Location-based AR game The Witcher: Monster Slayer(Free) from CD Projekt Red’s in-house studio Spokko Games has been getting updated quite often following its launch on iOS and Android. These updates include new challenges, monster types, stamps, and more in addition to events. Today, Spokko Games announced that The Witcher: Monster Slayer is shutting down on June 30th, 2023. The game will be delisted on January 31st, 2023 with in app purchases being disabled the same day. Once delisted, it will still be playable until servers shut down in June. Check out the official announcement message below:
The official announcement FAQ also mentions that while some staff will be joining CD Projekt development projects, some will unfortunately be let go. Hopefully everyone affected finds something soon. Until the game is delisted next month, you can grab The Witcher: Monster Slayer on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here to check it out before servers are turned off in June. Head over to our forum thread for impressions. This news comes soon after we finally saw footage of The Witcher 3‘s upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X|S major upgrade. Watch footage of that here. Have you been playing The Witcher: Monster Slayer on iOS or Android recently?
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. Oh yes, here come the Christmas updates. Quite a lot of the games featured today are doing the holiday thing, with only a few doing their best to ignore the hub-bub, bub. 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!
Oh hey, time for another chapter of the main story of Fire Emblem Heroes. Book VII kicks off this Wednesday. You’ll have to battle the Golden Seer across time with the help of your new five-star Mythic Hero, Seiðr: Goddess of Hope. This update also includes improvements to the Arena, Binding Worlds, and a few other bits. But really, it’s mainly about that new Book VII content.
Alright, game number two and we’re already into the Christmas updates. The Christmas event sees you handing out some, er, gifts to some deserving Gingerbread Men. There are some new event levels, and some new skins in the form of the Gingerbread Man and a green-suited Santa Claus. Naturally there are also some new emotes and event icons to unlock.
Here’s another Christmas-themed update, this time for the long-running tower builder. Get a reward every day from now until Christmas in the Advent Calendar, look for presents hidden in your tower, spin the lucky wheel for presents of your own, and enjoy the festive decorations. A pretty standard event for this game, but you can’t deny it nails the feeling of the season.
No Christmas stuff in this one, as near as I can tell. Instead, it adds a Sticker Book to the game. There are more than one hundred achievements to aim for, and you’ll need to get all of them if you want to fill out that Sticker Book with all of the stickers. Meta content! It can’t hurt, can it? Probably not. Do kids still do sticker books? Those were a big thing when I was a kid. I was under the impression they kind of fell off, but everything comes back sooner or later. I, for one, am waiting for Spider-Man pasta and tomato sauce to come back.
I’m letting this one stand in as the Obligatory Free-to-Play Matching Puzzle update for this week, despite it not really being free at all. Anarchy reigns, my friends. Nothing you can do to stop me. Anyway, this update adds a new set of shelves to the Treasure Trove, which means sixty new puzzles, new items to collect, and some new tournaments to test your mettle on. No Christmas stuff here either, I think. Oh well. If every kid was good, no kid would be. That’s what that guy from The Incredibles would say, probably.
Alright, back to the Christmas stuff. Angry Birds Reloaded has its holiday event lined up, and it’s… you know, it’s fine. Typical Angry Birds holiday update. You get daily rewards via Red’s Holiday Calendar and a new episode called Pie Hard Part II with forty-five festive new stages to play. Pie Harder? Pie Hard with a Vengeance? Live Free or Pie Hard? A Good Day to Pie Hard? Just tossing out some names for upcoming episodes. Call me, Rovio.
Marvel Snap gets its first feature-adding update since its wide launch, bringing in the new Token Shop along with Series 4 and Series 5 cards. Collect Tokens and trade them in for a rotating selection of cards you don’t have yet. Series 4 and Series 5 cards can potentially be found as soon as you start collecting Series 3, but they are both pretty rare. Despite a general lack of Spider-Man specific elements in this update, I am still awarding it the coveted UMMSotW for this week.
Zookeeper World also likes to keep up on the big holidays, and its update is right in step with the crowd. The Christmas 2022 event is now available, with some special hand-crafted puzzles for you to solve. Clear as many as you can to earn some cool Christmas rewards. That’s about all there is to it, but that’s probably all there needs to be to it.
