Antstream Arcade (Free)

iTunes Description

Discover a lifetime of gaming, the ultimate retro gaming experience with Antstream Arcade. Dive into a vast collection of over 1300 classic games, with new titles added every week. Travel through countless genres and eras, from arcade legends to cherished console classics, all streamed directly to your phone or tablet without messing around with ROMs or emulators.

Forum Thread: Antstream Arcade (by Antstream Ltd)

Arm Arena (Free)

iTunes Description

Most worry about the day the machines take over. But nobody considers how they will entertain themselves afterward. In a future where machines reign supreme, the ultimate spectacle is arena combat. Not content with mere simulations, they’ve scoured the world’s databases to form the most thrilling combatants. From revered robotic ancestors to the fiercest fantasy warriors. All to challenge the Arena’s central defender.

Forum Thread: Arm Arena (by BP3D)

Battle Crush (Free)

iTunes Description

BATTLE CRUSH is a 30-Player Action Brawl genre game.
Thrilling gameplay set on crumbling terrain.

■ A 30-Player Battle On A Crumbling Field!
30 players compete against each other to be the last one standing! You only have 8 minutes tops! Join the fray that takes place on a crumbling field and quench your thirst for action!

Forum Thread: Battle Crush (by NCSOFT)

Bloobi (Free)

iTunes Description

Unscramble 8 letters and build as many words as possible. Play coop or battle mode with friends!

You have 10 minutes to unscramble a set of 8 unique letters and build as many words as possible. There is always 1 letter that is required to be in the word.

Forum Thread: Bloobi (by For One Red)

Dabble ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Dabble is a fun word game that teases your vocabulary and strategy skills. Using a spin board to create new word possibilities, you hardly get stuck in Dabble. The game is designed to strengthen focus and relax your mind at the same time, what we proudly call word therapy!

Our vision is to connect and bond generations through shared and satisfying interest in crafting words — relaxed minds are primed for togetherness. Dabble in, our journey starts here.

Forum Thread: Dabble – Word Games + Spin (by Parosa)

Game of Splash! (Free)

iTunes Description

Game of Splash! is simple. Tap the drops and all the drops on the board to get to the next level before running out of taps. Get more taps by creating chain reactions.

Forum Thread: Game of Splash! (by Appera)

HOT37 ($4.99)

iTunes Description

An isometric, low-poly, sideways side-scroller tower game inspired by sim games of the nineties.

Running a hotel is easy! Add floors and hotel rooms. As rooms are reserved, income increases. Use income to redecorate, add more floors, and add amenities.
Of course, all this construction costs money. Run out of money, and the game is over.

Forum Thread: HOT37 (by Blake Harris)

Lost Mastery ($7.99)

iTunes Description

Lost Mastery: Roguelike Deckbuilding Meets Memory Game

Dive into Lost Mastery, the unique card battler where your memory is your greatest weapon. Navigate through diverse landscapes, engage in strategic battles, and collect powerful cards and items to enhance your journey. Test your skills and uncover the secrets of your Lost Mastery. Are you ready to rise to the challenge?

Forum Thread: Lost Mastery (by RIINA PAULIINA KUJALA)

Minesweeper (Free)

iTunes Description

Run the numbers and reveal each square with care. Travel the world clearing undersea mines in this fresh spin on the classic logic puzzle game.

Which tiles on the board hide dangerous explosives? Use numeric clues and your powers of deduction to find out, clearing mines in harbors and ports. Complete puzzles to unlock landmarks around the globe. Collect stickers and posters in the retro style of a bygone era as you travel to each beautiful location.

Forum Thread: Minesweeper (by Smoking Gun Interactive)

Otherworld Three Kingdoms (Free)

iTunes Description

A girl obsessed with the Three Kingdoms. One day, she finds herself in the Three Kingdoms era…!

“How about I just reunite the kingdoms myself?"

An average girl joins the generals of the Three Kingdoms to embark on a thrilling idle RPG journey.

Forum Thread: Otherworld Three Kingdoms (by SuperPlanet)

The Pathless ($9.99)

iTunes Description

From the creators of ABZÛ, The Pathless is the mythic adventure of an archer and an eagle in a vast forest.

Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion and soar through the air. Perform fluid acrobatics and execute awesome trick shots with a unique archery system that allows effortless shooting while moving at high speeds.

Forum Thread: The Pathless (by Giant Squid/Annapurna Interactive)

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (Free)

iTunes Description

Fear and isolation seep through the walls of an abandoned southern farmhouse. ‘7’ marks a new beginning for survival horror with the “Isolated View” of the visceral new first-person perspective. Powered by RE ENGINE, horror reaches incredible heights of immersion as players enter a terrifyingly new world of fear as they fight to survive.

Forum Thread: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (by CAPCOM)

VENARI – Escape Room Adventure ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Embark on an epic adventure to an ancient, mysterious island where your escape room puzzle skills will be put to the test!

After a surprising encounter with an old friend, you are handed a secret map revealing the location of a long-lost, mystical object known as the Venari artefact. Intrigued by the mystery and driven by curiosity, you charter a sea plane to an uncharted island shrouded in mystery.

As you touch down at the island’s shore, you quickly realise that this journey will demand every ounce of your puzzle-solving prowess. The island is a labyrinth of ancient ruins, hidden chambers, and intricate puzzles, each guarding clues and secrets that inch you closer to the artefact.

Forum Thread: VENARI – Escape Room Adventure (M9 Games)

Warlock TetroPuzzle (Free)

iTunes Description

Discover innovative block puzzle, unique mix of dungeon solitaire, tile match and board game! Combine tile matching with Tetris-style challenges.

Would you like to become a warlock who controls tetromino magic?
Or you’re a fan of block puzzles and want unique innovative mechanics?

Forum Thread: Warlock TetroPuzzle (by Maksym Matiushenko)

Waven (Free)

iTunes Description

Forge Your Own Destiny! Choose a character, equip your best spells, and sail from island to island in your quest for fame and fortune. Level up and improve your strategy in this cross-platform online RPG with unique and vibrant artistic direction.

Forum Thread: Waven (by Ankama)

Zenless Zone Zero (Free)

iTunes Description

Zenless Zone Zero is an all-new 3D action game from HoYoverse that takes place in a near future, with the world plagued by a mysterious disaster known as “Hollows."

Dual Identities, a Singular Experience
In the near future, a mysterious natural disaster known as “Hollows" has occurred. A new kind of city has emerged in this disaster-ridden world — New Eridu. This last oasis has mastered the technology to co-exist with Hollows and is home to a whole host of chaotic, boisterous, dangerous, and very active factions. As a professional Proxy, you play a crucial role in linking the city and the Hollows. Your story awaits.

Forum Thread: Zenless Zone Zero (by HoYoverse)

What you’ll be getting with Spooky Pixel Hero is 120 levels of hardcore platforming action, all presented in portrait orientation for the first time for an AppSir game. You’ll also be working to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets inside the game’s “code" as you “repair" it, and this of course leads to all sorts of shocking and horrific discoveries. While lots of games pay homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, not all that many elect to dive even deeper into the late ’70s and early ’80s aesthetic of video games, so it’s cool to see Spooky Pixel Hero doing just that. The release date is set for August 12th and ahead of that time you can pre-order the iOS version on the App Store here or pre-register for the Android version over on the Google Play Store here.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Right off the bat Guncho has a pretty different look from most other Tinytouchtales games. It’s an Old Western themed game, which is kind of a departure from their more medieval-ish fantasy stuff. It’s also a 3D game, which as far as I can tell is a first for Tinytouchtales. However, when you get down to the mechanical stuff, this is a Tinytouchtales game through and through. A hex-based tactical turn-based roguelike? Yeah that checks out.

The unique element in Guncho that sets it apart from similar games is its revolver mechanic. Being a Western game, your main weapon is a six-shooter. You can see the cylinder and bullets at the bottom of the screen. Those six bullets correspond to the six sides of each hexagon tile you’re standing on, meaning you can shoot at enemies that are facing any of those six sides and are within 3 spaces from you (at least for standard bullets).

The tricky part is that each time you move or perform an action, the cylinder rotates one position. You can change whether it rotates clockwise or counterclockwise on the fly, which has tactical uses. Also, once you’ve fired a bullet it’s gone from the cylinder, and so as enemies pop up around the board you need to make sure that you’re moving and using your bullets in such a way that you’re setting yourself up for future turns. You might be moving yourself into a spot that lines up with an enemy only for the cylinder to rotate to an empty bullet for that direction, which means you might be hosed.

You CAN reload your entire cylinder, but you need to either have fired off all your bullets or manually discharged the ones you haven’t used, which sort of acts like a “wait" command and essentially costs you a turn. There are also enviornmental hazards that need to be avoided to keep yourself out of harm, but can also be used to your advantage by luring enemies into them. After each round you can choose between an ammunition upgrade or a new special ability to help equip yourself for the rest of your run.

The goal is to play through six rounds and then fight a boss at the end, all without dying, and if you’re successful you have basically won the game. You can play on Normal or Expert difficulty and there’s also a Daily mode to play. I adore the revolver mechanic in Guncho and feel like the game has a ton of potential to be expanded upon should the developers choose to. As is it feels a little bare bones, but that also makes it a really easy game to just dive into for a quick round here and there. Guncho is free to try with a full game unlock IAP, so why not give it a “shot" for yourself? Get it? Shot like in shooting a gun? Wocka wocka.

Anyway, The Pathless was truly one of the great games on Apple Arcade, and despite being available on other platforms it was a bummer to lose the only way to play the game on mobile devices. Thankfully Annapurna wasn’t going to leave us hanging and today they’ve released a standalone premium version of The Pathless as a regular old App Store release. The game is priced at $9.99 which is cheaper than its regular price on other platforms, but also matches the current sale price of the game on Steam. So if you missed out on The Pathless when it was an Apple Arcade title now is your chance to buy the game the old-fashioned way and see what you’ve been missing.

ArcEmu ($1.99)

iTunes Description

ArcEmu is the first emulator for Apple Watch.
It also works seamlessly on iPhone and iPad, providing a comprehensive gaming experience across all your Apple devices.

Forum Thread: ArcEmu (by Raffaele D’Amato)

Art Inc. 2 (Free)

iTunes Description

Step into the fascinating world of art and history with Art Inc 2! As the Buffalo Museum’s Director, it’s your mission to shape the growth and development of your establishment. This idle game allows you to dive deep into the experience of running a museum and collecting artifacts from all over the world while you enjoy a full-length story filled with plot twists and surprises.

Forum Thread: Art Inc. 2 (by PIXIO)

CookieRun: Tower of Adventures (Free)

iTunes Description

The seal on the oven has broken. Join GingerBrave and his friends on their epic journey to save the Pancake Tower from evil!

Enjoy exploring every corner of the Pancake Tower with friends in a 3D Cookie action adventure! Work together to defeat challenging bosses!

Clear stages to earn sweet equipment and join the Cookies on their adventure as they learn the secrets of what threatens the peace inside the magical tower!

Forum Thread: CookieRun: Tower of Adventures (by Devsisters)

Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit (Free)

iTunes Description

Attention, Spirit Scouts! Something spooky is afoot: A bus crash has left you stranded alone on a mysterious (yet delightfully cute) island. Explore the unique island, meet and befriend cute, ghostly spirit bears who need your help to remember their pasts and find peace. Customize a bustling, beautiful campsite — crafting, decorating, and building furniture to bring life and color back to this cute island — and hopefully reunite with your lost scout troop as you gradually repair your bus.

Forum Thread: Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit (by Spry Fox)

Guncho (Free)

iTunes Description

Guncho is a single player turn based tactical wild west shooter-roguelike. Engage in a unique positional shooting mechanic and fight your way through a series of randomly generated levels. Ride your donkey and use a variety of skills and bullet upgrades to become the ultimate gun slinger.

