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  • The Dark Prince’ iOS Review – Much Better Than Switch, but Lacking in Two Ways – TouchArcade

    The Dark Prince’ iOS Review – Much Better Than Switch, but Lacking in Two Ways – TouchArcade

    Back in December, I reviewed Square Enix’s monster collecting RPG Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch. I loved my time with it despite its many technical issues. I expected it to hit PC like Dragon Quest Treasures, another Nintendo Switch exclusive, but I didn’t expect a mobile release. Square Enix’s newest release of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS, Android, and Steam brings all prior paid DLC into the game at a lower entry point, but removes one feature. This is the online real-time multiplayer battles. Beyond that, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Steam and mobile is already a massively better experience just on value with its lower price point and the content included, but is the game worth your time in this crowded release period and with its premium price? That’s what I aim to answer with my Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince mobile review also covering the game on Steam Deck.

    If you aren’t familiar with Dragon Quest Monsters itself, it is a spin-off series of the main Dragon Quest games featuring turn-based combat, but instead of the main player fighting, you capture, breed, and raise monsters to fight for you. When I played Dragon Quest Treasures, I enjoyed it, but was told that it is a “Monsters-lite” game so when Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was announced for Switch, I was excited to play it. I ended up loving it as you can see from my review linked above, but I think it is a very strong monster collecting RPG with turn-based combat regardless of if you like Dragon Quest or not. What made Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince more interesting, is in how it feels like a side story and prequel to Dragon Quest IV. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince also had a seasonal feature where the monsters changed depending on the season and area you’re in.

    When it comes to the story, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the bits from IV already made it more interesting than the usual spin-off, but I found myself focusing more on getting my own dream monster party rather than worrying about the narrative. I’m super pleased with how well thought out the mechanics are and how the large zones, hundreds of monsters, and combat made me want to keep playing it more even on Switch when I first beat it let alone now on iPhone, iPad, and Steam Deck. Beyond the normal turn-based battles and recruiting new monsters, Synthesis in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is like Shin Megami Tensei’s fusion, and there is just so much you can do with skills here. The seasons here don’t just change monsters, but also areas you can explore with map changes. This means a water body that you can’t cross will be frozen in one season letting you access a new secret.

    Combat in games like this can get monotonous so I’m glad to see the many quality of life features here like the tactics menu that plays out similar to the original Persona 3, direct commands, and more. You aren’t here to just defeat enemies, but also scout them to bring to your party and become stronger. I didn’t end up testing the online multiplayer on Switch much, so I can’t comment on how big a loss that is here, but it is a game mode being cut nonetheless. If you did play it on Switch, keep that in mind as it is the only area the mobile and Steam versions are lacking compared to Switch.

    Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince already shipped with a lot of content, but the DLC only elevated the experience. This DLC was sold in the Digital Deluxe Edition or as standalone DLC for the base game. Just the DLC was over $25 on Switch, so having the full base game with all DLC included for $24 on mobile makes it an amazing deal, but I’ll get to that in a bit. This DLC included The Mole Hole, Coach Joe’s Dungeon Gym, and Treasure Trunks. The Mole Hole was a dungeon that lets you scout (recruit) monsters you’ve fought before and it made min-maxing a lot easier during the game. The DLC was also good to speed things up since you could also easily scout monsters who only appear during a specific season or through synthesis.

    The Coach Joe’s Dungeon Gym DLC has randomly generated maps and they are meant to be postgame challenges rather than experienced while playing the game. The final DLC is just a chest that can be opened once an hour with 10 items in total. This is like a cheat DLC if you may. I didn’t think it was good to have useful game modes or content in paid DLC, but that isn’t a problem anymore with all of it included on iOS, Androidl, and Steam in the base asking price.

    Now let’s get to the mobile port features. With Square Enix, you can never be sure what features will make it into the final game. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince does not have controller support. This is beyond disappointing since the game is literally a console title ported to mobile. I tried 6 different controllers without any luck to be sure. Aside from controller support, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS has cloud saves and a few graphics options. The cloud saves work well.

    When it comes to controls, I was surprised at how well Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince felt with touch controls. It uses a floating joystick on the left for movement and a jump button mainly while exploring. The one minor issue you might run into is some touch targets being a bit small on the non Plus/Max phones. These aren’t an issue on iPads at all though. The controls feel good, but Square Enix should’ve left full controller support in since this is a console game ported to mobile after all.

    One of my only real issues with Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch was on the technical side. The frame rate was rough at launch with visuals not being great either. The former got addressed to some degree unlike Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but the latter never got fixed. On iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 12, and even iPad Pro, I had no major issues with the visuals or performance. There are some hiccups on iPhone 15 Pro when running at the highest graphics quality setting and moving through some locations, but it isn’t remotely as bad as on Switch. The game feels massively better to play on iOS. Check out the comparison below for the low and high graphics options on iPhone 15 Pro:

    There aren’t specific visual or frame rate settings on mobile outside of the resolution option in display settings. This lets you play at low, medium, or high graphical quality options. These presets also affect other settings like the frame rate limit and post-processing. This setting can only be changed from the title screen on mobile while you can adjust it on the fly on PC. I stuck to the high setting on all my iPhones. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince sadly has some minor performance issues even on iPhone 15 Pro as I mentioned above. The low setting seems unusable with how blurry it gets. On my 2020 iPad Pro, the high preset has more regular frame drops than iPhone, and it also seems to be running with some tweaked settings. Overall, even the older iPad Pro runs it well, but not as good as iPhone 15 Pro as expected. Every device I tested on including the iPhone 12 ran it a lot better than Nintendo Switch.

    Visually, it looks a lot cleaner than Switch even on older iOS devices when played at high. Square Enix didn’t just do a bare-bones port here. It has fullscreen support during gameplay on my iPhone 15 Pro, and even has a pattern or artwork to fill the screen during areas with pre-rendered or static 16:9 elements. This pattern or artwork is mainly used on my iPad Pro since it doesn’t support fullscreen there for gameplay. This also applies to Steam Deck to make up for that aspect ratio in parts. I’m glad to see Square Enix put in the work here to make sure it still looks good regardless of aspect ratio.

    Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Steam Deck impressions

    On Steam Deck, regardless of my settings, I couldn’t get Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince to run at a locked 90fps even at the low preset when played at 800p. I decided to opt for a 60fps target, and that was a lot easier to achieve. One oddity is the game not letting you adjust resolution when playing on Steam Deck normally. You can do this by forcing the resolution from the game’s properties before launching it. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on PC lets you adjust graphical quality (low, medium, high), anti-aliasing (off, low, medium, high), maximum frame rate (30 to uncapped), toggle v-sync, and adjust display mode (windowed, fullscreen, borderless). If you play at 60fps, I recommend setting your Steam Deck OLED refresh rate to 60 to avoid jitter as well.

    Having now played Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS, iPadOS, Steam Deck, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite, there’s no doubt that the Switch version is the worst of the lot despite the online mode being removed from mobile and Steam. The massive increase in performance and better visuals with all DLC included at a much lower asking price only makes it better. One thing to note is that the game is marked as Steam Deck Playable and not Verified because Valve says some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read. I didn’t have any issues with this, and I feel like Valve has marked games with smaller text as Verified before. Either way, you can safely buy this one to play on Steam Deck.

    If you skipped Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch, the new mobile and Steam ports are the way to go. While the mobile version lacking controller support is disappointing, it is still a game I see myself playing regularly with its improvements over switch and fantastic core gameplay loop. Having all the DLC included means you will have enough content to last you even longer. If you do value controller support in a game like this, the Steam Deck is the way to go. Hopefully we see Square Enix keep bringing more Dragon Quest games to mobile in the future. Right now, the iOS version of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is easily one of the best mobile releases of the year.

