iOS Gaming June 2014: A Comfy Beach of Sunshine and Screen Glare!

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
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Each month, the iOS GAF community hosts a thread for new game releases, rumors and discussion that define the fast-moving world of iOS gaming.

The OP will contain games that released both towards the end of the previous month and games that have released during the current month.
All the games listed will have been highlighted by the GAF community in one way or another. This way you can keep tabs on the best games and at the same time curate an excellent resource to look back on to find games you may have missed.

Also keep an eye out for the ‘GAF iOS Challenges’; events where GAF battle it out on the Game Center leaderboards of a chosen game for both fame and fortune (prizes donated by members of our community).

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Made by GAF's own revenantkioku, you can also find the game's OT here!
This game is seriously great. I'm not huge on sliding puzzle games, but the timer element fills my twitch gaming need perfectly and it really is one of those games where you want to keep going back for a better high score.

Best $0.99 I've spent in a long time.

And the music!
This game needs more love.
It took me a while to get into it, but the music is so laid back it just makes you want to keep playing, and once the game system clicks, it's really easy to get hooked.

Ad-supported so worth a download, at least — what have you got to lose?


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Hello guys, second post. I want to talk about a game that is giving me tons of fun, called 99 Bricks Wizard Academy from WeirdBeard. It is a tower physics strategic building game with NO IAP that shares some similarities with Jenga -tower equilibrium, but instead of removing pieces, you have to add them- and with Knightmare Tower -the thrill of the ascent-.

There are different classes to play with -each one adding some story bits to the game new tutorials-, many upgrades like new robes, magic wands or your power ups. The power ups -and the physics engine- adds a strategic element to the game and used wisely can save your tower from falling down. These include lightning to remove unwanted blocks or concrete, to make them sticky to each other and many more. And to top it, there are evil rival wizards that are trying to crush your creation, like speeding up the blocks or making giang blocks.

Seriously, I didn't have this much fun since a long time. Its 2.99$ and so worth it.
Yeah, I've been hooked on 99 Bricks since I got it yesterday. Almost four hours and I rarely put that much time into a single IOS game in one day. This game is really addictive

The last building/balancing game I played was the Perfect Balance Collection. Besides Perfect and Imperfect Balance, I hadn't found any other similar games that really held my interest. 99 Bricks is my favorite in a long time.

When I first saw the game, I was curious if the magic and abilities would be gimmicky or not, but they add a cool strategic element to the tower building. Besides figuring out where you want to place blocks and dealing with evil wizard curses, you have to be think about other factors as well. Each height interval freezes the current state of your tower so you need to always be thinking ahead and not only keeping your tower steady, but also creating a solid foundation in the process. Using your limited abilities at the right time, on the right blocks, can be a lifesaver. And carelessly placing a block, only for it be frozen in an awkward position, can ruin a great run

And it's 100% premium, no IAP. You have to respect a developer who switches his game from F2P to premium/ (Originally the game soft launched as F2P, but the devs felt that format hurt the game so they switched to premium with no IAP and focused on making the game fun rather than focusing on monetization
I love how physics don't always apply here, compared to other tower building games. It's always cool when you finally fail and then the camera zooms out and you see how insane your tower looks.
This game is pure genius, and the happiest $3 I've spent in a long time.
This game is like crack. I cannot stop playing it!
Sometimes I focus on creating a very wide tower using the petrify block, and end up with a short tower. I once filled up the entire width of the screen.

It's such a great game though


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Bought Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake, played a bunch of levels, meet some monsters and their abilities, saw how the story is presented and the amount of charm on it... and I am hooked, its so good. Fan of innovative polished and fun puzzle games need this one.
Successfully Kickstarted over a year ago, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is a charming new puzzle game, the debut title of SleepNinja Games. While it shares elements with other games in the genre, Monsters stands out due to its colorful cute visuals, a narrative, varied mechanics, and just offering a fun polished puzzle adventure experience.

While many puzzles games are simply a series of challenges, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake presents its brain-teasers withing the framework of an interesting story and design more akin to an RPG than your usual puzzle game. You play as Niko, a young boy who wakes to find his birthday ruined when the nefarious Boogins steal his precious cake. This theft sets him on an adventure across the various areas of Gogapoe island, where dangers and new friends await. Most puzzle games would be content with a simple string of levels, but Monsters lets you explore Niko's village, take with villagers for side quests, visit shopkeepers along your journey to purchase new items and outfits: a fleshed-out structure that adds purpose to your puzzle solving.