Well, we could hardly go a Life Day without checking on the most popular on-going Star Wars mobile game. LEGO Star Wars Castaways is having a Star Wars Holiday Special event where you can complete quests to earn season-appropriate minifig parts. The Island hub gets a winter makeover, and a new Holosims level has been added. This update also includes a new enemy, and some exclusive Hippodrome Trials. Santa Vader! Ugly Christmas Sweater Leia! A Christmas Pod Racer! They’re all here, and they are festively glorious.
Somehow, we’ve got two LEGO games with Christmas updates this week. LEGO Brawls is the other one. There isn’t another one after this. I promise. Anyway, some of the stuff from previous Christmas events returns. Get some limited-time winter and holiday unlocks while they’re hot and ready, and enjoy the sweet themed decorations. Collect toys at the Elf Clubhouse and try to be the first team to collect fifty presents. That seems reasonably merry, I’ll allow it.
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!
Following the reveal of the release date and more for Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.3 ‘All Senses Clear, All Existence Void’, HoYoverse showcased the Genius Invokation TCG that arrives this week in the update. Today, pre-installation for the update has gone live on iOS, Android, and PC platforms. This 3.3 update brings in new characters, the interlude for the Archon Quest, a new season of events and challenges, and the aforementioned Genius Invokation TCG. Ahead of the update’s launch later this week, you can now pre-download the update. On iOS, this is 1.58GB. Watch the Genshin Impact 3.3 update character demo – “Wanderer: Of Solitude Past and Present” video below:
The 3.3 update launches on Wednesday worldwide and it will also add Italian and Turkish text support. If you haven’t checked out Genshin Impact yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. Have you been playing Genshin Impact recently and what do you think of the game’s current state?
Following the major update for Dead Cells on iOS and Android a few days ago, Playdigious has brought Dead Cells+() to Apple Arcade. As an App Store Great, Dead Cells+ includes all prior paid DLC and content updates. It also has exclusive mobile leaderboards. If you’re curious about Dead Cells on iOS, read my review of it here and also my interview with Playdigious here. You can Dead Cells+ on Apple Arcade here. Hopefully updates arrive simultaneously on iOS, Android, and Apple Arcade going forward. Despite already owning this on iOS, it is a great get for Apple Arcade. Watch the Dead Cells+ Apple Arcade trailer below:
Alongside Dead Cells+, many notable games have gotten holiday themed updates. Crossy Road Castle version 8.5 is out now adding in the Sticker Book with more than 100 achievements to unlock all the stickers. Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure brings in 60 new puzzles, new tournaments, and new treasure trove items in today’s update. Angry Birds Reloaded gets into the holiday mood with Red’s Holiday Calendar, Pie Hard part II, and 45 new levels. LEGO Star Wars: Castaways brings in an exclusive holiday event letting you earn holiday-themed minifigures, a new winter look for the island hub, a new Holosims level, new enemies, and more.
LEGO Brawls also has a holiday update out now with the Jingle Brawls season returning with limited-time unlocks. The final update of the week is Zookeeper World celebrating its Christmas 2022 event with new puzzles and rewards. Check out our forum threads for LEGO Brawlshere, LEGO Star Wars: Castawayshere, Angry Birds Reloadedhere, Temple Run: Puzzle Adventurehere, Crossy Road Castlehere, and Zookeeper Worldhere, and Dead Cells+here. Head over to our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion around every game on the service. What do you think of December 2022’s games?
Developer Hidden Variable pushed out a major update for Skullgirls Mobile(Free) a few hours ago. The version 5.2 update brings in Black Dahlia (before the console and PC game), Retakes, XP Treats, free gifts, and more. Since launch, Skullgirls Mobile has gotten a ton of support, and it is an absolute essential on any platform if you enjoy fighting games. I included it in our best fighting games to play on Steam Deck feature and continue to enjoy it on Steam Deck. Skullgirls Mobile will also be adding Marie next year. Check out the full patch notes for the update here for the massive list of changes and additions.
I’m still surprised that Black Dahlia arrived in the mobile game before Skullgirls 2nd Encore on PC and consoles. Skullgirls Mobile is available for free on iOS and Android right now. Skullgirls 2nd Encore is available on PC and all consoles with it arriving on Xbox soon. Following Black Dahlia’s launch, it is going to be interesting to see when Marie is released in the mobile game and also how updates and DLC are handled for the newer console releases that are planned to arrive in the near future. Do you play Skullgirls on any platform and what do you think of the new DLC announcement?