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition’ Headlines October 2024’s New Apple Arcade Releases With Three App Store Greats – TouchArcade

    ‘NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition’ Headlines October 2024’s New Apple Arcade Releases With Three App Store Greats – TouchArcade

    Apple just announced October 2024’s new Apple Arcade games with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition as the headliner. Following yesterday’s news about Balatro, Apple confirmed that NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition will release on October 3rd with three App Store Greats. NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition is notable because it marks the debut of The Neighborhood on iOS letting you explore the immersive world, outdoor streetball courts, NBA legends recruiting, a new badge system, and more with limited-time quests planned. Check out the NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition gameplay screenshot below:

    Alongside NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, we have Smash Hit+, Furistas Cat Cafe+, and Food Truck Pup+ joining Apple Arcade as App Store Greats. I’ve only played the first of those before so I will be checking out the others assuming I can stop playing Balatro+. If you’d like to sign up to get the new games, check out NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition here on Apple Arcade. With Balatro+ and NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition this is definitely the best month in a while for the service. What do you think of the newly revealed Apple Arcade games?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Balatro’ Is Coming to Apple Arcade and Also iOS as a Standalone Premium Release Beginning September 26th – TouchArcade

    ‘Balatro’ Is Coming to Apple Arcade and Also iOS as a Standalone Premium Release Beginning September 26th – TouchArcade

    Balatro from developer LocalThunk and publisher Playstack is finally coming to mobile later this month on iOS, Android, and also directly on Apple Arcade. Yes, this will be a premium release on iOS and Android, but also one available as a “+” version on Apple Arcade from day one. The Poker-inspired roguelike Balatro has sold over 2 million units across PS5, Switch, Steam, PS4, and Xbox platforms in less than six months, and I can’t wait to see how it performs on mobile with more planned including a major free update in 2025 bringing new ideas and strategies. Balatro will be launching for $9.99 on mobile and you can watch the mobile announcement trailer ahead of its September 26th release date below:

    If you’ve not played Balatro yet, read my 5/5 review of it here on Switch and check out my feature on the best games of the year so far on Switch where I included it here. I also interviewed LocalThunk about the game, the mobile release, and more. Read that here. You can pre-order Balatro on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Android here. The Apple Arcade version is here. Have you played it before and will you be getting one of the best games of 2024 later this month on mobile?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Check Out The Latest Events In ‘Marvel Future Fight’ & ‘Marvel Contest of Champions’ – TouchArcade

    Check Out The Latest Events In ‘Marvel Future Fight’ & ‘Marvel Contest of Champions’ – TouchArcade

    It has been pointed out to me that perhaps I could be fairer to other Marvel games. I’m always covering Marvel Snap (Free) whenever it gets any kind of update, but the others tend to get relegated to the Best Updates articles on Mondays. That… is a valid point! And thus, let us enjoy a Marvel Minute and see how other Marvel games are faring at the moment. It turns out that both Marvel Future Fight (Free) and Marvel Contest of Champions (Free) have some cool events going on at the moment. Let’s have a look-see!

    First up, over in Marvel Future Fight, it’s Iron Man time! You know Tony. He’s always concocting new suits, finding bigger and better guns to deal with whatever the situation presents. This particular event is inspired by Invincible Iron Man, and has some new threads for Tony and Pepper. Here’s what you can look forward to in this event, straight from the update notes:

    “Invincible Iron Man has joined Marvel Future Fight.

    Beat the enemies with upgraded suits!

     

    1. New Uniforms Added!

    – Iron Man, Rescue

     

    2. New Tier-4 Advancement!

    – War Machine, Hulkbuster

     

    3. The New World Boss: Legend+ Added!

    – Returned the Black Order, ‘Corvus & Proxima’

     

    4. The New Custom Gear, ‘C.T.P. of Liberation’ Added!

     

    5. Getting 200 Crystals Event

    – Obtain 200 crystals by linking your e-mail account!”

    Okay, now over to the ever-popular fighting game, Marvel Contest of Champions. New events for this game typically bring some new playable fighters with them, and at this point in the game’s life some of these cuts are getting very deep indeed. I don’t think we’ll ever see a Marvel fighting game again with a roster this varied. Like, Count Nefaria? Seriously? As an old-butt Marvel fan from a very long time ago, I like seeing these less common characters show up at all, let alone as playable characters. Over to the update notes to give you the full skinny on all of this:

    “NEW CHAMPIONS

     

    Count Nefaria

    Count Luchino Nefaria was the descendant of a long line of Italian noblemen, and used his wealth and connections to become a powerful leader within the Maggia crime syndicate. He furthered his rise to power by subjecting himself to scientific experiments that granted him superhuman abilities, but cost him his life. He was later resurrected as a being made entirely of Ionic energy, rendering him effectively immortal as long as he drains other Ionic beings to maintain his power.

     

    Shathra

    Daughter of the Elder Goddesses Oshtur and Gaea, Shathra comes from the world that would come to be known as Loomworld. Shathra was tasked with creating the Celestial Map of Humanity, however, after being outdone by her younger sister Neith, she became enraged with jealousy and spite towards her sister and the Great Web she had designed. Consumed by her vengeance and envy, Shathra gave into her feral nature to tear down everything her sister created, one Spider at a time.

     

    NEW QUESTS AND EVENTS

     

    Event Quest – Lupus In Fabula

    There has been an undertaking to overthrow The Collector’s ship! The Summoner is being called in to evict these evil-doers! But as they make it deeper into the ship they also find themselves deeper in trouble as each villain seems to be making their own plans for how best to make the most of The Collector’s treasures. Will The Summoner be able to manage these miscreants? Or will they go down with the ship? Find out in LUPUS IN FABULA!

     

    Side Quest – Ludum Maximus

    The Maestro has declared four months of celebratory games to honor his return. The festivities begin with the Circus Maximus, an onslaught of games and challenges hosted by Count Nefaria. The Count will not accept anything less than the best, the mightiest, the greatest of games. So dare to enter LUDUM MAXIMUS!

     

    Nefaria knows that a true battle is a mix of skill and luck, so 5x weekly Maps will open which present randomized Paths filled with fearsome foes!

     

    Act 9; Chapter 1

    Glykhan has self-destructed but the sinister plotting of Ouroboros is far from over. However clues for where to head next seem few and far between. Luckily (depending on your definition of luck) Superior Kang has some secrets to share in the form of holo-tapes scattered around Battleworld. Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom send The Summoner on an intel retrieval mission, but they aren’t the only ones looking for answers. Will the past come back to haunt The Battlerealm? Find out in Act 9 – Chapter 1: THE RECKONING

     

    Glorious Games

    Introducing our third Saga: Glorious Games! To celebrate the history of the Contest and his triumphant return, The Maestro has declared four months of celebratory games. Each month of the Saga will revolve around a different element of games, starting with September’s Circus Maximus and culminating in the celebration of December’s Grand Banquet! Featuring a classical antiquity aesthetic, an exciting Champion chase, surprise Champion reworks and brand new kinds of Events and Quests, Glorious Games is sure to usher in our 10-year anniversary celebration in style!

     

    Realm Events

    Get ready to work alongside every Summoner in the Battlerealm! Realm Events are a brand new type of Event in which points will be contributed on a global level. Milestone rewards can be claimed once global and individual point contribution thresholds have been reached. For those more competitively-inclined Summoners, ranked rewards will also be up for grabs, including an exclusive and unique player title.”

    And that’s that. Let it never be said that Shaun was not interested in a level playing field. Kind of. Anyway, both of these events look very cool in their own ways, and if you haven’t played these games before or fell off a while back, this might be another good opportunity to give them both a try. I mean, I know I’m going to try out Count Nefaria. Look at him! He’s so nefarious! He cavorts with nefarious fellows! Hadouken? More like Ha-Don’t-ken! Okay, sorry. I’ll leave now. Enjoy!

