Last week, Square Enix announced a new Dragon Quest game for mobile with a full reveal planned for today. The live stream in Japanese revealed Dragon Quest Champions for iOS and Android made in collaboration with Koei Tecmo. Koei Tecmo has worked with Square Enix on the Dragon Quest Heroes action games in the past. Dragon Quest Champions is a brand-new Dragon Quest RPG set for release in Japan with closed beta sign-ups now live in Japan. Dragon Quest Champions is the first new Dragon Quest mobile release since Dragon Quest Builders($27.99) hit the platform last year. There will be a solo mode and a mode with up to 50 players in total as well. Watch the live stream for the game reveal below:
If you’d like to try Dragon Quest Champions in Japan, you can sign up for the closed beta test here for iOS and Android. The official website has some gameplay screenshots and more information about the cast in Japanese with a confirmation that the game will be free (to play likely). As of this writing, a Dragon Quest Champions release date hasn’t been announced. Until we learn about a release date for Japan, I’m not going to be optimistic about an international launch. Until we learn more about Dragon Quest Champions, check out Dragon Quest Builders on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. Have you played Dragon Quest Builders or any of the premium Dragon Quest numbered series ports on mobile yet?
Beginning Tomorrow, the HoYoverse revealed details for the next major Genshin Impact(Free) version 3.4 ‘The Exquisite Night Chimes’ update will roll out to iOS, Android, PC, PS5, and PS4. Pre-installation went live yesterday, and this update brings in support for characters, a new area, free-to-claim rewards, and a lot more. Today, developer HoYoverse announced that the second phase of banners for 3.4 will arrive on February 7th. This brings the Hu Tao and Yelan rerun banners and a weapon event wish on that day. I’ve been waiting for the Hu Tao rerun since the first time the banner went live a while ago. Watch the Genshin Impact version 3.4 update trailer below:
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 would you like to see in the game this year?
Nintendo just announced a new cross promotion for Fire Emblem Heroes(Free) and this week’s new Nintendo Switch title, Fire Emblem Engage. Linking your account to both games will net you orbs in Fire Emblem Heroes and a bonus item set for use in the Nintendo Switch game Fire Emblem Engage. To get the Fire Emblem Engage Order of Heroes item set, you need to have played Fire Emblem Heroes on iOS or Android and have linked your Nintendo Account to the app. The bonus in Fire Emblem Heroes is five orbs, which is not as good as the bonus given when Fire Emblem Three Houses released a few years ago. This collaboration will also see Fire Emblem Engage heroes arrive in Fire Emblem Heroes. Watch the trailer for that below:
If you’re wondering how to claim the Fire Emblem Heroes bonus in Fire Emblem Engage, you can follow the steps here with screenshots. It is worth noting that you should redeem your code within 150 days after getting it for the Nintendo Switch game. I haven’t played Fire Emblem Heroes in a while, but have adored my time with Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes last year. This collaboration got me to re-download Fire Emblem Heroes on iOS. It remains to be seen if I will spend more time with it after the item pack though. If you’ve not gotten it yet, Fire Emblem Heroes is available worldwide for free on iOS and Android. Details for Feh Pass paid subscription are here. If you’ve not played Fire Emblem Heroes for a while or play it regularly, what do you think of the new content and this collaboration?
Following Apple’s amazing start for Apple Arcade in 2023 with the announcement for this month, the second game of the year has arrived today. BorderLeap who brought us the excellent Patterned have released the puzzler Illustrated() on the service. Illustrated has you solving puzzles based on many famous artists in two modes. Illustrated has no fail states and seems like a lovely addition to the more-relaxing games on Apple Arcade. I enjoyed Patterned a lot and will be checking out all the potential updates coming to Illustrated with new art. Check it out here on Apple Arcade. Watch the trailer for Illustrated below:
Three games have gotten notable updates today. Grindstone gets its first update in about a month bringing in new gear, the Cosmic Darkside expanding with more enemies, a Hat Stand, and more. Nitrome’s Super Leap Day has been updated to bring in the Windy Skies theme with parachutes, wind funnels, Sun Monsters, and more. The final update of the week is for the recently-released Episode XOXO bringing in the new Game of Hearts story chapter. With the updates done, check out our forum threads for Episode XOXOhere, Illustratedhere, Grindstonehere, and Super Leap Dayhere. For all 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 state of Apple Arcade right now?