Last week, HoYoverse revealed the release date and more information detailing the upcoming Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.3 ‘All Senses Clear, All Existence Void’ update. This update brings in new characters, the interlude for the Archon Quest, a new season of events and challenges, and the Genius Invokation TCG. I’m always interested in card-based min-games in RPGs, and hope this one ends up being a regular in updates with new cards and content coming. Ahead of next week’s launch, HoYoverse released a new gameplay video for Genius Invokation TCG. Watch the Genshin Impact 3.3 update card game demo showcase video below:
As mentioned before, this update will also add Italian and Turkish text support when it goes live on December 7th worldwide. Pre-installation for iOS, Android, and PC will go live a few days prior as usual. If you haven’t checked out Genshin Impact yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. Have you been playing Genshin Impact recently and what do you think of the game’s current state?
You know, it’s kind of funny in hindsight that Marvel Snap(Free) got to its global launch without having Thanos in there. The game’s name and a major game mechanic are references to his iconic finger-flick, after all. I guess it could not live with that failure, because where did it bring it? Back to Thanos. Right, I’ll leave the direct references to that one line. Marvel Snap has a new update, and it has some important things in it. Let’s go over it.
First and foremost, there’s a Token Shop now. Oh no! Well, here’s what it’s about. Normally once you reach Collector Level 500, you stop getting specific cards on a regular basis and instead get Collector’s Caches, which could contain a new card, some boosters, some credits, or some gold. Obviously some of those are more desirable than others, and even the prize pig, the cards, are a crap shoot in terms of how useful they’ll be.
This update makes some changes to the Caches. Boosters have been removed, and you now have a chance of getting some Tokens. Those Tokens can be used in the new Token Shop, which features a rotating card selection. The potential cards could be from Series 3 (more on this in a second), Series 4, or Series 5, with costs rising appropriately. It takes a ton of Tokens to buy a card this way, but it does allow you to get your hands on specific cards.
This update also introduces Series 4 and Series 5 cards. Unlike the first three Series, you don’t need to have collected every card from lower pools to get them. You have a chance of pulling them from any Collector’s Cache, but they are very rare (10x rarer than Series 3) and bonkers rare (10x rarer than Series 4) respectively. These cards are very hard to get your hands on, but they are extremely powerful. Galactus and Thanos are among the new Series 5 cards.
There are also some fixes and balance adjustments in this update, nerfing some cards (Angela, Onslaught, Mysterio, Destroyer, and Sera) and tweaking how some effects play out. Finally, Marvel has also given us a sneak peak of the next season that will follow the Warriors of Wakanda event: The Power Cosmic. Check it out in the above trailer. All in all, a big update for the game that hopefully will make for an even better experience.
Motion Twin and Playdigious’ brilliant Dead Cells($4.99) has finally gotten three major patches in a single update on iOS. It should be out on Android very soon if it isn’t already when you’re readying this. If you haven’t bought Dead Cells on mobile yet, read my review on the game’s current state here. Barring the many new additions and enhancements available, this update is also supposed to address the MFi controller issues on iPhone and iPad, but it crashes when I use my Kishi V2 and BackBone One to attack. I’ve reached out to Playdigious to check in on this and will update this story when I hear back. Check out details for the Break the Bank update here, Enter the Panchaku update here, and Breaking Barriers update here. Watch the trailer below:
If you’re curious about Dead Cells on mobile, I did an interview with Playdigious covering it and Streets of Rage 4. Read it here. If you’re on iOS, you can buy it on the App Store. Check it out on Google Play here for Android. It is discounted for a limited time to celebrate the major update. If you’re unsure whether to grab it on mobile or Switch, read my comparison here. Now that these major updates are out on mobile, I hope we get the others soon. What do you think of Dead Cells and its current state on mobile and have you been playing it regularly?
The NEOGEO is generally characterized by, with only a few notable exceptions, fighting games and Metal Slug. Within a couple of years of its launch, the vast majority of the output on the console seemed to be mining (quite successfully) a few particular types of games. To be fair, such was the state of arcades by the mid-1990s. If you weren’t making a fighting game, a licensed beat-em-up, a shoot-em-up, or a puzzle game, you were rowing against the current.