    Shaun Musgrave

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  • NFL Retro Bowl 25, Monster Train+, and Puzzle Sculpt Release Today on Apple Arcade Alongside Major Game Updates This Week – TouchArcade

    NFL Retro Bowl 25, Monster Train+, and Puzzle Sculpt Release Today on Apple Arcade Alongside Major Game Updates This Week – TouchArcade

    Beginning today, Apple will have released one new Apple Vision Pro game, one App Store Great, and upgrading an App Store Great to an Apple Arcade Original (as a standalone release) alongside some notable udpates. NFL Retro Bowl 25 (Edit: No longer an update) will let players create their own dynasty using official NFL teams and players featuring official retro art, attributes, stats, and contracts. Since this was announced, I was surprised at how much interest I saw for it online. I don’t follow the NFL much, but I didn’t expect as much of a positive reaction to the NFL Retro Bowl 25 announcement. Hopefully it ends up well when it goes live as an update later today. Alongside NFL Retro Bowl 25, App Store Great Monster Train+ has launched on Apple Arcade including The Last Divinity DLC from the get go. Check out a screenshot from NFL Retro Bowl 25 below:

    Puzzle Sculpt is a Vision Pro-only set to launch today on Apple Arcade letting players solve puzzles in their own living room by removing blocks to reveal a cute collectible in a cube. As for this week’s notable updates, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has the Jam Jamboree on with Petunias appearing in the Merry Meadow as a festive flower. Rabbids Multiverse has new cards, outfits, seasonal events, and quality of life improvements with this week’s update. Wylde Flowers has its Magical Creatures update now live with jewelry crafting, secrets in the lighthouse, and more. Disney Spellstruck adds Hercules with a limited time event, a high contrast event, and more. What the Car brings in yet another update with a “Meet the Developers” special, scissors, bear improvements (yes), and more. What do you think of this month’s new Apple Arcade additions?

    Update: It looks like they launched NFL Retro Bowl 25 as a new app and not an update.

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • The Best ‘Marvel Snap’ Meta Decks – September 2024 Edition – TouchArcade

    The Best ‘Marvel Snap’ Meta Decks – September 2024 Edition – TouchArcade

    Let’s dive in earlier this month to make up for last month’s slightly late edition. A new month and season is upon us, and I’m ready to help you out with some deck-building advice to keep you competitive in Marvel Snap (Free). Truth be told, I feel like the game got into a decently balanced zone over the course of the last month. A new season means new cards though, so it’s all about to go topsy-turvy again. Let’s do our best to figure out where things are going, shall we? Remember as ever: today’s winning deck could be tomorrow’s crunchy brown leaves. These guides are one way to keep your finger on the pulse of the scene, but they aren’t the only method you should be using.

    Note that most of these decks are the best of the best at this point in time. They assume you have access to a full range of cards. I’ll once again be including the five strongest Marvel Snap decks of the moment, and I’ll throw in a couple more decks that don’t need things that are too hard to get and are just sort of fun to play with. You know, a little variety and all of that.

    I would go as far as to say that most of the Young Avengers cards didn’t really make a big splash. Kate Bishop hit her mark, as she is wont to, and Marvel Boy definitely made a difference for fans of 1-Cost Kazoo decks, but the rest were kind of all over the place. You’ll see them here and there, but they haven’t shaken things up yet. I can’t say the same for the freshly launched Amazing Spider-Season, as it looks like it and the new Activate ability are coming in like a wrecking ball. Next month is going to look very, very different, I’m certain.

    Kazar and Gilgamesh

    Included Cards: Ant-Man, Nebula, Squirrel Girl, Dazzler, Kate Bishop, Marvel Boy, Caeira, Shanna, Kazar, Blue Marvel, Gilgamesh, Mockingbird

    So it has come to this, eh? Never thought I would see the day when Kazoo was among the top decks, but the Young Avengers have made it happen. At its heart, this is a very familiar deck. Get a bunch of low cost cards out there and then buff them with Kazar and Blue Marvel. The new tricks here are Marvel Boy adding more buffs and Gilgamesh benefiting big-time from all of that. Kate Bishop and her arrows can help fill spaces for Dazzler if needed, and her arrows will help bring down the cost of your other heavy hitter, Mockingbird. A very nice deck with strong performance. We’ll see if it can hang in there.

    Silver Surfer Still Never Dies, Part II

    Included Cards: Nova, Forge, Cassandra Nova, Brood, Silver Surfer, Killmonger, Hope Summers, Nocturne, Sebastian Shaw, Copycat, Absorbing Man, Gwenpool

    Silver Surfer is still flying high, with a few tweaks to react to balance changes and new cards. If you’ve been playing a while, you know how this goes. You’ve got the classic Nova/Killmonger pair for boosting your cards a bit once you have some out there. Forge ideally boosts Brood so that its clones will be stronger. Gwenpool boosts cards in your hand, Shaw gets beefier as he gets buffed, Hope lets you get more Energy, Cassandra Nova grabs power from your opponent, and the Surfer/Absorbing Man combo is there finish things off in style. Copycat steals Red Guardian’s spot, as she has proven an extremely useful general-purpose tool.

    Spectrum and Man-Thing Ongoing

    Included Cards: Wasp, Ant-Man, Howard the Duck, Armor, US Agent, Lizard, Captain America, Cosmo, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Man-Thing, Spectrum

    Even the Ongoing archetype is up here at the top, which is another interesting outcome. You’ve got some generally useful cards here, all with Ongoing abilities. That means Spectrum will give them a nice final turn buff. The Luke Cage/Man-Thing combo is also a very nice one, and Luke will even protect your cards from US Agent’s powerful effect. The other good point of this deck is that it’s pretty easy to play, and I have a feeling Cosmo is going to become even more useful than he already was with things going the way they are.

    Discard Dracula

    Included Cards: Blade, Morbius, The Collector, Swarm, Colleen Wing, Moon Knight, Corvus Glaive, Lady Sif, Dracula, Proxima Midnight, MODOK, Apocalypse

    The classics are the order of the day right now, is the theme. Here’s the very reliable Apocalypse-flavor Discard deck, with the only real change from the standard being the presence of Moon Knight. He got better after his buff. Anyway, your big cards here are Morbius and Dracula, and if everything goes well you’ll end up with nothing more in your hand than Apocalypse on that last round. Dracula will eat him, you’ll get a Mega-Drac, and Morbius should be morbing all over the place with all that discarding you’ve been doing. Collector might even be a bit cheeky if you go to town on Swarms enough.

    Destroy

    Included Cards: Deadpool, Niko Minoru, X-23, Carnage, Wolverine, Killmonger, Deathlok, Attuma, Nimrod, Knull, Death

    Yes, it’s the Destroy deck. Very, very close to the traditional one even. Attuma has grabbed a spot here thanks to his recent change. A very successful buff, that one. Destroy Deadpool and Wolverine as much as possible, get extra energy with X-23, finish up with a nice Nimrod swarm or drop Knull if you’re feeling cute. Weird to see this kind of deck without Arnim Zola, but counter-measures are getting too common these days I suppose.

    And now, a couple of fun decks for those still climbing up the collection ladder or who simply want to try something different.

    Darkhawk Is Back (Did He Ever Leave?)

    Included Cards: The Hood, Spider-Ham, Korg, Niko Minoru, Cassandra Nova, Moon Knight, Rockslide, Viper, Proxima Midnight, Darkhawk, Blackbolt, Stature

    I have always liked Darkhawk, despite him being unspeakably goofy from virtually his first appearance. So I’m glad he’s a competitive card in Marvel Snap, to the point that I like to tinker around with decks using him. This one has the classic combos, with Korg and Rockslide adding cards to your opponent’s deck. It also has some spoiler cards like Spider-Ham and Cassandra Nova, plus a couple of cards that will cause your opponent to discard and make Stature cheap to play. Yay, Dorkhawk!