Thrill-seekers will now have two more places to adventure as Universal Parks & Resorts announced that it will be opening two new theme park experiences in the U.S.
The first is taking the company’s wildly-popular Halloween Horror Nights and expanding it into a year-round horror experience set to open in Las Vegas.
The 110,000-square-foot space will expand upon Vegas’s 20-acre AREA15 entertainment district that opened in September 2020.
Universal Parks and Resorts
The concept will feature classic horror characters like Frankenstein and Dracula from Universal movies and projects as well as bring new stories and concepts to life through collaborations with modern-day filmmakers like Jordan Peele.
“With a variety of unique, immersive, fantastic horror-centric experiences that surround high energy food and beverage spaces by day turned haunting bars and eateries by night, the new concept marks the first time Universal has created a permanent horror experience beyond its theme parks,” the company said in a release. “It will deliver on the thrills and frights its horror fans have come to love and excite anyone looking for a new level of experiential entertainment.”
Universal did not disclose when the new experience was set to open but said that the company would share more details and an opening date “as plans shape up.”
New Family-Friendly Texas Theme Park
On quite the opposite hand, Universal also announced that it will be opening a family-friendly park in Frisco, Texas, specifically aimed to cater to families with young kids.
Universal Parks & Resorts
“The proposed park will be designed to be more intimate and engaging for younger audiences and will be sized for a regional audience. It will be full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, character meet-and-greets, unique merchandise, and fun food and beverage venues,” a company press release said. “Although smaller in size, it will still carry the same quality as Universal’s other larger resort destinations.”
The park is set to live on a 97-acre land area that Universal recently purchased, which will also be home to a themed hotel. The company said that the Frisco park will have a “completely different look, feel and scale” than its other parks as it hopes to extend its audience and customer base.
Universal Parks & Resorts currently has five parks and resort locations internationally, with two in the U.S. and three in Asia.
A few days ago, Stardew Valley($4.99) creator Eric Barone released the massive version 1.5 update for iOS and Android. This update brought the mobile version up to date with the PC and console version. Since then, we’ve had 3 total updates hit iOS with big fixes for new issues introduced. Some Android users also reported save-related issues. Eric has posted a workaround for the Android save file issue here. If you haven’t kept up with what the update itself brings, Stardew Valley 1.5 features new content including new end game content, quality of life features, the ability to move beds, a new Beach Farm, advanced game options, and a lot more. When Eric said this update was quite a re-write for the game on mobile, we can clearly see that with how fast these new bug fix updates are hitting. I’ve not run into major issues, but this is amazing to see, and I hope it is stable for everyone on both iOS and Android soon.
If you run into any issues with this update, you can report them here. Eric Barone is currently also working on Haunted Chocolatier, which is a brand new game I’m looking forward to playing on Steam Deck until we get a console and mobile confirmation. If you haven’t tried Stardew Valley yet, read our original review. We even featured it as our Game of the Week. You can buy it on the App Store for iOS here and for Android here on Google Play. If you own a Nintendo Switch and an iOS device, I compared both versions of the game to help you find the best platform to play it on. Here’s our forum thread on the game for more discussion. What do you think of Stardew Valley version 1.5 so far?
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge(Free) from Tribute Games and Dotemu is a very special game. Not only is it a fantastic beat ’em up, but it delivered on bringing the experience I had as a kid playing the Konami classics to current platforms with a modern experience. Unlike most of Playdigious’ prior conversions for mobile, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is available through Netflix for subscribers, and it is one of the best Netflix Games additions just like Into the Breach.
If you aren’t familiar with TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, it is to the Konami classic TMNT beat ’em ups what Streets of Rage 4 is to that series. While I adore both TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4, the former is more special because I have a ton of nostalgia for these games from when I played some of them years ago. The current mobile version is one update behind the console and PC version, which means the custom mode and new filters aren’t available yet. Hopefully they are added soon.
