• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

iOS Gaming April 2016 | Fool's Gold

PittaGAF

Member
Fallen London is confusing as hell at first, could use a tutorial and you MUST log out before closing the app or it probably revert you to a previous save and load assets forever....but damn when you start to understand things and most important when you start your first quest/storyline....woah....stopping is almost impossible.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Monster Hunter Explore soft launched in Canada.

First impressions: wow!

I'm way early so I can't tell quite how the F2P works yet, but if I'm not mistaken, it seems incredibly fair and amazing.

You can play solo and multiplayer as much as you want...I think. I'll report back if I'm wrong about that. Gems are just used to either give more drops after a run, or to buy a 24h Auto Pass. The Auto Pass lets the AI take over so you basically just watch the game play itself. It costs nearly $5 worth of gems for the auto pass though. Not sure if you get free gems by playing or not, but the game does give you 3 auto runs for the day (at least, to start...I think they refresh each day but I'm not sure).

When you take on a quest, you progress through areas. You'll go fight a few sets of mobs, maybe gather some materials, and then progress to the boss. Each area is like an arena, so you can't leave the area.

Controls are simple. There's a virtual joystick you use to move around. Tap the joystick to attack, hold the joystick for your weapons alternate attack. You dodge by swiping on the screen. You can use items, and a shield if you have one. You can gain points during battle to use a special attack.

Play multi quests solo or with others to get new gear. Gear comes with a star ranking, so it's like Gacha, but you just play to get new rolls instead of paying money. There's equipment upgrading as well, though I haven't tried it yet. You can also raise your hunter rank to take on harder quests, but I'm not sure how that works either.

If this game is as fair as it seems, I might be playing this for a while.
 

awp69

Member
^^ May have to give Monster Hunter Explore a try. I was always intrigued with the series but had trouble getting into it.

I'm a hardcore gamer but for some reason the complexity may have still been part of the problem. Funny how this is one series that a more casual style probably suits me where I typically hate IPs that are watered down on mobile.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Yeah this game basically boils it down to combat and lootfesting. I love that because I always found the other components to MH (gathering, crafting traps, etc...) somewhat tedious.

Their F2P mode is rather ingenious. Normally I wouldn't spend any money on a game like this. But I'm at work and figure...lets spend $5 for the game to play for me today while I'm working. >_<

I bought the auto pass for the day. I want to see how the game progresses.
 

Mudo

Member
Spellscribe is a really fun, simple game that ramps up quickly in difficulty. You are given two rows of seven tiles, and need to spell words with a minimum of 3 letters to defeat enemies. You want to defeat the enemy before their attack counter reaches zero and they attack you. The catch? The tiles are static, and you can only use a word once. When you have 7+ enemies to get through, the game becomes pretty strategic as you need to save your longer words for tougher enemies. You gain coins for defeating enemies and a chest of coins at the end, which you use to upgrade your weapons and armor. Pretty straightforward, but it's a simple game with a very, very, very fair F2P formula, at least early on in the game.

My one complaint is there is no button to rotate the tiles. I am slightly dyslexic, so my eyes go cross when I'm trying to find a new word before the attack timer runs out. A rotate button would be invaluable.


Is this called Spellspire on US App Store? I can't find spellscribe but did find spellspire and it just came out? I LOVE word games!
 

awp69

Member
Yeah this game basically boils it down to combat and lootfesting. I love that because I always found the other components to MH (gathering, crafting traps, etc...) somewhat tedious.

Their F2P mode is rather ingenious. Normally I wouldn't spend any money on a game like this. But I'm at work and figure...lets spend $5 for the game to play for me today while I'm working. >_<

I bought the auto pass for the day. I want to see how the game progresses.

That sounds promising as I also was not fond of crafting, gathering resources, etc in MH (or really any game for that matter). Crashlands was a perfect example of how to make those things less tedious even if the game itself got a bit stale after a while.
 

Frostt

Member
I thought the iOS release wasn't until May? Something for you guys to look forward to though. One of my favorite platformers in recent memory.

I heard somewhere that it was going to be released this week, if not, my bad.

Yes, I am eagerly awaiting Goo Saga, looks amazing. Cant wait!
 

PittaGAF

Member
I need to give that game another whirl. One thing that irked me was the inability to remove hints. I hate Match-3 games that don't allow me to disable that.

I get what you say (same here) but I *think* they go away after the first time.
I didn't see them in a long while at least.
 

okno

Member
EDIT: spot filled.

