Impale Penguin Vikings and Hipster Ice Giants in Lichtspeer
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Lichtspeer ($3.99) by Lichthund and published by Noodlecake Studios is an action game that's packed full of retro neon lights, futuristic yet ancient German mythology, and plenty of lightspear-throwing fun. If you like physics-based action games, kind of like Dandara, then you'll get a kick out of Lichtspeer.
Ever since the rise (and fall) of Angry Birds, there was an upsurge in physics-based games that utilize the slingshot aiming method that the franchise made popular. While there haven't been as many of these games out lately compared to years ago, they're still fun, especially when you have something like Bowmasters. I tried Bowmasters for a while, but the constant ad shoving in your face bothered me. I had also seen Lichtspeer on the Nintendo Switch eShop several months ago, and while I didn't buy it on the platform, I found it incredibly intriguing. Now that it's on iOS, I had no excuse to not check it out. Boy, this one does not disappoint.
Dandara
Raw Fury AB
Bowmasters - Multiplayer Game
Playgendary GmbH
Alto's Adventure
Snowman
Alto's Odyssey
Snowman
Lichtspeer's graphics are visually impressive as a whole. The game features a minimalistic aesthetic with the 2D, low-poly art style. The various environments also feature unique backdrops that look great, and have a kind of Alto's Odyssey look and feel to them. Despite the low-poly style, the character models for your warrior and various enemies, including the Hipster Ice Giants, are detailed and can be easily separated from the rest. The colors in Lichtspeer range from bold and vibrant brights to muted, earthier tones, and then there are the bright neon lights of your lichtspear weapon and pyramid lasers. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag on my iPhone 8 Plus.
The game's music is just as unique as the game itself. Players will find an upbeat and quirky EDM soundtrack that plays in the background, and the sound effects are nicely done. So whether you hit your target or miss, the game wants to make sure you know.
Lichtspeer has several different areas on the world map, and each one has a handful of levels to get through. But on top of it all, each level is broken up into several stages, and you must clear one stage to move on to the next part. Once you finish them all, then your total score gets tallied up as LSD, which stands for Lichtspeer Standard Denomination. You'll have to complete the first world to get access to the shop, where you can purchase and upgrade your Lichtpowers.
With the scoring system, Lichtspeer follows an arcade formula. You get points based on the number of enemies you killed, but you earn bonuses for headshots, consecutive hit and kill combos for multipliers, and not using up a continue. Plus, there are set goals for each level that you'll want to strive for, so it keeps things fresh.
The goal in Lichtspeer is simple: you're a lone warrior who holds the Lichtspeer, and must use it to clear out the waves of enemies coming at you. Defeat them all, and then you can move on. There are also boss battles that present a true challenge, and are not for the faint-of-heart. Despite the simple premise, Lichtspeer is a hard game. Prepare to die — a lot.
The controls are simple and seem made for touch screens, though I have yet to play it on the Switch. To aim your Lichtspeer, just drag your finger on the right side of the screen. You'll see the trajectory line for your Lichtspeer. Release your finger to throw it, and hope you aimed well. Then rinse and repeat for every enemy on the battlefield.
Your starting Lichtpower is the Trispear, which splits your single spear into three when you tap the screen with two fingers (left and right side). You may want to spend your LSD earned from each level (all stages) to upgrade it to become more effective (eventually splitting into five spears) and reduce the cooldown timer. Other powers may be purchased as well, such as the Licht Hammer, Lichtray, Das Shield, and more. There's a total of 10 powers that you can have, and they prove to be quite useful in battle. Getting enough LSD for all of them, on the other hand, may take some time.
Toss spears at all kinds of crazy creatures in ancient Germanic future.
The Good
Lichtspeer is an amazing physics-based arcade game that everyone should play. The visual style is unique and looks fantastic on Retina screens, and the sound is top notch. The controls work out well enough, so it's pretty simple and intuitive overall. There's a lot of variety in terms of environments and enemy types (Hipster Ice Giants and Penguin Vikings, hello?), so you'll never not have a good time here. The humor is excellently done too, and the Lichtpowers kick things up a notch.
The Bad
The game can be a bit unforgiving, because if you even let one enemy get through to you, then you've failed. When this happens, you have to start that section over from the beginning, which can get pretty tedious if you died a good way through the wave. I wish that there was a life system instead, making it a tad easier, but I suppose that would defeat the purpose of the game, which is to be challenging. After all, it is a simulator where you're a warrior facing off against hordes of enemies.