But the meat of the game is obviously the puzzles and in that regard, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake delivers a polished array of challenges. Niko and the monster friends he meets along the way each have their own unique abilities, useful in their own way: pulling and pushing blocks, an obstacle- and enemy- crushing ramming dash, a shriek that destroys obstacles and stuns enemies, and more. You have to use these abilities in conjunction to open blocked paths, avoid or defeat the varied Boogin enemies, and collect coins, keys, and pieces of cake. The enemies also add their own puzzle element, as one must rush at you when you enter its line of sight, another may patrol an area, or unleash a shriek of its own that disables your special abilities. Figuring how to move through the levels, how you need to work together, timing and syncing your movements makes Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake a fun game, and special objectives such as not using a certain abilities or not killing enemies adds extra challenge and replay value.

Personally I think Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake controls well; you simply draw your character's path and double tap to activate your abilities. The game is easy to play, allowing the visuals and overall polish to shine. From the character bios in your journal and the notes you find along the way, to the charming aesthetic, to the varied puzzles and the game's RPG-esque elements, to the story framework that ties it all together, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is a complete wonderfully-crafted package.


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Man, VVVVVV is just an absolutely fantastic port. Finished it up today. Took me 3:36:13 and I had 1,453. I only got 9 trinkets so I need to get the rest. Hardest room was ...Not as I do with 169 deaths. Anyone who has an iPhone/iPad owes it to themselves to buy this game!
I've only played the PC version of VVVVVV, so I can't say anything about the touch controls, but I can describe how the game is and what it makes well worth your time, money, skill...and patience

VVVVVV drops you into a weird alien station, one of few survivors of a crash landing that leaves your fellow crew members scattered across the world. In that aspect, VVVVVV already separates itself from most precision platformers: it's non-linear. Actually it's almost in the vein of a Metroidvania, you travel to different areas, find teleporters that let you jump around the map or back to a central hub. Each area offers its own unique challenge, a twist of the core mechanics

At its core, besides the truly challenging gameplay, that diversity is what makes VVVVVV so much fun. Mechanically, the game is so simple: move left, move right, and jump. Well not actually a jump, but rather a reversal of gravity that lets you navigate from floor to ceiling and vice versa. You can't switch gravity mid-jump (although you can control your movement) so each switch must be deliberate.

Yet from such simple controls, VVVVVV crafts such a wide range of challenges, hazards to avoid, and interesting scenarios. From the ubiquitous spikes to moving enemies, from barriers that switch your gravity orientation in mid-air, to utilizing screen wrap, VVVVVV takes its precision platfomer roots and not only delivers on that front, but also creates head-scratching puzzles and challenges to overcome

If you know Terry Cavanagh, you know what kind of experience to expect from VVVVVV. Brutally challenging, stylish with a chunky retro aesthetic, a fantastic soundtrack, and a polished game that will surely make you want to throw your device across the room.

If that kind of experience appeals to you, then VVVVVV is a must buy. You won't be disappointed.


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Kairosoft + Harvest Moon? That should be illegal.
Good lord . Between this, Hearthstone, Battleheart Legacy and Mario Kart 8 I have a rather full plate. Good times!


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This website keeps track of all the controller enabled games. It gets updated regularly.

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MOGA Ace Power Controller reviews said:


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iCade Hardware / Games reviews said:

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Here is a summary of other iOS game/iOS device related threads!





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iOS Membership said:
Rules

  • Send Dash Kappei or Tunesmith a PM if you want to be added or taken off the list, following this text formatting:

    GAF Name = Game Center Name / iOS Device(s)

  • When adding someone, add From GAF to the friend request and your NeoGAF name as to easily tell who's who.
  • Send Dash Kappei or Tunesmith a PM if you are already on the list but want to update your profile with more info like iOS devices(s) owned, or to just change your existing GC profile.
  • We are on the list and, if you are too, it's OK to add us even if we're not best buddies; don't be shy: we enjoy having more GAFers challenging us on the friends leaderboards.
  • Don't just wait for others to add you first you should at least add some of the profiles posted above yours if you want to get the ball rolling... It's really up to you. Ideally the last member of the list will be the one to add the profiles above his, and so on and on with each new member. Or maybe just add whoever you like, that's also an option.
  • Remember: Your real name will be visible to your GC friends.
  • You can add everyone on the list at once; click the second sheet on the iOS Membership list and read the instructions, works on iOS and Macs

