Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Alex Beech'
The Witcher Battle Arena brings the fantasy series to iOS as a MOBA
While The Witcher 3 may have been pushed back to 2015, fans of the franchise won’t have to wait that long for their next fix because CD Project has just unveiled The Witcher Battle Arena for iOS. Rather than mimicking the expansive RPG formula of the main series, this mobile take on The Witcher is a MOBA. Like League of Legends and Dota 2, the gameplay revolves around capturing and holding strategic points to gain victory. Where it differs from much of the genre, however, is its focus on short intense battles. Allowing up to six people to play together online, The Witcher Battle Arena offers plenty of game options. You can choose to play in six-way matches, enter into three-on-three…
multiplayer
Storm Casters Review
You're lost and alone in a forest. Your village has been destroyed. A wizard appears before you. Granting you magic powers to claim your revenge, the robed figure then points you in the direction of the village-ravaging monster's lair, the aptly named Skull Keep. Within the keep, you are thrown directly into Storm Casters's no nonsense dungeon crawling. A responsive virtual stick guides your hero, with a fire button letting you cast spells at the nearest available target. This si…
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Huge Disco Zoo update lets you catch animals in space
Disco Zoo’s latest update has brought a host of new features to NimbleBit’s casual puzzler. The biggest change comes in the form of two new environments, city and space, which add twelve new animal types for you to hunt down for your exhibits. The city setting works much like previous ones, letting you trade coins to engage in the game’s Battleship-like expeditions to capture animals. Space, however, can only be explored by spending a new in-game currency: the imaginatively titled Space Coins. These can only be earned by capturing specific animals to order from other habitats, or through in-app purchases. The update also adds ways to jazz up your enclosures using eithe…
World of Tanks Blitz Review
At its most reductive, World of Tank Blitz is a modern interpretation of the Atari classic Combat. But this mobile instalment the of tank-based arena warfare behemoth bring flair - and considerate monetisation - to the formula. A quick tutorial teaches you nuances of manoeuvring your metal death-machine using the virtual stick, buttons, and various drop down menus. It is a familiar system, but one made unique thanks to your tanks methodical pace and cumbersome turning circle. Th…
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Beautiful botanical point-and-click adventure Botanicula is on sale for the first time
The gorgeously floral adventure game Botanicula has been in bloom on the iPad for three months now. In fact, it's fourished so well that developer Amanita Design has given its price a prune for the summer. The charming point-and-click game has you guiding a troop of tiny creatures along the branches of a tree. Their home is under attack, forcing them to flee in order to rescue their arboreal homestead's last remaining seed. Each creature has its own unique powers. From the stick-like being that can extend to create bridges over dangers, to the rotund orb that illuminates the dark, every beastie must be nurtured and mastered to guide the team to victory. Botanical is currently &poun…
Epic RPG The Banner Saga coming to iOS this summer
The Banner Saga has made quite the name for itself on PC since it was released earlier this year. Now, developer Stoic Studios has confirmed that the acclaimed RPG is now destined for the App Store. Thrown into in a medieval viking world, you must journey through stunning 2D nordic environments on a mission to save civilization. With over 25 playable characters, there are plenty of ways for this grave story to play out. With every choice you make impacting the story and fate of your characters, each decision must be carefully weighed. Stoic Studio team is made up of ex-Mass Effect developers, so The Banner Saga’s pedigree is not in question. That said, we look forward to seei…
Supernauts Review
Where Supernauts differs from other free-to-play world-building games like Clash of Clans or The Sims Freeplay, is that it doesn’t constrain your creativity with set structures. Instead it lets you make whatever you desire on your tiny world from a series of blocks, essentially taking the freedom of Minecraft, and applying it in a free-to-play context. The game takes place on an asteroid. Controlling your Supernaut you use the "zapper" - a device with a wonderfully '70…
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World of Tanks Blitz has just rolled onto iPhone and iPad
Having been soft-launched in selected territories a number of weeks ago, World of Tanks Blitz is now available in App Stores everywhere. If you're not familiar, World of Tanks Blitz is Wargaming’s iOS interpretation of its incredibly popular PC and Xbox free-to-play MMO World of Tanks. However, this seven-on-seven tank combat game is not a straight port of the original series. Wargaming has created it from the ground up for touchscreen, and optimised the historically-inspired military battles mobile online play. Though it is free-to-play, World of Tanks Blitz doesn't feature timers or energy systems. Instead, in-app purchases allow you to buy and upgrade the game's…