Hah, me thinks that may have been my spot that was filled. Haven't played for a week, and just noticed I got the boot. Whoops. Will keep my eyes peeled for another opening.


Edit: Onion Force. Holy cow. 1) It's awesome 2) It's GORGEOUS 3) It's tough as nails right off the bat. Really, really liking the mechanics behind the game. It's like Kingdom Rush, except you are in direct control of your Hero and all of their attacks. It's very interesting and just a really well made and engaging game. Not sure if it's free still, but if you're into TD games, I think you it owe it to yourself to check it out.
 

awp69

Member
So am I the only one here playing Pang Adventures? Still loving it and glad to see it getting some great reviews including a Gold award from PG.

It's not an easy game and you start to realize that thinking more like a puzzle game and planning your strategy is the real way to succeed.
 

killercow

Member
So am I the only one here playing Pang Adventures? Still loving it and glad to see it getting some great reviews including a Gold award from PG.

It's not an easy game and you start to realize that thinking more like a puzzle game and planning your strategy is the real way to succeed.

I have yet to try it but seeing that it's made by Pastagames, I'm sure I'll play it soon. Not surprised to hear that it's good ;)
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Monster Hunter Explore is the real deal.

I've finished the second island now, and the game is starting to ramp up in difficulty as my equipment doesn't completely carry me through all missions anymore. I took on Lagiacrus with 3 other people in multiplayer and it was a challenge.

This game is worth creating a Canadian account for if you don't already have one.

There are no shady free to play mechanics here. Play as much as you want.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Perfectly well. There's a huge solo portion of the game, and the multiplayer quests can be done in solo mode at a reduced difficulty.
 
Monster Hunter Explore is the real deal.

I've finished the second island now, and the game is starting to ramp up in difficulty as my equipment doesn't completely carry me through all missions anymore. I took on Lagiacrus with 3 other people in multiplayer and it was a challenge.

This game is worth creating a Canadian account for if you don't already have one.

There are no shady free to play mechanics here. Play as much as you want.
Is there actual exploration and planning and any depth to the combat, or is it modeled after Infinity Blade?
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Is there actual exploration and planning and any depth to the combat, or is it modeled after Infinity Blade?

Not like Infinity Blade whatsoever.

There's no exploration and no item load outs, but loading out with the correct elemental gear will make a difference as every boss has an element. Still, planning is at a minimum. Farming the correct gear is about all of the depth you'll find here. Apparently some Sword & Shields can come with traps (s&s is the only class that gets items), so that might be interesting in multiplayer.

The combat is a simplified Monster Hunter, but it still plays largely like Monster Hunter. You can run around, dodge, and unleash one button combos or special attacks. Bosses still have the same attack patterns they do in a mainline MH game.

It really feels like MH that has been nearly perfectly adapted for mobile.
 
Not like Infinity Blade whatsoever.

There's no exploration and no item load outs, but loading out with the correct elemental gear will make a difference as every boss has an element.

The combat is a simplified Monster Hunter, but it still plays largely like Monster Hunter. You can run around, dodge, and unleash one button combos or special attacks. Bosses still have the same attack patterns they do in a mainline MH game.

It really feels like MH that has been nearly perfectly adapted for mobile.
Actually, I'm just playing it now, and the controls really do feel fantastic. As you said, like a MH for mobile rather than cramming a Vita-style control scheme onto a touchscreen. Reminds me of Ghost Blade. And this plays perfectly on iPhone too
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Tip: if you go into the options while in a mission, you can change the button placements. I have the stick closer to the right side of the screen. Feels a bit nicer.

Also, no need to spam the attack button. For most weapons, a single tap will unleash a full combo (which can be interrupted with a dodge roll).

If I have time I want to create an OT for the game. It really deserves a lot of attention. Not only is the gameplay fantastic, but I think it has the fairest F2P scheme I've seen in any game.
 

awp69

Member
Actually, I'm just playing it now, and the controls really do feel fantastic. As you said, like a MH for mobile rather than cramming a Vita-style control scheme onto a touchscreen. Reminds me of Ghost Blade. And this plays perfectly on iPhone too

The Ghost Blade reference sold me. Going to give this a shot.
 

awp69

Member
Yeah, it has that one finger to attack/move/dodge-style control scheme that acfually somehow makes a portrait action game work on iPhone

Ghost Blade is a game that really deserved a lot more attention.

(Read that as if you don't have it...get it!)
 

nampad

Member
Got my gf hooked on Horizon Chase. She is a total non gamer so I was surprised she wanted to try it after seeing me play on the plane.