The verdict
While I'm still fairly early on in Lichtspeer (it's pretty hard, alright), I'm enjoying it a lot and find it hard to put down once you get the hang of things. I've died plenty of times now, but if you pay attention to the attack patterns of the waves, you'll notice when and who you should strike first. It takes some time and practice, but it gets easier once you recognize the sequences. Plus the graphics are beautiful, the music and sound is quirky and delightful, and the controls feel natural. It's a bit unforgiving, but pushes you to get better.
Lichtspeer is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.
9.5
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9.5
Gameplay 9
Lichtspeer
Noodlecake
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Don't Get Greedy as You Hunt for Treasure in Temple of Spikes
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Temple of Spikes: The Legend ($5.99) by Tigrido is a tough-as-nails platformer that puts your reflexes to the test. If you enjoyed other challenging games recently, such as Thumper: Pocket Edition and Lichtspeer, then Temple of Spikes is another worthy addition to your collection.
As a person who grew up in the '90s, I can definitely say that platformers always have a special place in my heart. I had the NES and Sega Genesis consoles when I was a kid, so I have fond memories of playing whatever games my parents got me at the time, which were usually platformers. To this day, I love platformers, and I don't think that's ever going to change. While I prefer physical buttons for the genre, I still like to check out what platformers are on the App Store, so Temple of Spikes piqued my interest over the weekend. It's a solid game with just a few quirks.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Lichtspeer
Noodlecake Studios Inc
Visually speaking, Temple of Spikes is beautiful with a unique 2D pixelated art style that serves as a nice homage to classic platformer games. It's a nice mix of 8 and 16-bit graphics, and the environments presented in the game are lush and wonderfully detailed. The colors in Temple of Spikes are a great mix of bright and vibrant with muted, earthy tones. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game's soundtrack is pretty fitting with an adventurous overtone that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the like. Overall, the developer did a great job with the visual and audio design of Temple of Spikes: The Legend.
Like many other platformer games, Temple of Spikes is level-based. At the moment, there are 30 levels, which you can easily see on the world map. However, even though it's only 30 stages, the game supposedly holds at least 50 hours of gameplay, so if you want a lengthy game, then this is a good contender. The goal in each level is to help an archaeologist explore the labyrinth of an ancient temple, find all of the riches that await you, and then make it out alive.
Of course, this is all easier said than done. The temple is full of spikes (obviously), lasers, dark critters, and many other dangers and traps. There are even challenging boss battles that await you. Your only guidance is the ghost of the treasure hunter that came across the temple before you. Each level is split up into several parts, but there are save points that serve as checkpoints, so if you die, you can just pick up from the last save point.
The controls in the game are simple enough, but the buttons do feel a bit clunky at times and not as responsive as I'd like. In the bottom left area are two directional buttons for moving left and right. In the bottom right are buttons for jumping, accessing time control powers from artifacts (slowdown, rewind), and other actions, like attacking and placing bombs once you unlock it.
My problem with the controls is the fact that the default placement of the buttons floats slightly above the bottom of the screen. Because of this, your fingers will actually cover up where your character is, so it's hard to see where you're going and what's coming up.
You can customize the touch controls in the settings by dragging where you want the buttons to be, or scaling them so the touch area is larger. However, even when I customized the controls, it still didn't feel quite right, and sometimes the buttons didn't seem to register my input properly, so I ended up dying due to unresponsive controls.
The default character in Temple of Spikes is the archaeologist. However, as you play, you'll collect coins, which you can spend on new playable characters. Some characters will have unique abilities, like collecting faraway items or keeping more blue hearts (time control power), so they'll have their own play style you'll need to adapt to. The better the character, the more it will cost to unlock. There are no in-app purchases in the game either, so you'll have to save up those pennies.
A speedrun hardcore platformer with cute retro graphics juxtaposed to extremely difficult level layouts.
The Good
Temple of Spikes is true to the developer's description of a "hardcore" platformer. The game has moments that require fast thinking, reflexes, and skill to get through, and it's definitely not for the faint-of-heart. The graphics look stunning on Retina screens, and the music is quirky and delightful to hear. The humor in the dialogue is a nice touch as well, all things considered.
The Bad
As challenging as Temple of Spikes is, the controls need to be better for it to be great. The default layout doesn't work too well with me, and even with the option to customize, it takes a lot of tinkering around to get it right, which seems to be more trouble than it's worth, at least for me. I think it just needs better optimization overall to match the hardcore skill level that the game requires. Hopefully this is addressed in future updates.