That makes the existence of Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy($3.99) a bit of a rarity. Developed internally at SNK by ex-IREM staffers, the game arrived in the summer of 1994 alongside The King of Fighters ’94. One of those games became near-legendary, carving its legacy into the very platform in an indelible way. The other was Top Hunter. A quirky little platformer/beat-em-up hybrid for one or two players, one could generously say that it paved the way for Metal Slug in some small way.
While there is no significant shared staff between Top Hunter and Metal Slug, there are some common elements. The visual style has that same sort of silly-but-gritty feel to it, and there are plenty of amusing enemy animations. You can find vehicles to ride on, and you’ll sometimes get your hands on a gun. Platforming is largely perfunctory, with jumping mostly being used to avoid attacks rather than navigating harrowing platforms. Stages are capped off with a boss fight, usually against some kind of large opponent. That’s about all of the shared aspects.
There are two key mechanics to Top Hunter. The first is your stretchy arms, which allow you to grab a variety of objects and either smash them or toss them. You can also use them to work various machines, switches, and so on. You’ll generally defeat foes by smacking them or throwing something at them, but you can make use of some traps and some special moves for a little variety. The other gimmick is that every stage has two planes, and you can hop between them as needed or desired. Sometimes traps or power-ups need to be accessed from the opposite plane, encouraging you to swap regularly.
I’ll be frank: there were a few platformers in this era that tried this kind of thing, and I don’t feel like any of them were substantially better for it. Probably the best of the bunch was Wario Land for the Virtual Boy, and there’s a reason for that. The 3D effect of the console helped solve a problem that seems to be inherent to this kind of design. Namely, it can be difficult at times to tell which plane a given object is on. In this game, it can make it hard to line up throws and even occasionally result in taking a hit you didn’t think was going to hit you. The art style here makes things a bit worse as little is done to distinguish the planes visually.
Well, it’s not a huge deal. A bigger problem with Top Hunter is that it too frequently lacks tension. This is an unusually easy game for an arcade platformer, and once you’ve got the hang of things you can go ridiculously far on each credit. The enemies just don’t pose much of a threat to your extremely versatile and powerful character. There also aren’t enough enemy types, so you’ll start seeing the same faces again and again. It’s amusing to mess around with everything and try defeating enemies in different ways, but ultimately Top Hunter is a little boring.
This boredom can be alleviated somewhat by bringing a friend along for some good old-fashioned co-op mayhem, but this is of course an ACA NEOGEO release for mobile. That means you’ll only be able to play multiplayer if you have some external controllers and don’t mind huddling around your mobile device of choice. I’d imagine for most people, that’s not going to be the typical play experience with this game. You’re most likely going to be playing solo, and that’s the less fun way to go about experiencing Top Hunter.
It does however benefit from the fact that we don’t get too many high-quality, premium games of this kind on mobile. I’d say it takes to touch controls even better than the Metal Slug games do since you don’t have to worry about precise aiming as much. I suppose as a solo experience, it takes to mobile better than some NEOGEO games do. And I do want to stress that the game isn’t a half-effort by any means. It’s quite gorgeous in that way NEOGEO games tended to be, and each of the four worlds have a distinct look to them. You get three levels in each world, plus a rather climactic final stage. If you play the included Japanese version, there are even some secret endings to find. It may not be thrills every minute, but it certainly brings the value.
As this is part of the ACA NEOGEO line, the expected extras and options are all here. You can play with an external controller, you get both regional versions of the game, there are extra modes with their own online leaderboards, and you’ve got more options than you can shake a stick at. The emulation quality is good, and my only gripes about Hamster’s part in all of this are my usual ones about not having online multiplayer or the MVS version as an option. It’s a great package, and it’s a bit luxurious that I’m pretty much used to this level of quality in such a low-cost release.
I’m not the biggest fan of Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy, but it’s a decent enough romp that clearly had a lot of care put into it. A little too easy and repetitive at times, and I’m not sure its dual-plane system works as well as it should, but for a few bucks you’ll get your fun out of it. Add in the usual suite of features that comes with Hamster’s ACA NEOGEO line, and you have a pleasant distraction for a lazy weekend afternoon.
