One of the games that featured in our 50 Best Indie iPad Games of 2013 awards for its atmospheric platforming with light puzzle-solving, Badland, just got significantly discounted for a limited time. Down from $4.49 to $1.99, it's well worth snapping up. You can grab it here. The developer, Frogmind, mentioned it is paying its respects to Flappy Bird by going on sale... or effectively picking up the stragglers any way.
Square Enix has been showing a lot of love to Final Fantasy fans lately. The legendary developer has been slowly but surely porting its back catalogue of titles to mobiles. Final Fantasy VI (trailer below) is the latest entry in the renowned RPG series to make its way to iOS.
Originally released in 1994 on the SNES, Final Fantasy VI is often considered one of the greatest in the series. The game’s main antagonist, Kefka - the nihilistic psychopath clown - deserves an award for being one of the most memorable and evil bad guys in Final Fantasy history. Now is a great time for both veterans and newbies to jump in and experience the magic of Final Fantasy VI. You can grab it here.
While you’re at it, make sure to check out the other Final Fantasy games on iOS:
If you're looking to pick up some great cheap gaming fun for the weekend, two timely price drops can sort you out for just a couple of dollars. First-up we have the interactive remake of awesome eighties choose-your-own-adventure book series Fighting Fantasy. Fighting Fantasy: Blood of the Zombies by Australian developer Tin Man Games was going for $6.49, but if you're quick you can snap it up for 99c. It's an excellent game from a studio arguably doing the best work in the interactive novel genre. Grab it here.
Then we have the turn-based RPG dungeon-crawler Warhammer Quest by Rodeo Games. It is based on the classic tabletop series of the same name and has just dropped from $5.49 to 99c. Played from a top-down perspective, it's furiously paced, not overly complex and just good fun. The trailer is below, and you can grab it here.
Mario Kart has remained more-or-less untouched at the top of the karting subgenre for the best two decades, but finally someone has given Nintendo's classic a shake. And it's old sparring partner Sonic, too. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed takes the blue hedgehog and his other pals from the Sega back catalogue, and sticks them in a classic kart racer. Although the long and eye-catching tracks feature different racing states, where you transform instantaneously between driving a boat, plane and wheeled-vehicle. It's a seamless transition, too that not only separates the game from the Mario Kart template, but thanks to some tight controls is a lot of fun.
The game was recently ported to iOS and the transition was handled so well it's arguably the best karter going around on the format... at least until Nintendo is forced onto iOS. The price has just dropped from $5.49 to $1.99 and we're not sure how long, so it is a great time to snap it up. You can grab it here.
Easily one of the best games of last year was The Room Two - it was a star in our 50 Best Indie iOS Games of 2013 awards. Despite the expectations set by the brilliant original, Fireproof Games upped the ante and delivered an even deeper (and often scarier) sequel. We have a review and an extremely insightful interview with commercial director Barry Meade in Issue 1 of Grab It Magazine, out next week.
The good news is, the game is currently on sale. It was $5.49 and it's now $2.99 - money well spent. You can grab it here.
Legendary RPG series Final Fantasy is showing no signs of finalising anything. With new entries and spin-offs out every other month, we doubt anyone on Earth has been able to play through all of them. But for those trying, developer Square Enix has been slowly porting its back catalogue of titles to mobiles, giving veterans and newbies alike a chance to dive in to the origins of one of the industry's most influential titles.
We've got some good news today. Final Fantasy IV, originally released in 1991 on SNES, is one of the few in the series to have received a direct sequel, even it came out nearly two decades later. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (trailer below) was included in our 50 Best iOS Games of 2013 awards and is set within the game world nearly two decades after the end of the original, and is actually the most recent Final Fantasy game to be released onto iOS. The developer has just slashed 30% off its premium price tag, dropping it from $17 to $11.49 for a small window of time, so it's likely your best chance yet to check it out. You can grab it here.
Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden is a rather excellent point-and-click puzzle game that unfolds in a genuinely spooky environment that might just give hardened horror fans the odd jump. Your boyfriend has gone missing on a diving expedition and you end up trying to rescue him by navigating your way around the underwater city of Eden. It's a bit like BioShock, but the focus here is on puzzle-solving, with a huge variety of brain ticklers on offer.
The game usually goes for a pretty premium $7.49, but you can grab it for free right now on iPad or on iPhone.
Cult 90s racing hit Carmageddon has just gone free on the App store. We use the term "racing" rather loosely here, given the game is just as much about blowing up your competitors and mowing down hapless pedestrians. Even after several decades, it's still a guilty pleasure to play. If you haven't had the chance to experience the goodness of this 90s darling, take the opportunity to grab it right now, as this deal's only going to last a few more hours.
While you're on the App Store, why not try our free sample issue of Grab It Magazine, too.
Zen Studios Star Wars Pinball 2 just went free, down from its normal price of $2 - we're not sure how long it will last, but you can grab it from here.
The game is a bit awesome and actually has some creative ways of telling tales from the Star Wars mythology in pinball form. Although you can buy additional tables as IAPs, at least you can get in on the ground floor right now for free.
While you're on the App Store, why not try our free sample issue of Grab It Magazine, too.
Update: Unity Games has hacked the price of its isometric hack 'n' slash dungeon crawler from $5.49 to $1.99 - we're not sure if this is a permanent move or a limited time promo to bump it up the Apple charts. Either way, money to be saved. We're still working on our final review for Issue 1 - but if you're interested in learning more about Unity Technologies, you should check out our interview with CEO David Helgason in Issue 0.
Original Story: Unity Games and Black Tower Studios have released a new fantasy-themed dungeon crawler that brings “console-quality graphics” to tablets. It also looks to bring touchscreen optimised controls to the genre, with various symbols swiped upon the screen used to cast vicious spells at the hordes of evil doers you’ll be smiting from a 3D isometric perspective – think Baldur's Gate.
Players take control of the titular Archangel who must leave the fluffy white cloud goodness of Heaven when the forces of bad mobilise and fail to respect your authoritah. And given you’re a driven, uncompromising officer of Heaven, you’ll absolutely, positively have to kill every last… whatever they are… in the room. As well as casting spells, you can power up attacks, teleport, resurrect foes as battle companions, customise your armour and weapons, and win treasure. Dynamic difficulty should also ensure a solid challenge for all.
"Archangel is the first of a number of ‘core’ releases from our new publishing division, Unity Games,” said Oren Tversky, VP of Unity Games. “With a combination of high fidelity AAA-quality visuals and a streamlined combat system that really packs a punch, we’re excited to add Archangel to our portfolio this year."
This is the first game from indie developer Black Tower Studios and the second game to release from Unity Games in as many days, following FRS Ski Cross (created by ex-SSX Tricky devs) - you can enjoy the reveal trailer below.
