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iOS Gaming October 2015 | Just when you thought your TV was safe from mobile games

Forgotten Forest Teaser (would like to see more of the gameplay):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_LiOQzXL_c

Forgotten Forest: Afterlife iTunes link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/forgotten-forest-afterlife/id1038300559?mt=8

Picked up Forgotten Forest. It's quite fun! Still early but enjoying myself. Took me a few rounds to understand the logic, but quite satisfying when it clicked.

I really like the Darkin linking mechanic, my favorite in match-3 games, and if it's fresh on gameplay I might grab it tonight then. Match-3 belongs to mobile.

Absolutely loving it! Glad to see such an interesting mechanic applied to the match-3 base.

One suggestion though, it seems very finicky when connecting matching tiles together. Something a little less exact would be much better, like Dungeon Raid if you've played it.

Thanks guys!

Regarding the controls, Shaneus, let me speak to some of the team and see what we can do about it, appreciate the feedback :)

FF_TW_Banner_Launch-Game.png

I know some of you are already playing it and the cat is well and truly out of the bag but just a quick note to let others know that Forgotten Forest: Afterlife is now available!

App link https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/forgotten-forest-afterlife/id1038300559

Full trailer with some new gameplay:
https://youtu.be/qVDFCg5ltI8

And don't forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter and our website

If you're enjoying the game we'd also love to hear about it!
 

PittaGAF

Member
Elder Sign: Omens
Elder Sign: Omens HD

Both on sale for the first time, down to $0.99. The board game crowd seemed to really like this one as a single player experience.

Still my favorite digital boardgame after all these years.
I still play it and all 3 expansions (which are one better than another and very different from the base game and between them)...actually I crushed Itaqua some nights ago.
Something that not happens frequently...the game (expansions in particular) are hard as nails.

I wish I could transfer the expansion purchases...but I may double dip on iPhone right now, thanks for the heads up.

If you like the boardgame it's a no brainer, a fantastic solo experience (you can play with friends in pass and play...just pass the iPad when the character changes).

And it's an awesome game on iOS in general, if you like the genre.
 

RustyO

Member
Still my favorite digital boardgame after all these years.
I still play it and all 3 expansions (which are one better than another and very different from the base game and between them)...actually I crushed Itaqua some nights ago.
Something that not happens frequently...the game (expansions in particular) are hard as nails.

I wish I could transfer the expansion purchases...but I may double dip on iPhone right now, thanks for the heads up.

If you like the boardgame it's a no brainer, a fantastic solo experience (you can play with friends in pass and play...just pass the iPad when the character changes).

And it's an awesome game on iOS in general, if you like the genre.

I was going to ask about these after being introduced to Eldritch horror recently, so thanks.
 

TBiddy

Member
Are there any simple match-3 games, that can be played in portrait mode?

I kinda liked Marvels Puzzle Quest, until it dawned on me how ridiculous the microtransactions were :<
 

PittaGAF

Member
I was going to ask about these after being introduced to Eldritch horror recently, so thanks.

It's a no brainer then, even if Eldritch and Elder Sign (the boardgames) have some differences (many love both, some hate one or the other with a passion).

Many definitions I've come across (I personally like both, Elder Sign a tad more...it's more straightforward, MUCH faster and I love dice in general)....

Elder Sign is Eldritch without the misery.
Elder Sing: Omens = Eldritch + Yatzhee.
Etc...

Elder Sign is very heavy on dice but especially with the expansions it gets deeper; luck is always a factor with dice anyway.

The app is SUPER slick even if it's years old.
The only real fault is that it's not universal and the cutscenes (which are very good, all spoken and pretty long especially in the expansions) could be higher res.
 
