This week saw some big releases. Tiny Wings, a running game that once unseated Angry Birds, got a big update that essentially provides a sequel to the original. Also hitting the App Store was Rovio Mobile’s first original game since the release of Angry Birds: Amazing Alex is a physics puzzler about building Rube Goldberg machines. We’ve also got three more great titles below, so be sure to check out all of them.
Tiny Wings 2.0 (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Endless runner Tiny Wings introduces some simple but addictive gameplay when it first hit the iTunes App Store. The game is all about timing – your flightless bird picks up speed by sliding on the downward slopes of hills, then gains altitude by shooting up the upward slopes. Touching the screen lets you pull your wings in and gain more momentum in the downward motions, while releasing lets you catch air going up. Rather than releasing a new app, Tiny Wings developer Andreas Illiger has chosen to update the the game with new content, adding a whole second chapter to the game that’s about racing rather than high scores. It completely changes the dynamic of the very popular Tiny Wings, while keeping the core gameplay intact, as well as making it very fun to play again.
Amazing Alex (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Physics puzzler Amazing Alex is about creating Rube Goldberg contraptions to complete a goal, like getting a ball in a basket. But not all the components of each machine are in place, which means players need to move different pieces, like shelves, books, balloons and boxes, on the screen in order to complete the machine. Things get pretty complex across Amazing Alex’s 100 levels. If you can grab all three stars in each level, you take down the highest score, but the machines get pretty complex and require some intense problem-solving skills. The game is a fun follow-up to Rovio Mobile’s Angry Birds and definitely worth a look.
Download the Appolicious Android app
Outwitters (iPhone, iPad) Free
Free-to-play strategy title Outwitters excels mostly because it’s a perfect mobile game. It’s simple, lighthearted and fun to look at, with a great art style. The gameplay doesn’t take much to learn – players command several different kinds of units as they move around a hexagonal grid, punching each other and trying to destroy a generator. And it’s asynchronous, which means you can play multiple games at once and take your turns when it’s convenient for you. Best of all, Outwitters doesn’t cost anything unless you want to pay for it, and that means there are lots of opponents to take on at every skill level.
Ski Safari update (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
One of my favorite endless runners in the iTunes App Store finally received a giant update this week, which added lots of new content. Ski Safari is all about skiing down a mountain ahead of an avalanche and requires players to do stunts and ride various fleeing animals in order to gain speed boosts and point multipliers. New animals have now been added, along with a new area (that seems markedly more difficult than the original mountain) and a whole new shop where players can spend coins collected through the game. In all, Ski Safari is a much more complete experience, but still great fun.
Left2Die (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Zombie twin-stick shooter Left2Die has a fleshed-out single player campaign in which you shoot zombies and earn money to buy new guns and shoot more zombies. That’s all well and good, and there are a lot of levels and many locales to play through. But Left2Die really excels when you jump in with another player online, teaming up in a game that’s not unlike Gun Bros., but with zombies and some interesting takes on weapons (namely, that you get a main gun and a melee backup like a baseball bat). Solid online play is fun, and Left2Die is easy to pick up and play with just about anybody.
