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[More_Badass]

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 recommended games that released during the previous 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.

If you're a developer who wishes to have your game featured, please talk about your game in the thread and if the GAF community at large likes the game then your wish just might be granted. Please note that there's a difference between posting about a game you made and just advertising your game with no further interaction with the community, this thread is not for the latter and such advertising behavior is frowned upon.

Directory
1) Introduction & Recommended Games
2) Recommended Games continued
3) Upcoming Releases, Past Threads & Other Links

Site | App Store
Tavern Guardians is a Hack-and-Slash action game played in the style of a match-three. You can experience high pace action battles in this game which is totally different from former Puzzle-RPGs.

Tavern Guardians came out today. Impressive, premium match three that's kind of like a castle defense RPG. You have to attack enemies as they approach your castle with arrows, direct attacks (matches next to them), special magic attacks, etc.

It's also like Solitairica in that you choose a class at the beginning and fight with that one hero until you die. Coins allow you to get equipment and items that can raise your HP, castle wall (Shield) and other things. But coins also can boost your stats for each Hero.

Pretty fun and addictive. $2.99

Really liking Tavern Guardians.
A nice blend between roguelike and match-3, with a brutal difficulty and a TON of wildly different enemies, bosses and items.

Great time waster that requires some serious strategy and timing.

Finally realized how attacking in Tavern Guardians works. Okay, this puts it up there with Hero Emblems, at least in terms of board control and tactical matching. Easily the best match-3 RPG (well, more roguelike) since that, and the best match-3 since Swapperoo

I'm having a lot of fun with Tavern Guardians too. I just realized that two hours have gone by but I unlocked the Mage and berserker on my last play through. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

I didn't like the Gunner as much as the Paladin. The level 3 boss seemed impossible but I managed to beat him with some holy grail item (restore armor and health) and make it to level 7! Scored 954

Back in I go... good recommendation!

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Site | App Store
Search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. Unfurl tent flaps, cut through bushes, slam doors, and poke some crocodiles! Rooooaaaarrrr!!!!!
A strip of targets shows you what to look for. Tap a target for a hint, and find enough to unlock the next area.

Hidden folks is great. Played it for a bit yesterday.

Hidden Folks is really cute

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Site | App Store
From Tin Man Games, the award winning studio that has released over 30 digital gamebooks and interactive fiction apps on the App Store, including those from the Fighting Fantasy series. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain goes one step further from previous releases, jumping from the 2D page and transforming into an epic 3D domain, with new areas to explore, characters to meet, and of course, monsters to slay!

...Warlock is pretty damn cool. Got a bit of the Sorcery feel with the text but the board game combat is well done. Also think the graphics are just fine.

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Site | App Store
MUL.MASH.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL is a dazzlingly hand-animated, retro-inspired, modern-playing smash-o-rama that will leave your thumbs twitching and your heart aflutter.
MUL.MASH is the underwater 2D action extravaganza you've been dreaming of. In those urgent, unsettling dreams you're having, because you are humanity's prophesied savior and sole remaining hope. Please get on that.

This is really fun. Very polished and quirky. I was wondering how they'd combine the precision needed for a shmup with the randomness of the ball bouncing off paddles; they have a line that let's you aim the bounces. It works very well. Definitely worth checking out

+1 plays and runs great on my mini 2. Scratching that breakout/pinball/peggle itch. I'm leaving the sound on for this one too since I'm finding all the sound effects very satisfying. Underwater theme matches well to the gameplay and really adds to the total package.

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Site | App Store
A Fantasy Action RPG of far foreign lands! Summon the Djinns and rise to revolution!

If you're looking for a decent action RPG, Djinn Caster seems good so far. Extremely polished. It's Kemco but one of the few action RPGs they've published. I'll post more impressions when I get a chance to play more.

Got to say that I am really impressed with Djinn Caster. Love the painted graphical style and level of polish is amazing. Combat is relatively simple so far but summoning is cool and the story is decent so far (with excellent translation). Someone on TA likened it to playing a 3DS game and I can't argue with that right now in terms of quality.

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Site | App Store
From the creators of Bejeweled, Peggle and Plants vs Zombies comes a diabolical puzzle game that also happens to be a bloody tribute to the VHS era of videotape horror! No one is safe... no law enforcement enforces the law enough... and no animals or children are harmed... in the summer horror hit of 1984.