Guys. Five Card Quest. Turn-based RPG combat from Rocketcat (of Wayward Souls and Mage Gauntlet fame)

What are you waiting for :p

Elder Sign: Omens
Elder Sign: Omens HD

Both on sale for the first time, down to $0.99. The board game crowd seemed to really like this one as a single player experience.
Been meaning to pick up Omens

But does a single player board game work? I've tried a few, but it's always clear that they're meant to be enjoyed in multiplayer. Only Galaxy Trucker really had a compelling single player component
 

colinp

Banned
Guys. Five Card Quest. Turn-based RPG combat from Rocketcat (of Wayward Souls and Mage Gauntlet fame)

What are you waiting for :p


Been meaning to pick up Omens

But does a single player board game work? I've tried a few, but it's always clear that they're meant to be enjoyed in multiplayer. Only Galaxy Trucker really had a compelling single player component

Ooh, Five Card Quest looks slick. I've got some iTunes bucks saved up so I'll bite. Thanks for the heads up.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Guys. Five Card Quest. Turn-based RPG combat from Rocketcat (of Wayward Souls and Mage Gauntlet fame)

What are you waiting for :p


Been meaning to pick up Omens

But does a single player board game work? I've tried a few, but it's always clear that they're meant to be enjoyed in multiplayer. Only Galaxy Trucker really had a compelling single player component

Cooperative board games are great imho for solo play (both in real life and on digital).
Competitive board games are so and so if they aren't a sync.

Elder Sign is imho GREAT as a solo experience...It's a solo Lovecraft adventure where you play 1-4 characters.
It's probably the best one on iOS, hands down.
As much as Carcassonne is a great mp board game (in real life and on iOS).

Another awesome one is Talisman, but it suffers being a competitive one without a sync.

Just to mention some of the most famous ones.
 
Ooh, Five Card Quest looks slick. I've got some iTunes bucks saved up so I'll bite. Thanks for the heads up.
It's really good. The card game descriptions from the devs and App page probably give the wrong impressions. It's a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler. You select two warriors from five classes, plus a perk, then travel room-by-room through several maps. There might be a healing fountain, or a merchant, or a new hero. But more often, you encounter enemies

Combat is pretty interesting. It's lane-based, your party spread across three lanes, as enemies approach with each turn and attack when they get close enough. Each turn, you get a random selection of five attacks and abilities from your combined pool of class skills. These attacks can do things like slow an approaching enemy, switch lanes, knock an enemy back, buff stats or poison foes, parry an impeding blow, and much more

You can also purchase items from merchants to expand your tactical options

It's really fun, and has a cool Nightmare Cooperative-esque art style
 

RustyO

Member
It's a no brainer then, even if Eldritch and Elder Sign (the boardgames) have some differences (many love both, some hate one or the other with a passion).

Many definitions I've come across (I personally like both, Elder Sign a tad more...it's more straightforward, MUCH faster and I love dice in general)....

Elder Sign is Eldritch without the misery.
Elder Sing: Omens = Eldritch + Yatzhee.
Etc...

Elder Sign is very heavy on dice but especially with the expansions it gets deeper; luck is always a factor with dice anyway.

The app is SUPER slick even if it's years old.
The only real fault is that it's not universal and the cutscenes (which are very good, all spoken and pretty long especially in the expansions) could be higher res.

Downloading now... will see how I go.

The game I played was also with an expansion or two, with Ithaqua... it wasn't all that fun :/ Got arses kicked by hypothermia.
 

colinp

Banned
It's really good. The card game descriptions from the devs and App page probably give the wrong impressions. It's a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler. You select two warriors from five classes, plus a perk, then travel room-by-room through several maps. There might be a healing fountain, or a merchant, or a new hero. But more often, you encounter enemies

Combat is pretty interesting. It's lane-based, your party spread across three lanes, as enemies approach with each turn and attack when they get close enough. Each turn, you get a random selection of five attacks and abilities from your combined pool of class skills. These attacks can do things like slow an approaching enemy, switch lanes, knock an enemy back, buff stats or poison foes, parry an impeding blow, and much more

You can also purchase items from merchants to expand your tactical options

It's really fun, and has a cool Nightmare Cooperative-esque art style

Yeah I'm enjoying it a lot. Got pretty much decimated my first game, but am faring much better on my second run. It's neat trying different combinations of classes and finding ways to play off their strengths and weaknesses.

Too much good stuff this week, as usual.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Downloading now... will see how I go.