The verdict
Despite the flaws in the controls, I'm still finding Temple of Spikes to be a fun and challenging game. The visuals are cute and detailed, the music is excellent, and the difficulty is just right for what's considered to be "hardcore." It's not incredibly easy, but it's also not overwhelmingly hard. It's a good balance, in my opinion. The wide roster of characters also adds a lot of replay value to the game, especially since each one has their own unique traits. I just hope to see the controls better optimized in the future.
Temple of Spikes is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $5.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.4
OVERALL
Graphics 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8.5
Sound/Music 8.5
Game Controls 7
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
Aleksandr Filatov
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Create a Pixel Perfect Masterpiece With This New Coloring App
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Masterpiece Coloring (Free) by Simple Simple is a pixel perfect adult coloring book. If you've been wanting a creative new way to find your zen, and you appreciate pixel art, then this may be your perfect match.
The trend of adult coloring books seems to have died down a bit, at least from what I've noticed. They're still pretty popular among those who use them to relax, but I definitely don't see them mentioned as much anymore. Still, they're fun and tranquil ways to take your mind off of things for a bit. I fell in love with Pigment a few years ago, but I've always wondered — when can I just color in some pixel art? And now I got my wish with Masterpiece Coloring.
Pigment - Adult Coloring Book
Pixite LLC
Masterpiece has a simple and clean interface that makes it easy to pick up, get some coloring in, and then get out. There's a brief intro that shows up on the first launch of the app, which explains the basics, but then it's out of the way and gone forever. Masterpiece has three sections in the app that are laid out in the bottom toolbar: Library, My Artwork, and Settings. No frills, no fuss to deal with. Just scroll through your selection of pixel drawings, find one you like, and just color. It's simple, fast, and incredibly responsive with no lag. The developers have done an excellent job making this one incredibly accessible for everyone.
The first step with Masterpiece is to find something to color in. The free download gets you some drawings for free, but you can also opt for the full collection of art with Masterpiece Premium, an in-app purchase subscription. It costs $2.99 per week, $7.99 per month, or $39.99 a year, and grants you access to all art for the duration of your subscription.
Once you find a drawing that piques your interest, just tap it to select it, and then you're in the Painting screen. Each drawing has a predetermined color palette, and you'll see all of the colors appropriately numbered at the bottom.
The colors are numbered because they go in certain places for the best result. To see what I mean, perform a multitouch pinching gesture to zoom in on the pixel art, and you'll find numbered boxes, which represent an individual pixel. The colors are labeled as such to show you where they go on the drawing.
You can tap each block to color the pixel individually, or touch-and-drag to paint in the color as you normally would. If you color out of the boundary, there's haptic feedback to let you know. At the bottom is an undo button, and you can also use the eraser to erase unwanted color. I love the haptic feedback, because otherwise I would not know that I strayed past the lines.
There's a nice variety of drawings in Masterpiece that range from simple ones with a few colors to more complex and intricate ones with many more hues to paint with. This means you can pick something up to keep yourself busy while waiting around in line or spend a few hours with, nitpicking over every last pixel. It's a good selection and offers something for all skill levels.
When you finish coloring a drawing, Masterpiece shows you a time lapse video of you painting it. It's fun and entertaining to watch, and you can save the video clip to your Camera Roll. You can also send it to Instagram or share it via the Share Sheet. If you choose to Edit again, you'll erase all the colors and start over. Any finished or in-progress drawings end up in the "My Artwork" section.
Masterpiece Coloring combines retro pixel art and adult coloring techniques into a true zen experience.
The Good
Masterpiece Coloring is a charming and unique adult coloring book that I find simple and intuitive. The app is simple, fast, and incredibly easy to use. The drawings are a nice variety of objects, and there's a nice range for colors to paint with. The celebratory animation when you're finished painting is cute, and the time lapse clips are entertaining.
The Bad
While Masterpiece Coloring is a great coloring app, it feels a bit restrictive with the predetermined color palettes for each drawing. I think there should be an option to have your own color palette if you want to truly get creative with things. Hopefully this can be considered in the future.
I'm also not a big fan of subscriptions for coloring apps, honestly, but the price seems fair if you get a lot of value from the app. Fortunately, Masterpiece comes with over 100 drawings for free, which should keep you busy for a while before you need to consider subbing.
Another note is the fact that the app is iPhone only, so you can't paint pixel perfect drawings on your iPad for now.
The verdict
I tend to get stressed out easily, so I'm always looking for new ways to help me relax. Masterpiece is helpful in doing that, and it's going in my repertoire of things to help me calm down. I love pixel art to begin with, so this coloring app is perfect for my needs. There's a lot of variety too, from simple drawings that only take minutes to more complex ones that require more time. The celebration animation and time lapse videos are also a nice touch, bringing a smile to my face each time. A stylus is recommended.