Forum Thread: Guncho (by Arnold Rauers)

Knight Lancer (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to KNIGHT LANCER, an arcade jousting game where your skill is rewarded with epic ragdoll physics!

Your lands have been taken, your family name bismirched. But you have your lance and a horse – what more does a knight need?
Set off on a journey to regain your honour! Toss caution (and your ragdoll enemies) to the wind and become: a Knight!

Forum Thread: Knight Lancer (by ToweringTower)

Letterbox – Daily Word Games (Free)

iTunes Description

Get ready to keep your mind sharp with a collection of unique daily word games! Enjoy new puzzles to solve every day!
Climb the leaderboards, track your progress, and enjoy an ad-free gaming experience.

Forum Thread: Letterbox – Daily Word Games (by AZIO Labs)

Monster Hunter Puzzles (Free)

iTunes Description

The Felyne Isles may seem like a peaceful corner of the Monster Hunter universe, but all is not well… Monsters are rampaging, making life miserable for the residents.

– Solve puzzles and help Felynes get back on their paws!
All of the “Catizens" have their own stories. Listen to what they need and solve their problems to bring the island back to life! There’s drama waiting to unfold on every corner of these isles. Come join these cute Felynes on their soon-to-be island paradise!

Forum Thread: Monster Hunter Puzzles (by Capcom)

New Nobunaga’s Ambition (Free)

iTunes Description

Authorized by KOEI TECMO GAMES, this new SLG game is themed on the Sengoku Period of Japan.

Travel through time into Sengoku. Partner with famous Sengoku Warlords of different classes like Samurai and Ninja, and realize your ambition on the battlefield!

Forum Thread: New Nobunaga’s Ambition (by Hong Kong Black Beard Game Limited)

purple (game) (Free)

iTunes Description

A purple puzzle game for you!

Can you make the screen purple in 50 levels?
Each level has its own logic.

It’s here, the next part of my colour puzzle series! After ‘yellow’, ‘red’, ‘black, ‘blue’, ‘green’, ‘pink’ and ‘orange’ it’s time to solve 50 new conundrums!

Forum Thread: purple (game) (by Bart BONTE)

Retroman – NES Emulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Experience the golden age of gaming by playing your favorite NES classics right on your iPhone or iPad!

Retroman features an advanced emulation engine that delivers ultimate performance, ensuring smooth gameplay with minimal lag, while optimized rendering and audio deliver an authentic NES experience.

Forum Thread: Retroman – NES Emulator (by Konstantinos Papadakis)

Space Gladiators ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Space Gladiators is a 2D hand-drawn roguelite platformer following a bunch of captives fighting their way out of a planet prison. Defeat hordes of aliens in the gladiatorial arenas and earn your freedom!

You’ve been captured and sent to entertain aliens as a gladiator in a faraway planet called Tartarus. You will have to advance through randomly generated biomes with deadly traps and monsters blocking your path. Choose your opponents in the arenas, beat them for items and coins and you might be able to earn your freedom!

Forum Thread: Space Gladiators (by Erabit Studios)

Space Spree (Free)

iTunes Description

In Space Spree, the stakes are high, and the action is intense. Aliens from distant galaxies rush toward you, leaving you with two choices: eliminate them or avoid them at all costs. One wrong move, and they’ll end your mission instantly. The aliens’ health points are displayed, providing crucial information and helping you decide which targets you can eliminate in the limited time you have. Make every shot count!

Forum Thread: Space Spree (by TNTC Studio)

Tarisland (Free)

iTunes Description

The Blight Dragon is here! Tarisland, a new cross-platform game that brings back the fun of iconic MMORPGs, will launch soon. Recreating the challenging dungeons and immersive exploration experience with a classic fantasy art style, Tarisland will be available on both PC and mobile with data-sharing enabled. You may choose from 9 classes and 18 specializations to customize your own builds. Raid with your group and take down epic bosses!

Forum Thread: Tarisland (by Level Infinite)

Welcome to Everdell ($7.99)

iTunes Description

Build your perfect make-believe city in the digital adaptation of the beloved family-friendly board game!

Hear ye, hear ye!
The parade is about to begin! I will give lots of shiny points to the critter with the best things that I like the most!

Join Chip, Sweep, and the kids of Everdell to build the most spectacular make-believe city ever!

Forum Thread: Welcome to Everdell (by Dire Wolf Digital)

As you can see from that trailer, there’s a heavy Portal vibe going on as you work your way through and eventually outside the approved confines of this mysterious dream therapy facility, and all the while a computer-voiced narrator is admonishing your actions. I’m digging it. Superliminal will be free to try with a one-time full game unlock IAP that will set you back $7.99, but for the first two weeks of launch you can get that full unlock at a discounted price of just $5.99. You can pre-order the iOS version on the App Store here, or pre-register for the Android version on the Google Play Store here. I’ll be looking forward to getting lost in Superliminal when it arrives on mobile July 30th.

We really loved the concept of Terra Nil when we reviewed the Netflix and PC versions upon release last year, as well as the Switch version in December, and most of our negative remarks were in regards to the somewhat poor technical performance and numerous glitches we encountered. Without all that the underlying game seemed really solid and enjoyable. Well there have been several updates to the game since that aimed squarely at addressing those issues, and with today’s big content update and overhaul to the wildlife system I’m hopeful that Terra Nil is finally where we wished it would have been when it first came out. The concept and relaxing nature of the game are too good to be spoiled by things like bugs and performance issues, so if you had this one previously and were turned off by such things maybe give this new version a spin, and if this is your first time encountering Terra Nil then let this big update be your reason to check it out.

This is a game that has a very old-school feel, but it’s actually not a whole lot like the point-and-clicks you might be remembering from the ’90s. There’s no inventory or items to muck about with, as all the puzzles are built around the objects and environments in each room of a gigantic tower. You also will come across a small companion creature before too long, and you’ll be able to swap between your main character and this companion at will in order to solve puzzles. Alluding to the game’s title, light and shadows play a key part in this world and there’s some elements of a room that only exist as shadows which your companion can interact with but you cannot.

The puzzles run right up to the edge of being obtuse sometimes, but never really cross that line. Some of the solutions are actually really clever and even help flesh out the world and its lore. There’s no dialogue written or voiced, and everything story-wise in LUNA The Shadow Dust is explained by absolutely gorgeous animated cutscenes or within the game world itself. Some things are well-explained and some left fairly vague, purposely I think, but overall this is a game world that definitely sucks you in and has you wanting to learn more. This is especially true of your character and that cute little companion of yours.

LUNA The Shadow Dust is a very slow-paced game, and there’s not a whole lot of hand-holding when it comes to puzzles or exactly what you’re supposed to do next. It’s a game that you can poke around with and explore and make your way through bit by bit as you enjoy the environments and the world-building. That said the puzzles are very satisfying to solve, so if you for some reason don’t give a lick about aesthetics or story there’s still plenty for your brain to chew on, but really this is a game that should be appreciated for all its parts as an interactive piece of art. If that sort of thing is jam you should be well-served adding LUNA The Shadow Dust to your collection.

21 Letters (Free)

iTunes Description

21 Letters every day.

Build connecting words and score as high as you can. Once you run out of letters, or can’t make any more words, your daily round is over.

Share your score with your friends and family – since everyone has the same letters for any given day, every day is a competition!

Forum Thread: 21 Letters (by Shallot Games)

A Fragile Mind ($1.99)

iTunes Description

A Fragile Mind is a compact first-person point and click mystery adventure game chock-full of puzzles, secrets, and questions.

Waking up in a courtyard to the sound of an unnervingly familiar voice, you have no memory of how you got there.

You know the drill by now.

Solve puzzles, take photos, read strategically placed notes, press buttons, unlock doors, use items, escape!

Forum Thread: A Fragile Mind (by Glitch Games)

Astral Survivor (Free)

iTunes Description

The latest installment in the “Astral Stairways" series by Firedog Studio! This survival-type game emphasizes diverse combat styles and responsive gameplay, providing an exhilarating and seamless battle experience.

Explore richly detailed maps and utilize the skill tree upgrade system to create the most powerful character builds!

Embark on a brand-new storyline within the “Astral Stairways" universe. As a player, your mission is to save the goddess who was separated from the Starblade hero. Summon powerful followers to annihilate countless void monsters and prevent the world from being consumed!

Forum Thread: Astral Survivor (by Firedog Creative)

Fighters Legacy (Free)

iTunes Description

Unleash your fighting spirit and dominate in Fighters Legacy. A real relaxing fighting …

Game Features
Upon deploying fighters, they will fight for you. The auto-battle mode, skip and smash functions, are to free your hands to kill your time. If you are looking for an idle game, do not miss it. Finish daily quests within 10 minutes, and then focus on improving yourself tactically.

Forum Thread: Fighters Legacy (by PARKER-HANNIFIN HONG KONG, LIMITED)

HexGods: Arena of Destiny (Free)

iTunes Description

Strategize, battle, and ascend in HexGods! Craft your deck, conquer dynamic battles, and rise through ranks. Your legacy awaits in the HexArena!

Dive into “HexGods," a riveting strategy board game that challenges your tactical prowess and card management skills. With over 200 unique cards, from the common Silver to the rare Legendary, build your ultimate deck to dominate the HexArena. Start your journey with 48 unlocked cards, customizing your deck to suit your strategic preferences.

Forum Thread: HexGods: Arena of Destiny (by Tomaz Jerman)

Honor of Kings (Free)

iTunes Description

Honor of Kings International Edition, developed by Tencent Timi Studio and published by Level Infinite, is the world’s most popular mobile MOBA game. Dive into the classic MOBA excitement with 5V5 hero’s gorge, fair matchups; numerous battle modes and a vast selection of heroes allow you to demonstrate your dominance with first blood, pentakills, and legendary feats, crushing all competition! Localized hero voiceovers, skins, and smooth server performance ensure quick matchmaking, teaming up with friends for ranking battles, and enjoying all the fun of PC MOBAs and action games as you ascend to the pinnacle of honor! The enemy is nearing the battlefield—players, rally your allies for team battles in Honor of Kings!

Forum Thread: Honor of Kings (by Level Infinite)

Looped Interactive ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Guide Him and Her through the chapters of their story by solving peaceful mini-puzzles and find a way out of the loop.

Looped is a short interactive story in which you solve mini-puzzles to progress a peaceful story about love, rockets, and time travel.

This is a story of a love-at-first-sight so powerful it creates a wormhole in time. From the end to the beginning and back again, you follow Him and Her and help them with tasks along their way.

Forum Thread: Looped Interactive (by Studio Hamlin)

LUNA The Shadow Dust ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Inspired by the adventure games of old, LUNA The Shadow Dust is a moving tale of two playable companions drawn together in a hand-animated puzzle adventure, featuring a breathtaking original soundtrack and beautiful 2D cinematics.

To light a candle is to cast a shadow
Behind the shadow of reality, an enchanted world awaits illumination. Experience the magical journey of a young boy and his companion as they solve puzzles and trace back the memories of old, brought to life with visually stunning, wordless cinematics.
Enter the ancient tower that stands at the edge of the world and discover the hand-drawn cinematics, intricate puzzles and haunting music of this indie gem.

Forum Thread: LUNA The Shadow Dust (by ASH Software)

Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist (Free)

iTunes Description

Help the town with… art!

Take your art on the go with your handy foldable easel. Explore the charming puppet town of Phénix, get to know its residents and what makes them tick. Help them out with commissions, like drawing a new ad for Steve’s restaurant! Or why not buy a studio so you can work from home, just like the good old days?

Forum Thread: Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist (by Flamebait Games)

Shaporama (Free)

iTunes Description

Tilt your phone and explore unknown shapes.
Take a sip of water, coffee, beer or milk and let it flow.
Type the correct answer and solve the mystery.

Forum Thread: Shaporama (by Tim Kretz)

Subliminal Football Quiz ($0.29)

iTunes Description

Words and faces magically blend into pictures.