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The form to enter yourself to the list is here: quote to see
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How do I back up my game saves for games that do not support iCloud save games?
Use a file manager program such as i-FunBox (PC/Mac) - It's free and requires no jailbreak.
i-FunBox has many different features, but to back up save games you would just want to do the following:

  • Click the iFunBox Classic tab
  • Connect your iOS device, via WiFi or USB, it should then appear in the Connected Devices list on the left side of the UI.
  • Under User Applications, navigate to the game you want to back up save games for.
  • Select the Documents and Library folders and copy them one at a time to your PC/Mac - this will copy the folders and all their contents. They contains your save files and settings for the game. Some games only use Documents, some use both.
To restore a backed up save game do the reverse.
  • Under User Applications, navigate to the game you want to restore save games for.
  • Select the Documents and/or Library folders and choose to copy from PC/Mac.
  • Navigate to where you saved the backed up Documents and/or Library folders on your PC/Mac, open them and select all the files within it and open them. This will copy the folder contents back onto your iOS device.
  • Restart/fully close the game itself and your saves should be back!
Check that the file structure of the game is retained, e.g. GameName > Documents > files after you're done (no Documents folder within the Documents folder!), otherwise the game will not recognize your restored saves!

How do I hide my Real Name on Game Center?
Your real first and last name (taken from your Apple ID) will be shown to your GC friends. If you value that information and want GAF's leaderboards to show your GAF nickname instead, here's how you do it:
  • Go to http://appleid.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID details via "Manage your Apple ID".
  • In the "Name, ID and Email Addresses" section, click Edit on the Your Name field at the top.
  • Change you First and Last name (you must enter both) to whatever you like (e.g. First Name: Tunesmith, Last Name: GAF)
Done, now that's who you're going to be listed as on your friend's Game Center leaderboards. This will affect Game Center *and* your Apple ID. If it's the same account you use for App Store/iTunes, you will still be able to use it for iTunes/App Store's purchases (you can still buy whatever you want like you could before) *BUT* in the receipt it'll show your nickname or whatever you chose as First Name and Last Name when you changed those fields. The first time you will use the modified account on App Store/iTunes, you will be asked to verify the account by re-entering the 3 digits code of the credit card's CCV security code (if you make your purchases using a credit card).

Should I buy this new high-priced game or wait for a sale?
Maybe! Just be aware that iOS games have a tendency to go on sale frequently and unpredictably, even recent games can be a dollar rather than premium $4-5. Spend your pack of gum money wisely.
As a recommendation, set up a RSS feed for the price changes on http://appshopper.com/ which will then notify you of any price fluctuations for old and new games alike.

I just got an iPhone/iPad. What are the best games?
In addition to checking out the past month's iOS Gaming threads, visit Best iOS Games Ever v1 / Best iOS Games Ever v2 / iOS Hidden Gems. You're welcome.

For gaming, should I get the iPad Mini 2, or iPad Air?
Both have their pros and cons. The Mini 2 is cheaper and smaller but there is a slight difference between the Air's A7 chip and the mini's A7: the mini's is around 100MHz slower -- 1.3GHz compared to the Air's 1.4GHz. Other than that they're both identical in spec. It's very much a coin toss between if you want a 9.7" or a 7.9" screen.

I'm a new iOS user, what non-gaming apps should I get ASAP?
This thread would be a great place to start. Asking here wouldn't hurt either!


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Thanks to Fuu & Dash Kappei for handling the community list's past/present duties, Dash Kappei for running the iOS Challenges, past OT hosts for having done a wonderful job and finally to our iOS Gaming community for keeping these threads alive!

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A new monthly and ever-so-useful OP/thread, thanks!

Was thinking of posting an update to my summary for DQVIII earlier, but never did, however since it's now in the OP, perhaps I shall so you can update it to be more accurate. Not everything listed turned out to be the case as I followed the thread further:

From what I've gathered:

- Sub 30fps framerates even on A7 devices (gets really awful sometimes, and can occasionally mess with menu selection)
- Long Non-instant loading times (worse than the Japan PS2 release) especially for battles (which happen 1,000s of times in the game)
- Doesn't have the option to use the (very nice) voice work from the Western release.
+- Doesn't have the orchestral music from the western release (some people convincingly argue the original midi music is a better fit, since the orchestral score is a bit off, as it wasn't recorded for the game)
- Only supports portrait mode.
- Crashes quite a bit on older devices (perhaps would have been better to not support them at all)
- Graphics aren't really as good as they could have been (on closer review, people are happy/impressed)
- No controller support (afaik)
- No cloud save support even though it is universal (afaik) (does indeed have cloud save support, though it is handled manually, which perhaps is better anyway)

So, a few less notches against DQVIII now, maybe the iPhone 6-level hardware will run it without slowdown? Then I'd say it would be a much easier yes, as the framerate is generally the worst offender, though even now a small number of people are saying that for what it is, DQ8 on mobile, it is still pretty great.
 
