Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
Gaijin Games announces Runner 2 headed for iOS
Yup, Bit.trip presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is on its way to the iOS platform. The controls have been rethought from the ground up, and it looks like the entire game is surving the trasition to mobile intact - unlockables and all. Have a look at the trailer for the original release. I devoured this game on PC back in March and it most likely will feature in my top games of the year. Whether the iOS port can replicate the experience remains to be seen. We should have a launch date and pricing later on in the year.…
Abyss Attack Review
Abyss Attack is an endless-runner in the garb of a shmup. Here are your instructions: shoot everything, play till you die, use the currency to upgrade your craft, and try to overcome the temptation to spend real money on upgrades. To control your underwater craft, you simply drag your finger around the screen. You fire automatically, while picking up packages will change your weapon. These packages usually contain equippable power-ups like blades and bombs. Each stage ends with…
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Link The Slug Review
The slugs in Link the Slug are the result of an experiment gone horribly wrong. And, as science is blame for these colourful abominations, it's science's job to clean up the mess. To do this, you need to use the power of electricity. Tap two slugs of the same colour and a bolt of electricity will zap between them, eradicating the slugs from existence. Each stage is complete when all slugs have been zapped from the screen. The trick is to clear the screen in such a way that your electr…
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Squid up!
When watching the trailer of the upcoming game Squid up! by Abyssal Games, the gameplay of helping a squid hop further and further upwards was not what caught our attention. It was the charming sense of humour surrounding what looks to be solid enough gameplay. If you watch the trailer yourselves you'll see what I mean. We'll find out what the squid is made of on September 12th.…
The Impossible Line Review
The Impossible Line features a concept that we've seen before on iOS. The aim of the game is to draw a line from point to point, avoiding all the hazards in-between. The catch is that once you start drawing said line, the obstacles disappear, leaving you to rely on your memory. For this incarnation of the concept, a radar has been added, as well as a few power-ups. But as is the case with many free to play games these days, The Impossible Line is rendered almost impossible to enj…
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SwapQuest sure is an interesting concept
We don't know how long combining a dungeon crawling roguelike with the tile swapping gameplay of Pipe Dream will last, but SwapQuest is indeed an interesting concept. Have a look at the trailer and see for yourselves! It might be a fun little diversion or it might be ruthlessly addictive. We'll know for sure when it releases sometime before the end of the year.…
Smash Bandits Review
As anyone who has played with building blocks as a child knows, fun to smash things, almost as much fun as it is to build them. Smash Bandits understands this, and takes the player on a destruction fuelled rampage around the streets of a crime-infested city, eluding the cops, and creating as much property damage as possible A game of Smash Bandits lasts on average, a couple of minutes - at least in the early stages. Causing damage generates cash, while completing one of the in-game mi…
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Terraria Review
Terraria has been a popular PC title since 2011, only making its way to consoles and iOS this year. Its brand of expansive exploration combined with creation and crafting abilities have has earned it the label "the 2D Minecraft”. As it's already well-established as an enjoyable craft-'em-up, our main concern was whether the game had made the leap to the App Store in one piece. The answer: mostly. You start by customising your character's features and inhabiting one of three rand…
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The Question
Hello there loyal Appspy readers! It’s another Monday and it is of course time for another question. We’re approaching the final game release quarter for 2013, and while we have a slew of big releases and likely more than a couple surprises in store before 2014 hits, I’ve become interested in the year in review. That’s why this week my question is, what is your favourite iOS release of 2013 so far, and why? I don’t know about the rest of you, but i’ll have to search back through the year’s reviews just to find out what made an impact (of course my lack of memory at the moment may be due to the coffee not taking effect yet). I’ll be delighte…
Official trailer for Monster Adventures
Forsaken Media (creators of Block Fortress and Heroes and Castles) announced their new game Monster Adventures earlier in the year, and have released a trailer. Here it is! It looks like what would happen if you actually controlled Pokemon in an action RPG setting. Apparently the dungeons are procedurally generated, so there should be a focus on exploration and loot acquisition. The game should release sometime in the next couple of months, so definitely keep on the lookout.…
The Answer
Hey there loyal Appspy readers! Wow, you guys stepped up to the plate this week. Istako deserves a mention for his lengthy dissection of the different kinds of free to play. It’s interesting that while there is not consensus of what games fall under each category (for example Real Racing 3 had some contention for if its IAP was unobtrusive or not), the different approaches to free-to-play were thorough. Most of our commenters are ok with free-to-play being used as a demo for the larger game. It’s sort of reminiscent of the XBLA system, where every game has a trial. You download the whole game, get to play for a little while, and then if you enjoy it, you can pay money to contin…
Worms™ 3 Review
Though the Worms series has been a staple of joy-filled multiplayer gaming since the mid '90s, the franchise's previous forays into the mobile space have been plagued with control issues. We are happy to report, then, that Worms 3 addresses many on the concerns of previous iOS titles, and delivers an experience worthy of the Worms name. You begin by building your team. As always, you are provided with a quartet of invertebrates to name and accessorise. This time, however, you are give…
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Two upcoming games from Chillingo
On Monday we showed you a preview video of Bloodstrike, which is one of three games Chillingo were showing off at Gamescom last week. Here we have trailers for the other two. The first is a game called Find the Line in which you arrange lines to create an image. It reminds me of Blueprint 3D (which was one of my favourite games of 2011), so I am looking forward to taking it for a spin and seeing if the gameplay is similar. The second game is Feed Me Oil 2, the sequel to the popular physics puzzler from a couple years ago (our review was very positive). It looks to have gotten a visual overhaul, while maintaining the same addictive fluid based gameplay. Both gam…
I Am Level combines pinball and platforming
While the rudimentary graphics may not be much to look at in this trailer of the upcoming I Am Level, it's the concept that deserves attention. Combing the rebounds and flicks of pinball with single screen platforming level design intrigues me to no end. Throw in the cryptic suggestion in the trailer that the world you're inhabiting is somehow alive, and I think you have the makings of a game worth trying. Watch the trailer for more insight. The game is set to launch on September 6th, and will be initially be free (staying free depending on how many views this trailer gets apparently).…
Angry Birds Go! announcement announced
Not much is known about the upcoming Angry Birds themed kart racer titled Angry Birds Go! other than it is sponsered by Red Bull, and the following announcement of the coming gaming announcement is quite amusing. It'll be interesting to see if the concept is more kart racer, or more Angry Birds. Do you fling your kart to start the race? Of course all we can do is speculate till the actual game reveal. We'll let you know more as soon as we do.…