Football isn’t just about the words ‘PENALTY’ and ‘GOAL’, or the players ‘MESSI’ and ‘RONALDO’. There’s a whole lot more to it. Explore the lingo and history for a deeper understanding.

Bring your carrots! Super sight needed because there are 100 football terms to find.
Got your chocolate? Excellent memory needed to identify 100 football personalities.

Forum Thread: Subliminal Football Quiz (by Indest)

Vault of the Void ($6.99)

iTunes Description

Vault of the Void is a single-player, low-RNG roguelike deckbuilder designed to put the power into your hands. Continuously build, transform and iterate on your deck as you progress through your run – or even before each battle. Preview which enemies you’ll be battling before each encounter, giving you a chance to carefully plan your strategy. With no random events, your success is in your hands – and your creativity and skill define your chances of victory!

Forum Thread: Vault of the Void (Spider Nest Games)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest ($9.99)

iTunes Description

The forest beckons, will you answer its call? Choose wisely in this narrative adventure inspired by the legendary tabletop RPG set in the World of Darkness universe.

Transform into a Werewolf in this Narrative RPG Adventure

Dive into the secrets of Europe’s last wilderness in “Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest., a narrative-driven indie RPG that brings the classic tabletop experience to your screen. Play as Maia, explore your ancestry in the mysterious Białowieża Forest, and let your choices guide this adventure of dark secrets and fantasy within the World of Darkness universe.

Forum Thread: Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest (by Different Tales)

Fantastico Studio goes on to add: “Thanks to the valuable feedback from our community of players, we have worked hard to enrich the gaming experience both graphically and in terms of gameplay. The pixel art has been completely overhauled, making every detail pop with vibrant color and clarity. The gameplay has been meticulously rebalanced, and the new synthwave tracks are electrifying, setting the perfect mood as you blast through waves of enemies. One of the standout additions is the hardcore boss rush mode – a true test for any seasoned player." Sounds pretty fantastico to me! See what I did there? Black Paradox Reloaded will launch on Steam in October and can be wishlisted now, with console and mobile versions to follow sometime afterward. No dates just yet for the mobile version but it’s something I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

And in a lot of ways it IS that, but it’s also so much more, and it’s hard to understand that just from screenshots or trailers alone. Perhaps that’s why this game still seems so under the radar despite originally releasing almost two years ago and having nothing but gushing praise from those who have played it, as well as critical acclaim from reviewer-types. Well, let this game’s arrival on Netflix be your catalyst to get this one directly on your radar screen. Not under it.

What’s most surprising to me about The Case of the Golden Idol, at least in my early time with it, is that this is really a puzzle game first and foremost, but dressed up in classic adventure game attire. The logic-based deduction is done so perfectly as you start sussing out the clues and info surrounding a dozen separate murder scenes, and it’s almost unbelievable how well working through the puzzles really burns an impressive amount of information into your brain without you even realizing it. I kind of wish this game was secretly teaching me a second language or something with how well it imparts information.

At the end of the day this is a game that truly makes you feel like a detective, and the way it leans into its absurdity, and silliness, and even darkness as a complex narrative is formed is ultra satisfying. The Case of the Golden Idol is a really unique game and one that will hopefully find a greatly expanded audience now that it’s essentially “free" for Netflix subscribers.

The Case of the Golden Idol (Free)

iTunes Description

Mayhem, magic and murder most foul! Examine clues and use your powers of deduction to solve a series of grisly murders and the twisted mystery of a family’s cursed heirloom in this point-and-click detective adventure game.

In 1742, a gold figurine imbued with supernatural powers passes into the hands of an explorer by way of a dastardly act. Decades later, the treasure continues to cast a spell over his descendants. Step into the shoes of an 18th-century detective to uncover the dark truth behind a series of strange — and somehow connected — deaths that seem to follow in the idol’s wake.

Forum Thread: The Case of the Golden Idol (by Netflix, Inc.)

Delusion: Tactical Idle RPG (Free)

iTunes Description

“The fallen sorcerer’s curse spread around the world… And the spire was covered in darkness."

The greatest heroes of the era set out to conquer the spire, but their fate was unclear…
Now, it is time for you to step in!
Set out on a journey with your party to conquer the spire!

Forum Thread: Delusion: Tactical Idle RPG (by SuperPlanet)

Disney Frozen Royal Castle (Free)

iTunes Description

The world of Disney Frozen comes to life in this fun-filled doll house game, Disney Frozen Royal Castle!
Parents can have fun with kids while playing with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and other Frozen dolls, as they dress up, cook, and explore!

Featuring content from the beloved films, kids can customize and play in their very own royal doll house, allowing them to express their creativity and imagination.

Forum Thread: Disney Frozen Royal Castle (by Budge Studios)

Heroes of Crown: Legends (Free)

iTunes Description

Open Beta in full swing! Join now to get Light-Dark Exclusive Selection 100%, and log in everyday to get a total of 1000 summons!

“When the Chosen One is born, they will find the lost seven ancient crowns, ensuring that darkness will never encroach upon the homeland."

Heroes of Crown: Legends is a 3D Next-gen idle adventure RPG. The game utilizes next-generation modeling, vivid scenes, GPU particle effects, and PBR rendering to create high-quality artistic design. The easy and casual idle gameplay that contains a fantasy adventure merging multiple civilizations and legendary Heroes from Netherworld allows you to embark on your own legendary journey.

Forum Thread: Heroes of Crown: Legends (by Ujoy Games)

Kaiju Attack 2 ($2.99)

iTunes Description

To wash away the shame of defeat two years ago, Chaos has gathered an alien coalition, attacking Earth once more, citing humanity’s sins as justification.
Even the once-defending superhero now turns against us. As the commander, how will you resolve this crisis? What lies ahead for humanity and Earth?

Forum Thread: Kaiju Attack 2 (by Game Stew)

The Legend of Jaffa Brownie (Free)

iTunes Description

Dive into the whimsical world of Jaffa cakes and uncover the mysteries within!

“The Legend of Jaffa Brownie" is a 3D action-adventure where you play as Jaffa Brownie on a quest to find the Heart of the Factory and uncover the truth about your existence.

Explore every corner of the Jaffa factory:
Step into the colourful world of Jaffa sweet creations. Experience the peaceful life on the factory farm, the fast-paced urban cityscape, as well as some darker and colder parts of the factory.

Forum Thread: The Legend of Jaffa Brownie (by Shosha Games)

Legends of Heropolis DX ($6.99)

iTunes Description

The town of Heropolis has been destroyed! Can you rebuild it to be the center of justice once more?
Grow your heroes, gather your friends, and battle evil in this superhero simulation game.

In a town devastated by the nefarious Evilcorp, all hope seems lost… yet the flames of justice aren’t so easily quenched. One gallant hero won’t rest until their town is restored to its former glory.
Construct a secret base, gather heroes from far and wide, and bring peace back to Heropolis!

Forum Thread: Legends of Heropolis DX (by Kairosoft)

Olympics Go! Paris 2024 (Free)

iTunes Description

Build your dream city around Olympic venues and boost attendance while achieving athletic excellence in 12 sports mini-games!

BUILD, COMPETE, CELEBRATE!
Immerse yourself in the Olympic Games and train like a champion in 12 crowd-roaring mini-games. Dominate the swimming pool, master archery, and push your limits in track and field. Unleash your inner architect and build up your dream city around Olympic venues with iconic landmarks. Feel the thrill of competition, the joy of victory, and the satisfaction of creating something unique with Olympics GO! Paris 2024.

Forum Thread: Olympics Go! Paris 2024 (by nWay Inc.)

Warzone of Destiny 95 ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Destiny is decided… in the Warzone. In 1995.

Warzone of Destiny 95 is a quick and casual turn-based strategy game with retro graphics. Explore the map, collect resources, find hidden special units, build an army, and defeat the enemy.

Play against an AI opponent on procedurally generated maps. Explore the map and capture villages to generate revenue that you can use to build buildings and units in your city. Across the map you can also find hidden special units, such as the God of Thunder, a Samurai Clan or a gang of Militant Vegans. March your army against the enemy and raze their city to win the game!

Forum Thread: Warzone of Destiny 95 (by Alfakrull)

LUNA The Shadow Dust is published by Application Systems Heidelberg Software, who most recently brought a mobile version of The Longing to the App Store back in December. LUNA has garnered positive reaction from its PC and console releases, and of course point & click adventures are a really great fit for touchscreen devices, so I imagine it will feel right at home on iOS and Android. The game is currently available for pre-order on the iOS App Store here, and for Android devices it’s available for pre-registration on the Google Play Store here. It’ll set you back a very reasonable $4.99 and its release date is all set for June 20th, so keep an eye out for this one next week.

While talking about the new version of MacOS, which is dubbed Sequoia, Apple welcomed Ubisoft’s Vice President & Executive Producer of the Assassin’s Creed franchise Marc-Alexis Côté to present during the keynote video. Here Côté announced that the newest upcoming Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, will be launching simultaneously on Mac alongside its console and PC launch on November 15th. They also announced that the game will be coming to iPad devices, and while there was no mention of iPhone, my personal theory is that they’re waiting until the new iPhone announcement this fall to make that official. Especially since Assassin’s Creed Mirage, our Game of the Week last week, JUST launched on both the iPhone 15 and M1 iPads so I can’t imagine them keeping this upcoming title iPad only, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Finishing off the gaming news from WWDC is the announcement of the new Games Porting Toolkit 2. Apple unveiled the first Games Porting Toolkit during last year’s WWDC, and it’s more or less a fork of the CrossOver software by CodeWeavers which for many years now has allowed Mac users to run tons of software titles even when they don’t have a Mac version. The new Games Porting Toolkit 2 will include better Windows compatibility, new shader debugging tools, and more. It will also allow for a much easier transition when making a Mac version of a game to continue on and make it for the iPhone and iPad as well. Apple doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for being serious about gaming, but they do seem like they’ve shown a much greater interest in it over the past couple years on both Mac and iOS devices. Whether that ends up mattering to a significant portion of the gaming audience remains to be seen, but I’m still always very happy to see Apple talking about gaming in any capacity.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Well, some iOS devices. You’re going to need to be rocking an iPhone 15 Pro or its Max variant to play this bad boy on iPhone, and over on the iPad side of things you’ll need an M1 chip or higher device. This really is the big pants version of the game with seemingly very little compromise running on tiny little handheld computer devices. It’s remarkable. We’re finally at a point where we don’t have to settle for a “mobile-ized" version of a beloved series, and can instead simply enjoy the same experience on our mobile devices that we’d have on our TVs or monitors. What a time to be alive. This trailer is from the console/PC version but it should give you an idea of what the game is like.

I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty of what exactly Assassin’s Creed Mirage is as there are no shortage of reviews out there from the console and PC release last year, and as to how it performs on the iOS devices capable of running them our pal MrMacRight on Youtube has done an in-depth analysis of that already. Plus, the game is free to download and try with a full game unlock IAP so really the best thing to do if you have a device capable of running the game is to simply download it and try it yourself. You’ll need to make sure you have some device space freed up since it’s a biggie, but it’s really the best way to see if you like the game.

What I will say however is that I am absolutely here for games like this being released on iOS. Just from the opening moments of Assassin’s Creed Mirage where you’re parkouring your way across rooftops in an open and effortless fashion, it’s hard not to have a big grin on your face knowing this is running on a little iOS device. Sure the visuals are dumbed down a tad but it’s not really noticeable on such a small, high resolution screen anyway. For SO LONG we’ve been banging the drum that iOS devices are powerful enough to hang with other platforms, and it feels like in the past year we’re finally starting to see that be the reality. So do yourself a favor and check out the free portion of Assassin’s Creed Mirage on an iOS device, and if you’re digging it then be sure to grab the full game unlock before June 20th while it’s on sale for half off.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Free)

iTunes Description

In Assassin’s Creed® Mirage, you are Basim, a cunning street thief with nightmarish visions, seeking answers and justice. After an act of deadly retribution, Basim flees Baghdad and joins an ancient organization – The Hidden Ones. As he learns their mysterious rituals and powerful tenets, he will hone his unique abilities, discover his true nature, and come to understand a new Creed – one that will change his fate in ways he never could have imagined.