I just hope to see the option for custom color palettes in the future. An iPad version would also be perfect.
Masterpiece Coloring is available on the iPhone App Store for free. There are in-app purchases.
9.3
OVERALL
User Interface 10
Lasting appeal 9.5
iPhone Integration 9
Is engaging 9
Does it well 9
Masterpiece Color by Number
Simple Simple
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Fix the Glitches and Save the World in Reed
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Reed ($1.99) by PXLink and published by Crescent Moon Games is the iOS version of the previously Android-only quick reflexes platformer. If you enjoy other games that require you to be on your feet at all times, such as Temple of Spikes and Thumper: Pocket Edition, then Reed is another game made for you.
Platformers have been a passion of mine ever since childhood. That's because when you grow up with an NES and Sega Genesis as your forms of entertainment when you're a bored child, you end up playing a lot of different platformer games. While I'll always prefer physical controls for the genre, I still check out the latest platformer offerings on mobile, even though I think the Mikey Shorts games perfected the platformer touch controls. Reed is one of those games that happen to have slipped past my radar in the past, because it's only been on Android. But now that it's on iOS, I had to give a try myself. It's definitely one that doesn't disappoint if you appreciate challenges.
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
TIGRIDO, INC.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Visually, Reed is a cute, pixelated gem. The game is rendered fully in 2D with a 16-bit aesthetic, so it serves up that nostalgia nicely. Despite the chunky pixel art, the environments are pretty detailed and nicely textured with some dynamic lighting effects. The color palette in Reed consists mostly of muted, earthy tones with some nice contrasting brights, so it's nothing too crazy but easy on the eyes. The character sprites are adorable and charming, though the game's typeface is like trying to read a foreign language (but that's the point). Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient soundtrack is rather atmospheric, creating a soothing and immersive experience.
In typical platformer fashion, Reed is level-based, and players must clear each stage before moving on to the next. It's fairly linear, with no option to skip ahead. And with the challenging twitch-like reflexes that are needed, sometimes it may take a while before you clear that roadblock. Believe me — you're going to fail and die in this game quite a bit. But it's easy to get back up and try again, since it's literally just a tap away.
The story of Reed is pretty interesting. Players control Reed, who is a tiny cat-like creature and last creation of an old supercomputer. But the supercomputer is experiencing glitches and slowly dying, as the cubes have escaped. Without the supercomputer, the world will end. It's up to Reed to collect the cubes, fix the glitch, and save the world.
The goal in each stage is straightforward enough: collect the cube and reach the exit portal that opens up upon collection. But there's plenty of traps, obstacles, and other dangerous critters (like chickens) that stand in your way, so it's all easier said than done. For completionists, there are even secret levels to find, which add to the replay value.
Controls in Reed are fairly easy and intuitive. The two buttons in the bottom left allow for horizontal movement. A button in the bottom right lets you jump, and you can double tap it to jump again in midair.
But since the game revolves heavily around being fast and having good reflexes, the controls sometimes work against you. Timing is everything, and sometimes the game doesn't register my touch in time to avoid being shot by an arrow. Or you move too fast and take an extra step and fall off a ledge and into a pit of spikes. The sensitivity on the controls is either too low or too high, at least for me, so I would like to see optimization made in the future, or at least give players some customization. This would also be a great game to play with MFi controllers, so hopefully support gets added for that.
A hardcore retro inspired platformer.
The Good
Reed is a challenging platformer that is not for the faint-of-heart. You need to be fast and skilled to survive in this tough-as-nails gam. It feels so rewarding once you get past that tough level you've been stuck on. The graphics are charming, pleasant, and the sound is excellent. There are plenty of levels to keep one busy for a while too, which is nice.
The Bad
While Reed is a great option for those who like challenging games, it's not for those who get frustrated easily. The controls also do feel wonky at times, and for a game that requires skillful reflexes, that's a little disappointing. Hopefully the controls can be further optimized and streamlined for flawless play.
The verdict
As someone who likes a challenge, Reed is an excellent addition to the iOS platformer game collection. I find Reed's cat-like creature to be endearing and rather fitting, seeing as how the internet loves cats. The graphics are a nice tribute to the old classic games, and the tranquil music helps you focus on the game.
While the controls work for the most part, they do feel a bit off at times. However, I'm sure that it just requires more patience and practice as well, but still, customization for button placements and sensitivity would be nice.