The game I played was also with an expansion or two, with Ithaqua... it wasn't all that fun :/ Got arses kicked by hypothermia.

Well...too late now but do know Elder Sign is HARD AS NAILS.

I crushed Itaqua some days ago....last time I did was like last year :)
The Dark Pharaoh I think I completed it with the good ending....like maybe 2 times.
I almost always win against Chtulu for some reason and almost always the base game now.
But it takes a lot of time to build up a good strategy (which means picking up the right characters, know what items to use and when, etc...).

I really hope you will enjoy the game as much as I do.
 

Wingus

Member
So much to pick up...

I've always wanted to play a single player focused board game, and this Elder Signs game seems like something I want to try out. Bought :)
 

Gaaraz

Member
Elder Sign is imho GREAT as a solo experience...It's a solo Lovecraft adventure where you play 1-4 characters. It's probably the best one on iOS, hands down.
Thanks Pitta. Is it something I could play co-operatively with my girlfriend? We often play a game on the iPad (The Room, Puzzle Agent) or DS (Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton) before going to sleep and Elder Sign looks like it could be a good option :)

(edit) hard as nails doesn't sound good though...
 

Frostt

Member
Beneath the Lighthouse could be the best rotating platform around... the way they handle the rotation is genius and the IAP to convert it to premium is a nice touch. Add FEZ visuals and sounds and = Lovely.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Thanks Pitta. Is it something I could play co-operatively with my girlfriend? We often play a game on the iPad (The Room, Puzzle Agent) or DS (Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton) before going to sleep and Elder Sign looks like it could be a good option :)

(edit) hard as nails doesn't sound good though...

I generally play solo but playing as you said is totally possible....just use 1 or 2 characters each and pass the iPad when it's the appropriate turn.
I guess lot of discussions will arise (as in the real board game).
Many friendships were ended playing Elder Sign :)

It's a hard game (especially the expansions...rated at 'insane') but there is also a easy Ancient one to fight in the base game.
At first it will look impossible or too luck dependent....they it will click and you will be ready for harder adventures.
(The ice part in Itaqua is really insane).

If you both like the setting...I would say go for it.

It's hard because especially in the expansions you are against impossible odds, the time is constantly ticking and you have always to decide who you can possibly sacrifice.
Luck is also a factor (the 'meat' of the game, as always in these kind of games, is trying to reduce luck effect as much as you can with strategy).

I should add that even the real board game is not a game where you usually win easily.
It's a game supposed to be hard.

EDIT: I see other people bought the game...I hope they will like it too but anyway that could provide other and more fresh impressions too. Having different points of views is always a plus!!!!
 

Gaaraz

Member
That's great, thank you Pitta. I guess for the price it's well worth a try!

(funny, because it was only yesterday I removed it from my Appshopper wishlist... but you've won me over!)
 

Nyx

Member
Am I alone in getting all kinds of friend requests in Game Center from people I have never heard of ?
 
Am I alone in getting all kinds of friend requests in Game Center from people I have never heard of ?

Nah, I've been getting them too. I figure it must be some sort of spam (a'la random Twitter/Instagram follows). Ignore and move on.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Am I alone in getting all kinds of friend requests in Game Center from people I have never heard of ?

Happens to me too.
Sometimes I recognize people from here, but most of the time the people that are NOT spam kindly specify 'from GAF' or things like that in the request.

Speaking of Game Center friend list...please people, use an Avatar!!!!
It's ugly to see the white circle! (More_Badass, I'm looking at you :p ).
 

Nyx

Member
Nah, I've been getting them too. I figure it must be some sort of spam (a'la random Twitter/Instagram follows). Ignore and move on.

Thing is I never ever had any before, I don't even use GC. But in the past 10 days or so I've gotten 5 requests.

But seems I'm not alone so it's just spam then indeed.
 
Playing Galak-Z on Steam and I have no idea how the mobile version is going to work without completely changing the gameplay.

1) The game isn't a crazy super-frenetic dual stick. You need to be able carefully modulate your speed, be able to reverse thrust while still aiming, and such. Stealth and carefully precise movement is important. That's hard to do with v-sticks.