Forum Thread: Assassin’s Creed Mirage (by Ubisoft)

Chess Twist ($6.99)

iTunes Description

Classic rules, twisted boards

A game of chess set on procedurally generated boards, where straight lines bend and diagonals fork. Same rules, different battlefield. Opportunities for new strategies are hidden in plain sight. Will you see them before your opponent does?

Forum Thread: Chess Twist (by Polygonjs)

Folium ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Folium has just been released with support for Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS emulation

Folium is a beautifully designed, high performing multi-system emulator that allows you to play video games from retro consoles and handhelds, currently including cores for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS

Forum Thread: Folium (by Jarrod Norwell)

Magus Tower (Free)

iTunes Description

Embark on a thrilling adventure as a wizard trapped in a perilous tower in our captivating hack n’ slash game! Use your magical prowess to cast spells and escape, but beware of the lurking enemy spiders! With intuitive swipe controls, unleash powerful combos of diverse magics to overcome challenges and claim victory. Immerse yourself in stunning visuals, enchanting soundtracks, and dynamic gameplay that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Download now from the Apple Store and experience the magic firsthand!

Forum Thread: Magus Tower (by Felipe Elsner Silva)

MAZAICA (Free)

iTunes Description

Draw the lines & expand numbers – brain relaxing flow connect puzzle game.

Draw the line from a number to extend the line and merge the blocks in this fun puzzle game. Expand all numbers to pass the level, connecting the dots with colorful lines in this engaging block puzzle. Use clues, deduction, anticipation, and logical analytical thinking to master the number games and connect all the numbers.

Forum Thread: MAZAICA – Lines and Numbers (by Hamster On Coke Games)

Metaverse Keeper ($2.99)

iTunes Description

“Metaverse Keeper" is a multiplayer adventure game that combines roguelike elements. Players and their teammates not only battle a variety of monsters, but also delve deep into the demon lord’s fortress, collecting various resources, developing character’s talents, and strengthening their own abilities. As the game progresses, the challenges become more diverse and intense, with limited resource allocation, environmental pressures, and even more ferocious monsters, making every adventure thrilling and intense!

Forum Thread: Metaverse Keeper (by Electronic Soul)

Pocket Kickball (Free)

iTunes Description

Unlock dozens of new fields, game modes, kickballs, characters skin, hats, and customizations for your room! Help us build the first and best kickball mobile game ever!

Forum Thread: Pocket Kickball (by Snow Day Software)

Quetzal – Card Battle TCG (Free)

iTunes Description

Quetzal is the ultimate card battle game based on Aztec mythology. Experience the unique turn-based dueling system with lots of strategic depth and various play styles. Bring ancient Mesoamerica to life by summoning fearsome Aztec deities and legendary creatures onto the battlefield. Upgrade your cards to increase their potency. Upgrade your base to get more loot and unlock more game modes.

Can be played offline. If you like old-school trading card games like Pokémon and Yu Gi Oh, this game will definitely appeal to you!

Forum Thread: Quetzal – Card Battle TCG (by Sandbag Games)

Skul: The Hero Slayer ($7.99)

iTunes Description

Skul is a fast-paced action rogue-lite where losing your head is encouraged.

Featuring 100 playable characters each with their own unique abilities and a ton of items that can create wild synergies, the battles are as electrifying as they are challenging.

Forum Thread: Skul: The Hero Slayer (by Playdigious)

Star Wars: Hunters (Free)

iTunes Description

After the fall of the Galactic Empire, the bright lights of the Grand Arena on Vespaara burst into life and offered survivors and new heroes a platform to shine across the galaxy. Equal parts battle and spectacle, Star Wars: Hunters is where legends are made. Love shooter games and arena combat games? Then get ready to dominate your opponents!

Forum Thread: Star Wars: Hunters (by Zynga)

TAT Rumble (Free)

iTunes Description

TAT Rumble is a 2D fighting game with nostalgic retro 90s pixel art and a unique battle system.
After two years of inactivity, the famous no-rule martial arts tournament, “TWELVE ANONYMOUS TOURNAMENT" (TAT), was suddenly announced to be held in 2023. Join the tournament and aim for the top by collecting “Martial Byte", a new technology allowing one to archive and transfer existing fighters’ techniques to another.

Forum Thread: TAT Rumble (by Kreation Verse)

If you are familiar with Emoak’s previous titles, then you might remember the lengths they go to to achieve a certain level of realism in their games. For Machinaero they studied aerodynamics and physics at length to ensure that each flying machine a player created would properly to things like wind friction, lift, drag, pressure, temperature and fluids. In Lyxo, every light source is made up of thousands of individual light rays that all reflect and refract correctly and independently from one another in order to provide the most realistic virtual lighting possible. I have no doubt that the terrain manipulation and the way that the water flows in Roia will be equally in-depth and impressive. Look for it to launch on iOS and Android on July 16th at a price of $2.99.

For those of us in the US the game will likely go live when our group of time zones rolls over to tomorrow, which for people on the East Coast happens at 11pm ET and then 8PM PT for people like me on the West Coast. One pleasant surprise to the game becoming available is that we learned Ubisoft is running a launch sale on the game, so from now until June 20th you can actually buy that full unlock for $24.99 which is 50% off of its regular price. As our pal Mikhail is finding out too, since it’s out in his territory, it appears that Apple has upped the download size limit for games (or at least for this game) as the initial download clocks in at a whopping 10.51 GB and there’s likely some downloading to happen post-install as well. Make some space! Assassin’s Creed Mirage is limited to A17 Pro chipped iPhones, so iPhone Pro 15 and iPhone Pro 15 Max only, as well as iPads that are M1 chip or higher. I’m excited to see how this one fares on iOS devices and we’ll have more on Assassin’s Creed Mirage in the coming days following its full global release.

I did have some fun with Brawl Stars when that first came out, probably because it was a little more “actiony" than their other games and that’s more my style. Well, perhaps that’s what is speaking to me about Squad Busters, Supercell’s new game that just launched globally this week after getting quite the positive reception during its various soft launch phases. Is this the Supercell game that will finally stick with me, or am I just hung up in this honeymoon phase?

I can’t answer that, as I’ve only spent a very short amount of time with Squad Busters so far, but I can say a couple of things for certain. One is that Supercell is known for very aggressively testing and iterating a game for sometimes years before finally releasing it to the world, and as such their library of actually released games is somewhat small, but all the games they do end up releasing have always felt like they were at the top tier of polish and production values. Squad Busters absolutely fits that bill.

The second thing is that whatever the heck this blend of genres is called, it’s incredibly fun and makes for a really tight game loop. I guess Squad Busters is kind of MOBA-ish? Sort of, I don’t know, I’m not expert. Basically your goal is to roam around a map fighting enemies, destroying objects, and opening chests in order to collect various riches. Gems are the main thing you’ll need, as whoever has the most gems at the end of a round will be the winning team, and there’s other teams on the map alongside you who are all battling to collect treasures just as you are. There are also coins which allow you to open the chests around the map and thus add a new member to your squad.

Rounds are only a few minutes each, and for the first couple of those minutes you’re doing as I described above: Building up your squad and collecting resources. You’re also likely coming across other teams and trying to diminish their numbers a bit if you can. For the last minute of the round though, a giant mine in the middle of the map starts spewing out gems, and from that point it becomes something of a territory battle as your squad tries to collect as many of those gems as you can while preventing other squads from doing the same.

It’s frantic, strategic, and a whole lot of fun. There are loads of unit types, all with evolution paths as you level them up, and which units you have unlocked and who you add to your squad during games adds a key element of strategy to the mix. There’s also a bunch of modifier items that can spice up a round, and more things to unlock and upgrade in the game than you can shake a stick at. You know how these things go, yeah? So it’s hard at this point to tell how things will play out long term, as right now I’m still enamored with the bright lights and happy sounds of being an early player as new items and unlocks flow like wine.

Perhaps that all changes down the road. Even if that’s the case, though, Squad Busters is well worth giving some time to as I think it’s an incredibly clever blend of genres that works super well on mobile. There’s also seemingly a huge player base already as I haven’t had any trouble finding matches in just a few seconds, and it’s fun to go up against teams that you can tell have formulated some good strategies or built up some impressive squads. For free, even if it doesn’t end up being something that sticks around long term, Squad Busters has provided me with plenty of entertainment so far and hopefully this is one that will continue being entertaining for some time to come.

Construction Simulator 4 ($4.99)

iTunes Description

This time, your work will take you to the scenic woods and bays of a fictional map inspired by the Canadian landscape.

Explore three large areas within a map never before seen in the Construction Simulator series! Experience an extensive campaign unique to the individual locations, featuring special challenges you must overcome with your growing construction empire.

Forum Thread: Construction Simulator 4 (by astragon Entertainment)

Daft Trek ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Asteroids meets space invaders inspired retro style game with RPG thrown in. Pilot a fighter ship to save Humanity from an evil rogue zombie AI pirate army.

Defense Against Foreign Threats (D.A.F.T.) Report. In the year 2666 humanity is under threat from an insidious rogue AI, it’s infected minions are deep in the asteroid fields & building an army to attack Earth. You must embark on a D.A.F.T. Trek to save earth! Remote pilot your ship through the asteroid fields to seek & destroy the AI and all their minions!

Forum Thread: Daft Trek (by Thomas Doran)

EigenGauge (Free)

iTunes Description

Hectic and unforgiving. Explore a star system with dozens of locations. Unlock and master a variety of abilities. Choose from one of six vehicles. Compete in races to unlock new challenges.

Forum Thread: EigenGauge (by Blastodisk Labs)

Everbound (Free)

iTunes Description

Battle hostiles, conquer bosses, collect loot, meet NPCs, and more!

This is a turn-based strategy RPG roguelike. Traverse the expansive map and defeat all 6 bosses to claim victory!

Every game is unique with a generated map layout, custom bosses and loot, different hostile types, and tonnes of unique items, armor, weapons, accessories, and potions to discover.

Forum Thread: Everbound (by ANDRE K PHAM)

Geneforge 2 – Infestation HD ($9.99)

iTunes Description

Geneforge 2 – Infestation is a truly open-ended fantasy adventure in a unique world of alien fantasy. You are one of the Shapers, wizards with the awesome power to create life. Want a tool, a trap, an army? You summon it into existence. You create mighty beasts, and they totally obey you. Usually.

But your people have grown lazy and complacent, and a threat has appeared. Your creations are no longer content to serve you. You are lost in a wild, savage mountain range. A rebellion is growing there, and it offers you awesome power if you join. Will you use your powers to destroy the rebels or aid them? Bring peace or lead them to war? The choices are all yours!

Forum Thread: Geneforge 2 – Infestation HD (by Spiderweb Software)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War (Free)

iTunes Description

Embark on an Epic Adventure with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War! Set between Trails of Cold Steel II and Trails of Cold Steel III, this story follows the journey of Lavi, member of the Northern Jaegers, born and raised in the North Ambria. Tasked with a daunting mission alongside her teammates Martin, Iseria, and Talion, they must infiltrate the Erebonian Empire to gather intel on a mysterious threat endangering the security of North Ambria.

Forum Thread: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War (by Nihon Falcom/Userjoy Technology)

LEGO Hill Climb Adventures (Free)

iTunes Description

Set off on a grand adventure as you brave the hills in LEGO® Hill Climb Adventures, a single-player exploration game where iconic LEGO® worlds and Hill Climb Racing collide!

Select from a variety of Hill Climb Racing and LEGO vehicles and climb the classic Climb Canyon hills! Using the familiar, fun gameplay of Hill Climb Racing, this brand new game adds twists and extra depth to the beloved gameplay formula with the addition of exploration, adventures and stories for you to discover!

