The final chapter in the grand Infinity Blade trilogy not only made our 50 Best iOS iPad Games of 2013 awards, but it rounds off a series that has been a forerunner in the evolution of iOS gaming from simple casual experiences into full console-like hardcore games. Built by Chair Entertainment, a subsidiary of Gears of War developer Epic Games, it's an immersive RPG with smart touch controls, impressive depth and great 3D visuals built on Unreal Engine 3. Just take a look at the trailer below if you need any more selling.
Speaking of which, the game just went on sale. It has dropped from $7.49 to $2.99 making it well worth checking out. You can grab it here.
Also be sure to check out Issue 1 of Grab It - The Game Discovery App. It includes 22 in-depth reviews of indie iPad games, 14 exclusive interviews and five big features starting with our big reveal for the amazing Thralled.
Update: It appears that the deal is either restricted to certain regions, or has gone live globally yet. Check the link below to be sure.
For 26-years, legendary programmer Chris Sawyer has been specialising in simulation management games, mostly for PC. His seminal 1994 classic Transport Tycoon was one of the great time sinks, shining bright during the genre's heyday. Twenty years later and the developer has ported his game to iOS, carrying across its SimCity like gameplay experience, focused as the title would suggest in setting up intricate and efficient transportation networks through your virtual civilization. As I write that, I wonder why I found it so addictive back in the day, but make no mistake this is classic design with depth you can loose yourself in obsessively.
Now the good news - the game has been selling for $7.49, but it has just been dropped to $2.99 for an unknown amount of time. You can grab it here.
If you want something more contemporary and lighter, there is an iOS classic called Game Dev Story, where you mange an indie developer. In Issue 1 of Grab It Magazine, we also review and chat to develop Bit by Bit Studios about the excellent Fiz: The Brewery Management Simulation - it's about making beer. Make sure you read our detailed look at the game in Issue 1. Otherwise, there's also Football Manager 2014 - which is just incredible!
We talk about old-school games a lot here at Grab It, and you don't get much more old-school than Chess. It remains the original turn-based strategy gem and is still thoroughly enjoyable. Chess Professional is arguably the best virtual recreation of the game on the App Store, hence its usual $7.49 asking price. However, for a very short time it can be snapped up for 99c and you can grab it here.
For your money you will get the 4th best chess gaming engine in the world to battle against. Apparently that was confirmed in a World Microcomputer Chess Championships where all combatants were AI. Developer Mastersoft puts this success down to its designers being chess champions themselves. The game has been given a retina-enhanced polish in recent updates, too.
Gamers looking for an adventure this weekend don't necessarily need head down to the pub, drink a few pints and see how it all plays out. Two adventure gems have just been slashed on the App Store and both are worth picking up.
First we have the 20th Anniversary Edition of Another World, something of a cult classic. When it first released in 1991, its immersive Hollywood-like cutscenes blew people away, and thanks to the option to switch between the original and updated HD visuals, you can relive that "glory." You'll need to use your noggin effectively to solve puzzles and outdo the alien beasts you come up against after being thrown through space and time following a nuclear accident. The game has just dropped from $4.49 to just 99c and you can grab it here.
Then we have The Inner World, a modern adventure classic that took home numerous awards in 2013. It's lovingly built with hand-drawn visuals and does an admirable job at making you laugh, with hilarious dialogue and characters. You'll save the world after the wind fountains that keep it afloat stop working, solving puzzles and drinking in the aesthetic. It was $5.49, but is now just 99c and you grab it here.
Also be sure to check out Issue 1 of Grab It - The Game Discovery App. It includes 22 in-depth reviews of indie iPad games, 14 exclusive interviews and five big features including our big reveal for the amazing Thralled.
Excellent RTS (real time strategy) game Autumn Dynasty has dropped to the royal price of nothing for a week.
Developer Touch Dimensions explains the reason for our good fortune in the game's description, noting the previous publishing contract has ended and the game will now be self-published. This means the app will need to be re-released and downloaded as a new app now under the Touch Dimensions banner.
Another and more exciting reason for the sale is to celebrate next week's release of the sequel, Autumn Dynasty: Warlords, which is highly anticipated by RTS fans given the quality of the original.
With visuals done in the style of Japanese brush paintings, and controls optimised for swiping and drawing plans and paths on touchscreens, Autumn Dynasty is a no-brainer for free. You can grab it here, and whilst your downloading, watch the trailer:
One of 2013's best titles was Joe Dever's Lone Wolf: Blood on the Snow. Part RPG, part gamebook, it creates a stunning and immersive world that recalls the great Elder Scrolls series. Not least because you're the last of a powerful race, blessed with combat and magical abilities, and charged with fixing up a broken snow-covered world. Plus the combat avoids dice-rolling, providing full 3D battles which make use of turn-based strategy and real-time reflexes. Best of a all for an experience with is origins in gamebooks, it gives you the player a really good sense of influence on the narrative and your path through the world.
The good news is, the game just had a limited time price drop, from $5.49 to 99c - definitely worth grabbing right mow, and you can do so here.
One of the beautiful things about modern gaming is its ability to not just pay homage to the classics that birthed the industry, but allow new gamers of all shapes and sizes to try them out. This weekend a number of classics from yesteryear have gone on-sale at the same time, giving you a chance to school yourself on landmark moments in video gaming, or douse yourself in some well-earned weekend nostalgia.
If ye consider yourself a true pirate, then look no further me hearties. A true pirate is always looking for the simple pleasures in life (i.e. drunken bar brawls), friendly companions (i.e. brawny, dim-witted goons) and solid investment strategies (i.e. plunder and loot). We’re not sure we want to advocate drunken bar brawls, but we can definitely help you save some plunder.
For a limited time only, Assassin’s Creed Pirates has been slashed from $5.49 to $2.99 in the App Store. We noted in our just launched Issue 1 that Assassin’s Creed Pirates does an excellent job of capturing the high seas fun of recent next-gen release Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Only recently, the game also received a sizable update, adding new maps, missions and collectibles.
There hasn’t been a better time to jump in to the pirate life. So don your peg leg (a table leg is fine), grab a parrot (any parrot will do) and put on your eye patch (a medical pad is ok). But most importantly make sure you grab it now as we don’t know how long the deal will last.
The Emperor's plans to build a weapon of intergalatic destruction are slowly but surely coming to fruition, with a wealth of new content hitting Star Wars Tiny Death Star.
The latest update brings the following new features: - An overhauled Imperial Assignments system, including 100 new missions - Special events, in which you can earn limited edition rewards - A new Cargo Bay floor where you can pick up your rewards - New characters and Imperial VIPs
In our review of Tiny Death Star (which you can check out in Issue 1), we called Nimblebit's charming title a fun and light-hearted experience, not to be missed by Star Wars aficionados. We liked it so much, we gave it a spot in our Top 50 Indie IPad Games of 2013. You can grab Tiny Death Star right here.
While you're perusing the App Store, why not check out some other Star Wars titles on offer.
Hot on the news that Sega dropped the price of its excellent kart racer to 99c (grab it here) comes word that another one of the former console-maker's classics is getting a big sale. Crazy Taxi has just dropped from $5.49 to 99c and your can grab it here. While dated, this one time arcade gem - which has since emerged on every single platform from the last fifteen years it seems - still has gameplay gold at its heart. Check out the trailer below.
If you want to discover the best new iPad games, then you also need to check out Issue 1 of Grab It Indie Games Magazine - The Game Discovery App. It's out now!
