A casual tilt game, an old-school horizontal shooter port and an expanded role-playing game make up your Fresh Games for today, and it’s definitely a list with variety. DeathFall is a falling game that mixes tilt controls and simple gameplay with a few more challenging elements, while Earth Defense Force brings back space shooters from the era of the Super Nintendo. Check out Rimelands: Hammer of Thor for an updated RPG that packs new graphics and new levels.
DeathFall (iPhone) $0.99
A tilt-based falling game in which you try to direct a skull over lines of objects in order to collect them and earn points, DeathFall is marked down to a dollar after being featured in the App Store’s New and Noteworthy section. Its normal price of $2.99 is probably too much for this experience, but at a buck, it’s definitely worth a look.
As mentioned, you control a skull that’s falling from the top of the screen to the bottom. Along the way are objects to collect by touching them — tons of them. The more you collect, the higher your score. Your fall will continually be interrupted by various platforms and surfaces, and they’ll change how you progress; some will make you bounce, others will stop you dead, some others will even move, and you’ll need to adapt your strategy for each one in order to gain all possible points. Meanwhile, you have to avoid slamming into spikes and losing the game. DeathFall includes Game Center support for achievements and online leaderboards, and packs some challenge and strategy into this otherwise simple, casual game.
Earth Defense Force (iPhone) $1.99
Originally appearing on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Earth Defense Force has been ported to the iPhone, and received some tweaks for the new platform along the way. You’ll navigate this horizontal shooter using touch controls or a virtual directional pad, dodging enemy fire and unloading on aliens and enemy spacecraft through six different levels.
EDF includes two game modes beyond the standard campaign. The freeplay mode lets you train by fighting various enemies without the constraints of regular levels, and an arcade mode challenges you to fight through rounds of enemies with only two lives, with your progress saved at each level along the way. The game types unlock different weapons, and Game Center compatibility in Earth Defense Force means you can unlock achievements as well as track your score on leaderboards.
Rimelands: Hammer of Thor update (iPhone, iPad) $4.99
Critically acclaimed role-playing game Rimelands: Hammer of Thor puts you in the shoes of Rose, a young treasure hunter on a swords-and-sorcery quest across the frozen Rimelands. A deep story and lots of customization are the signature marks of this game, which is designed for easy to pick up, short-burst play that automatically saves your progress whenever you close the app.
Extra content heads up a giant update to Rimelands, which also upgrades graphics with HD textures and cutscenes to further immerse players in the game’s story. Two new levels are now available after you’ve finished the main game, which include three new bosses and six new enemies to combat. The update also corrects lots of technical issues to tune up the Rimelands experience substantially.