Loadings aren't bad at all. Battle transition feels pretty seamless to me. That post about 20 seconds to give your first command is complete bs.

Framerate is definitely sub 30, but playable. Think Ocarina of Time.
 
Dash managed to get first post? Do I smell an iOS challenge? :P

Ahah, it's just a coincidence! :)

The reality is that everything was ready (thread's text, with awesome banner art by Tunesmith... We were short on prizes tho) and then something awful happened in my life and that got me really bad. I apologize if I have never explained what happened and why the contest had been shelved for the time being after posting that it was ready to go. And I haven't had the courage to open Game Center since (and especially the game picked for the challenge), because I know there's gonna be that profile+pic waiting for me there, and it's just too hard, I'm not brave enough at the moment... I'm trying to manage, and when I'll feel strong enough to confront what happened then we'll definitely have that challenge.... but I can't promise a day and date, I'm sorry :(

edit: I just realized that reading through the text it seems like I've broke up with my fiancée or something similar and it has nothing to do with that, I've unfortunately (and suddenly) lost one of my very best friends and we'd play and challenge each other constantly over GC. He was only 37yo, we spent the day together, we were supposed to hear each other on the phone just a couple of hours after we split to go to dinner, I called and called again and again... but he never picked up the phone.

Sorry for detailing the thread with personal and sad stuff.
Back to games y'all.
 
Screenshots in the OP aren't loading for me for some reason.

Battleheart Legacy is really clicking for me right now. Hit level 10 and I feel like I'm getting a better handle on the combat. Game looks good, is funny, and has nice customization when it comes to classes. Mika has easily become one of the best devs when it comes to giving you a great experience on mobile.
 
Subbing.

Just to append to my dq8 review, the portrait mode should be a lot less painful on a 4:3 AR screen like an iPad than on iPhone.

Think of it as a 5-star game with a 3.5-star implementation. An improved framerate would do wonders.
 
Dragon quest 8 on the ipad insists that the dpad is stuck in the middle which is a really dumb design choice. Worse than the poopy frame rate.
 
I gave Tiny Dice Dungeon another shot while in a car ride roaming about Germany and France (first time in Paris and Germany, damn it's beautiful over here), and I love it now after initially hating the battle system. It's still a bit random but it's addictive. Good call whoever told me to try it out again.
 
I gave Tiny Dice Dungeon another shot while in a car ride roaming about Germany and France (first time in Paris and Germany, damn it's beautiful over here), and I love it now after initially hating the battle system. It's still a bit random but it's addictive. Good call whoever told me to try it out again.

You're most certainly welcome :)
 
Finally got Battleheart Legacy. Game is amazing. I never played the first BH, so I didn't have any expectations. If I did, I'm pretty sure they would have been blown away. Easily my favorite IOS RPG. The combat is so satisfying and I love the open world and the dialogue options and the visuals. I usually dislike tap to move/attack controls, but they're so responsive in this game. $5 well spent.

I read the developer plans to add an arena mode in a future update
 
Hows performance for Battleheart Legacy on an iPad 3?
I have played a character up to level 8 with no real problems. I did notice some slowdown when you move your view over a lot of animated trees... But it does not affect actual gameplay.
 
Dragon quest 8 on the ipad insists that the dpad is stuck in the middle which is a really dumb design choice. Worse than the poopy frame rate.

In game, tap Menu > Misc. > Settings and choose the smaller d-pad. The small one is off to the left, perfect for use on iPad. The big one in the middle is intended for iPhone users.
 
Hrm, I have a theory for the bad performance of DQ8.

I think what they did was lock the entire engine to the framerate of the character animations.

My reasons for this theory:

- The iOS version is pushing less geometry than the PS2 version, and there are other iOS games out there that can maintain 60FPS no problem with more detailed assets.