Forum Thread: LEGO Hill Climb Adventures (by Fingersoft)

SameBoy (Free)

iTunes Description

A friendly and powerful Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulator.

SameBoy is a user friendly, powerful and open source Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy emulator.

Forum Thread: SameBoy (by Lior Halphon)

Scoopy Cereal (Free)

iTunes Description

Cerealiously addictive!

Scoopy Cereal is the ultimate breakfast eating simulator that brings fun to your fingertips. Dive into a casual one-touch experience where you test your timing and concentration to become the top cereal muncher!

Forum Thread: Scoopy Cereal (by Spud Spicer)

Songs of Travel (Free)

iTunes Description

An animated graphic novel exploring the unique stories of five migrants seeking new beginnings in Europe. Together, these stories paint a mosaic of themes such as our hopes, dreams, and identities and the things we treasure most.

The aim of Songs of Travel is to bring the personal stories of migrants to a wider audience and paint a vivid picture of the topic of migration. The narratives are tied together by the experiences of the Syrian artist Jack Gutmann, who co-developed the award-winning game “Path Out" with the game’s developer, Causa Creations.

Forum Thread: Songs of Travel (by Causa Creations)

Squad Busters (Free)

iTunes Description

Every match is busting with unique, unpredictable fun! Grow your Squad, loot bosses, bust your friends, collect & Evolve all-star Supercell characters from Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Hay Day, Clash Royale, and Boom Beach.

Play endless combinations of Maps with crazy twists and fresh gameplay in every epic 10-player match. Hold on to the most Gems if you can!

Forum Thread: Squad Busters (by Supercell)

Timeswipe.fun (Free)

iTunes Description

Guess the year of historical events, inventions, and more!

Do you know when …?
.. was invented the telephone?
.. World War I ended?
.. was released The Lion King in cinema?

Test your historical knowledge by guessing whether these events occurred before or after a given year!

Forum Thread: Timeswipe.fun (by Pink Bean Studio)

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Navigate the shadowy streets of the Big Apple as a newly turned vampire, grappling with the challenges of unlife under the veil of the Masquerade. Forge alliances, uncover secrets, and delve into the intricate web of vampire politics that threatens to consume you.

Make friends and allies, learn more about them and witness your own understanding of the world grow, slowly building a vertiginous big picture. Are you going to be swallowed whole by the constant political struggles between Camarilla and Anarchs or will you rise among your blood-thirsty brethren?

Forum Thread: Vampire: The Masquerade – CoNY (by Plug in Digital)

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

First, I need to admit, I read MAD Magazine a lot growing up and I absolutely adored the “MAD Fold-In" on the back cover of each issue. It would show an image, typically with a caption or comment, that when folded in just the right way would reveal a second hidden image making some sort of satirical comment about the first image. Here’s a nice collection of some in case you’re not familiar. Anyway, the point is that I really admired how the artist was able to create these “hidden" images that would appear if you manipulated the page the right way. Sometimes it was pretty obvious what the folded image would be, but other times I’d stare at the original image for a long time trying to figure out “where are they going with this one?" Good times.

Anyway, Paper Trail has a very similar intrigue for me. The levels are made up of these different pages with terrain on them. Hold two fingers on the screen and you can quickly see the back of each page which also has terrain and environments illustrated on them. By grabbing the edges or corners of the page and folding them into the image on the front, you can use what’s on the back to create new terrain for your character to traverse. It might sound simple, and it certainly starts very basic and straightforward, but pretty quickly things ramp up and all of a sudden you’re coming across these absolute brain-busting puzzles that require you to think about how the front and rear images work in harmony with each other in order to open a path forward.

Needless to say, the touchscreen feels the most well-suited for touching and dragging these pieces of paper around, and it makes me so happy to see that Paper Trail has launched on mobile alongside other platforms because in my opinion mobile is the lead platform for a game like this. The puzzles and how you need to wrap your brain around them, along with the excellent visuals, music, and world-building all give me heavy Monument Valley vibes, so if you’re into games like that then you should be well-served here. And if you don’t have Netflix, well, play it somewhere else by all means, but honestly with Netflix continuing to knock it out of the park week in and week out it might just be time to bite the bullet and start subscribing.

Basic Biking (Free)

iTunes Description

FEATURES:
-Fine-tuned physics-based pedaling
-Hard to master two-button controls: one button for each leg
-7 challenging tracks and an endless track to keep you riding forever
-Bonus features: Mini Bike, E-Scooter, Courier Mode, Spoke Card & Big Helmet
-Totally free: no ads, no IAPs, no data tracking

Forum Thread: Basic Biking (by Otto Ojala)

Capybara Friends (Free)

iTunes Description

Capybara Friends is the ultimate capybara plush toy merging game! A merging game with a twist. Here you merge plush toy capybaras. The soft plushies make the game more engaging. Dive into a world of cuddly fun where your mission is to merge adorable capybara plushies and create the cutest, most unique capybaras.

Discover unique combinations like the buzzing bee capybara, the delicious donut capybara, the cool capybara with sunglasses, capybara with turtle, capybara and the pelican, capybara and the crocodile. The more you merge, the cuter they get!

Forum Thread: Capybara Friends (by TapMen)

Catlists (Free)

iTunes Description

• Give an answer for each question that starts with the round letter on the dice
• Score bonus points for alliteration
• Watch out for Modifiers! They could double your points for a question or restrict what letters your answer starts with
• If you are playing with friends, your answer for a question must be unique within the room. If two players have the same answer, you both score 0 points
• There is 3 minutes on the clock! Get your answers in fast

Forum Thread: Catlists (by Burkus)

Katana ZERO (Free)

iTunes Description

Kill your enemies or face instant death. Slow down time as you slash and dash through a dystopian city to unravel past secrets in this retro adventure.

In this stylish pixel art neo-noir platformer, you’re a samurai assassin facing breakneck action and instant-death combat. Attack enemies with your sword — or whatever else is at your disposal — and avoid obstacles to progress to the next level. Choose how you respond in conversations that drive the story forward between levels.

Forum Thread: Katana ZERO (by Askiisoft)

Knight & Dragon III ($3.99)

iTunes Description

“Knight and Dragon 3" is the third installment in the hack-and-slash RPG series set in a medieval fantasy world.

One morning, after receiving a certificate from an elderly gentleman, proving you as a full-fledged guild member, you are sent to a small village in the Republic of Gringard. This is where the story begins. Various incidents occurring in the Republic, the conflicts with the neighboring Lindahl Empire, and the story of knights and dragons will eventually involve you in a grand destiny revolving around the stars.

Forum Thread: Knight & Dragon III (by dgjam studio)

Magic Research 2 ($4.69)

iTunes Description

Experience the long-awaited sequel to Magic Research!

In Magic Research 2, you are a rookie wizard with a single ambition: to find or create the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary magical item that is said to be able to cure any illness. As you do so, you will learn more than you ever imagined about Magic and about the world around you. What kinds of adventures await you?

Forum Thread: Magic Research 2 (by Matias Ezequiel Colotto)

Nerd Survivors ($2.99)

iTunes Description

The ordinary gaming night among four friends takes a chaotic turn when they find themselves transported to a preposterous fantasy realm teeming with thousands of wacky monsters!

Equip yourself with pizza frag-grenades, enchanted fidget spinners, unleash preposterous magic spells, or even fling your very own friends into the fray to repel the relentless hordes of monsters determined to obliterate you.

Forum Thread: Nerd Survivors (by HeartBit Interactive S.r.l.)

Paper Trail (Free)

iTunes Description

Solve puzzles and explore cozy places around a foldable paper world in this enchanting game about growing up. Long-lost secrets and other wonders await.

This cozy top-down puzzle adventure is set in a foldable paper world where you play as Paige, a budding academic who’s leaving home for the first time to pursue her studies. On this journey, you’ll uncover secrets, explore new areas, meet characters with memorable stories and solve puzzles by folding the environment and merging the two sides into one.

Forum Thread: Paper Trail (by Newfangled Games)

Playing Kafka (Free)

iTunes Description

Although you did nothing wrong, you were arrested one morning. You arrived for work, but you don’t recognize your assistants. And your upbringing left you with a pervasive sense of guilt. Welcome to Playing Kafka, an adventure about the alienation of modern society as well as unresolved family issues. The game adapts three works of the famously absurdist writer and was created with leading Kafka experts.

Can you manage to win an unfair trial? Is the job even real? Can you escape your father’s crushing presence? How do you move forward, when all solutions are obfuscated by a web of unclear rules and machinations…

Forum Thread: Playing Kafka (by Charles Games)

Sevenns (Free)

iTunes Description

Sevenns is a game of bite-sized puzzles for your brain to chew on. Combining the essential ingredients of crossword clues, anagrams and Venn diagrams, Sevenns provides your mind with all the essential nutrients for a full, fun and fresh day. No ads, no additional preservatives or sweeteners, and free – get stuck into Sevenns!

Forum Thread: Sevenns (by Commuter Games Limited)

TemporalCode ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Welcome to TemporalCode, a world where the future hangs in the balance, and only you can rewrite destiny. Dive into an immersive experience unlike any other, where your puzzle solving skills will decide the fate of the future.

Embark on a journey through time as you receive a dire warning from the future: a world decimated by the very app you’re about to install. It’s up to you to take down the powerful TemporalCode corporation who will develop an app that has the power to end the world as we know it.

Forum Thread: TemporalCode (by Owens Applications)

Wuthering Waves (Free)

iTunes Description

Wuthering Waves is a story-rich open-world action RPG with a high degree of freedom. You wake from your slumber as Rover, joined by a vibrant cast of Resonators on a journey to reclaim your lost memories and surmount the Lament.

Forum Thread: Wuthering Waves (by KURO GAMES)

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Setting aside Braid’s historical value, it’s also just an absolute masterpiece in game design. Mechanically it does things with time manipulation that melted my late-20s brain back in the day, and playing through the game again with the release of Anniversary Edition has been like experiencing the game for the first time all over again. It plays well on the touchscreen as there aren’t too many areas in the game that demand precision, but I am finding I’m favoring playing it with my Backbone controller. Also, the most dramatic new element in this release is the completely repainted graphics done up in stunning 4K. I LOVE when remastered games allow you to switch between new visuals and the original visuals on the fly, and that is the case here. What’s funny though is that the original visuals in no way look bad, and really are pretty timeless, but it’s hard to argue against the gorgeous new high resolution artwork and especially the improved animations. I imagine the difference between the old and new art would be a lot more dramatic on screen larger than my iPhone 15 Pro’s.

While that new artwork is great, the real treat in this release is the new content. This is largely centered around the more than 15 hours of behind the scenes audio commentary from developer Jonathan Blow, artist David Hellman, and others who all had a hand in creating Braid nearly two decades ago. There is an entire new overworld to explore where all this commentary is broken up into various categories and topics, and there’s even brand new levels to play through as well as alternate versions of existing levels to let you see how the game might have turned out had different design choices been made. You can also listen to an accompanying commentary track as you play through the game normally, similar to how other games have done this sort of thing, but the way the developers have created almost like an entire second game out of the bonus content in Braid, Anniversary Edition is truly remarkable.

Playing through Braid all over again, all these years later, has been an absolute treat for this old gamer. I can’t wait to carve out some time to really dive into all the commentary and additional content, and this entire package feels like a love letter from the developers to the fans of Braid. So often “remaster" just means taking an old game and giving it a modern facelift, but I far prefer when instead it’s more of a celebration of said game, and that’s exactly what Braid, Anniversary Edition is. If you have Netflix it’s a no-brainer to download this one onto your device of choice, and if you don’t have Netflix, well, I’d suggest picking this one up on any of the available platforms it’s on. For a second opinion as well as impressions on multiple platforms, please check out our review of Braid, Anniversary Edition from earlier this week.