HandyGames’ mobile version of Bugbear’s demolition derby-style racer Wreckfest($9.99) released on iOS and Android recently, and we featured it as our Game of the Week. MrMacRight on YouTube who does amazing technical analysis videos for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS games has done one on Wreckfest comparing it across iOS and console platforms. The video even showcases how it runs on a variety of Apple devices including newer ones detailing the resolution and frame rate targets alongside showcasing the how the game runs across the board. Watch the analysis video below:
You can buy Wreckfest on mobile on Google Play for Android here and on the App Store here. The App Store page for Wreckfest lists different car packs and content bundles as in app purchases right now. Check out our new forum thread for the game here with impressions and potential fixes if you’re running into issues. The console game is priced at $39.99 on Nintendo Switch with additional paid DLC available. Check out Wreckfest on Steam here. Have you played Wreckfest yet on any platform and are you going to grab it on mobile?
Following the release of Genshin Impact version 3.2 ‘Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises’, HoYoverse has revealed the release date and more coming in the next update. Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.3 ‘All Senses Clear, All Existence Void’ includes new characters, the interlude for the Archon Quest, a new season of events and challenges, the Genius Invokation TCG, and a lot more. The new characters in this update are five-star Anemo catalyst wielder, the Wanderer, and four-star Anemo archer Faruzan. This update will also see Italian and Turkish text support added to the game. Watch the Genshin Impact 3.3 update reveal trailer below:
This update will go live on December 7th. Pre-installation for iOS, Android, and PC will go live a few days prior as usual I imagine. If you haven’t checked out Genshin Impact yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. Have you been playing Genshin Impact recently and what do you think of the game’s current state?
SpongeBob SolitairePants() is this week’s new Apple Arcade game and it is out now as the final release of November 2022 on the service. SpongeBob SolitairePants has multiplayer battles, a solo quest mode, classic mode, and more alongside daily competitions. It is an Arcade Original out now. Grab it here on Apple Arcade. Check out our new forum thread for it here for discussion and more. Alongside SpongeBob SolitairePants, many notable games in the service have gotten updates.
Air Twister has a new limited time event on from now until December 23rd. This lets you earn new outfit items. The update also adds a new ‘One Hit Death’ difficulty to Arcade Mode alongside a new app icon to celebrate the event. Jetpack Joyride 2 adds in new story levels across the Neontropolis, a new skin, the PoP N Weapon powerup, and more today. Red Games Co’s Crayola Create and Play+ celebrates the holiday season with new decorations, activities, events, and daily gifts. The daily gifts begin from December 1st until December 25th. Gear Club Stradale gets its seventh update today letting you test cards in a new Test Drive mode, a redone on boarding experience, a new car, and more.
SP!NG is the final notable update of the week with it bringing chapter 11 of the lost levels for all players. Following the updates, check out our forum threads for Air Twisterhere, Gear Club Stradalehere, SP!NGhere, Jetpack Joyride 2here, and Crayola Create and Play+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 the recent Apple Arcade releases this month?
After The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo hit iOS and Android through SNK and Hamster, we have a new release in the classics series on mobile with Top Hunter Roddy and Cathy . Top Hunter Roddy and Cathy is a side-scrolling action game from SNK that debuted back in 1994. It has a 2-line system where you throw, shoot, and use special attacks on the space pirates. As with prior releases, I need to let you know that you might run into iOS 16-specific issues with leaderboards in these releases. I’ve had the games from this series work fine after waiting for a bit on initial load. Check out a screenshot from the Android version of Top Hunter Roddy and Cathy ACA NeoGeo below.
You can buy Top Hunter Roddy and Cathy ACA NeoGeo on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. As with prior releases on mobile, this costs half of what it does on consoles at $3.99. If you’ve not heard of the series or seen it in action on mobile yet, Shaun has reviewed most of the releases so far in the ACA NeoGeo series on iOS. Check out his reviews for Samurai Shodown IVhere, Alpha Mission IIhere, Metal Slug 5here, Shock Troopershere, NAM-1975here, ZED BLADEhere, PUZZLEDhere, The King of Fighters 2002here, Big Tournament Golfhere, King of the Monstershere, Last Resorthere, Aero Fighters 2here, Burning Fighthere, Robo Armyhere, Mutation Nationhere, Twinkle Star Spriteshere, and Aero Fighters 3here. Check out the official website for the series on mobile here. What’s your favorite recent ACA NeoGeo release and are you grabbing this side-scrolling action game?