Reed 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.
8.5
OVERALL
Sound/Music 9
Replayability 8.5
Game Controls 8
Graphics 8.5
Gameplay 8.5
Reed ^_^
Crescent Moon Games
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Blocktactic is a Surprisingly Challenging Match-Three Strategy Game
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Blocktactic (Free) by A To Play is a strategic score attack game that combines the mechanics of a match-three puzzle and block drop arcade game into one. If you enjoyed other puzzle games like Swapperoo and Ruya, then you'll enjoy what Blocktactic offers.
While most of my gaming time is spent on Monster Hunter: World these days, sometimes I need a break and just kick back with a puzzle game of some kind on my iPhone. Even though I feel like I have every match-three puzzle game on my device already, I can't help but keep my eyes peeled for new ones. While nothing has particularly piqued my interest in recent releases, I stumbled on Blocktactic while checking new games these past few days, and it's definitely a hidden gem that doesn't disappoint if you like match-three block dropping games.
Swapperoo
Fallen Tree Games Ltd
Ruya
MIRACLE TEA STUDIOS LTD
Visually, Blocktactic is full of retro charm. The pixelated 16-bit graphics are rendered in 2D and are complete with low frame rates that you'd expect from old-school games. Blocktactic is full of bright and vivid colors that are eye-catching, and the various game blocks that it uses on the board are all unique and distinctive. There are four total block sets that you can use, but three of them must be unlocked by reaching a certain point threshold. The icons all represent some kind of force of nature, and are easy to tell apart from one another. Animations are smooth and fluid, but don't expect something like 60 fps here — it's old-timey, with slow blinking and flashes. For someone like me, it's pretty nostalgic, actually.
To go along with the whole classic 16-bit schtick, Blocktactic has three different music tracks that you can choose from. Each one has some retro flair to it, and they're all rather upbeat and catchy. You can sample them before starting a game, so take your pick and dive in.
There's only one game mode in Blocktactic, but that's all you need since it's a high score chaser. The goal is simple and straightforward: match like-colored blocks to clear them out in clusters of at least three or more, and rack up as many points as you can. After you make each move, more blocks fall in from the top. A number in the bottom right corner tells you how many new blocks are coming, and it serves as a warning to how many open spaces you need on the board for them.
The controls in Blocktactic are easy and intuitive. To move a block, just swipe on it in the direction you want it to move to. It can be swapped with adjacent blocks, or just moved to an empty space. The laws of gravity apply, so you can't move a block upwards without an adjacent block, and they will fall if you move them to the next column and it's lower.
While the gameplay concept in Blocktactic sounds simple enough, it's truly deceptive in the fact that strategy and careful planning is involved. Since new blocks come in after you make each move, the board can fill up pretty quickly. You want to think about getting consecutive matches and combos in order to keep the board from filling up, as you constantly need space for the next batch of blocks.
Once the board is too full, it's game over. Your score gets tallied up and is dependent on the number of matches you make. The larger the match, and the more combos you do, end up as bonus points that get tacked on to your final score.
Blocktactic is a mashup of match-three and tactical score attack and it works out surprisingly well.
The Good
Blocktactic is a real hidden gem of a game. The visuals give players a sense of nostalgia, and the music is just fun to listen to. The gameplay mechanic is a great mashup of match-three and block dropping, and it's deceptively simple and addictive. Controls are easy and intuitive, so anyone can pick this game up and enjoy it. The only way to get the other block sets, which are purely cosmetic, is to be skilled enough to rack up scores high enough to unlock them, since there are no in-app purchases. There are banner ads, but they're unobtrusive and you barely notice them.
The Bad
There's more good to Blocktactic than bad, but I suppose that the game could feel a bit repetitive over time. Since there's only one game mode, it doesn't offer much variety in terms of gameplay. I also wish that the point threshold for unlocking the other blocks wasn't so high, because the game can be pretty difficult and it's hard to get up there.
And if you hate ads, then the ad banner may get annoying after a while, and unfortunately, you can't get rid of it since there's no in-app purchases.
The verdict
For what it's worth, Blocktactic is a fun time killer. The pixelated graphics are cute, the music is delightful, and the gameplay is simple but challenging. It should appeal to anyone who likes match-three games and high score chasers that require a bit of strategy. I'm surprised it's free, with minimal advertising and no in-app purchases.
Blocktactic is available on the App Store as a universal app for your iPhone and iPad for free.
8.7
OVERALL
Game Controls 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8.5
Graphics 8
Blocktactic
A To Play Ltd.
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