UMAI! Review
Like a good plate of sashimi, Umai! understands that less is more. This sushi-munching puzzler has you controlling a monster's tongue as it tries to eat its way through a conveyer belt of fishy treats. You begin by selecting one of five peckish creatures. Each has a unique pixel art design that sits somewhere on a spectrum between distressing and wonderful. Once you've chosen, you are instantly surrounded by twelve plates of sushi. You control your hungry beast's frog-like tongue wit…
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Plants vs Zombies 2 gets medieval with the first Dark Ages update
PopCap is sending Plants vs Zombies 2 back to days of yore with its new Dark Ages Part 1 update. These new levels take place at night. With no sun to help your plants grow you are forced rely on shine-creating flora like the Sun-shroom, the Puff-shroom (which costs nothing to grow), and a host of other new night loving plants. Gravestones have also been added to levels. These creepy monoliths can be smashed to give sunshine or plant food bonuses. Don't get too excited about your beefed up abourial arsenal, however, because the zombies have also had their numbers bolstered. An undead peasant zombie has taken its place among the shambling masses, while the medieval Gargantuar’s hul…
Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville Review
From the moment Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville starts it shows a clear love of its source material. The first choice the game has you make is between two different visual and audio treatments for the girls: one that matches the original series, and one for their new CGI interpretation. While this has no impact on gameplay, it shows a respect for the fans, letting them enjoy their favorite version of the heroes. The action begins when the evil monkey Mojo Jojo lures the…
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Assassin's Creed Pirates gets a new mission with the Freedom update
Ubisoft has added yet more content to Assassin's Creed Pirates, this time with the Freedom update. The update brings with it a wealth of riches, but the biggest haul is a new chapter appendix. This additional mission has you destroying the jail fortress in La Isla de la Juventud in order to free slaves and unlock an exclusive bonus. An improved daily reward system also lets you gain increasingly valuable treasures for repeat visits to the game. Random booty has been scattered throughout the Caribbean seas, too, while syncing your account with your Facebook profile will earn you a special gift. The new features don’t end there, with the update offering you more freedom in how you c…
Canabalt receives widescreen support and new runners
With appeal seemingly as endless as its roof-hopping gameplay, Canabalt, the game that started our love of endless-runners, is has been dragged into line with the latest iPhone generation. This update finally adds widescreen support for iPhone 5 and above. While in many games a wider aspect ratio doesn't bring a huge amount, in a title that requires you to react to upcoming obstacles it make a huge difference. We are already noticing our average run times creeping up, and it's been months since we last played. Three additional runners have also been thrown into the mix. These characters are not selectable, seeming to spawn randomly at the start of your run. Unfortunately, so far we…
LEGO ® Marvel ™ Super Heroes: Universe in Peril Review
Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril struggles from the outset. A very loose port of a 3DS and Vita game, that is itself a translation of a home console experience, the whole thing feels like a compromise. The only part of the game that seems complete is the cutscenes. These comic interludes do a great job framing the action, with sharp writing that will appeal to kids and adults alike. Unfortunately, the quality of these only serves to highlight the sacrifices elsewhere in the…
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Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville is on the App Store now
Cartoon Network is letting you take control of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in its new 2D adventure-shooter, Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville. Taking to the skies as everyone’s favorite crime-fighting triplets, you must foil Mojo Jojo's latest dastardly scheme. The evil monkey has blasted the girls with his Disremember Ray, causing them to forget their powers. To remedy this terrible amnesia the girls must journey to the farthest reaches of Townsville, smashing through the hundreds of robots that stand in their way. Like the best metroidvanias, as you gather the girls (you start off the game as Buttercup) you gain access to their unique powers, enabling you to…
