Another classic console game has found its way to Apple’s iOS platform, bringing some great gameplay from a bygone era to smartphones. That game is SoulCalibur, a fighter from the era of the SEGA Dreamcast back in 1999, and it’s definitely worth a look, even at its high price. We’ve got four other quality titles (all a little cheaper) that are worth your attention too, so take a look below.
SoulCalibur (iPhone, iPad) $11.99
An awesome fan-favorite fighter SoulCalibur has jumped from the late 1990s and the SEGA Dreamcast to Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and now finally to iOS. The port of the classic fighter has solid touchscreen controls and all the bells and whistles of the classic original, including 19 characters to choose from, all the original moves and content, multiple game modes and more. There’s a lot of content on offer in SoulCalibur, and while it’d be great if the game had an online component, battling computer-controlled fighters is pretty fun, too.
Blockwick (iPhone, iPad) Free
Puzzler Blockwick has something of a low-key art style and an interesting, no-nonsense premise: slide blocks around the game board so that the tiles with the same symbols touch one another. The difficulty comes in when you factor in all the tiles without symbols, which need to be moved out of the way in order to solve each puzzle. The result: a brain-challenging title that’s addictive as well as low stress. Blockwick also contains a huge free contingent – you can play up to 60 levels before you have to pay anything, which you can do through in-app purchases.
Jazz: Trump’s Journey (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Developer Bulkypix is known for its quality App Store titles, but it’s rare to see a game that uses its mechanics to produce a storyline of any deeper value. Jazz: Trump’s Journey, on the other hand, uses platforming gameplay and the language of video games to tell a story parallel to that of the life of Louis Armstrong. You follow Trump as he works to start a jazz band, learning the origins of the musical movement as well as that of one of America’s best-known musicians. It’s definitely an interesting thing to do with a game.
Monkey Quest: Thunderbow (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Though it might be a bit reminiscent of Angry Birds, Monkey Quest: Thunderbow adds explosives to the kind of puzzle gameplay you’d expect from Rovio Mobile’s popular title. The result is a quality take on the arcade, physics-based genre, with a variety of weapons to use in each level and lots of things to blow up to cause chain reactions and score big points. Monkey Quest takes a game genre players know and tweaks it enough to require the need to think a little differently about how to beat each stage. It also looks great and brings Game Center support, which allows you to compete against players the world over on Monkey Quest’s leaderboards.
Cytus (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
A rhythm game should really be about its music more than its interface, so Cytus developer Rayark opted for a minimalist approach. Things are kept simple as you tap along to the music, matching the rhythm of a line that cruises up and down the screen and hitting markers that appear in time with the music you’re hearing. It’s a pretty similar title to other rhythm games like the Tap Tap Revenge series, but Cytus excels by bringing quality songs to the table while making the game easy and approachable for every player. Looking great and easy to get into, Cytus will please most music fans with its simplicity and attention to quality gameplay.
Create a list of your favorite games right here.