    Budget Kazar

    Included Cards: Ant-Man, Elektra, Ice Man, Nightcrawler, Armor, Mister Fantastic, Cosmo, Kazar, Namor, Blue Marvel, Klaw, Onslaught

    If that Kazar deck up there looks nice but you’re just starting out, you might as well practice with this beginner-friendly variant. No, it probably won’t win as reliably as the fancy version. But it will teach you how this kind of combo works, and that’s valuable experience. You still get that nice Kazar and Blue Marvel mix, with a flavorful Onslaught on top to spike the football.

    And that’s it for this month’s deck guide. With the latest season and whatever balance changes Second Dinner opts to make during the course of the month, I’m sure things will look quite different come October. That Activate ability really changes up the flow of games, and Symbiote Spider-Man is looking to be a complete beast. As ever, it’s also going to be interesting to see what cards and decks Second Dinner feels like addressing with balance changes. It’s interesting to see the classics on top again, but I can’t imagine it will stay that way. For now… happy snapping!

    Shaun Musgrave

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  • Swing Into ‘Marvel Snap’ With The Amazing Spider-Season – TouchArcade

    Swing Into ‘Marvel Snap’ With The Amazing Spider-Season – TouchArcade

    With August in the rear-view mirror, taking the Young Avengers with it, we’re about due for another season in Marvel Snap (Free). And indeed, a new one has kicked off today! What is the theme, you might be wondering? Why it’s the best kind of Marvel theme! The deadly… the terrifying… the Amazing Spider-Season!  BONESAW IS READY! Sorry, Bonesaw isn’t in this season. Maybe someday. But there are some cool new cards and locations, so let’s check them out!

    This season is a bit of a doozy as it is introducing a new type of card ability: Activate. With Activate, you choose when to fire off the card’s ability. It’s like an On Reveal that you can trigger at any time, while also dodging things that affect On Reveal abilities. The Season Pass card naturally takes advantage of this new feature, and so far he is looking like a real doozy. If you want to see the folks at Second Dinner introduce the new season, I’ve linked the video below. Read on for my summary.

    Symbiote Spider-Man is the new Season Pass card. He’s 4-Cost 6-Power, and he has an Activate ability that absorbs the lowest cost card at the location and copies the text of that card. If that includes an On Reveal ability, it will fire off again as though the card was just played. Combine with Galactus for HIJINKS. I’ll be really surprised if this card survives the season without being nerfed, but he sure is a whole lot of fun already.

    Now for the rest of the lot. Silver Sable is 1-Cost 1-Power, but she has an On Reveal ability that steals two power from card at the top of your opponent’s deck. Decent as a standalone, really useful in combinations with certain locations and other cards. Next, the star of the hit film Madame Web. She has an Ongoing ability that allows you to move one of the other cards at her location elsewhere once per turn.

    Next, Arana. Another 1-Cost 1-Power card, and she’s our next Activate ability user. Activate her to move the next card you play to the right and give it +2 Power. She’s going to be a staple of move decks, I’m sure. Rounding out our Spider-Friends is Scarlet Spider, the Ben Reilly variety. He’s a 4-Cost 5-Power card, and he has an Activate ability too! Use it to spawn an exact clone to another location. Power him up, then multiply him! Clones don’t have feelings!

    As for the new locations, there are two. The Brooklyn Bridge is a big part of Spider-Man lore, and it’s certainly due for an appearance in Marvel Snap. The gimmick with this location is that you can’t place cards there two turns in a row. You’re going to have to get creative to dominate this spot! The other location is Otto’s Lab, and it works a lot like Otto himself. The next card you play there will pull a card from the enemy’s hand to the location. Ooh, surprises! THE DIE IS CAST!

    And that’s the lot for the new season! Some very interesting cards this time around, and that new Activate ability is sure to create some fascinating possibilities. We’ll have our September deck guide up very soon, as we could all use a little help in handling this wall-crawling menace and his friends. What do you think of this season? Any cards you’ll be playing? Are you buying that Season Pass? Let us know in the comments!

    Shaun Musgrave

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  • Home Sweet Home’ iOS Review – A Great Start, but Needs More Work – TouchArcade

    Home Sweet Home’ iOS Review – A Great Start, but Needs More Work – TouchArcade

    Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home has been a very interesting game to follow pre-release. I say this not only because it is a premium mobile-first Harvest Moon game, but also because the reactions from my friends who are longtime fans of the series have gone from apathy to interest with every bit of gameplay shown. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home launched recently on iOS and Android as a mobile-exclusive entry in Natsume’s Harvest Moon series, and I’ve been playing it for about a week and a half now on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro for review. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is a very good farming simulation game, but one that is held back by a few issues right now.

    A lot of fans of the Harvest Moon series of games from Marvelous have been around since the SNES or N64 days, but I only got into it on 3DS with Story of Season. Back then, I had no idea about the name change and that Marvelous’ releases would be called Story of Seasons while Harvest Moon would be the name used by Natsume going forward. I’m making that clear now because I don’t want people confused about what Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is and also to give you my history with the series before getting into how I feel about Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home ($17.99).

    If you’re new to farming and life simulation games, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home takes you back from the city to a calming village where you fish, farm, interact with many NPCs, partake in festivals (that need to be unlocked), and even find a companion. The village of Alba, your new home, is dense and cozy (sorry but I had to), and I’m glad it isn’t a big open location because those usually result in a lot of empty spaces when it comes to life simulation games. If you’ve played many in the genre, think of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home as one that focuses more on the characters with a bit less depth when it comes to farming.

    After a short tutorial explaining the basics of movement and a bit of farming, you unlock the map and main menu letting you save just about anywhere (this is very important for a mobile game), and this is where you get into the flow of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home where you try and finish quests for NPCs, upgrade your tools, gather, mine (this unlocks a bit later), and of course farm through the game’s main chapters.

    The more I played Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home, the more I realized that the developers understood what makes life and farming simulation games great, but fell short in some ways. These may or may not affect newcomers to the genre, but those who have played many recent games will find them lacking. The potential partners are likely the weakest aspect of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home. They just aren’t as interesting as other games in the genre. If you don’t care about that aspect, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is quite a polished entry in the genre.

    Approaching Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home from a general life simulation game enthusiast’s perspective feels different though. While other platforms are spoiled for choice with tons of games from big and small developers, we don’t really see much like that on mobile, but that doesn’t make up for some of the flaws here, especially at a much higher price point. I think this is a very solid base that the developers can build on to the point where it would even be a great fit for PC and consoles. The only “mobile” aspect of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home right now is the touch control option.

    Visually, aside from the performance and load times that I will cover below, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home looks very good. Some characters look generic, but the interface, farm, building layout, and everything looks good. I also appreciate that Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home supports fullscreen on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro. It really feels like a game properly tailored to mobile with its visuals and controls.

    While Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home does look nice visually for the most part, it is lacking when it comes to the character designs. This applies to your own character with customization options that should’ve been more detailed and also the main NPCs in the town. A lot of them feel lifeless even during cut-scenes. Barring that, I like the aesthetic a lot, and Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home looks excellent on my iPhone and iPad. The one disappointment is in performance. Right now, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is capped at 30fps on my iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro. I was expecting above 60fps let alone 60fps, but it isn’t possible to play at a higher frame rate now. The load times are also not as fast as they should be.

    On the audio side, I was pleased with the music and sounds in Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home. Nothing stood out to the point where I’d listen to it outside the game, but it sounded good and the music changes were appropriate to the gameplay.