Before getting into the mobile port features, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is special because of how unique the cast of playable characters is, how detailed and well-designed the levels are, and also for the superlative soundtrack from Tee Lopes. All of this comes together with gorgeous visuals that perfectly deliver on a modern take for a classic TMNT experience. In addition to the fleshed-out story mode with multiple bosses, this mobile version has access to the arcade mode which has you playing with limited lives and no saves.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge on iOS has full touch and controller support. The touch controls are very good as well. On the controller side, I tested both the Razer Kishi V2 and the Backbone One PlayStation Edition. Both displayed Xbox prompts but worked without issues. If you aren’t a fan of touch controls, you can use a controller without issues.
Visually, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge looks perfect on the iPhone 11 and iPad Pro (2020) I used to try out the preview build and publicly available release on. It has artwork banners/bars around the gameplay and menus since it was originally designed for 16:9 displays only. It also runs very well. I didn’t have any major performance issues, but I haven’t been able to stress test the online in every level yet. The party menu confirms support for 6 online players right now which is good to see.
I had access to the game through a preview build pre-release, and I’ve tested the online in the publicly available version to confirm that it works great. While I wasn’t able to test the multiplayer much pre-release, the online play has worked brilliantly so far. I even tested it with two devices on cellular rather than wifi where it worked without any issues. The online play lets you create a party and share a code, find players online, or join using a party code.
As with my other reviews of mobile ports, I wanted to compare TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge on all portable platforms. Having now played it on iPad, iPhone, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Steam Deck, I like the iPhone and Switch (non Lite) versions the most. The Steam Deck doesn’t really offer any benefit for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge like it does with Dead Cells, and the Nintendo Switch OLED model screen alongside modern iOS displays are a lot nicer especially with how colorful TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is. The game controls very well across the board and you will likely have no trouble with it on your platform of choice. There will be some slowdown in certain parts on Switch and older mobile devices though while Steam Deck runs it without any issues.
Despite being one update behind the PC and console versions right now, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is absolutely essential. Playdigious did a fantastic job with this outstanding beat ’em up, and you owe it to yourself to play it if you have a Netflix subscription.
Over the weekend, the massive Stardew Valley($4.99) version 1.5 update hit iOS and Android. It was supposed to release before the end of 2022, but was pushed a bit. Stardew Valley 1.5 brings in tons of new content including new end game content, quality of life features, the ability to move beds, a new Beach Farm, advanced game options, and a lot more. Following its release, the first bug fix update went live as well. Read the patch notes here. Another update is being submitted soon to fix more issues. I’m glad to see the update finally arrive. Creator Eric Barone also mentions that this is quite a re-write for the game on mobile and it should allow for quicker updates like for version 1.6.
If you run into any issues with this update, you can report them here. Eric Barone is also working on Haunted Chocolatier, which is a brand new game I’m looking forward to playing on Steam Deck until it eventually comes to mobile. Read our original review of Stardew Valley if you haven’t gotten it yet. We even featured it as our Game of the Week. If you don’t already own it, you can buy it on the App Store for iOS here and for Android here on Google Play. If you own a Nintendo Switch and an iOS device, I compared both versions of the game to help you find the best platform to play it on. Here’s our forum thread on the game for more discussion. What do you think of Stardew Valley version 1.5 so far if you updated over the weekend and has it been running well for you?
HoYoverse just revealed details for the next major Genshin Impact(Free) update today. Genshin Impact version 3.4 ‘The Exquisite Night Chimes’ releases on January 18th for iOS, Android, PC, PS5, and PS4 worldwide bringing in new characters, a new area, popular character reruns, free-to-claim rewards, and a lot more. This update will see seasonal events like a music festival and new year’s celebration performance arrive, the Desert of Hadramaveth new area, new five-star Dendro swordsman Alhaitham and four-star Dendro polearm user Yaoyao, a limited-time mode for the TCG, free-to-claim rewards including a total of 13 Intertwined Fates, new outfits, and a lot more arrive. It took a while, but I’m glad that the Hu Tao banner is coming back finally. Watch the Genshin Impact version 3.4 update trailer below:
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 would you like to see in the game this year?
Interactive storytelling game Episode XOXO() is Apple Arcade’s first release of 2023. The new entry in the franchise aims to bring a premium and curated Episode experience from Pocket Gems. It includes choose your own story drama, love, adventure, and more with eight original stories (Update: the store page incorrectly mentioned five before) available from today. More will be added in updates. These stories include: Little Star, The Royal Bachelor, No Time For Love, The Secret He Keeps, Road To Wonderland, and more. Check it out here on Apple Arcade.