Following the recent discounts and free DLC giveaway in-game, Aspyr Media has released the Civilization VI(Free) Leader Pass for the iOS version of the game alongside an update adding support for the first pack. If you’ve not kept up with Civilization VI on mobile, it debuted on iPad for free a while ago. Since then, it has gotten updated with new DLC and expansions including the universal update and a lot more. The iOS version has always been behind consoles, but with today’s update, it is now comparable to PC with DLC. It sadly still hasn’t seen any visual or performance updates. When this pack was announced, I was hoping we’d see some long overdue visual improvements and frame rate boosts for newer devices, but things are the same. The first pack included in the pass is out now. On PC, owners of all prior DLC get the pass for free, but iOS players need to pay for it.
The Civilization VI Leader Pass includes the following packs via 2K:
Great Negotiators Pack (Pack 1): Available now – Test your diplomacy skills with the Great Negotiators Pack, including Abraham Lincoln (United States), Queen Nzinga Mbande (Kongo), and Sultan Saladin (Arabia)
Great Commanders Pack (Pack 2): Lead your troops to victory with the Great Commanders Pack, including Tokugawa (Japan), Nader Shah (Persia)3, and Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman Empire)4
Rulers of China Pack (Pack 3): Establish some new dynasties with the Rulers of China Pack, including Yongle, Qin Shi Huang the Unifier, and Wu Zetian
Rulers of the Sahara Pack (Pack 4): Revisit the cradle of humanity with the Rulers of the Sahara Pack, including Ramses (Egypt), Ptolemaic Cleopatra (Egypt), King Sundiata Keita (Mali)
Great Builders Pack (Pack 5): Rebuild the world better than ever with the Great Builders Pack, including Theodora (Byzantines)5, Sejong (Korea)6, and Ludwig II (Germany)
Ruler of England Pack (Pack 6): Fill out your growing collection of monarchs with the Rulers of England Pack, including Elizabeth I (England), Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway), and Victoria – Age of Steam (England).
Some of these packs need access to prior DLC or expansions. The Leader Pass is available as an in app purchase now. Check out the official website for the Leader Pass here. If you’ve not played the base game or any prior expansions, read our initial iPad review here and my updated review with expansions and more here. I also reviewed the New Frontier Pass content and the state of the game in 2021 on iOS here. You can try out Civilization VI for free on the App Store for iOS here. We featured it as our Game of the Week when it released. Have you tried the game on iOS or any other platform yet and are you planning on buying the Leader Pass today?
Despite only getting into Draknek & Friends later than most people, I’ve become a huge fan and consider A Monster’s Expedition one of the best puzzle games out there. Draknek’s first commercially released game was These Robotic Hearts of Mine(Free) which is an abstract poem puzzler I am yet to play. These Robotic Hearts of Mine celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, and it is being delisted in less than 90 days by Apple. The App Store is currently the only place These Robotic Hearts of Mine is still available, and it has been made free until it gets delisted. Watch the trailer for These Robotic Hearts of Mine below:
If you’ve not gotten it yet, you can grab These Robotic Hearts of Mine on the App Store for iOS here. It remains to be seen if These Robotic Hearts of Mine is brought over to any modern platform going forward. This is yet another one of Apple’s ways of showing it doesn’t care for preservation with functional games being delisted just because they haven’t been updated in a while. Read our review of These Robotic Hearts of Mine from back when it launched a decade ago here. Did you play These Robotic Hearts of Mine when it launched or will you be trying it out ahead of it being delisted in under 3 months?
Sigono’s OPUS series of games had its debut with OPUS: The Day We Found Earth back in 2015 on iOS and Android. That was eventually ported to PC and Nintendo Switch with its followup game OPUS: Rocket of Whispers following the same pattern. I adored the first game and have played it on every platform. While I do have issues with the gameplay in OPUS: Rocket of Whispers, I still consider it worth experiencing for fans of the first game. When OPUS: Echo of Starsong($8.99) was announced, I was hoping it would make its way to iOS because it kept looking like a massive step up over the originals in scale and production.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong debuted on PC before seeing an enhanced release on Nintendo Switch that brought in Chinese and Japanese voice acting support. Following that being patched into the PC version, OPUS: Echo of Starsong arrived on Xbox platforms including Xbox Game Pass. Usually, a game would then hit PlayStation platforms and find its way to mobile much later, but OPUS: Echo of Starsong finally arrived on iOS this week at a fraction of its cost on other platforms bringing the complete experience with all updates and voice acting to mobile.