    When Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home was announced as a mobile-exclusive game, I was curious how it would control. The developers have done a fantastic job with the touch controls here letting you play by tapping to move, dragging to move, and more. Interacting with objects or characters, farming, and navigating menus all feel good. Some text and touch targets feel a bit too small on iPhone, but they are fine on iPad. I would’ve loved some haptic feedback on iPhone though for using tools and even fishing. Maybe this can be added in a future update.

    If you’ve played the two best life simulation games on mobile: Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home feels closer to the former, but it isn’t as polished. I dislike bringing up other games in the same genre to compare, but I’m doing it here specifically for the mobile port. Those two games were built for PC/console and brought over to mobile while Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home was built for mobile and yet it doesn’t feel as tailored to the platform in its features.

    Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is a mobile-exclusive game, and while I appreciate the touch control scheme, it has a few issues right now when it comes to features. The lack of cloud saves is beyond disappointing. When I first downloaded Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home on my iPhone, I played it for about three hours before picking up my iPad to see how it feels there. I found no way to get the save across, and still haven’t been able to move saves across devices. The lack of controller support is also disappointing for a game like this. The developers did a great job with touch controls, but it would be nice to have controller support for when I play on iPad. I would also like some quality of life features for movement, like we’ve seen in recent games in the genre.

    As a newcomer to Natsume’s new Harvest Moon games but a fan of all the recent Story of Seasons and other life simulation games, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home ended up being worth playing, but it needs a few updates and features to be truly essential at full price. I have no issues with developers wanting to charge premium prices on mobile, but Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home lacking basic features like cloud saves and controller support definitely makes it harder to recommend alongside a few other design issues. If the developers continue working on this, it will be one of the best in the genre on mobile, and I’m glad to see them take a chance on a premium mobile life simulation game because that is very rare.

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Rogue Planet’ in Development for Release on iOS, Android, Switch, and Steam in 2025 – TouchArcade

    Rogue Planet’ in Development for Release on iOS, Android, Switch, and Steam in 2025 – TouchArcade

    Following developer TRAGsoft bringing monster collecting game Coromon to mobile after it debuted on PC and Switch, we are getting a roguelite spin-off in the form of Coromon: Rogue Planet (Free) due next year for not only Steam and Switch, but also iOS and Android. Coromon: Rogue Planet aims to blend in the turn-based combat of the main game with roguelite gameplay to deliver an endlessly replayable monster collecting gameplay loop. The Steam page mentions “10 ever changing biomes”, 7 different playable characters, over 130 monsters, and more. Watch the Coromon: Rogue Planet official announcement trailer below:

    The original Coromon is a free to play game on mobile. I’m curious to see how Coromon: Rogue Planet ends up on mobile when it does arrive and also whether it hits alongside the Switch and Steam versions. As of now, you can wishlist Coromon: Rogue Planet on Steam here. I haven’t played Coromon in a while, but the gameplay in Coromon: Rogue Planet sounds more interesting. It feels like the perfect pick up and play game based on the Steam screenshots as well. Until this one is out, you can grab the original for free on iOS here. What do you think of Coromon: Rogue Planet so far and did you play Coromon?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Peglin’, ‘Brawl Stars’, ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘Royal Match’, and More – TouchArcade

    ‘Peglin’, ‘Brawl Stars’, ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘Royal Match’, and More – TouchArcade

    Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. You know it’s one of those weeks when Shaun has to throw more than one free-to-play matching puzzle game update in the list. Don’t worry, we have some cool stuff in the mix too. And you get to see Shaun kick King Robert, an activity we all enjoy. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it!


    Peglin, Free

    I know it’s somewhat rare for me to do this, but I’m giving out the coveted UMMSotW award to the first game in the list this week. Peglin‘s 1.0 update allows you to challenge up to level 20 in Cruciball, battle a new Slime Hive mini-boss, and take advantage of a whole ton of tweaks, bug fixes, balance adjustments, and other improvements. This game didn’t really need much in the way of updating, but I’ll take it anyway.


    Brawl Stars, Free

    Brawl time! Stars time! Dare we say… Brawl Stars time?! Yes, we dare. SpongeBob. SpongeBob is here in a new event, and that is cool. A couple new Brawlers coming in the form of Moe (Mythic) and Kenji (Legendary), and a handful of new Hypercharges for various characters. All of this will roll out over the course of the next couple of months in the usual Brawl Stars fashion, but the SpongeBob stuff should be kicking off rather soon if it hasn’t already by the time you read this.


    stitch.,

    What more would one expect from an update to the soothing and satisfying stitch but more Hoops to play? That’s just what you get here, this time with a bit of a martial arts theme. Sort of, anyway. Like with any good puzzle game, it doesn’t really matter as much what the theme of the puzzles are so long as you get more of them. So yes, update your app and go do some Hoops. You’ll feel better.


    Genshin Impact, Free

    I guess this game is called Genshin Impact: Natlan Launch now. Nothing to be done about it. You’ve got a new region, Natlan, and three new characters to go with it: Mualani, Kinich, and Kachina. New weapons as well, of course. Plenty of new events and stories to take on, and some new artifacts too. Regular players likely know by now what to expect from Genshin Impact updates, and while this one is a little bigger than the usual one, it’s very much in line with previous ones in the broad strokes.


    Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure,

    Alright, here we go. At least this one is on Apple Arcade, so it’s not completely free-to-play. It sure is a matching puzzle game update, though. There are one hundred new levels to play in this Temple Run spin-off, which is quite a lot as these things go. The tournaments have also been refreshed, as usual. That’s about all, but I’m sure it will keep many players busy for a bit. Maybe even until the next update? I’ve seen how people who play games like these chew through levels, so I’m not super-confident about that!


    Jetpack Joyride 2,

    In this very special update to the Apple Arcade sequel to Halfbrick’s mega-hit auto-runner: Barry Steakfries escapes to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism – SPACE! It’s a shame that leaving that be would ruin the formatting for the article. Really best as a mic-drop reference, but if I do that things will look very messy, so I have to stand here and ramble a bit so that everything stays properly in its place. Tim Curry, folks. He’s a treasure. We were graced by his many performances, big and small. Much love to Mr. Curry, who I am 99% sure is reading this.


    Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop,

    Moving right along, it’s another matching puzzle game. But to be fair, this is one the all-timer matching puzzle games. At least in it’s original form, anyway. As for this particular version, there are new character episodes for Sig, Carbuncle, and Rafisol in the Adventure Mode. Meena has been added as a playable character, minus an episode of her own. An additional seven music tracks are available in the shop, all arrangements of fan favorite tunes from previous entries. Add in some bug fixes and that’s that.


    Hearthstone, Free

    Hearthstone time! This one is usually pretty good with its update notes, so let’s open the ol’ paperwork and see what’s in front of us. Hm. Well, we’ll make do. Battlegrounds Season 8, Trinkets & Travels, is incoming. All the kinds of new stuff we’ve seen in previous seasons, which is nice. The Trinket Shop is here, with Buddies taking a hike. Two times per game you can buy Trinkets with Gold, which will affect the rest of the match. That seems troublesome for balancing, but I suppose that is where Hearthstone is at by this point.


    Toon Blast, Free

    The first of the two actual obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game updates for this article is Toon Blast. There’s a whole new episode here, giving you fifty new levels to play. Some business involving bees, or happiness, or the combination thereof. Bees are pretty cool, even if I am a little scared of them sometimes. They’re cool little buddies that help the ecosystem, and I’d give them tiny hugs if not for the pointy ouchy bit. Hang in there, my bug friends. We’ll get through it all together.