2) It's a game that use all four face buttons and three triggers. There's no way that control scheme is going to translate without ending up with a Rex Rocket scenario.

At best, a fun if stripped down version. At worst, a completely changed experience to fit mobile
 

awp69

Member
Playing Galak-Z on Steam and I have no idea how the mobile version is going to work without completely changing the gameplay.

1) The game isn't a crazy super-frenetic dual stick. You need to be able carefully modulate your speed, be able to reverse thrust while still aiming, and such. Stealth and carefully precise movement is important. That's hard to do with v-sticks.

2) It's a game that use all four face buttons and three triggers. There's no way that control scheme is going to translate without ending up with a Rex Rocket scenario.

At best, a fun if stripped down version. At worst, a completely changed experience to fit mobile

I think I remember reading that it would be stripped down knowing the limitations of mobile.

I've been meaning to pick up the PS4 version because it sounds great. But, alas, I've been spending more time on mobile these days.

---

Back to this week's releases, I picked up Lumino City, Beneath the Lighthouse, Dead Effect 2 and Battle Supremacy: Evolution.

Really enjoying all of them for, obviously, different reasons.

I can already see myself struggling with Lumino City as I'm not great at these type of puzzlers, but it's really a beautiful game and I'll navigate through it as best I can.

Beneath the Lighthouse is really fun. It does remind me of another game that I can't seem to remember the name of, but it's clever and like the graphical style.

Already have posted about the other two.

I thought I was getting a hang of the controls with Battle Supremacy, but am really finding myself still struggling with them, especially in the air. I still don't get why they had change them so drastically from past efforts and removed any options to customize them other than sensitivity. Another frustration though is that Atypical doesn't seem to want to respond to questions about them.

I've tried both Twitter and Facebook and have not received any response. Also been looking at the TA thread and the dev isn't present there either.

Oh well, it's still a blast and I'll keep playing in hopes that it clicks. Oh, and for those of you on Mini 2s or other lower end devices, there is a toggle for limiting FPS and it does seem to help level it out to be a smoother experience. Probably caps it at 30 FPS. I'm not usually one to care much about 30 vs 60 FPS, etc., unless it dips severely.

I also just read a post on TA that said lags even on an iPad Air 2 so hopefully Atypical will patch it for optimization. If they are using the same engine as they did for Battle Supremacy, the action here can be a lot more intense with way more "Ho"stiles (I'm not sure if it was designed on purpose for your apparently AI guide, but I have to LOL when ever she pronounces hostiles.)
 

Frostt

Member
Playing Galak-Z on Steam and I have no idea how the mobile version is going to work without completely changing the gameplay.

1) The game isn't a crazy super-frenetic dual stick. You need to be able carefully modulate your speed, be able to reverse thrust while still aiming, and such. Stealth and carefully precise movement is important. That's hard to do with v-sticks.

2) It's a game that use all four face buttons and three triggers. There's no way that control scheme is going to translate without ending up with a Rex Rocket scenario.

At best, a fun if stripped down version. At worst, a completely changed experience to fit mobile

Playing it too and agreed with everything said. I will still give it play when it releases on mobile, Steam version is really good.
 

Frostt

Member
Rayman Adventures should be out by tomorrow for tvOS. Not sure if/when it's out for ios.

I heard... february or march 2016... seems strange if the tvOS version releases tomorrow. I wholeheartedly recommend picking Rayman Legends instead (Steam, PS3&4, XBOX1&2). So much fun, can control Rayman like a platformer but with all the added (and more) things of Jungle and Fiesta Run, and without the IAP.
 
I would not be surprised if in a month or two, Lumino City ends up selling better on mobile than it did on PC. Editor's Choice and big coverage on mobile gaming sites seem to bring a lot more attention to the game than what attention there was when it was on PC.
 

RustyO

Member
Well...too late now but do know Elder Sign is HARD AS NAILS.

Do I send the refund request to you or Apple?