Despite all being a part of the same universe, OPUS: Echo of Starsong can be played standalone if you don’t want to experience the first two games. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is very much a story focused experience with some point and click adventure-style gameplay, light puzzles, and decisions you need to make that involve some RNG like with Disco Elysium. I’m not going to spoil the story, but this is Sigono’s best one yet and I cannot imagine anyone playing this will not be moved by the narrative by the end of the dozen or so hours you will spend here depending on whether you focus on the main story or more.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong is the most ambitious game Sigono has released yet. It is a huge improvement in just about every way, and the Japanese voice acting I’ve used across my playthroughs is very well done. Not only is this the best Sigono game, but one of my favorite games of the year on iOS and Nintendo Switch. I just hope the few issues I have with the iOS version can be fixed in future updates.
Given the gameplay style, I imagine most people wouldn’t care about controller support, but there is some form of controller support. You can use a controller to move and to progress dialogue, but not to make decisions. You will need to use touch controls for that. I also couldn’t get my progress synced across my iPhone and iPad. I’m not sure if iCloud save sync is included, but if it is, it didn’t work for me. I hope this can be implemented in the future.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong is great on PC and Steam Deck. The Switch version has performance issues that have been addressed to some degree in updates. On iOS, OPUS: Echo of Starsong targets 30fps even on newer devices like the iPhone 14 Plus I played it on. Sigono told me there are no plans to add support for 60fps to the game right now. Visually, it is cleaner than the Switch version though in parts. It doesn’t look as good as I had hoped on my iPad Pro (2020) though. The definitive portable experience right now is on Steam Deck for sure if you have that option, but if you don’t, I would recommend it on iOS over Switch.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong is an essential for iOS owners. I already thought it was underpriced on consoles and PC given the quality of the game, but the iOS version is an even better deal with it costing less than half. This is Sigono’s best work and I can’t wait to see what the studio releases next. I just hope iOS and Switch owners will not be waiting too long for Sigono’s next game. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a game you need to experience if you enjoy memorable stories, well written characters, and excellent music. Having done nearly three full playthroughs across platforms, I still can’t get over how good OPUS: Echo of Starsong is.
Old Man’s Journey+() from Broken Rules is out now on Apple Arcade as an App Store Great. Old Man’s Journey+ debuted five years on iOS, Android, and PC platforms. The puzzle adventure game about life, loss, and hope had gorgeous visuals and is a game I enjoyed revisiting on console. If you’ve not played it yet, read our review of the original here. You can now play it as an App Store Great on Apple Arcade here. Check out our original forum thread for the game here for more discussion around it. Watch the trailer for the iOS version below:
Alongside today’s new release, a few notable games have gotten updates. Skate City has added a new level in Venice beach. This adds 21 new challenges with a new tutorial. There are also 30 new goals included in the update. Simon’s Cat – Story Time brings in 300 new levels with 25 new levels coming each week with 1.20.0 out now. What The Golf? is celebrating Thanksgiving with the “Don’t Stuff Me Now” pack and more. The recently released Stitch. adds 7 new hoops, left hand mode, improved visibility and contrast options, and some balance adjustments. Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat brings in seven new songs including Mobile Suit Gundam music and more.
Check out our forum threads for Old Man’s Journey+here, What The Golf?here, Skate Cityhere, Simon’s Cat – Story Timehere, Stitch.here, and Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beathere. 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 the recent Apple Arcade releases this month?
Following a few weeks of no new additions to the series on mobile, Hamster and SNK have brought The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo($3.99) to iOS and Android today as the newest ACA NeoGeo release. This follows Samurai Shodown V Special, The Last Blade 2 ACA NeoGeo, and more. The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo debuted in 2003 featuring the same 3v3 battle system from prior games, but it added a new Multi-Shift format to tag in members. This entry in the beloved The King of Fighters series also saw the debut of Ash with a new chapter of the series beginning. If you do plan on buying any of these releases, keep in mind that some people are running into issues on iOS 16 with leaderboards and the initial launch. Check out a screenshot from the Android version of The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo below.
