalist visuals are beautiful, the audio is amazing, and the controls feel natural and are intuitively designed for multitouch screens. While things start out simple enough, the game’s difficultly level gradually picks up as you go, but you’ll never feel overwhelmed because everything is explained along the way. All-in-all, Evergrow is a wonderfully cute arcade game that deserves a spot on your iOS device.
I highly recommend grabbing Evergrow if you’re a fan of cute things and want a fun little arcade game. Evergrow is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases, and the developers have included a fun iMessage sticker pack.
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