- The shitty performance is consistent, whether it's outdoors or in a town or inside a building. If it were simply an optimization issue, I would expect to see at the very least a higher framerate indoors.

- The performance issues affect the UI buttons. and the game stops updating the game screen while in the menu so there's no excuse for rendering overhead to be impacting the UI.

- If you focus on your characters movements, the performance actually seems okay. It's not until you start panning or tilting the camera that you really notice it. Similar to how in films, the limits of the 24fps framerate become a lot more evident when panning the camera.

Conclusion: performance issue probably has more to due with developer unfamiliarity with Unity (or possibly inherent Unity limitations) than with poor optimization.

I've submitted a ticket, but I don't have high hopes. :(

Unfortunately this also means that a more powerful device is unable to measurably impact the performance, beyond reducing the occasional dropped frame.
 
Not feeling Battleheart Legacy at all, losing that SP MMO feel to it pretty much took out the one thing I really liked about the last game. I've been consoling myself by playing lots of Baldur's Gate 2 but I think I'm getting to a point where difficulty is trumping enjoyment. Gah.

I would really like some decent new platformers. I feel like I'm a bit fantasy'd out right now.
 
So, Wolf Among Us.
What's the point of uber retina rez if the framerate is as choppy as on my old Mini? At least let me choose. This is actually a big problem I have with games on the newest iDevices, same with F1 All Stars, the IQ is pristine but that awful framerate for a racing game.

I wish every game was as well optimized as Trials Frontier or customizable as RiptideGP2
 
Not feeling Battleheart Legacy at all, losing that SP MMO feel to it pretty much took out the one thing I really liked about the last game. I've been consoling myself by playing lots of Baldur's Gate 2 but I think I'm getting to a point where difficulty is trumping enjoyment. Gah.

I would really like some decent new platformers. I feel like I'm a bit fantasy'd out right now.

Same, it's not doing it for me, weirdly as I was pretty hyped.
 
Screenshots in the OP aren't loading for me for some reason.

Battleheart Legacy is really clicking for me right now. Hit level 10 and I feel like I'm getting a better handle on the combat. Game looks good, is funny, and has nice customization when it comes to classes. Mika has easily become one of the best devs when it comes to giving you a great experience on mobile.

This weekend it clicked for me as well. Im around the same level as you and finally getting some good character abilities that help manage enemies.

How are you feeling about the story? I wish there were more quests or other story lines to follow.
 
Not feeling Battleheart Legacy at all, losing that SP MMO feel to it pretty much took out the one thing I really liked about the last game. I've been consoling myself by playing lots of Baldur's Gate 2 but I think I'm getting to a point where difficulty is trumping enjoyment. Gah.

I would really like some decent new platformers. I feel like I'm a bit fantasy'd out right now.
Yeah, I can see how you can overdo it on the fantasy stuff, especially as the iOS games tend not to do anything too original or distinctive in terms of fantasy worlds.

As for platformers, I've hit a dry patch with those too. I was disappointed by the last few I tried. It's a tricky genre to do well, unfortunately.
 
I really wanted to play DQVIII :( Just wish it ran great instead of... well, shit.

Do we know when Monster Hunter is out on EU?
 
Do we know when Monster Hunter is out on EU?

I would be shocked if they announce it, it will just show up one day like DQ did. Capcom seem to have little love for MH in the west as well, considering all the dialogue and localization is already there from the PSP version...
 
Battleheart is a letdown imho, lots of aimless walking without quests.

I like the scope, but the game needed more time in the oven and a bit more direction.
 
Battleheart Legacy is Godlike. I really hope Mika Mobile updates the game with more content. I'd be more than willing to pay for substantial content.
 
Battleheart Legacy is Godlike. I really hope Mika Mobile updates the game with more content. I'd be more than willing to pay for substantial content.

I agree. I do wish they provided a screen where you could look at your current quests though and wish you could zoom out of the map to see the places you need to go
 
Enjoyed what I played on PC. No ipad support or widescreen makes me avoid it on iOS, tbh.
A shame :( I bought both versions and I enjoy it more on my iPhone, because of the shooting "stick" thing. Highly recommended for iPhone / iPod Touch owners, it's the best action game on mobile IMO.

Also, I really don't need Pocket Harvest, I'm drowning in games right now :x Oh man.
 
Wow, 20 new courses coming to Super Stickman Golf 2. They're already out for Flappy Golf. That must be doing really well for them.
 
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