It was fun and enjoyable, and a little tortuous in a masochistic way. I guess like some "hard" games like Souls. Ended up getting a portal, and a pile of monsters spawning in central Africa... certain death for whoever went there. But enjoyed it.
 

awp69

Member
I would not be surprised if in a month or two, Lumino City ends up selling better on mobile than it did on PC. Editor's Choice and big coverage on mobile gaming sites seem to bring a lot more attention to the game than what attention there was when it was on PC.

As bad as the market is on iOS for premium games, I do feel that if you've got a good game and, obviously, are lucky enough to be featured by Apple, you can do much better on mobile than on Steam. Steam is as much of a wasteland for indie games as iOS. But I think the consumer environment on iOS is more open to indies than PC and consoles are.

It's also bigger deal when a game jumps from PC to iOS that it would be the other way around. That has some disadvantages too though. Some mediocre PC games ported to mobile can get more attention than they deserve vs. iOS originals that may be substantially better as games.
 
I want to try Elder Sign but my Apple ID has been in various states of dysfunction since Sunday morning when AppleCare thought nothing of authorizing some guy with an iPhone 4 in China access to my account despite the fact my iPad was online and never left my home in Maryland. I've put in three support calls and while they did refund the unauthorized transactions they facilitated, my account is still disabled with the security questions having been changed (and aren't even in English anymore).

Can someone gift me a code for it if the sale hasn't run out?
 

PittaGAF

Member
Thanks Pitta. Is it something I could play co-operatively with my girlfriend? We often play a game on the iPad (The Room, Puzzle Agent) or DS (Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton) before going to sleep and Elder Sign looks like it could be a good option :)

(edit) hard as nails doesn't sound good though...

Do I send the refund request to you or Apple?

It was fun and enjoyable, and a little tortuous in a masochistic way. I guess like some "hard" games like Souls. Ended up getting a portal, and a pile of monsters spawning in central Africa... certain death for whoever went there. But enjoyed it.

:)

If it makes feel you better, Chtulu just devoured me....well...Amanda, my last survivor.

I'm rusty.

But I really absolutely love this game.
I'll try The Dark Pharaoh tonight :)
 

Emarv

Member
It's really good. The card game descriptions from the devs and App page probably give the wrong impressions. It's a turn-based RPG dungeon crawler. You select two warriors from five classes, plus a perk, then travel room-by-room through several maps. There might be a healing fountain, or a merchant, or a new hero. But more often, you encounter enemies

Combat is pretty interesting. It's lane-based, your party spread across three lanes, as enemies approach with each turn and attack when they get close enough. Each turn, you get a random selection of five attacks and abilities from your combined pool of class skills. These attacks can do things like slow an approaching enemy, switch lanes, knock an enemy back, buff stats or poison foes, parry an impeding blow, and much more

You can also purchase items from merchants to expand your tactical options

It's really fun, and has a cool Nightmare Cooperative-esque art style

This sounds good. Gonna try and find a couple of videos or reviews, but otherwise, I'd love a light repayable RPG experience.

Also 0.99 is probably my price for Elder Signs.
 

awp69

Member
Any Lumino City impressions? Still on the fence -- I love the aesthetic but unsure of the gameplay.

I haven't played enough to give solid impressions, but liking it so far.

---

Some more sales:

Edge Extended $2.99 --> Free (an iOS classic so if you don't have this, get it)
Battle Supremacy $4.99 --> $.99 (to celebrate the release of Evolution. The original game is MUCH better control wise and highly recommended)
Rebuild 3 $4:99 --> $3.99 (not a huge sale, but this has only been out a few weeks)
Sproggiwood $9.99 --> $4.99 (adorable but tough as a rogue like should be. Still a very accessible game for those new to the genre with multiple difficulties).
King of Dragon Pass $9.99 ---> $4.99
Magicka $3.99 ---> $1.99
Futuridium EP $1.99 --> $.99
 

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
Anyone else getting incredibly slow download speeds on the app store?

I wonder if that's an issue with their servers getting hit with the Apple TV app and app resources downloads?

I imagine a lot of people are downloading a lot of stuff just to try it out.
 
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