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Batman: Arkham Origins Review
The Batman found in NetherRealm's latest iOS brawler Batman: Arkham Origins is not the Batman with which you might be familiar. Sure, he's got his flying fists of vengeance, and a utility belt packed with batarangs and gadgets. And yes, he dishes out violent justice to a neverending procession of Gotham's most sociopathic. However, this Batman has limits - limits placed upon him by Arkham Origin's freemium structure. Unlike the driven, relentless crime fighter depicted in DC's comics…
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FIST OF AWESOME Review
Ever had one of those days where your hand suddenly grows to twice its usual size, develops the power of speech, and goads you into fist-fighting an army of bears? Well, unsuspecting lumberjack Tim Burr (I see what you did there) is having one of those days. Luckily, the star of nostalgia- powered pixel-art beat-'em-up First of Awesome is taking this development on the chin, still managing to crack wise while he punches the suddenly enormous bear population of earth into submission.…
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Rabbids Big Bang Review
In Rabbids Big Bang, your rabbid astronaut spends an awful lot of time drifting through space hoping to bump into something interesting. Though we're actually talking about the mechanics of this space-based physics puzzler, this description neatly sums up our state of mind as we coasted through level after level, waiting for something exciting to happen. You take control of two rabbids. One of the floppy-eared psychos has a baseball bat, the other a spacesuit. The batter's sole purpos…
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Pandemic: The Board Game Review
A viral epidemic is, I'm sure you'll agree, a pretty sizeable catastrophe. In Pandemic: The Board Game, no lees than four deadly viruses are spreading their way across the globe. It's up to four specialists to find the cures before these infections become uncontainable and wipe out humanity. One player can control all four specialists, or four players can work together around a single iPad. The game's rules are pretty simple and easy to understand. Each turn consists of four possible…
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DEVICE 6 Review
In DEVICE 6, words will set you free. As you navigate your way through Year Walk developer Simogo's text-based adventure, you quickly come to realise that the words on screen are your eyes, your ears, your map, your compass, your salvation, and - potentially - your doom. You assume the role of Anna, a woman who is trying to escape the confines of an unspecified island. Like an '80s adventure book, her story unfolds via blocks of text punctuated by moments of interactivity. These momen…
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Type:Rider Review
Type:Rider is a difficult game to classify. If you boil it down to its bare bones, it's a stunt racer in the mould or Trials or Motoheroz. However, instead of a bike, you're controlling a colon. In fact, the entire game is constructed from letters and punctuation, with each level a kind of alphabet assault course. What pushes Type:Rider beyond the stunt racer classification is its physics-based contraptions and historical info-bursts. You see, as you work your way through the stages,…
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Steampunk Tower Review
Most tower defence games get their title from the numerous weapon towers which players must erect to protect themselves. In the case of Steampunk Tower, the developers have gone one step further, and put a bloody great tower in the middle of the screen to act as a support structure for your weapon towers. It's a bit like Inception, only with towers. Anyhow, this being a steampunk game, you must use a mixture of 1930s-era tech to fend off wave after wave of moisture-powered monstrositi…
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Rollabear Review
What is it about the iOS platform that makes developers want to fire animals from slingshots? Nope, we're not talking about those Angry Birds again. This time, we talking about bears. Bears being fired at little men dressed up as bunnies. And the men dressed as bunnies are actually bowling pins. And the bear has a fish which can turn back time. Still with me? Nevermind - let me explain. You've heard of crazy gold, right? Well, Rollabear is essentially crazy bowling. You launch your c…
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Gunner Z Review
You might be surprised to learn that the nastiest thing about BitMonster's zombie shooter Gunner Z isn't the zombies. Having apparently poured all of their warmth and creativity into last year's charming RPG adventure Lili, the ex-Epic staffers decided to muddy up the App Store waters with yet another undead-themed blaster. However, in their quest for the mighty dollar, the team has concocted a freemium framework which does its level best to impede your progress and hamper your enjoym…
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Shadowrun Returns Review
For years now, the pen and paper game Shadowrun has delighted players with its mixture of magic, future-tech, and corporate espionage. The Kickstarter-funded Shadowrun Returns plays like a PC RPG from the late '90s. Cast as a titular Shadowrunner, you explore your surroundings, talk to the locals, take on quests, or just follow the clear story objectives. When you get into a fight, the game turns into a less cinematic version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. You can take cover, use ranged or m…
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KAMI Review
Colour-based grid puzzlers are ten-a-penny on the App Store. Throw a stone and you'll hit a Bejeweled or a Polymer or a Crush!, all of which ask you to manipulate and match colours and for points and prestige. The latest game to emerge from this iOS tradition is KAMI, a paper-themed puzzler which has been infused with a powerful Eastern flavour. You are presented with a patterned grid at the beginning of each level. Using the painting palette on the right-hand side of the screen, your…
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HOOKBALL Review
We finally know the reason behind the destruction of the Mayan civilisation: They were playing Hookball. What is Hookball, you ask? Well, it's a game where too much is going on at once, and death is literally only seconds away. Despite the insanity of the sport, it's quite an addictive experience, but one which requires a large amount of dedication to master. The Mayan calendar in the middle of the stage acts as the game timer. Through the collection of gears, you add time to the cloc…
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Trouserheart Review
Is a hero still a hero when you can see his underpants? Man of Steel director Zack Snyder says no. Luckily for the star of affable top-down hack-and-slash game Trouserheart, developer 10tons believes that heroism can't be killed by visible underwear. In fact, in Trouserheart, the revealing of our protagonist's boxers is the catalyst for level-upon-level of action and adventure. Having had his pantaloons nabbed by a cheeky klepto goblin, Trouserheart's kingly star decides to set off on…
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F1™ Challenge Review
Formula 1 is all about precision. Brake too late going into corner or accelerate too quickly coming out of one, and your championship hopes can be drowned in a pool of your opponent's victory champagne. Perhaps that's why The Codemaster's latest take on F1, a top-down arcade-style racer, feels a little strange. It presents you with a format usually reserved for skid-tastic, tyre-squealing follies like Micro Machines, and then asks you to control some of the fastest racing cars on the…
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Duet Game Review
Things have been getting terribly twisty in the world of iOS gaming lately. Duet, the twitch-based game of rotation and avoidance, is the latest in the recent spat of lo-fi spinathons. Like Pivvot and Super Hexagon before it, Duet takes a simple concept, dresses it up in basic block colours, and then begins to mercilessly test your reflexes without giving a second thought to your sanity or self worth. You take charge of two coloured orbs which are linked by a circle. It's your job to…
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