The oft-lauded Infinity Blade II was already big – and now it’s bigger. New enemies have joined the ranks of the game’s sword-fighting monsters, and developer ChAIR added a lot more to the game in general, both in terms of space and features. The Vale of Tears update leads the week’s top game offerings, followed by four other equally awesome titles. Check them all out below.
Infinity Blade II update (iPhone, iPad) $2.99*
The awesome and award-winning Infinity Blade II has become even bigger with its latest update. Already, the game was relatively huge and expansive, offering a variety of different sword-fighting duels and a more in-depth story than its predecessor. The big Vale of Tears update brings even more to the table, expanding on the size of the game, adding more enemies to fight and more weapons and armor to discover, and even more to fill in the story of its protagonist. ChAIR even included some social elements in conjunction with Facebook and Twitter, so your less mobile game-inclined friends and family can join in on the action.
*$2.99 for a limited time, normally $6.99
Cuboid Free (iPhone, iPad) Free
Apple’s iOS platform has some pretty great puzzle games already on board, but Cuboid Free originally appeared as a downloadable title for Sony’s PS3 console on the PlayStation Network. The premise is simple: maneuver a 3-D rectangular block around levels by flipping and rolling it, with the goal of sliding it vertically into a special hole at the end of the stage. In practice, the puzzles are easy to understand but difficult to master. It helps that Cuboid’s graphics looks great even though it is fairly uncluttered. It’s the kind of puzzle game that’s addictive and a great way to kill some time.
Extinction Squad (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Extinction Squad hits a lot of great notes. The Adult Swim game has a great art style and is both goofy and kinda gross. It also has a great premise, hinging on the rediscovery of the Dodo bird, once believed to be extinct. Turns out those birds’ bodily functions fall into the “silent but deadly” category, and the stink emanating from them is so intense that other animals are literally throwing themselves off cliffs in order to escape it. Your job is to catch those suicidal cartoon animals with a trampoline. At its heart, Extinction Squad is just a simple touch-based game of catch, but its hilarious premise and presentation elevate it quite a bit, as does its addictive nature.
Defender Chronicles II: Heroes of Athelia (iPhone, iPad) $2.99
A new tower defense game is a welcome change of pace in the App Store, and Defender Chronicles II builds on the novelty of presentation that its predecessor started by turning the game vertically instead of showing the action from a top-down perspective. It also excels in the story department, using comic books to tell its sword-and-sorcery tale, and includes role-playing elements that have players upgrading “hero” units to make them more powerful through the course of the game. The result is a nice hybrid of gameplay types and experiences that goes beyond the run-of-the-mill tower defense genre offering.
The Sandbox (iPhone, iPad) Free
Simulation titles in which you get to mess with nature are uniquely suited to the touchscreen capabilities of the iPhone and iPad, and The Sandbox makes full use of them. You play an assistant to God with the goal of making various elements in order to complete missions. You’ll mix dirt with water to make mud, erode rocks with waves to yield sand, expose mud to the sun to grow flowers, and so on. The Sandbox runs up against some issues by seemingly requiring in-app purchases to finish, but for a free title, it provides quite a bit of elemental puzzle fun, and uses a cool 8-bit presentation to do so.
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