Was also surprised how well the touch controls work. Didn't want to use my MFI controller on the plane (I guess you can use BT nowadays when there is even wifi on some planes). Guess the bit of automatic steering in the game helps. Maybe that is why my gf even enjoyed it though I was surprised how good she was.

She wanted to get a new Iphone 6s anyway so I can install it for her thanks to Family Sharing. How does it work with ingame purchases/DLC?
 
So am I the only one here playing Pang Adventures? Still loving it and glad to see it getting some great reviews including a Gold award from PG.

It's not an easy game and you start to realize that thinking more like a puzzle game and planning your strategy is the real way to succeed.
Looks cool, but I'm not really that interested in it since Bug Butcher will be getting a mobile version this year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI5T8iBc3p8
 

awp69

Member
Looks cool, but I'm not really that interested in it since Bug Butcher will be getting a mobile version this year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI5T8iBc3p8

Welp, you're missing out. Great game. Amazing that I was never been exposed to the series before, but glad I took a chance.

Sounds like the Bug Butcher is good and it certainly looks great compared to the Pang games but apparently is short. Might be able to get some practice in before hand since this has a ton of content for the amazingly low $3.

Also picked up Star Knight. Thought it looked like it could be one of those games with good art but generic gameplay, but it's really good. Well designed levels with a solid mix of hack n slash action, platforming and some light RPG skill leveling.
 

awp69

Member
How big does MH blow up to? I know it was a small download and then was going to download another 1.1 GB, but it's up to 1.6 GB and crashing before it completes. Just want to know how much more I need to delete for space.
 
Welp, you're missing out. Great game. Amazing that I was never been exposed to the series before, but glad I took a chance.

Sounds like the Bug Butcher is good and it certainly looks great compared to the Pang games but apparently is short. Might be able to get some practice in before hand since this has a ton of content for the amazingly low $3.
I'm playing Pang Adventures on PS4 (chose that because of multi-player). I only need to get target score in Tour Mode to have seen everything it has to offer. Took me two evenings.

I'm a huge Pang fan and this new game came about indirectly because of an interview I funded on kickstarter. I've played all the previous Pang games, and own Mighty! Pang on CPS2 arcade board. For me the best version is absolutely the Nintendo DS version (I think it only got an EU release). Pang DS takes everything that was great about all of the previous games, and puts a cherry on top. Nothing comes close. I'm yet to finish the final levels in DS and I've been playing it for years.

Anyway, my thoughts about Pang Adventures are spread across several posts in the OT, but in short I give it 6/10 because it's only superficially Pang. There's just too much essential Pang gameplay and level design missing.
 

awp69

Member
I'm playing Pang Adventures on PS4 (chose that because of multi-player). I only need to get target score in Tour Mode to have seen everything it has to offer. Took me two evenings.

I'm a huge Pang fan and this new game came about indirectly because of an interview I funded on kickstarter. I've played all the previous Pang games, and own Mighty! Pang on CPS2 arcade board. For me the best version is absolutely the Nintendo DS version (I think it only got an EU release). Pang DS takes everything that was great about all of the previous games, and puts a cherry on top. Nothing comes close. I'm yet to finish the final levels in DS and I've been playing it for years.

Anyway, my thoughts about Pang Adventures are spread across several posts in the OT, but in short I give it 6/10 because it's only superficially Pang. There's just too much essential Pang gameplay and level design missing.

Thanks for the perspective! I am entirely new to Pang so maybe I just am liking the game for what it is. Going by the review by Shaun Musgrave, who knows the series well, I guess I thought this really was like the old Pang games.

There seems to be a wide variety with the levels, each one requiring a new strategy IMO. And it's quite challenging for me so I will be playing for a long time to come if I want to "three hat" every level.

But interesting to hear the thoughts of another Pang fan since I'm a noob.
 
This looks like a cool in-development game
http://www.longhathouse.com/games/dandara/
l3V0uHLCrE1AHxtBK.gif
l2QZRsIcB9zcFDv1K.gif
 

8sanders

Murderer's Gut Feeling™
Alright....SuperTribes is amazingly good. Think simplified Civ that you only get to play for 30 turns . Exploring, researching tech, gathering resources and building an army. You play for the highest score possible. Works incredibly well and it's free. Only IAP is to unlock 3 different starting tribes (in addition to the 4 already given to you). I bought the extra tribes because the developers definitely deserve it.

Everyone should at least check it out

https://appsto.re/us/qDf_7.i
 
Top Bottom