Athenian Rhapsody (Free)

iTunes Description

Athenian Rhapsody is a fresh comedic RPG game in which you’ll explore the World of Athens! Your goal is to build your very own Rhapsody, the story of you (the player) and your epic tale in this world. Your story will unfold based on your decisions, to the degree of which cannot be replicated by any other player.

16 Potential party members for you to interact with! – Each of these characters has a bold personality, and a large amount of depth for you to discover. You can choose to adventure with whoever you’d like! There truly is a favorite for everyone to bond with, I promise.

Forum Thread: Athenian Rhapsody (by Top Hat Studios, Inc.)

Braid, Anniversary Edition (Free)

iTunes Description

Bend time to solve subtle platform puzzles in this update of the indie classic “Braid," featuring refreshed artwork and seriously in-depth creator commentary.

Travel from a city house through a series of interconnected worlds where time behaves strangely, searching for an elusive Princess. Along the way you’ll explore memories and regrets that still haunt you. This Anniversary Edition remaster of the award-winning platformer contains fully repainted high-resolution graphics, new sound effects and extensive audio commentary.

Forum Thread: Braid, Anniversary Edition (by Thekla, Inc.)

Evergreen: The Board Game ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Evergreen is a tree-growing abstract strategy game where your goal is to build a lush ecosystem, planting seeds, growing trees, and placing other natural elements on your planet, trying to make it the greenest and most fertile of all. Play solo or compete against other players in multiplayer matches.

Forum Thread: Evergreen: The Board Game (by Horrible Guild)

Gamma Game Emulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Play station emulation is here!

ZodTTD is back and this time they’ve brought you classic PS 1 gaming!
Gamma is the fully featured video game console emulator that you’ve come to expect.

Forum Thread: Gamma Game Emulator (by ZodTTD)

Guild of Guardians (Free)

iTunes Description

Embark on an extraordinary adventure with Guild of Guardians, the ultimate Fantasy Idle RPG. Immerse yourself in a captivating fantasy world, where you can assemble an unstoppable team of mighty Guardians, strategize your battles, collect extraordinary loot and runes, enhance the abilities of your Guardians, and carve your own legendary path.

Forum Thread: Guild of Guardians (by Immutable Games)

Japan Postman Moto Simulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Japan Postman Moto Simulator: Nagasaki Express is an open-world motorcycle simulation game set against the vibrant streets and historic landmarks of Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown in Nagasaki, Japan. Players take on the role of a postal worker, navigating a 1:1 scale meticulously replicated city, delivering mail by motorcycle. This car game combines realistic driving experiences with urban exploration, immersing players not only in delivery missions but also in the rich atmosphere and culture of Nagasaki.

Forum Thread: Japan Postman Moto Simulator (by ChiGames)

Omega Knockout ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Step into the ring with Omega Knockout, a retro arcade boxing experience that packs a punch! With its nostalgic 16-bit art style and gameplay-driven animations, Omega Knockout brings the golden era of arcade games into the palms of your hands, offering precision and excitement in every match.

Forum Thread: Omega Knockout (by Pixel Dynamite)

Oxytone (Free)

iTunes Description

Are you ready for a unique adventure like no other? Oxytone invites you to explore the depths of your mind while offering a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for those seeking relaxation. For more determined players, there are 99 challenges, colorful themes to unlock, and 12 meticulously designed maps. Oxytone is the ultimate puzzle game, equally easy to learn and challenging to master.

Forum Thread: Oxytone (by Wdowczyk Kamil)

PPSSPP – PSP Emulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Play PSP games on your iOS device, in high definition with extra features!

PPSSPP is the original and only PSP emulator for mobile devices. It can run nearly all PSP games with great performance on iOS.

Forum Thread: PPSSPP – PSP Emulator (by Henrik Rydgård)

Pixel Cup Soccer – Ultimate Edition ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Pixel Cup Soccer is a retro-style arcade game, with fast-paced gameplay, is just the fun part of soccer and a great evolution from its predecessor!
Play friendly matches, tournaments, or create your team and lead it to glory in career mode!
You can enjoy it solo or team up with a friend locally for some competitive or cooperative action!

Forum Thread: Pixel Cup Soccer – Ultimate Edition (by BATOVI Games Studio)

RetroArch (Free)

iTunes Description

Always free, always ad-free, always open source.

RetroArch is a free, ad-free, open source, and cross platform frontend/framework for emulators, game engines, video games, media players, and other applications. Supported systems come in the form of libretro cores. The following cores are included:

Forum Thread: RetroArch (Daniel Se Matteis)

Anyway! Game of the Week! It’s Warbits Plus! It’s great! It saved my sanity during my travel nightmare, which earns it bonus points, but it was already winning my heart before all that. Technically it won my heart the better part of a decade ago when the original version launched in 2016, as I chose it as the Game of the Week back then as well. Unfortunately that original version fell into disrepair over the years, and due to the nature of the technology used to build it, it required a complete rewrite from the ground up. Hence the “plus" in Warbits Plus.

However, if you were familiar with the original game then Warbits Plus feels like returning to your childhood home. I haven’t played the original in many years, and it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what’s different or new content-wise, but it’s been so long that this has felt like experiencing Warbits for the first time all over again, which has been a joy. When so many players back in the day were pining for an Advance Wars-like on mobile, Warbits was the one that truly delivered, but it did so with its own personality and style and also felt perfectly suited to the touchscreen.

If you have no previous experience with Warbits, well, then you’re really in for a treat with Warbits Plus. A meaty single-player Campaign and a Challenge mode featuring skirmish and puzzle levels will keep you occupied for a good long time, but it’s the game’s map editor as well as its robust suite of local, AI, and online multiplayer options that might keep this around on your device for many years to come. Oh, and the game is also set to launch on Steam soon and all its online stuff should work cross-platform with the mobile versions. Just an incredible package all around, and for a very reasonable one-time cost of five bucks with no IAP shenanigans. Truly a deserving Game of the Week, even if it is a few days late.

Caracoles (Free)

iTunes Description

Hilarious like a fart… but longer! In Caracoles you compete against your pals in the fastest outrageously slow racing multiplayer battles ever.

Compete against your pals in outrageously slow racing battles. Deploy your best slugs and slide your way to slimy triumph! Earn coins while you race, and you’ll unlock brand-new slugs and levels, all up for grabs and ready to play!

Forum Thread: Caracoles (by Rednoy s.r.l.)

Cheech & Chong’s: Kush Kingdom (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to Cheech & Chong’s Kush Kingdom! Solve match-3 puzzles and help the stoners build a paradise. A primo adventure is calling you!

On this far out journey you’ll solve exciting puzzles, unlock dope new areas, play weekly events and score groovy prizes to decorate Cheech and Chong’s pad. There are thousands of reefer fueled levels just waiting for you to explore! Join now!

Forum Thread: Cheech & Chong’s: Kush Kingdom (by Eastside Games)

CrimeBot 2: Unsolved Cold Case (Free)

iTunes Description

Unsolved mysteries and cold cases await in CrimeBot 2: Unsolved Cold Case, where every unsolved file beckons your detective skills. Dive into a gripping story where unsolved cases and cold crime scenes await your keen eye. This sequel to the acclaimed CrimeBot game introduces a captivating new gameplay mode, challenging you to sift through dossiers filled with clues, photographs, testimonies, and suspects.

Forum Thread: CrimeBot 2: Unsolved Cold Case (by RoboBot Studio)

Earn to Die Rogue (Free)

iTunes Description

Drive cars through the zombie apocalypse and loot infested buildings in this action-packed spin-off to the chart-topping Earn to Die series!

The zombie apocalypse is more dangerous than ever. New zombie and enemy threats have emerged and will do anything to hunt you down. Loot for supplies, find and upgrade cars, and do whatever it takes to survive.

Forum Thread: Earn to Die Rogue (by Not Doppler)

The Enchanted World (Free)

iTunes Description

The Enchanted World is a captivating tile sliding puzzle-adventure set in a magical world torn asunder by dark forces. Embark on a journey with a valiant fairy, navigating through a series of beautiful environments, solving intricate puzzles, and meeting strange characters on her quest to piece the world back together.

Venture through enchanted forests and mysterious meadows, visit desolate deserts and descend into shadowy caverns. Leap across magical marshes, explore a forsaken factory, and traverse a surreal futuristic landscape.

Forum Thread: The Enchanted World (by Noodlecake)

Golden Soul (Free)

iTunes Description

As a result of a tragic accident, you fall into a magical abyss closed by time. After half a century in it, your soul dies, leaving your emotionless shell to pointless wander through the abyss. But fate still has plans for you.

You meet a mysterious magician who grants you a Golden Soul and saves you from eternal oblivion. The real soul is your personality, your memories and emotions. The Golden Soul is a magical fake that allows you to extend your life, but you have no emotions, no blood, and no morals. Find out how you ended up on the edge of the abyss and how you are related to the magical cataclysm that is slowly consuming the world.

Forum Thread: Golden Soul (by NewPubCo)

Office Cat Tycoon (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to the World of Office Cat Tycoon!

Embark on a unique entrepreneurial journey in a world ruled by cats! In “Office Cat Tycoon: Idle Games," you are the boss of a burgeoning business empire, where adorable kitties lead the charge.

Prepare to build, expand, and manage your way to riches in this delightful simulation game.

Forum Thread: Office Cat Tycoon: Idle Games (by treeplla Inc.)

PiKuBo (Free)

iTunes Description

Discover shapes and unwind with PiKuBo, your next puzzle obsession. Perfect for quick breaks or leisurely play, enhanced with soothing music.

Dive into the delightful world of PiKuBo, a captivating puzzle game that brings the excitement of cubic nonograms to your iOS device. With a unique twist on a beloved classic, PiKuBo challenges you to carve out shapes from a larger cube by removing unnecessary blocks.

Forum Thread: PiKuBo (by Daniel Benito)

Skel and Defense ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Expand your dungeon and strategically place traps to fend off the invading heroes!

◆ Dive into the ultimate dungeon defense experience with ‘Skel&Defense! ◆

◆ Command Your Dungeon, Defend Your Territory!
Ever dreamed of being the mastermind behind a formidable dungeon? Now’s your chance! Strategically fend off relentless waves of heroes by day and unleash your devious trap layouts by night. It’s your dungeon, your rules!

Forum Thread: Skel and Defense (by Buff Studio Co.Ltd.)

Solo Leveling: Arise (Free)

iTunes Description

The legendary webtoon with 14.3 global billion views has been adapted into an action game for the first time and has finally officially launched globally!

Players can check out S-Rank Hunter Cha Hae-In, The Dancer, who was added with the launch!

From content that perfectly embodies the original work to original stories of hunters that cannot be found in it.
Check it out in Solo Leveling:ARISE now!

Forum Thread: Solo Leveling: Arise (by Netmarble)

Sonic Mania Plus (Free)

iTunes Description

Run, jump and collect gold rings as Sonic, Tails or Knuckles in this speedy homage made by and for fans of the beloved franchise. ’90s nostalgia and epic new boss fights await!

Experience the ultimate celebration of the world’s fastest blue hedgehog in this remixed retro platformer filled with callbacks and Easter eggs from past Sonic games. Perfect for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Forum Thread: Sonic Mania Plus (by SEGA)

THUMB-WAR (Free)

iTunes Description

“Welcome to THUMB-WAR, the ultimate 1v1 mobile gaming experience! Engage in fast-paced battles on a grid-based arena, using swipe controls and tactical maneuvers to outwit your opponent. Charge up power shots, reflect attacks with your shield, and aim for victory before time runs out. With multiplayer excitement and strategic gameplay, THUMB-WAR is the perfect choice for gamers seeking thrilling challenges on the go!"

Forum Thread: THUMB-WAR (by Planetary Games)

Warbits Plus ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Warbits Plus is a charming turn-based strategy game where victory is achieved through tactics and determination. Compete with your friends locally and online, hone your skills with single-player missions, or battle for glory against other commanders on the community hub.