I dunno about the quality of the iOS port, but if it is as good as the PC version I would highly recommend this game. I was a little mean and critical about this game when it first hit steam, but it completely won me over as I progressed through it and my final conclusion is it is a wonderful and deep little puzzle game with a lovely art style.

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Site | App Store
Missileman is a high-speed vertical scrolling 2d shooter.
You are a man on a missile, shoot enemies down with missiles, earn exp and upgrade your missile. Can you beat all 16 levels?
Dodge high-speed scrolling walls and aim carefully then shoot enemy one by one

Cant decide whether game is better, Missileman or Glitchskier. Both do their own things with solid results, both are fun, both are like an ascending Downwell... while I decide I will be playing both in short bursts one after the other...

Everyone... stop ignoring Frost and get MissileMan NOW! Golly gosh is it good. Maybe it's the charm, but took the cake over Glitchskier for me. Very pretty game.

MissileMan deserves so much attention... definitely the underappreciated hit this week. It's got Editor's Choice in the US and still only 7 reviews...

It's so so good and everyone here NEEDS to pick it up if you like Downwell and Glitchskier

I'm having a hard time telling if MissileMan is super hard or I'm just terrible, but I still love it.

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Site | App Store
Glitchskier is the new action game by Shelly Alon, the developer who brought you Partyrs and Sputnik Eyes.
Bullet hell at its finest: nervewired action, boss fights, rethought game systems and much more... With unique looks, handcrafted effects, and extraordinary music by Tom Schley, Glitc³ki.|r i5 fa ERROR 0x00004f5

Glitchskier is really fun. It's sorta like a shmup version of Downwell. The levels are procedurally generated, dying starts you back at the beginning, there are loads of power ups, and you can actually change the color palette of the game through unlocks. Beating the first two bosses was fairly simple but after that it gets really hectic with many enemies that continually track you until they're destroyed. Haven't tried endless mode yet but I might get to that after I've beaten the campaign first.

I can vouch for this too. Great game and, in addition to what you've said, I'd add that the music is fantastic. Also like the use of ASCII characters and other computer-ish objects. Well done all around.

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Site | App Store
Causality is a puzzle game about manipulating time, altering the sequence of events and changing the outcome of each level.
Set across strange and alien landscapes, help a group of stranded astronauts find a route to safety. Travel through time, work with your past selves and solve paradoxes as you take on this uniquely challenging puzzler.

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Site | App Store
Travel through nebulas, survive black holes, and explore a vibrant universe, all while discovering hidden treasures and uncovering ancient artifacts in this visually enticing journey of survival and growth.
Evergrow is a dynamic cosmic adventure featuring fresh physics-based gameplay and fluid multi-touch mechanics, where you must help a block-like lifeform grow to become as big as possible.

 

[More_Badass]

Site | App Store
Get ready for action-packed, retro fun in this top-down arcade game!
Eight years ago, the super powers of the world created the International Alliance to stop the evil Kraken group from taking over the world. Fearing the possible return, the Alliance recruits our little pixelated hero, Leo, to investigate. Battle your way down into the Kraken's Antarctic laboratory to uncover their evil plan and stop their twisted creations. Dodge, blast, and out-maneuver strange, twisted boss monsters – each more menacing than the last – and assemble an arsenal of powerful weapons to destroy the enemy. Bring down the Kraken and demolish the Evil Factory!

I've been playing this game called Evil Factory for the past few days and I'm currently loving it.

It's an action game with virtual controls where you're a small guy with bombs and guns going floor to floor fighting giant bosses. The game is basically one giant boss rush. The game is played in portrait view but the controls don't feel cramped. The in game shops are pretty cool; there's a shop where you can buy better guns and equipment, a helmet shop that sells helmets with abilities, and even an arcade shop where you can buy cartridges to play simple arcade games for coin.

The game does have an energy system but it can be disabled with an $1.99 IAP. There are also currency packs but I'm pretty far in the game and have not felt the need for them yet. I'm surprised more people in here haven't tried it yet.

Played first 4-5 levels yesterday and i loved it. It looks great, very stylish. And it's fun.