You can buy The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. As with prior releases on mobile, this costs half of what it does on consoles at $3.99. If you’ve not heard of the series or seen it in action on mobile yet, Shaun has reviewed most of the releases so far in the ACA NeoGeo series on iOS. Check out his reviews for Samurai Shodown IVhere, Alpha Mission IIhere, Metal Slug 5here, Shock Troopershere, NAM-1975here, ZED BLADEhere, PUZZLEDhere, The King of Fighters 2002here, Big Tournament Golfhere, King of the Monstershere, Last Resorthere, Aero Fighters 2here, Burning Fighthere, Robo Armyhere, Mutation Nationhere, Twinkle Star Spriteshere, and Aero Fighters 3here. Check out the official website for the series on mobile here. What’s your favorite recent ACA NeoGeo release and are you grabbing this fighting game today?
Aspyr Media brought the New Frontier Pass to Civilization VI(Free) on iOS after it debuted on other platforms. If you’ve not kept up with Civilization VI on mobile, it debuted on iPad for free a while ago. Since then, it has gotten updated with new DLC and expansions including the universal update and a lot more. The iOS version has always been behind consoles, but today 2K announced a new set of content coming to iOS alongside the PC and macOS versions. This is the new Leader Pass that will bring six DLC packs releasing beginning next week on PC. This Civilization VI Leader Pass is free for owners of Civilization VI Anthology on Steam, but will be sold separately for iOS and Mac App Store owners of the game. Watch the trailer for the Leader Pass below:
The Civilization VI Leader Pass includes the following packs:
Great Negotiators Pack (Pack 1): Coming November 21, 2022 ; test your diplomacy skills with the Great Negotiators Pack, including Abraham Lincoln (United States), Queen Nzinga Mbande (Kongo), and Sultan Saladin (Arabia)
Great Commanders Pack (Pack 2): Lead your troops to victory with the Great Commanders Pack, including Tokugawa (Japan), Nader Shah (Persia)3, and Suleiman the Magnificent (Ottoman Empire)4
Rulers of China Pack (Pack 3): Establish some new dynasties with the Rulers of China Pack, including Yongle, Qin Shi Huang the Unifier, and Wu Zetian
Rulers of the Sahara Pack (Pack 4): Revisit the cradle of humanity with the Rulers of the Sahara Pack, including Ramses (Egypt), Ptolemaic Cleopatra (Egypt), King Sundiata Keita (Mali)
Great Builders Pack (Pack 5): Rebuild the world better than ever with the Great Builders Pack, including Theodora (Byzantines)5, Sejong (Korea)6, and Ludwig II (Germany)
Ruler of England Pack (Pack 6): Fill out your growing collection of monarchs with the Rulers of England Pack, including Elizabeth I (England), Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway), and Victoria – Age of Steam (England).
Some of these need access to prior DLC or expansions. A price point has not been announced for iOS or macOS yet. Check out the official website for the Leader Pass here. Aspyr is yet to confirm if the release schedule will be the same for iOS and PC platforms, but I’m hoping the iOS and iPadOS versions get fixes for downloading in-game and also support for good visuals and performance. If you’ve not played the base game or any prior expansions, read our initial iPad review here and my updated review with expansions and more here. I also reviewed the New Frontier Pass content and the state of the game in 2021 on iOS here. You can try out Civilization VI for free on the App Store for iOS here. We featured it as our Game of the Week when it released. Have you tried the game on iOS or any other platform yet and are you planning on buying the Leader Pass?
HandyGames’ mobile version of Bugbear’s demolition derby-style racer Wreckfest($9.99) has finally arrived on iOS worldwide following pre-orders going live. Wreckfest had pre-registrations for Android begin a little while ago, and it even had its placeholder date on the App Store pushed to November 15th. Following the control customization showcase, the game is now available on iOS with Android to follow later today. There currently seems to be a server-related issue with HandyGames working on fixing it. The current solution for it going by posts in our forum thread is using airplane mode. Impressions are very positive barring that crashing issue affecting a few people.
If you’re on Android, you can pre-register for it here on Google Play. If you’d like to grab it on iOS, you can buy Wreckfest on the App Store for $8.99 right now here. The App Store page for Wreckfest lists different car packs and content bundles as in app purchases right now. Check out our new forum thread for the game here with impressions and potential fixes if you’re running into issues. Once the issues are fixed and it hits Android, I will update this story. The console game is priced at $39.99 on Nintendo Switch with additional paid DLC available. Check out Wreckfest on Steam here. Have you played Wreckfest yet on any platform and are you going to grab it on mobile today?
