Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Cameron Bald'
Nucleogenesis is an educational puzzler that teaches the basics of nuclear fusion
Developer Upsilon Alpha's Nucleogenesis is an educational spin on 2048 that teaches the basics of nuclear fusion. I won't pretend to be particularly knowledgeable on the topic, but the game's store page assures me that nucleogenesis "is the process of creating new elements through the process of fusion". You have to imagine that you're gravity at the centre of a star. So instead of matching numbers, like in 2048, you'll spend your time fusing elements until the star's core erupts. I published a game about the basics of nuclear fusion within stars... oh and it's free. from r/Physics And it's all backed by an electronic cover of Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre – an interesti…
OneMan, the tongue-in-cheek brawler for iOS and Android, gets a major update
OneMan is a frantic one-finger brawler that first launched back in January. It sees you going up against hundreds of vicious baddies in an epic fight to the death. Its simple, tongue-in-cheek action will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played One Finger Death Punch or the stylish Hordes of Enemies, and the news today is that developer Francis Entereso has released a major update for the game, adding a host of fresh content to get stuck into. The biggest additions here are the new characters – one of which looks suspiciously like Baba Yaga himself, John Wick. You've also got some explosive powerups to try out, including Berserk and Blackout. Beyond that, there's a new speed r…
Spiritus is a stylish, ambitious open-world RPG for mobile
Spiritus is an upcoming RPG from developer TinyNerd that aims to deliver an infinite world of emergent gameplay opportunities and exciting adventure. You'll head out to explore your pixel art surroundings, taking in the sights and uncovering the world's rich history as you go. It's clearly a very ambitious title that's still fairly early on in development, but for those who find themselves intrigued, a pre-alpha is planned to arrive in the coming months. So what do you actually do in Spiritus? I gather that there's a fair bit of combat, though the real focus seems to be placed on traversing the world, customising your character, and helping others in need. You can do this by funding a lo…
Apple Arcade games Dead End Job, Explottens, and Redout: Space Assault get major updates
This week saw the release of an all-new Apple Arcade game, the stylish Neversong, as well as several updates for older titles. Explottens, the twin-stick shooter 'em up, got a tricky survival mode that pits you against progressively more challenging waves of enemies and bosses. It's said to be a fun way to earn extra coins and upgrade your arsenal. Redout: Space Assault's latest update improves the game's battle system, boosting the speed of player missiles, reducing the cooldown period between launches, and increasing the speed of your ship. This should also make it easier than ever to quickly change direction or perform evasive manoeuvres in the heat of intense battle. On top of the g…
Spingram is a smart spin on the Rubik's cube for iOS and Android
Spingram is a fun, fresh take on the basic premise behind the Rubik's cube. It's headed our way from developer Sandro Traettino, and it's set to launch for iOS and Android on May 10th. You'll swipe to rotate each of the game's 800+ puzzles until they match up to the given reference pattern. From that core concept, Sandro mines hours of tricky puzzle game fun, bolstered by a stylish minimalist aesthetic and some neat, player-friendly design decisions. These include a handy skip system for when/if a particular puzzle grows more frustrating than challenging. You'll also be able to personalise the experience to your liking by messing with the in-game colours or day and night modes. Spingram…
Deathtrap Dungeon might be the perfect couch co-op adventure for lockdown
Branching Narrative's newly released Deathtrap Dungeon is a digital adaptation of Ian Livingstone's classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook. It stars one of the UK's most versatile working actors, Eddie Marsan, and it's out right now for iOS and Android. It's said to lend itself well to turn-based couch co-op, what with its branching storyline and many tricky decisions to be made. If you have no prior experience with games like this, a decent comparison might be Netflix's Bandersnatch, though Deathtrap Dungeon obviously has a greater level of depth to its core mechanics. The original version launched all the way back in 1984 and sees you attempting to survive the Trial of Champions. This takes…
Puzzle & Dragons launches major crossover event with hit anime and manga Gintama
Puzzle & Dragons' latest event is a crossover with the popular anime and manga series, Gintama. From now until May 10th, you'll be able to collect some of Gintama's most beloved characters, including Gintoki Sakata, Kagura, and Shinpachi Shimura. A new dungeon with six distinct difficulty modes has also now appeared. It has two special floors themed around the Kabuki District Festival, and there's also a tricky three-player dungeon to work your way through. Up for grabs are some Justaway drops, which you're going to be able to exchange for the new characters at the Monster Exchange. On top of that, the Taizou Hasegawa is available as a rare drop. Everyone who logs in during th…
Marvel Realm of Champions reveals another of its houses, Apocalypse's Pyramid X