Listen to Saucycarpdog, and check out Evil Factory. I'm really enjoying it so far. Tight controls, intense battles, wonderfully animated pixel art bosses, and a plethora of unlockables. It's a boss rush shmup, and each stage feels like an interesting new challenge

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Site | App Store
The Art of Detection reads like a comic ... except that every page is hidden but one. You come to that first page like a detective arriving at a crime scene. Your challenge: find the clues that will uncover the rest of the story.

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Site | App Store
Hyperlight is an high intensity arcade action game in which you control a spaceship that fights against hordes of evil alien monsters in a virtual cosmic environment. Your spaceship has a special capability: it can travel at a Faster Than Light speed (F.T.L.) becoming itself the final weapon. By colliding with enemies in this state the ship can instantly destroy everything it touches!

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Site | App Store
New, addictive and clever game mechanics in a beautiful and carefully designed world of rhombuses. Turn the tiles or turn the board to complete the levels and help the animals getting on the bus.

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Site | App Store
Unravel a mystery inspired by Viking myth and legend in The Frostrune, a classic point-and-click adventure based on ancient Norse culture and environments.
Find yourself shipwrecked on an island after a summer storm. Nearby, a recently abandoned settlement shows signs that its inhabitants left in a panic. Surrounding the village is a dark, dense forest filled with ancient rune stones and burial mounds. Among them are hidden relics and other well-kept secrets that will bring you closer to solving the mysteries of the island.

 

[More_Badass]

The Escapists - March 2nd

Shardlight - March 8th

Mushroom 11 - March 9th

Cosmic Express - March 16th

More releases to be added soon
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iOS Gaming February 2017 | Providing escapism since 2008
iOS Gaming January 2017 | Swipe Right Into The New Year

Visit the January 2017 thread for links to all 2016 iOS Gaming threads
Visit the January 2016 thread for links to all 2015 iOS Gaming threads
Visit the January 2014 thread for links to December 2013 through November 2012 threads!

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

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Genuine thanks to our iOS Gaming community for keeping these monthly threads alive!
Special thanks to Grim Patron for this month's thread title, as well as Tunesmith for his fantastic thread format and month after month of hard work in maintaining these threads

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Awesome OP M_B! Surprised you went with that title. 😂

 

[Frostt]

Card Thief should come out this month... cant wait to play the release version... my GOTY so far...

 

[awp69]

Thanks as always MB!

 

[protonium]

.

 

[Emarv]

Hurry up, Card Thief!

 

[Li Kao]

Still pondering about this year purchases, at what time should the ipad and iphone refresh conferences hit in your opinions ?

 

[More_Badass]

At long last, Mobile GOTY Results are up:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1349038

 

[Ketch]

Hurry up, Card Thief!

Yes pls!

Feb was such a great month for iOS. Seriously mobile just keeps getting better

 

[Grim Patron]

my title made it awww yes. also great thread as always. playing more hidden folks with a bit of isaac today.

missileman needs to be bought asap.

 

[PittaGAF]

Awesome thread More_Badass, thanks.

For some reason, I wanted to play a 'realistic' shooter and I downloaded Sine Mora again.
Still freaking amazing and it plays incredibly well on latest devices.
Still brutal.
But still awesome.

 

[One Foul Note]

Yeah! Always know it's going to be a lucky month when I'm in the iOS opening post. Need to catch up with Firetop Mountain when I got the chance, I downloaded it but still haven't gotten round to booting it up yet.

 

[RustyO]

Thank you as always More_Badass

At long last, Mobile GOTY Results are up:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1349038

Oooohh.... I'll have to check that out.

 

[Tunesmith]

At long last, Mobile GOTY Results are up:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1349038

B-b-but not real VIDEO GAMES in the top spots.

I didn't vote as I don't play many mobile games for very long (aside from MCOC) but it's a very good list, great job MB!

 

[killercow]

Spelkraft is out now on iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pan-pan/id926251842?mt=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqaR3NXKoPc

 

[awp69]

Wow. After the End: Forsaken Destiny looks fantastic!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=1178119895&mt=8

Spelkraft is out now on iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pan-pan/id926251842?mt=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqaR3NXKoPc

And so does this! And I never heard of either!