Barring Episode XOXO, three notable games on Apple Arcade have been updated. Angry Birds Reloaded adds in 30 new levels as a part of “Daft Piggies”. LEGO Star Wars: Castaways brings in an exclusive Attack of the Clones event to earn minifigure parts inspired by Star Wars Episode II. A new photo booth feature has also been added for selfies and more. The final notable update is Solitaire Stories hitting 3.0 with a new remixed story, two special events: Year of the Rabbit and Wuthering Height. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Angry Birds Reloadedhere, LEGO Star Wars: Castawayshere, Episode XOXOhere, and Solitaire Storieshere. For all 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 newest release on the service?
There are tons of match-3 puzzlers on mobile, but Aaron Steed’s Six Match($2.99) was one that caught my eye a few years ago. It blended in the traditional match-3 mechanics with sliding puzzles and cards. I liked the aesthetic a lot when I played it. Today, it got its first update in four years to change the monetization and bring in new content. Six Match is now a premium game priced at $2.99 rather than a free game. Ads, in app purchases, and leaderboards have been removed as of today’s update. In terms of new content, it now has controller support, a new puzzle mode, UI improvements, dice coins, and more.
While the removal of leaderboards is unfortunate, I’m glad to see it updated with an aim to remain accessible for a long time and help with future updates as indicated in the App Store changelog for Six Match. Six Match is also available on itch.io and those versions were also updated. Head over to our old forum thread for Six Matchhere. You can buy Six Match on the App Store for iOS here for $2.99. Have you played Six Match before or will you be buying it with today’s update?
Apple has revealed (via GodisaGeek) the new games coming to Apple Arcade this month. The highlight is definitely Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On() from Pokemon developer Game Freak. Pocket Card Jockey is one of the best 3DS eShop exclusives. Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On releases on January 20th. I’m definitely interested in playing this when it releases later in the month. As of now, the links aren’t live, but they will be in the next few hours. Check out a screenshot from the game below.
In addition to Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On, BorderLeap is bringing Illustrated . I loved Patterned from them, so will be checking this jigsaw meets word puzzle game out when it arrives on January 13th. Developer Pocket Gems is bringing the interactive storytelling game Episode XOXO to Apple Arcade this Friday. The final new game of the month is Noodlecake’s Squiggle Drop featuring more than 100 puzzles. This has players trying to build up Squiggletown by unlocking buildings and more upgrades. We will have forum threads for the games soon, and I will update this with the links when the threads are up. For all 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 2022’s releases on Apple Arcade and today’s announcements?
Mr Traffic(Free) from Dashy Crashy(Free) developer Dumpling Design hit iOS earlier this year for free with an Android version arriving a week later. Since launch, Mr Traffic has been updated with new features, cosmetics, and more. There were even ad changes. Over the weekend, the Mr Traffic 2.0 update hit bringing in progression system changes, holiday costumes, a new Lucky Box IAP, changes to make certain aspects simpler, and more.
Any in app purchase will now remove ads permanently. Other changes include the removal of coins, special traffic (sports, trucks, and taxis). The Time Out meter has been removed alongside Costume Skills being disabled to make things less complex. Mr Traffic is free to play. You can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Head over to our forum thread for Mr Traffichere for discussion around the game. Have you played Dashy Crashy or Mr Traffic from Dumpling Design yet?
Following last week’s release of World Heroes 2, baseball game 2020 Super Baseball has launched on iOS and Android. 2020 Super Baseball debuted back in 1991 and it aimed to be a “near future” sports game. It features two leagues of six teams competing to win the championship. The gameplay here involves landmines on the field and upgrading player stats through armor for protection. Check out a screenshot from the Android version of 2020 Super Baseball below:
You can buy 2020 Super Baseball 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 Top Hunter Roddy & Cathyhere, 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 today’s release?
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run(Free) is shutting down less than two years after it hit iOS and Android worldwide. An official announcement posted on Facebook reveals that Crash Bandicoot: On the Run servers will be taken down on February 16th, 2023. In app purchases have been turned off as of yesterday with the game currently not available to download on iOS and Android for new customers. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run is an online only game so this server shutdown means the game will no longer be playable in any form after February 16th, 2023 unless King ports it to something else.