Kabam's Marvel Realm of Champions has revealed another of its in-game houses, Pyramid X. It's located in the kingdom of Egyptia, which was founded by the dreaded Apocalypse. Under Apocalypse's rule, Egyptia was transformed into one of the most advanced nations on earth. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, however, as it turns out that Apocalypse wasn't and still isn't exactly the nicest chap, forcing compulsory eugenics and other horrors on his people. The capital of Egyptia is Mutopia, and its crowing achievement is the gold-capped Pyramid X. Some of the other houses you'll be able to pledge your allegiance to include the Kingdom of Wakanda, the Patriot Garrison, the Temple of Vishanti…
NetEase launches Bloomblade, its hit MMO, globally
NetEase has today launched Bloomblade, its hit MMO, globally, but there's a catch: the only version available right now is entirely in Simplified Chinese. It's set during the time of the Tang dynasty and sees you embarking on a grand adventure full of romance, action, and chivalry. Your time will be split between romancing the various love interests, journeying beyond the walls of Jianghu to engage in seasonal mini-games, and doing a whole lot of fighting. There's an extensive character customisation system here, as well as an overarching narrative that can be shaped based on who you pursue and which of the five sects you join: Diehua, Shaolin, Shushan, Xuanbing, or Yingyue. With it bei…
Apple Arcade games Frogger in Toy Town, Dear Reader, HyperBrawl Tournament, and more get major updates
Last week was one of Apple Arcade's best yet, with not one but two new releases and several major updates arriving for other games on the service. We already knew that A Fold Apart, Lightning Rod Games' heartfelt puzzler, would land on Friday, but the launch of Beyond Blue was a total surprise. Word-based puzzler Dear Reader was one of four games to receive major updates on Friday. It now has Dark Mode, allowing for easy reading at night, as well as a whopping 12 new books to work your way through. These include A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and Aesop's Fables. Themed shelves have also been added that will change during special h…
Apple ArcadeIron Saga, Game Duchy's action-packed mecha battler, gets new characters, missions, and more
Developer Game Duchy's Iron Saga is a top-down mecha battler with a large focus on customisation and fast-paced, competitive action. Details recently arrived about its upcoming content updates, and it's fair to say that there's a lot to look forward to. The all-new retrofit feature lets you upgrade your mechas to your heart's content. You can do this by consuming stamina to claim missions that can then be completed to obtain research points. These, alongside other useful materials, can be used to boost the power of your roster. You're going to be able to learn more about fan-favourite pilot Theresa and her powerful mech Deer Stalker by taking on new story quests. Chapters 31 and 32…
Marvel Super War, NetEase's popular mobile MOBA, adds the Quantum Realm Suits from Avengers: Endgame
Marvel Super War, NetEase's hit mobile MOBA, has just kicked off its second season in style with a bunch of fresh content. For fans of Avengers: Endgame, the most exciting addition might well be the Quantum Realm Suits, which you may remember allowed our heroes to enter into, funnily enough, the Quantum Realm. Ant-Man, Rocket Racoon, and War Machine wouldn't be my personal picks to receive the suit first, but they all look good regardless. Every aspect of the suits "from the texture of the suit to the movement of the heroes when rocking the outfit" is said to be true to the source material. Since launch, we've seen tons of new skins arrive in-game, including some from Avengers: Infinity…
Apple Arcade is starting to kick into gear after a slow start to 2020
Apple Arcade, the tech giant's mobile game subscription service, has been a weird one so far. It had an incredibly strong run for the first couple months of its release, with many of 2019's best games arriving as part of the service, but then the rate of new games slowed down and those that did launch weren't especially strong. To be clear, this was always going to happen – there was never any way that Apple could keep that first-month momentum going forever. It's been pointed out before by our sister site PocketGamer.biz that Apple's surprise approach to launching its games can exacerbate the issue of its sporadic release schedule. I feel the same way and would far prefer more tra…
Wilderless is a stunning open-world experience with a focus on exploring and enjoying nature
Wilderless is an open-world game where the focus is placed on exploring and enjoying nature. It isn't developer Protopop's first go at this sort of experience, with their earlier Nimian Legends games laying the foundations for what is achieved here. Its depiction of nature – of being in the great outdoors – appears to be both serene and utterly epic in scale, though know that it's not aiming to offer the same loot-hunting, monster-killing thrills now so entwined with the genre. Instead, you'll spend your time soaking in the scenery, enjoying nature, and occasionally transforming into a hawk to soar through the skies and admire the wilds from above. In human form, you'll also…
Warhammer 40,000: Lost Crusade is an all-new strategy MMO for mobile
It can at times feel like a new Warhammer mobile game is announced every few months. The latest to come along, Warhammer 40,000: Lost Crusade, is an MMO strategy title that puts you in command of vast space fleets and legendary heroes. Info is a little light at the moment, but here's what we know so far. Combat plays out in real-time on fully 3D battlefields, and you can expect a sizable variety of Warhammer 40,000 heroes to collect as you go. Shao Fang, CEO of Orca Games, says that the battles themselves are designed to allow for "a huge amount of tactical strategy". We also know that it's a collaboration between Orca Games, China Central Television iCheng, and Games Workshop itself. At…