    Royal Match, Free

    I don’t know which is more preferable to me: King Robert perishing permanently and never appearing again, or King Robert continually perishing and returning to perish again, in a perpetual and heckish cycle of pain. One hundred new levels. A new jousting arena. That seems to have some potential. I love that one ad where they have swapped King Robert in for the freezing pregnant lady and her child, like we’re supposed to care about this garishly garbed monarch who’s a little chilly. Burn your velvet robes to warm your flesh, you decadent old ogre.

    That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!

    Shaun Musgrave

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  • ‘Among Us’ Is Collaborating With ‘Ace Attorney Investigations’ for Its Newest Free Cosmetic DLC Out Next Week – TouchArcade

    ‘Among Us’ Is Collaborating With ‘Ace Attorney Investigations’ for Its Newest Free Cosmetic DLC Out Next Week – TouchArcade

    Among Us (Free) has done loads of crossovers and collaborations over the years, but one I didn’t expect at all just got announced for next week. Later this week, Capcom is releasing the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for PC and consoles bringing remasters of both games to modern platforms. Read my preview covering the Switch and PC versions here. Among Us is bringing in Miles Edgeworth from those games as a free cosmetic DLC on September 9th as a collaboration with the Ace Attorney series. Check out the promo art for Miles Edgeworth in Among Us below:

    If you’ve not gotten Among Us yet, it is available for free on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. Check it out on Nintendo Switch here and Steam here. Here’s our forum thread for the game. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection releases on September 6th for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam worldwide. Hopefully it comes to mobile in the near future as well. Have you been playing Among Us often on mobile and what do you think of the current state of the game?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Honkai Star Rail’ Version 2.5 “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue” Update Releases on September 10th, New Trailer Showcased During Livestream – TouchArcade

    ‘Honkai Star Rail’ Version 2.5 “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue” Update Releases on September 10th, New Trailer Showcased During Livestream – TouchArcade

    HoYoverse’s Honkai Star Rail (Free) version 2.5 update titled “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue” was just showcased during a livestream. It will release on September 10th for iOS, Android, PS5, and PC. This update’s highlights are the Wardance ceremony, many new enemies, new characters: Feixiao, Lingsha, and Moze alongside the silkpunk saga in the Shackling Prison reaching its climax, and also reruns of Black Swan and Kafka (!). Topaz will be returning for a rerun in part 2 of version 2.5. Watch the newest Honkai Star Rail version 2.5 update trailer below:

    If you’ve not played the game yet, you can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail recently and what do you think of 2.5 so far?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Castle Crumble for Apple Vision Pro Is Now Available on Apple Arcade Alongside Big Updates for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop, Crayola Adventures, and More – TouchArcade

    Castle Crumble for Apple Vision Pro Is Now Available on Apple Arcade Alongside Big Updates for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop, Crayola Adventures, and More – TouchArcade

    This week, Apple Arcade sees a major game update for Apple Vision Pro and a few notable updates. Castle Crumble [apprice url=”https://apps.apple.com/us/app/castle-crumble/id1616814625″] for Apple Arcade has been updated to be a fully universal game with support for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple is treating this like a new release ahead of September’s game launches. Read about those here. As for the regular game updates, the highlights include Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop bringing in three new character episodes, Meena as a playable character, and seven new BGM songs from the series. Crayola Adventures has a new micro story added with Video Games Day celebrations going on with Lights Camera Action and Pixel Madness. The Koala Face accessory is also available in-game.

    SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit brings in its next Tale of the deep with Karate Island where you can play as Sandy. Jetpack Joyride 2 brings in a new event taking Barry to outer space looking for a new signal. stitch. brings in new hoops featuring Taekwondo. The final notable update is Zookeeper World bringing 12 new puzzle stages. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop here, Castle Crumble here, Crayola Adventures here, SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit here, and Zookeeper World here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Casual RPG ‘Disney Pixel RPG’ From GungHo for iOS and Android Gets New Gameplay Trailer, Listed for October 7th – TouchArcade

    Casual RPG ‘Disney Pixel RPG’ From GungHo for iOS and Android Gets New Gameplay Trailer, Listed for October 7th – TouchArcade

    Last month, GungHo announced a new casual RPG for mobile in the form of Disney Pixel RPG (Free), due later this year. Today, Gungho has released (via Gematsu) the first trailer for Disney Pixel RPG. Disney Pixel RPG aims to let players explore with pixel versions of Disney characters across multiple worlds with battles, action, rhythm, and more challenges. It features an original story taking you on a journey with Mickey Mouse and other characters with many customization options. Watch the first gameplay trailer for Disney Pixel RPG below:

    Disney Pixel RPG is currently listed for October 7th on the App Store, but this should be treated as a placeholder date since it was originally listed for early September as a placeholder and that has already changed. Disney Pixel RPG is set for release this year on iOS and Android as a free to play game with in app purchases. Check out the official English website for Disney Pixel RPG here. If you’d like to play Disney Pixel RPG, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. What do you think of Disney Pixel RPG so far based on its debut trailer?

    Update: Added new English trailer.

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ Is Shutting Down on October 30th – TouchArcade

    ‘Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ Is Shutting Down on October 30th – TouchArcade

    Square Enix just announced that Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (Free) is shutting down on October 30th (this year) following its debut back in June 2016. Since launching on mobile, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has seen many collaborations including ones with some of Square Enix’s best games like NieR: Automata and also its other titles like Final Fantasy XV. It is being shut down because Square Enix says that it will be “difficult to maintain the app experience.” Following this announcement, in app purchases will no longer be offered but you will be able to use anything you’ve bought until service ends. Bundles will no longer be sold as well.

    On October 30th at 23:59 PDT, service will end and accounts will be deleted. If you’d like to play Final Fantasy Brave Exvius until then, you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Read our review of the original game launch here. If you’d like to check out discussions from the game’s launch until now, check out our very old forum thread here. Have you played Final Fantasy Brave Exvius before and what do you think of today’s announcement?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Isolation’ for Android Is Now a Free To Start Release Just Like iOS Letting Everyone Try Two Missions for Free – TouchArcade

    Isolation’ for Android Is Now a Free To Start Release Just Like iOS Letting Everyone Try Two Missions for Free – TouchArcade

    Earlier this year, Feral Interactive’s superb iOS version of Alien: Isolation (Free) was updated to change the game’s business model to be free to try with a single in app purchase for the full game unlock. Today, Alien: Isolation on Android has been updated to be a free to try game just like the iOS version. With this, Android players can sample the first two missions. After that, a single in app purchase will be required to unlock the full game for $13.49. Those who own the game already should see no change. For new customers, the saves from the first two free missions will carry over to the full game once the full game unlock purchase is complete. Watch the new trailer for Alien: Isolation on iOS and Android below:

    I featured Alien: Isolation as one of the best games to play with keyboard and mouse on iPad, and I assume it plays well on Android tablets as well. If you’ve not gotten it yet on iOS, read my glowing review of the game here covering the game at launch. We featured it as our Game of the Week as well when it launched. The full version of Alien: Isolation on mobile includes all seven DLC packs in its unlock price of $14.99. You can grab Alien: Isolation for free on the App Store here and on Google Play here. Check out our forum thread here. Have you played Alien: Isolation on mobile yet or will you be trying it today for free?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • Cuisine Get New Updates – TouchArcade

    Cuisine Get New Updates – TouchArcade

    This week, three notable games on Apple Arcade have gotten updates ahead of the new games arriving in a few weeks. BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team () has launched Season 8 featuring a new batch of Overdrives in the Season Track, reworks for Adaptive Protocol and Static Medkit, a new rewards UI, and more. The Bouncy Boots and Berserker Overdrives are the two new ones added for this season. Cooking Mama: Cuisine! has its Summer Festival update now live until September 1st with a focus on dishes made using Ice, the limited ingredient. You can also unlock new dish combos by logging in each week. Watch the BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team Season 8 trailer below:

    The final notable update is Solitaire Stories celebrating the end of summer with the Mineral Mayhem new story, new events (Mars, Rock Paper Scissors, and Geometry), and more with the newest update. I’m curious if we see more updates in the next day or two. With this week’s notable updates done, check out our forum threads for BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team here, Solitaire Stories here, and Cooking Mama: Cuisine! here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Bloons TD 6’, ‘Sonic Dash’, ‘Homescapes’, ‘stitch.’, and More – TouchArcade

    ‘Bloons TD 6’, ‘Sonic Dash’, ‘Homescapes’, ‘stitch.’, and More – TouchArcade

    Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. It’s a real motley crew of games today, friends. I’m not sure if folks are on summer holidays or not, but it seems like updates were slightly sparser than usual. I did my best to find some interesting updates, but fair warning: at least one of them is just new portrait pictures. That’s where we’re at. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it!