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run launched as a free to play entry in the beloved Crash Bandicoot series. Details on prior seasons and updates are here. It even featured a collaboration with Spyro. Head over to our forum thread for the game here to see what players thought of the game. Did you play and enjoy Crash Bandicoot: On the Run on mobile over the last year or so?
Gameloft’s My Little Pony: Mane Merge() is this week’s new Apple Arcade game. It is an Apple Arcade Original from Gameloft arrives as the second Apple Arcade Original. My Little Pony: Mane Merge has you going on an adventure with mini-games, matching action, and more. It also includes sticker collecting with more than a 100 stickers available with weekly challenges. Check it out on Apple Arcade here. Check out the official website here. Alongside My Little Pony: Mane Merge, many games have gotten holiday themed updates on Apple Arcade.
SP!NG has gotten its final update of the year bringing in the No Way Home Theme based on the developer’s first Apple Arcade game, one life mode, 18 new lost levels, and more. SP!NG will also be updated in 2023. The Oregon Traile brings in The Chisholm Trail, a new character class: cook, eight new achievements, and much more today. Jetpack Joyride 2 brings in the sticker album, a new Santa skin, a new Pompom jetpack, and performance improvements today. HEROish brings in new cards for all factions in multiplayer, improvements to the abilities on existing cards, level cap upgrade to 50, cross platform multiplayer, and more.
Hanx101 Trivia brings in hot seat multiplayer with two to four player support on the same device today. Goat Simulator+ brings in MMO today into the Apple Arcade app. This includes five classes, many quests, and more from the Goat Simulator MMO. The final update of the week is Subway Surfers Tag bringing in the guard’s companion as an enemy in all arenas. Once you defeat Dog, you get outfit parts. This update also has enemies spawning in waves and batteries being replaced by health. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for My Little Pony: Mane Mergehere, SP!NGhere, Jetpack Joyride 2here, The Oregon Trailhere, HEROishhere, Hanx101 Triviahere, Goat Simulator+here, and Subway Surfers Taghere. For all 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 this years releases on Apple Arcade?
The excellent Vampire Survivors(Free) released on iOS and Android last week for free following its announcement at The Game Awards 2022. Read my Steam Deck review of it here. and iOS review here. We featured it as our Game of the Week as well. Today, the long-awaited ‘Legacy of the Moonspell’ DLC released on Xbox and Steam for $1.99. This DLC adds eight characters, a massive new stage, 13 new weapons, and more. I’ve been playing it for review on Steam over the last week. Poncle announced in the launch post that the DLC will be coming to mobile in early 2023. Watch the DLC launch trailer below:
As of this writing, there is no price point for the mobile DLC. The announcement mentions them figuring out how to make it available in “a fair way”. Ideally the mobile DLC would be available with an option to remove ads permanently. I know I’d happily pay for it. Hopefully the DLC will be out with cross platform save sync as well. Until then, try out the game if you haven’t already. You can get Vampire Survivors on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. It is free without any in app purchases. It only has optional ads you can view to earn more gold when you get a game over. Check out our forum thread here for more discussion and impressions around the port. What do you think of it if you’ve downloaded it already?
Last night, Vampire Survivors(Free) from Poncle finally hit iOS and Android worldwide for free. The massively-popular indie game has been one of the most-played games on Steam Deck since launch, and I’ve enjoyed playing it daily across Steam Deck and on Xbox recently. Read my review of the 1.0 launch here to learn about the game. In this review, I will focus on the iOS port, the features included, and what I’d like to see in updates.
Despite Vampire Survivors exploding in popularity on Steam, it only got its hooks in me on Steam Deck. I kept hoping for a mobile version with portrait support, and that has now happened. Vampire Survivors on iOS and Android is a free game with no in app purchases. It is ad-supported, and there is currently no way to pay to not have any prompts to watch ads. This isn’t like most free to play games where you forcibly see junk while playing, but a very unobtrusive button to watch an ad if you want. I hope there’s a way to pay to disable this permanently.
Now, the actual mobile conversion plays great on my iPhone 11 and iPad Pro (2020). When you initially boot up the game, it loads in portrait, but you can change this from the second screen in the options menu. This cannot be done while on a run though so keep that in mind. The options also let you adjust the sound effects, disable flashing, adjust the volume, hide damage numbers, and more. There are no control options or anything, but given the gameplay, those aren’t needed.