 

[killercow]

The Escapists:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-escapists/id1005658093?mt=8

 

[PittaGAF]

HOLY SHIT GUYS PLEASE STOP!!!!

I thought I was safe this week continuing playing old games and last 3 posts are games that:

1) Really interest me
2) Never heard before
3) Look GLORIOUS.

WHICH ONE TO START WITH?
Anyone has impressions on anything, assuming they are ports?

 

[awp69]

HOLY SHIT GUYS PLEASE STOP!!!!

I thought I was safe this week continuing playing old games and last 3 posts are games that:

1) Really interest me
2) Never heard before
3) Look GLORIOUS.

WHICH ONE TO START WITH?
Anyone has impressions on anything, assuming they are ports?

Only one I have is The Escapists (on Xbox One). It's a prison sim where you plan your escape, which to me sounds better than it actually is. Some people like it though. Just wasn't for me.

 

[More_Badass]

HOLY SHIT GUYS PLEASE STOP!!!!

I thought I was safe this week continuing playing old games and last 3 posts are games that:

1) Really interest me
2) Never heard before
3) Look GLORIOUS.

WHICH ONE TO START WITH?
Anyone has impressions on anything, assuming they are ports?

PanPan and Escapists are ports, After The End isnt

 

[PittaGAF]

Pan Pan and After the End look absolutely stunning judging by the trailers.

 

[awp69]

Decided to grab After the End. Have to go to to work in a few minutes though so will be a while before I can give impressions.

Also bought #breakforcist last night. If you like brick breakers at all, it's a must buy. Fantastic, frantic and funny endless brick breaker with procedurally generated waves and a great soundtrack.

 

[More_Badass]

Decided to grab After the End. Have to go to to work in a few minutes though so will be a while before I can give impressions.

Same, that trailer looked awesome

 

[awp69]

Gotta love this trend of awesome paid games lately!

Premium is far from dead!

 

[More_Badass]

Okay, five minutes in, After The End already proved it's going to be an excellent puzzler. You'll know which part that is

 

[Frostt]

Wow. After the End: Forsaken Destiny looks fantastic!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=1178119895&mt=8

Spelkraft is out now on iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pan-pan/id926251842?mt=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqaR3NXKoPc

Wow

 

[PittaGAF]

Remember when last year I said this year 3 new unnnounced games will be out/annnounced and I'm so hyped about all of them?

You may or may not want to be SUPER HYPED for a new game announcement on the 20th March.

Spoiler

MANY of you will be hyped, I know I will

EDIT: I know it sounds bragging and mean....but I swore on my firstborn I won't add anything else.

 

[killercow]

Remember when last year I said this year 3 new unnnounced games will be out/annnounced and I'm so hyped about all of them?

You may or may not want to be SUPER HYPED for a new game announcement on the 20th March.

Spoiler

MANY of you will be hyped, I know I will

EDIT: I know it sounds bragging and mean....but I swore on my firstborn I won't add anything else.

Ouh, looking forward to that

 

[More_Badass]

SUPER HYPED, huh?

Looking forward to that SUPERHOT port then

 

[Frostt]

SUPER HYPED, huh?

Looking forward to that SUPERHOT port then

I... I... am hyped now...

 

[More_Badass]

I... I... am hyped now...

That was a joke

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Remember when last year I said this year 3 new unnnounced games will be out/annnounced and I'm so hyped about all of them?

You may or may not want to be SUPER HYPED for a new game announcement on the 20th March.

Spoiler

MANY of you will be hyped, I know I will

EDIT: I know it sounds bragging and mean....but I swore on my firstborn I won't add anything else.

SUPER HYPED?........

Is it Darkest Dungeon?......

Now I want it to be Darkest Dungeon.

If it's anything less than Darkest Dungeon than I'm going to get More_Badass to ban you.

Spoiler

jk

 

[Frostt]

That was a joke

On the other hand, cant decide between After the End or Pan Pan... they look so similar!

SUPER HYPED?........

Is it Darkest Dungeon?......

Now I want it to be Darkest Dungeon.

If it's anything less than Darkest Dungeon than I'm going to get More_Badass to ban you.

Spoiler

jk

Played DD on PS4 and while is damn good, is really really hard. Insanely hard. Soul crushing hard.

