Here is our run-down of the best iPhone games released this week. All of these games do a spectacular job of tweaking their respective genres, while adding innovative elements to traditional gameplay. Happy gaming!
1. The Horrible Vikings
The Horrible Vikings ($1.99), from Low Five Games, is more than a catapult game. Sure, the goal is to catapult your vikings onto an island in order to raid and destroy hostile villages. What makes the game unique is that you can buy tons of items and power-ups that really add to the gameplay. For example, you can purchase a Fat Idol in order to make a larger target out of the princesses you are supposed to kidnap or a Small Mushroom to shrink your viking, making it more difficult for enemy archers to shoot him out of the sky. The Horrible Vikings gets my vote for iPhone game of the week!
2. WordCrasher
Wordcrasher combines the complexity and beat-the-clock concept found in traditional word games with a Tetris-like display. If the letter tiles, shaped like red blood cells under a microscope, reach the top of the screen, your game is over. My favorite game element is the ability to form words even if the letters are not adjacent. If you are a scatter-brained individual, you will most likely thrive at this 99-cent word game.
3. Doodle Bomb: A Physics Puzzle with a Bang
This addictive Bottle Rocket title most certainly borrows its notebook-style design from Ragdoll Blaster (which has a sequel in the works), but it adds enough unique features for it not to be called a knockoff. Your goal in each of this game’s 65 missions is to blast open the level’s green door. Rather than simply hitting targets with a projectile, you have to factor the bomb’s fuse into your timing. For the sake of accuracy, the developer included a tilt feature, so you can easily roll the bombs your Doodle tosses toward the target with ease. At $1.99, this physics game is most certainly worth a go.
4. CatchMe! if you can
What I like most about CatchMe! if you can ($1.99), from video game developer ODD1, is its presentation and role-swapping concept. You start off as a thief in this cat-and-mouse strategy game; your objective is to collect as many gold pieces and jewels in two minutes. The gameplay is similar to Pac-Man, but instead of wilting when you cross paths with a guard, you switch places. When this happens, you are prompted to choose between three guard-types–all of which have different abilities that will help you track down the thief so you can switch back. Whoever has the the most gold at the end of the round wins. In order to unlock additional stages, you must collect specific gold totals. The controls are an area that need improvement; a D-Pad does not cut it.
5. Battle Blasters
In Battle Blasters ($2.99) you play as one of six characters (you start off as Jerett and must unlock the other five) in one-on-one shoot ’em matches. These shootouts are reminiscent of fighting games except the fighters are never in direct contact with each other. Little Guy Games also managed to include touch controls and a split screen Multiplayer mode. This adds tons of value to an action game that otherwise could tire easily given the small cast of warriors from which you are able to choose. My only concern is the price – $2.99 is pretty steep for a game that does not pack much of a wow-factor. Still, the control scheme and old-school arcade graphics are engaging enough.