    Honkai: Star Rail, Free

    Here’s a hot update for Honkai Star Rail titled Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue. Sure. Good name. What’s in it? New characters Yunli and Jiaoqiu, returning characters Huohuo and Sparkle, a couple of new Light Cones based around Destruction and Nihility, some new story, a handful of new events, a new game mode, some new maps, new enemies… look, there’s a lot in here. You might want to check it out if you like this game. And if you don’t like this game… well, I’m not sure why you’re reading about updates for it. Thank you?


    Spectaculator, $2.99

    British readers rejoice! All the hustle and bustle about emulators has left one app somewhat forgotten. An app that hung in there somehow while others could not. Spectaculator, the ZX Spectrum app. A month or two back it got its first update in a long time to bring it up to speed, and its latest update allows you to just go ahead and add your own games. It also now supports physical keyboards for those on iOS 13.4 and up. What I’m saying is: it is the 2020s, and there is time for Jet Set Willy. I’ll give this the coveted UMMSotW award just to show kindness to our mates across the pond.


    stitch.,

    There are sentences a person expects to type on any given day, and then there are sentences like “check out this Shrek-themed update for stitch on Apple Arcade”. But yeah: check out this Shrek-themed update for stitch on Apple Arcade. Ten Hoops that capture scenes from the movie, plus some other Hoops based on dinosaurs and transportation. All those people who have been holding out on playing this puzzler for their favorite swamp ogre have finally been vindicated.


    SimCity BuildIt, Free

    SimCity BuildIt has been keeping fairly busy with its monthly updates, and here’s another one. This time the Mayor’s Pass is built around Rio de Janeiro, giving you some cool new buildings and structures that evoke the city. Palacio do Catete, Rio Beaches, and Jardim Botanico, namely. There are also some limited-time buildings to nab, so keep your eyes peeled for those. I can’t wait until SimCity BuildIt lands on Winnipeg! Hey, it has to happen eventually. How many cities can there be on Earth? That many? Oh.


    Homescapes, Free

    Time for the obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update for this week, and it’s Homescapes. Austin and Robbie are taking on freaking zombies this time, so let’s hope that goes well for them. Undead Austin might be too powerful for anyone to take down. After that, Austin has a sports competition to attend. Phew! There are a few more story events in this update, and naturally plenty of new decor and things to collect.


    Star Warsâ„¢: Galaxy of Heroes, Free

    I know since some of you read that opening paragraph, you’ve been wondering which game update was the one where it was just new portraits. Well, saddle up, cowpokes. We’ve arrived. Yes, the game in question is none other than Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Yes, this game. This is the one with the new portraits and nothing else. Are they nice portraits? They are, actually. But it’s hard to dress this up much. New portraits. I don’t know if that’s exciting enough to be included here, but I managed to drag this out enough to make the paragraph the right size, and I’m calling that a win.


    Subway Surfers, Free

    I don’t think the Olympics are quite finished yet, but the Subway Surfers kids have no time to hang around Paris. They’re on to New Orleans, where new skaters Ozzy and Pins, new outfits for Pink and Morgan, and some cool new boards to collect. Also included are some new challenges, plus plenty of fresh ways to fork out real money in exchange for virtual goods! Wow! It’s wild just how popular this game continues to be after all these years, but good on the developers.


    Sonic Dash Endless Runner Game, Free

    Speaking of games that just keep on running despite the number of years behind it, here’s the latest update for Sonic Dash. There are three new runners to collect and use, including Idol Shadow, Karate Knuckles, and Extreme Gear Sonic. Sure, they’re all just characters we all know and love with some new accessories stapled to their fuzzy little bodies, but we take what we can get around these parts. And what we got this time was a handful of new characters in a game almost as old as the start of my tenure at TouchArcade.


    AFK Arena, Free

    AFK Arena apparently is doing some kind of summer-themed event, offering up to two hundred and seventy free draws to help you through the season. There’s also a new Draconis hero named Lan, and a new summertime skin to enjoy. That seems to be it from the update notes, but don’t be too surprised if there’s more in here when you fire the game up. This is one game that generally doesn’t do things halfway when it comes to new stuff. If I’m wrong, then I blame Carter. He’ll never know anyway.


    Bloons TD 6, $6.99

    We’ll finish things up with a look at the latest version of Bloons TD 6. It brings a new Magic Monkey to the game in the form of the Mermonkey, a powerful amphibious tower with plenty of tricks to it. There’s a new intermediate map, the Luminous Cove, a new Psi Skin, some new Quest, and a whole lot more. Why not give it a look and see what’s what?

    That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!

    Shaun Musgrave

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  • Poncle on Apple Arcade, How Xbox Game Pass Helped, Cross Save, DLC, Physical Releases, PS5 Features, Coffee, and More – TouchArcade

    Poncle on Apple Arcade, How Xbox Game Pass Helped, Cross Save, DLC, Physical Releases, PS5 Features, Coffee, and More – TouchArcade

    Ever since I first played it on Steam Deck a few years ago during its early access period, I’ve been obsessed with Vampire Survivors from poncle. It has been ported to Xbox with an Xbox Game Pass launch, come to mobile, seen a Nintendo Switch release, and most-recently hit Apple Arcade with a PS5 release coming soon as well. Across so many platforms, DLC releases, collaborations, and free updates, I’ve wanted to chat with the team at poncle for a while now. I finally had a chance to talk to Geo Morgan (Lead Partnerships Manager) and the poncle team about various topics including working with different platforms, how Xbox Game Pass helped the game, Apple’s support, a potential physical release, my favorite coffee response yet, and much more.

    TouchArcade (TA): A lot has changed for Vampire Survivors and poncle since the early access launch on PC. How has the team grown?

    Geo Morgan and Poncle (GM): The team has grown a lot since launch! We’re over 25 folks now, across a large array of disciplines. We cross over a lot and we aren’t locked off as to seeing what each other are doing, we’ve got a channel in our workspace that ensures everyones kept up to date the best we can on all the fun things we get up to. It’s been quite exciting watching the team grow (for instance, I joined when there were around 12 people) and seeing all the work everyone does every day is inspiring.

    TA: Since the PC release, Vampire Survivors released on Xbox, mobile, Switch, and is coming to PlayStation in the future. How has it been working on the game across all those platforms?

    GM: The teams learned a lot working on all the current platforms, and it’s all invaluable knowledge. Each system has its own unique traits and requirements, so learning the best ways we can implement them all to Vampire Survivors has been great, alongside bringing the game to new audiences across a variety of platforms. We find it important to take our time and do the porting internally, so we can ensure a parity of content and experience for the players.

    TA: Vampire Survivors is in Xbox Game Pass and is also coming to Apple Arcade soon. While it is too soon to say how it does in the latter, how has Xbox Game Pass been for the game?

    GM: Our partnership with Xbox has always been fantastic. Game Pass as a whole provides such a brilliant service to people who just want to give a game a go, and does a great job at removing the barrier to entry to hundreds of games with ours being one of them. It’s been great for Vampire Survivors, as it’s a game that you “get it” after you play it.