Forum Thread: Warbits Plus (by Risky Lab Inc)

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• Apple Announces ‘Let Loose’ Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads [Macrumors]
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Release Date Announced, Price Confirmed With Pre-Orders Now Live
• Amanita Design 2024 Interview – Jakub Dvorský on his career,Phonopolis, Vinyl soundtracks, Pilgrims, Apple Arcade, Coffee, and More
• ‘Dumb Ways To Survive’ Is a New ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ Spin-Off Game Available for iOS and Android Through Netflix
• Team-Based Hero Shooter ‘Star Wars Hunters’ Launches June 4th on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch

Well, despite it being posted about publicly by developer Gamesoul, I had absolutely no idea that a sequel was in the works until it hit the App Store this week. Surprised and delighted are just a couple of the words I’d use to describe how it felt seeing Backflip Madness 2 in the App Store. And holy moly, this isn’t just some simple follow-up, this is a full-blown sequel that adds to the core mechanics of the game in a major way. First and foremost is the fact that you now have direct control of your backflipper, with the ability to walk or run left or right through a level and even jump or climb up parts of the environment. Effectively this makes Backflip Madness 2 more of a full parkour simulator compared to the original, which automatically led you through a series of pre-determined stationary backflip challenges.

This new freedom of movement leads to the next big change which is the ability to string jumps together into a combo. When tapping to stick the landing of a flip, whether stationary or while moving, you can hold a direction on the analog stick to immediately launch yourself back into the air upon landing, only much higher this time, for a second backflip. Do it again on that second flip for a third, and so on. Nail all the flips in a combo and you’ll get a score multiplier for your troubles. This opens up all sorts of possibilities across the game’s levels in terms of the types of cool tricks you can land as well as the scores you can earn. It might sound like a weird comparison but this game is giving me major Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater vibes as I get more comfortable with the mechanics and then continue to try and push the limits of what sort of tricks and combos I can pull of without landing on my face in painful fashion.

Backflip Madness 2 is in many ways a very different game from the original, which was one of my favorite one-handed portrait games. The new free movement and virtual joystick make this a landscape-only affair, but the more time I spend with this one the more I think that sacrifice is well worth it for how greatly expanded the gameplay is in this sequel. The learning curve is pretty steep, and it’s especially tricky getting the hang of pulling off combos, but once you do it is exceedingly satisfying stringing together a big beefy combo worth tons of points. Again, it feels very much like a THPS game. There’s a lot of stuff I haven’t touched on yet too, like local and online multiplayer where the addition of a second backflipper can open up even more possibilities for craziness. If you had a good time with the original, or you’re just a fan of challenging but satisfying wacky physics-based games, you should certainly have Backflip Madness 2 in your sights.

All of You ($3.99)

iTunes Description

From the creators of Love You to Bits and Bring You Home, Alike Studio presents All of You.

All of You is a cute, purely visual, accessible, family-friendly puzzle adventure with unique gameplay. Play and pause time in every part of the level to unveil the right path for the main character.

You will follow the journey of a clumsy chicken traversing all kinds of places in search of her lost chicks.

Explore strange places filled with fun characters, exciting surprises, and many treacherous dangers – all to find every one of your chicks.

Forum Thread: All of You (by Alike Studio)

The Apocalypse Sacrifice ($5.99)

iTunes Description

The Apocalypse Sacrifice is a point and click adventure game with multiple endings. You take on the role of an adventurer who has lost his memory, with the only clue being a note found in his mouth. As you meticulously unravel the layers to recover your memories, you also unexpectedly uncover chilling secrets hidden within the town.

Will you choose to be a hero, rescuing the villagers, or will you sacrifice them to accomplish your own adventurous feats?
It’s all up to you to decide…

Forum Thread: The Apocalypse Sacrifice (by Keyuan Cheng)

Backflip Madness 2 ($1.99)

iTunes Description

The long-awaited sequel to the over 3 million copies sold worldwide, Backflip Madness, has finally arrived! Backflip Madness 2 brings more thrills with enhanced graphics, realistic physics, and new features like fully explorable levels, character customization, multiplayer mode, and combo tricks. Dive into the ultimate parkour experience now and join the flipping revolution that captivated millions.
Jump into the action with Backflip Madness 2 – the ultimate parkour sandbox! Fast-paced, parkour-flavored extreme sports game. Your goal is simple – make tons of spectacular tricks and stunts. Take it to the extreme!

Forum Thread: Backflip Madness 2 (by Gamesoul Studio)

Beyond – Exo-Solar Strategy (Free)

iTunes Description

Beyond is a Turn-Based Exo-Solar Strategy Game. Explore: Survey the solar system to maximize development and discover where your foes have already established operations. Expand: Build structures, manufacture ships, and develop technologies to surpass enemy factions in your expansion. Exploit: Utilize enemy structures and developments to turn the tables against them in combat and resource acquisition. Exterminate: Drive opposing factions from the solar system until only the most dominant remains. Play As Five Unique Species: Gaian, Botica, Sistren, Manta, or Solanum. Featuring: Orbital Dynamics, Visibility, Enemy Structure Capture, Resource Gathering, Technology Trees, Black Holes, and more.

Forum Thread: Beyond – Exo-Solar Strategy (by Quixotic Voyage)

Blue Wednesday ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Enter the enchanting world of Blue Wednesday, an interactive game that takes you to the vibrant city of Evans. As jazz pianist Morris, you’ll explore the city, interact with other characters, play amazing piano, and much more. Join in and have fun in this picturesque world!

See life through Morris’s eyes and fall in love with failure, love and jazz.

Forum Thread: Blue Wednesday (by Buff Studio)

Dice Flight (Free)

iTunes Description

Create your own fleet and annihilate enemies!
Upgrade your rank to control more dice!
Challenge strategic placements in boss battles!

Forum Thread: Dice Flight (by DEAR META)

Dumb Ways to Survive (Free)

iTunes Description

Collect, harvest and hunt your way through the wilderness as a bumbling bean trying to stay alive. Will you die a dummy or use your smarts to survive?

You’ll work hard as cute, hapless explorer Noob in this silly and satisfying roguelike survival adventure, a fresh addition to the smash hit “Dumb Ways to Die" series. After taking a wrong turn, you’re lost in the wild with nothing but your wits (or lack thereof) to rely on.

Gather resources as you explore interactive environments full of dangerous and delicious wildlife, crafting or cooking everything you need to survive, and navigate home to Beanland. If you find a dumb way to die, pick yourself up and start your adventure again!

Forum Thread: Dumb Ways to Survive (by PlaySide)

I Like ABC (Free)

iTunes Description

Drop the alphabet from the top and merge matching letters to make progress.

Who will make it to Z? Probably no one.

Forum Thread: I Like ABC (by Tim Kretz)

Loop Hero (Free)

iTunes Description

The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos.
In this roguelike RPG, wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero.
Recover and equip powerful loot for each class of hero for their battles and expand the survivors’ camp to reinforce each adventure through the loop.
Unlock new classes, new cards, and devious guardians on your quest to shatter the endless cycle of despair.

Forum Thread: Loop Hero (by Playdigious)

Methods 2: Secrets and Death ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Methods is a visual novel with simple crime investigation gameplay where you examine evidence and answer multiple-choice questions about the solution.

And the whole game has been split into five apps for the mobile release, with ‘Methods2: Secrets and Death’ being the second part, and containing Chapters 21-42.

Forum Thread: Methods 2: Secrets and Death (by Erabit Studios)

Oaken ($5.99)

iTunes Description

Oaken, a turn-based tactical roguelike set in the spirit inhabited world. Explore the Great Oak, gather allies and trinkets, learn to use the positioning for your advantage, choose how to upgrade your cards. Wake the spirits and save the Oak!

Forum Thread: Oaken (by Goblinz Studio SAS)

Orbit Ore (Free)

iTunes Description

Blast off on a thrilling space adventure with Orbit Ore! As a daring space miner, your mission is to tap your way through the cosmos, mining asteroids, battling cosmic beasts, and uncovering interstellar secrets.

Forum Thread: Orbit Ore (by Weston Ruths)

SaGa Emerald Beyond ($49.99)

iTunes Description

The latest standalone entry in the SaGa franchise, SaGa Emerald Beyond, brings together the very best elements of the beloved series to offer each player their own unique gameplay experience.

Make use of glimmers and combos in battle; meet a diverse cast of races, including monsters, mechs, and vampires; and experience your very own story, created through your choices and actions.

Forum Thread: SaGa Emerald Beyond (by SQUARE ENIX)

Sigma-18 (Free)

iTunes Description

Hack, solve, and save marines in Sigma18’s thrilling adventure!

Step into the captivating world of Sigma18, an award-winning hacker simulator where strategy meets survival in the deep void of space. As the sole hope for a stranded squad of marines on the desolate space station Sigma18, your mission is to utilize your superior hacking abilities to repair their ship and carve a path to safety.

Forum Thread: Sigma-18 (by Krzysztof Jamroz)

Slash Quest! (Free)

iTunes Description

The Queen’s evergrowing talking sword is lost in a faraway land. Luckily you showed up to wield it back to the castle. You do know how to swing a sword, right? Right?!

Forget your power fantasy. Slash Quest’s simple yet unfamiliar controls will put you in the shoes of an unlikely knight with a big heart, an even bigger weapon, and absolutely zero skills. But worry not! Just like Shep and Swordie’s friendship, before you know it everything will feel right and everyone will be counting on you to save the Queendom.

Forum Thread: Slash Quest! (by Noodlecake)

Super Dragon Punch Force 3 (Free)

iTunes Description

Become mythic in Super Dragon Punch Force 3, a stylish, free-to-play fighter that puts you in the action faster than a raging fireball. Whether you’re a fighting game rookie or a seasoned lab monster, fast and fluid combat awaits in spectacular 1-v-1 fights. Select a fighter from an always expanding roster of unique characters and snatch victory from your opponent to climb the leaderboard.

Forum Thread: Super Dragon Punch Force 3 (by Talent 10 Digital Arts)

Ultimate Racing 2D 2! (Free)

iTunes Description

2D racing game which includes 44 racing classes and more than 100 tracks!

Ultimate Racing 2D 2 is a top-down racing game which includes 44 racing classes, more than 100 tracks, online multiplayer, time-trial challenges, career mode and championship mode.

Forum Thread: Ultimate Racing 2D 2! (by Applimazing)

Werewolf: Book of Hungry Names ($19.99)

iTunes Description

“Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names" is an interactive novel by Kyle Marquis set in the World of Darkness. It’s entirely text-based—1.6 million words, without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Shapeshifter. Mystic. Hero. Monster. You are a werewolf, and you are all these things. Werewolves are the living earth’s last guardians, created by Gaia, given the gift of shifting between human and wolf forms, and called to stop humanity from destroying the world.

Forum Thread: Werewolf: Book of Hungry Names (by Choice of Games)

Yolky Unbound ($1.99)

iTunes Description

A physics based platformer infused with puzzle elements and bossa-nova music.

You are unwillingly entrusted with the divine mission of clearing the dangers and finding a safe path
for your fellow brothers and sisters on their journey to The Beloved Mother.

Forum Thread: Yolky Unbound (by Hopasha)

Zombie State (Free)

iTunes Description

Experience the intensity of a brand-new post-apocalyptic zombie shooter adventure. Step into an infested world and brace yourself for heart-pounding zombie battles!

UNIQUE FUSION OF FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER AND ROGUELIKE
Unleash characters’ special abilities and talents that perfectly complement each hero’s skillset. Use different combinations of abilities to get stronger with each battle and turn the tide against the zombie hordes.