 

[nicoga3000]

A little late, but anyone who has finished Red's Kingdom...I need help. Spoiler just in case?

Spoiler

I cannot figure out how to get to the first gem on the top left corner of the map. I have the first two. I imagine I need a powerup that lets me fly over water? Should I just go off and explore? I put the game down a while back but the latest update had me interested in completing this really neat experience.

 

[Oynox]

I am still wondering which iPad is best suited for gaming. The mini because of the better grip you have or the normal sized one to enjoy a bigger screen experience. I imagine especially ports and board games play much better on a 9.7 inch screen.

 

[awp69]

I am still wondering which iPad is best suited for gaming. The mini because of the better grip you have or the normal sized one to enjoy a bigger screen experience. I imagine especially ports and board games play much better on a 9.7 inch screen.

Personally, I found the mini to be just perfect. Not too unwieldy but large enough to enjoy the big screen

I say "found" because my mini 2 hasn't been working so hot after I had a screen replaced. The touch just isn't as responsive as it used to be. It's still fine for turn based games but anything more action oriented -- not so much.

So I do almost all my gaming on my iPhone 6 Plus. Can't afford another mini right now but that's the way I would go if I could.

 

[Grim Patron]

Mini or 9.7 imo. The 12.9 is too much for most games but some are better on it just because larger screen size. if they do a new mini that matches the 9.7 new release in internals get it. else you will be 1 gen behind and 1 year less of support for games running great.

 

[Voidance]

I am still wondering which iPad is best suited for gaming. The mini because of the better grip you have or the normal sized one to enjoy a bigger screen experience. I imagine especially ports and board games play much better on a 9.7 inch screen.

I prefer the 9.7 inch screen for iPad gaming. The Mini felt cramped in some games (to me) and the screen didn't feel much larger than my phone to be honest.

 

[killercow]

I prefer the 9.7 inch screen for iPad gaming. The Mini felt cramped in some games (to me) and the screen didn't feel much larger than my phone to be honest.

That plus it's not powerful enough, might as well go with the 9.7 and better yet, wait for the rumored March event with new iPads.

Edit:
The critically acclaimed Sunless Sea by Failbettergames is coming out March 23rd on iPad:
http://toucharcade.com/2017/03/02/sunless-sea-will-start-haunting-our-ipads-march-23rd/

 

[Voidance]

That plus it's not powerful enough, might as well go with the 9.7 and better yet, wait for the rumored March event with new iPads.

Edit:
The critically acclaimed Sunless Sea by Failbettergames is coming out March 23rd on iPad:
http://toucharcade.com/2017/03/02/sunless-sea-will-start-haunting-our-ipads-march-23rd/

Yeah, it can only help you to wait to purchase an iPad right now since the new model are rumored to be announced soon.

Sunless Sea on my iPad -- woo hoo!

Edit: Wait, it's iPad Pro only?! Fuck.

 

[killercow]

Yeah, it can only help you to wait to purchase an iPad right now since the new model are rumored to be announced soon.

Sunless Sea on my iPad -- woo hoo!

Edit: Wait, it's iPad Pro only?! Fuck.

No it's iPad Air and up, it's pretty badly worded and Toucharcade fell for it it seems.

"The game will require iOS8+ and will be compatible with iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 or higher."

 

[More_Badass]

Yeah, it can only help you to wait to purchase an iPad right now since the new model are rumored to be announced soon.

Sunless Sea on my iPad -- woo hoo!

Edit: Wait, it's iPad Pro only?! Fuck.

iOS 8 and up is good and will be compatible with iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 or higher

 

[PittaGAF]

Premium games are dead.



HELL YES!!!!

 

[killercow]

Premium games are dead.



HELL YES!!!!

What a Glorious start of the year already.

 

[More_Badass]

This is a crazy month for ports. If you've never played Mushroom 11 and Sunles Sea, you have some amazing games to look forward to

 

[PittaGAF]

What a Glorious start of the year already.

Indeed!!!

And it keeps getting better and better!!!

Awesome.

 

[Grim Patron]

Wow sunless sea.

 

[More_Badass]

Wow sunless sea.

Binding in January
Warlock and Hidden Folks in February
Escapists, Shardlight, Mushroom 11, Sunless Sea in March