    TA: Having played the game through its early access release on Steam Deck, through updates, Xbox, and Switch in addition to iPhone and iPad, it has been great seeing how much performance has improved while everything gets more complex. What should we expect for the Apple Arcade version in terms of updates?

    GM: Firstly, thank you for playing all the versions! All of our content updates (such as Whiteout, Astral Stair, Tiny Bridge, Space-54, Laborratory and more) will be available on the Apple Arcade version of Vampire Survivors+, and all future free content updates we do will also be available, one of which we may be working on at the moment alongside other things. So long as we deliver free content updates to all formats, it will reach Apple Arcade players. Any DLC that is created by us however, will be added to the Apple Arcade version.

    TA: You previously told me the Among Us and Contra DLC was not included in Apple Arcade for licensing reasons. Does this mean cross save will not be available for Apple Arcade when it goes live on other platforms?

    GM: On launch, Cross-Save won’t be available between the Apple Arcade and App Store versions, but it is something we’re investigating internally.

    TA: How has it been working with Apple on Vampire Survivors+?

    GM: Really great! The folks at Apple have been clear, super nice, and easy to work with, any questions we’ve had they’ve answered and any challenges we’ve faced in development they’ve been on hand for.

    TA: poncle has been amazing at responding to player feedback across platforms. Has there been anything players ask for that you haven’t been able to implement yet?

    GM: We read and consider literally everything, sometimes we are able to address feedback directly and some other times we just let it simmer and eventually influence our future decisions. A big problem we’ve been trying to address for years now, is how to manage platform Achievements so that we can make both players who want them, and those who don’t want them, happy! We haven’t found a solution yet obviously, but we keep talking to the different platforms and testing weird stuff.

    TA: If you had no restrictions and unlimited budget, what game or IP would you get into Vampire Survivors?

    GM: Our first list of dream collaborations had something like 30 IP’s on it, we won’t be getting into that list, but we hope to tick some more off as the game continues!

    TA: Given the low asking price for the game and DLC, looking back, do you think you charged too little for the game? I sure feel like it, given how much I’ve gotten out of it on all platforms.

    GM: Not at all! We hear “You charged too little” quite often but we feel for the production value of the game, that’s the price it should cost.

    Vampire Survivors 1.0 Steam Deck Review

    TA: Can we expect any content exclusive to the Apple Arcade release since it won’t have all the DLC available on other platforms?

    GM: We’re not fans of exclusive content, we’d rather put that energy into trying to get the same content to everyone.

    TA: Will you ever let players play as a vampire?

    GM: What’s a vampire?

    TA: For the upcoming PS5 release, are you going to implement DualSense haptics?

    GM: When we launch on PlayStation 5, sadly there won’t be any haptic support for the DualSense, nor will the Active Triggers play a part, but traditional rumble will still exist. That’s not saying in the future we won’t add it, however, we’re always looking at all the platforms’ new features and seeing how we can implement them into Vampire Survivors.

    TA: Will we be able to carry over our Apple Arcade save into the standalone App Store release and vice versa?

    GM: This is something we’re going to look into, but for launch the capability to cross-save between the Apple Arcade and App Store versions won’t be active.

    TA: Has the team considered doing soundtrack DLC to bring in new composers to have their own take on classic Vampire Survivors music as OST options?

    GM: That’s an interesting one, I think the logistics would be terrifying though.

    TA: What is your favorite aspect of the game right now and one thing you wish you could improve?

    GM: The favorite aspect is still the reason the game was made in the first place, it offers a straightforward gameplay platform that allows us to make content easily. What’s to improve is how the huge amount of content is managed and how it affects platform Achievements.

    TA: Any plans to do a physical release or artbook?

    GM: Physical and other media is certainly something we’ve been thinking about for a while and we’re always actively talking about it. As a group of folks that all have collections of vinyl, retro video games, books etc, it’d be great to see our own game in the collection in some way! We’ve already got some merch available on different parts of the web, growing this is a constant working project.

    TA: I think Vampire Survivors and Balatro are my two most played indie games in years. Any chance for a crossover between both?

    GM: A lot of us (as you can see below) were deeply sucked into LocalThunks’ world of Jimbo and his mult-building joker friends, so it wouldn’t be something off the cards (couldn’t not leave a card joke) as we like to keep our ideas open and the outlets for them to become real open too. Nothing is ever truly off the table for us.

    TA: What have you and the team at poncle enjoyed playing this year?

    GM: A whole lot of answers to this one! Likely my favorite for the year so far is Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but I know a few of the team played a lot of Balatro, Shadow of the Erdtree, Chained Together, Dave the Diver, Helldivers 2 & Animal Well, a few folks checked out SaGa: Emerald Beyond & Flintlock too. We’ve got a Final Fantasy XIV Online player in the team who’s deep in the new expansion with multiple characters, and Lethal Company has been a team favorite for a while.

    TA: How do you like your coffee?

    poncle: So, I felt this was a perfect question for our whole team, so here’s as many answers as I could get from the team:

    • Matt – Black.
    • Lee – Also black.
    • Kerri – The milkiest, sweetest coffee in existence
    • David – Out and about – Caramel Iced Latte with cream. Morning coffee – Black from a cafetiere (maybe sugar on the weekend)
    • Zak – Black filter coffee, ideally Hermanos Yellow Fruits as it tastes like Um Bongo mixed with unleaded petrol
    • Guru – Camomile tea
    • Geo – Black, no sugar, no milk, a small amount of cold water (any variety, instant, cafetiere, filter, I’m an animal, sorry)
    • Nickie – Green tea
    • Adam – Flat white
    • Owen – I’m a huge mocha stan, a chocolate fiend. If my coffee is too bitter I simply perish. I like my beans fresh and ground just before so I can pull back some level of control into my incredibly hectic life. I use an inverted Aeropress technique because I want to give the impression that I’m cultured even though I can barely put my T-shirts on the right way round each day. If I’m not paying upwards of £3.50 for a dinky little cup of coffee in an independent shop that features minimalist furniture and plays Lo-fi remixes of Charli XCX songs on repeat, then what even is the point? Frappuccinos from time to time though.
    • Lucy – Herbal Tea!
    • Julie – A nice oat milk latte from the pink Nespresso machine
    • Arran – Very black. Filter, espresso or americano
    • Luca – In a tiramisú

    I’d like to thank Geo Morgan and the poncle team and also Jennifer Tam and Peter Nguyen from Apple for their time and help here.

    You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

    Mikhail Madnani

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  • ‘Honkai Star Rail’ Version 2.4 “Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue” Now Available on iOS, Android, PS5, and PC – TouchArcade

    ‘Honkai Star Rail’ Version 2.4 “Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue” Now Available on iOS, Android, PS5, and PC – TouchArcade

    HoYoverse’s Honkai Star Rail (Free) version 2.4 “Finest Duel Under the Pristine Blue” update is now available on iOS, Android, PS5, and PC ahead. This update’s highlight is the new map (The Shackling Prison), new characters (Yunli and Jiaoqiu), reruns (Huohuo and Sparkel), and much more as a part of phase 1 today. If you pre-installed the update earlier this week, you should be able to get into it quickly with a small 800 or so MB update. I’m interested to see the new area, and I’m also curious to see how folks who are playing Honkai Star Rail alongside HoYoverse’s two other major games manage their own time. Check out the official update post here from HoYoverse for more details. Watch the newest Honkai Star Rail version 2.4 update trailer below:

    Hopefully we get new music from the Honkai Star Rail 2.4 update soon as well on Apple Music and other streaming services. If you’ve not played the game yet, you can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail recently and what do you think of 2.4 so far?

    Mikhail Madnani

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