When it comes to the controls, Vampire Survivors is still a single stick game where you move and shoot at the same time. It is perfect for portable and portrait play with your thumb. While you can play it in landscape mode on iPhone, I’d only recommend doing so if you are using a Razer Kishi or Backbone One controller on your phone. I found those setups the comfiest so far.
Despite Vampire Survivors officially being announced during The Game Awards, it actually went live on the App Store and Google Play quite a few hours prior. Having played it a lot before the announcement and during The Game Awards, I’m ecstatic with how good most aspects of this conversion are. I just hope a future update can let us pay to completely disable ads and tracking with a one time in app purchase. I’m looking forward to trying out the DLC when it launches next week on Steam and eventually on iOS.
As for what I’d like addressed in future updates, some of the touch targets, while similar to the scaling on PC, are a bit small on iPhone. I hope these can be improved over time. The other issue is the game currently does not seem to have iCloud save syncing. If it does have it, I’ll update this, but I didn’t manage getting it working across four devices and two different iCloud accounts. The developers are working on letting players bring progress across mobile and PC/Xbox, so maybe that is when cloud saves will be sorted, but this is worth keeping in mind if you play on multiple devices like I do. Having the game suspend your run when you leave it and it closes in the background would also be a nice addition in a patch.
If you’re curious about where to play it right now, I’d say the best option is iPhone in portrait or landscape with a controller attached. I didn’t care much for it with touch controls on iPad, but using an external controller is great. Note that there are black bars in landscape mode depending on your device. I hope a future update can add ultrawide screen support, but that might not be feasible with how the game is designed.
It feels surreal to see Vampire Survivors have such a great version on iOS and Android already. I kept thinking it might release on Nintendo Switch and eventually PlayStation following the Xbox and PC versions before coming to mobile. Not only is it worth downloading, but it is completely free. Hopefully the mobile version eventually catches up with the PC and Xbox versions so we get DLC and updates at the same time. Until then, I’m getting back to trying to reach where I am on Steam Deck on my iPhone from the start, and having an absolute blast with Vampire Survivors again.
Dinosaur Polo Club’s Mini Metro($3.99), also available on Apple Arcade as an App Store Great, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, just got its holiday update adding a new map and more. This should be rolling out to other platforms soon if it isn’t already available. The update has gone live on iOS and Steam as of this writing. This holiday update brings the USA’s oldest subway system to the game with the Boston map. The Boston, Massachusetts metro is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and it is now available in-game. This update also has performance and audio tweaks to some maps. To unlock Boston, you need to score 500 in Stockholm or Saint Petersburg. I’m glad to see the game continue to get new content so many years later.
This update follows the Tashkent update, Lunar New Year update, Budapest update, and Addis Ababa update hitting the game over the last year or so. Mini Metro is one of the best games you can play on a touchscreen. If you’ve not played it yet, read Shaun’s glowing review of it. If you’re on Android, it is also available in Google Play Pass in addition to Google Play. If you’re on Apple Arcade, you can play Dinosaur Polo Club’s newest game Mini Motorways or Mini Metro+ through the service. Read about that here. Do you still play Mini Metro regularly and what do you think of the recent updates?
Dead Cells on iOS from Playdigious recently released on Apple Arcade in the form of Dead Cells+(). Dead Cells+ is an App Store Great featuring all prior DLC and updates. At The Game Awards 2022, Motion Twin revealed the next major DLC for Dead Cells with a new collaboration. The Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC is due in Q1 2023 on PC and consoles. This will likely come to iOS and Android soon after we get the indie crossover update. Playdigious has been great with bringing the mobile version closer to the PC release. Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC has two new biomes, three epic bosses, new weapons, familiar characters, music from Castlevania, and a lot more planned. Watch the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania animated trailer below:
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC is planned to be priced at $9.99 on PC. This is double the usual DLC price on PC for Dead Cells DLC and Motion Twin went with this price point to reflect the scope of the DLC and the Castlevania IP use. Check out this Steam post for more screenshots from the DLC. If you’re curious about Dead Cells on mobile read my interview with Playdigious covering it and Streets of Rage 4here. You can buy Dead Cells on the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android. If you’re unsure whether to grab it on mobile or Switch, read my comparison here. What do you think of Dead Cells and its current state on mobile and PC?