Forum Thread: Zombie State (by MY.GAMES)

Seems kind of weird they wouldn’t push to finish things up in time to launch a month earlier on May 4th, given that that’s Star Wars Day and all, but June 4th is also a very good day and personally I’d argue it’s an even better day than Star Wars Day since June 4th is my birthday. Yes, mark that on your calendars. It’s good to know that Star Wars Hunters is still a thing and is actually launching, since often we will see a big splashy announcement for a game that goes on to spend years and years in development only to quietly die on the vine. Will this be the “Overwatch but for mobile" that people have been hoping for for the past decade? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime you can pre-register over on the game’s official website for rewards and such, and all eyes will be on Star Wars Hunters when it arrives on iOS, Android and Switch June 4th. May (June) the 4th be with you!

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• Can the A30 beat the Miyoo Mini? [Retro Game Corp. on YouTube]
• Remastered ‘Advance Wars’-like Turn-Based Strategy Title ‘Warbits Plus’ is Launching on May 7th, Pre-Orders Live Now
• ‘Cassette Beasts’ Mobile Release Up for Pre-Order on the App Store, June 4th Release Date Listed
• ‘9th Dawn Remake’ Is a Complete Re-Imagining of the Original Game From Valorware, Hopefully Will Launch on Mobile As Well
• ‘Squad Busters’ Is a New Party Action Game From Supercell Featuring Characters From ‘Clash of Clans’, ‘Hay Day’, and More Coming May 29th Worldwide

There’s not really much to say that you wouldn’t already know from playing previous Dadish games. Running, jumping, avoiding enemies, light puzzle solving, and rescuing an adorable but mischievous adolescent radish at the end of each level is the order of the day in basically all the Dadish games, and that’s true here as well. In fact, the simplicity and purity of Dadish 3D is what I like so much about it. There are lots of cleverly designed levels here, 50 all told, and for as cute and simple as things may seem on the surface this is a game that will really test your platforming abilities.

Thankfully it’s low-stakes enough to never be annoying if you have trouble nailing a particular section. You have unlimited lives and will merely need to start the level over again upon failure, and since the levels are nicely bite-sized without being overly tiny that’s not too much of a punishment. And the feeling of satisfaction from successfully making your way through a gauntlet of enemies and hazards and moving platforms makes all the retries worth it in the end.

Don’t just take my word for it though. ALL the Dadish games are completely free to play with ads, and all have a one-time IAP you can purchase to remove those ads and make it a full blown premium experience. It’s the best pay model in my opinion, and if you have yet to try a Dadish game then you need to remedy that as soon as humanly possible. There just aren’t that many 3D platformers on mobile, so Dadish 3D’s arrival is a welcome one, and it makes things all that much sweeter that it’s a fun and challenging game to boot.

AeroMayhem PvP: Air Combat Ace (Free)

iTunes Description

Join the ranks of fighter jet pilots in a high-octane PvP modern air combat extravaganza. Become a topgun, and dominate the sky to rule the land!

Welcome to AeroMayhem PvP, the ultimate multiplayer air combat game. Engage in intense dogfights and showcase your ace pilot skills in the world’s most advanced fighter jets.

Forum Thread: AeroMayhem PvP: Air Combat Ace (by TeaPOT Games)

Atomic Escape ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Uncover a profound secret conspiracy solving puzzles and cracking codes to access the confidential files from a secret space travel project in this first person point and click adventure game set in a beautiful mid century atomic age ranch.

Forum Thread: Atomic Escape (by MediaCity Games)

Aurora Hills: Chapter 1 (Free)

iTunes Description

Nestled deep within the Appalachian Mountains, Aurora Hills was known for its thriving industry and its picturesque landscape. Owing to the region’s natural resources, Aurora Hills was looking to become one of the most prosperous towns in the state.

All is not how it seems, however. A series of disappearances of residents and tourists alike have plagued the region over the past few years, sparking a mass exodus from the small town. Now, in October 1981, the town is a shell of its former self. The prosperity that once blessed Aurora Hills has all but evaporated.

Forum Thread: Aurora Hills: Chapter 1 (by NovaSoft Interactive)

Bad Roads (Free)

iTunes Description

Test your driving skill and anticipation in “Bad Roads"

Meet Ted and embark with him in his truck to help him transport cages of ducks. The trouble is that the roads ahead are very, very bad. Also, you need to arm yourself with patience, dexterity and luck to safely climb hills, descend on steep slopes and overcome all the obstacles you encounter on your way.

Forum Thread: Bad Roads (by Laurent Bakowski)

Cool Cat’s Block Slide (Free)

iTunes Description

Join Cool Cat on a mesmerizing journey of block-sliding fun in this addictive puzzle game! Welcome to the world of “Cool Cat’s Block Slide," where your quick thinking and strategic moves are the keys to success.

Embark on an endless adventure as you slide colorful blocks to create lines and watch them disappear in a burst of excitement. The rules are simple: match blocks of the same color to clear them from the board. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity – as you progress, the challenge intensifies, demanding lightning-fast reflexes and cunning tactics.

Forum Thread: Cool Cat’s Block Slide (by Volkan Kutlubay)

Dadish 3D (Free)

iTunes Description

He’s a dad AND a radish. Dadish’s kids are missing and he needs your help to find them!

After his children are lured away by dubious pop-up advertising, Dadish sets out to find them in his craziest adventure yet. Explore an exciting world, face off with fast-food themed foes, and reunite Dadish with his missing children in this challenging 3D platforming adventure.

Forum Thread: Dadish 3D (by Thomas Young)

Dragon POW! (Free)

iTunes Description

An audacious demon aims to conquer the world, but your Dragon is ready to fight back! Gifted with the ability to devour monsters and evolve continuously, your Dragon is the world’s last hope. Take control of your Dragon and stand against the oncoming waves of monsters!

Forum Thread: Dragon POW! (by Boltray Games)

Eyka ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Eyka is a casual puzzle game with a colorful, minimalistic design, ideal for anyone seeking a serene yet engaging brain workout. Its unique puzzle mechanics not only challenge your cognitive skills but also provide a tranquil escape, complemented by ambient soundscapes. Perfect for players of all ages looking for a calming puzzle experience.

Forum Thread: Eyka (by Jason Walters)

Hockey Blitz 2 (Free)

iTunes Description

Become a Champion in 2 minutes.

Ultrafast sport arcade game. Get your team to the gold. Can you become a champion your nation needs?

World championship in your hands. Play with one of 58 nations and bring the cup to your home.

Forum Thread: Hockey Blitz 2 (by Tomasz Soroka)

MultiGuys (Free)

iTunes Description

Read for a great rush ?!

Run, jump, shoot, fly, dive, surf and go as far as possible with this fun and very addictive game !
Give it a try and you won’t want to leave this colorful environment which is full of action and crazy characters !

Forum Thread: MultiGuys (by Laurent Bakowski)

Rumble Club (Free)

iTunes Description

First rule of Rumble Club: TELL EVERYONE about Rumble Club. Fall into a physics based massive multiplayer battle! Join up to 20 clumsy players in epic knockout madness and punch, push, throw, and trick everyone else out of the arena!

Fly in on Captain Punch’s Sky Yacht, get bopped into the arena, find silly gadgets to battle with, and survive the dropping floor and shrinking battlefield to be the last player standing! Are you ready to punch your way to victory and reach a win as an ultimate champion?

Forum Thread: Rumble Club (by Lightfox Games)

Space Force Hero (Free)

iTunes Description

The princess has been abducted by aliens. Be a HERO and save her. Your spacesuit comes equipped with rocket powered flight boots, an energy defense shield, and a plasma weapon.

Play Tip: Do nothing to travel down past pipes and press down to land on a pipe.

Includes two games that represent 40+ years of game technology change . Present & Past … a video game history experience. Maybe you will experience nostalgia or perhaps discover a new kind of fun.

Forum Thread: Space Force Hero (by RESETgame)

WW2 Battlefields Sim (Free)

iTunes Description

Dive into the simplified WW2 experience with “WW2 Battlefields Sim Lite" – a dynamic simulator for history buffs and strategy enthusiasts alike. Craft the battlefield of your dreams using authentic WW2 tanks and military units, and dive deep into tactics and strategy to emerge victorious in the most pivotal war in history.

Forum Thread: WW2 Battlefields Sim Lite

Obviously rebuilding a game is no small undertaking, and Risky Lab has been at it for a few years now, most recently running a large scale beta test in the fall of last year. Now it looks like the light is finally at the end of the tunnel as today Risky Lab has announced a May 7th release date for Warbits Plus. Yes, it’s finally happening! The game will be just five dollarydoos, just like the original, and you can pre-order the iOS version on the App Store here or pre-register for the Android version over on the Google Play Store here. I’m not historically a big turn-based strategy person, but loved the Advance Wars games back in the day and also loved the original Warbits when it arrived 8 years ago. I’m really looking forward to revisiting and discovering all the new stuff when Warbits Plus launches in a couple of weeks.

Well, the original plan was to launch Dadish 3D on the 23rd, but one of those naughty children of his must have snuck away and pressed the release button a bit ahead of schedule as the game became available earlier this morning. You won’t hear any complaints from me! Dadish 3D feels very much like a throwback to N64-era 3D platformers while still feeling every bit as “Dadish" as the other games. The levels are short and to the point, but still filled with challenging platforming tasks and wacky enemies, now in 3D! And once again Dadish has fallen asleep and allowed his children to wander off on their own, so you’ll be making your way through 50 new levels trying to track them all down… again. Shouldn’t somebody call the authorities or something at this point? I think that qualifies as child neglect. Ah whatever, they’re all so cute, who could stay mad at them?

Dadish 3D is a lot of fun so far. It plays well with touch controls, though one criticism is that camera movement is tied to a virtual right analog stick rather than just being the whole right side of the screen. Hopefully this can be addressed in an update. When playing with a controller the camera is controlled with the actual right analog stick, so everything feels fine. Other than that I’m getting a real kick out of exploring the world of Dadish in this bold new dimension. Like the other games in the series it’s totally free to download and try yourself with a one-time ad-removal IAP available for those that like to make their games fully premium, so I suggest checking out Dadish 3D for yourself right this minute and hopping into the game’s forum thread to share your thoughts about it.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• Official Version of ‘Delta’ Emulator, the Successor to ‘GBA4iOS’, is Now Available in the App Store
• Big EmuDeck Update! Sega Model 2/3 and more [Retro Game Corps on YouTube]
• How to make Fallout 3 on steam deck truly “Playable” [TheAnnoyingFruit on YouTube]
• How to make Fallout New Vegas on steam deck truly “Playable” [TheAnnoyingFruit on YouTube]
• ‘World of Goo 2’ for Switch and PC Delayed to August, No Word on Mobile Yet
• ‘Card Thief’ Developer’s Wild West Tactical Roguelike Shooter ‘GUNCHO’ Launching on Mobile and PC June 25th
• The AI Companion Summary of this week’s show: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Make no mistake though, this isn’t just some emulator. Delta is like a masterclass in design and functionality. Many years ago we’d be thankful if we got some janky half-working emulator snuck in through an equally janky calculator app or something, it was the early App Store’s version of walking to school in the snow uphill both ways. Delta on the other hand feels like every square inch was designed for mobile touchscreen devices, because it was. It uses all the gestures and features we know and love on touchscreen to make using the app feel natural. One of our favorite YouTubers, Retro Game Corps, has a great overview and “how to" video of Delta that is well worth a watch.

One of the more surprising things about Delta for me is that it actually plays surprisingly well using just the touchscreen. I kind of imagined myself only ever bothering when I have my Backbone controller handy, but with how well the haptic feedback is implemented in Delta, and with the range of awesome skins and the ability to import new skins giving users a very clear and nostalgia-filled set of virtual buttons to use, I find that touchscreen alone is fine like 99% of the time. Yes, there will be certain games I’ll want to bust out a controller for, but since that’s not something I carry on me at all times I love that I can confidently play such a vast number of games even if all I have with me is my iPhone.

This is such a weird time for me. I was heavy into the jailbreaking scene in the early iPhone days, mostly for customization reasons, but running emulators was a big part of it too. Having practically the entire history of video games in my pocket at all times was a huge draw for me. However, nowadays my Miyoo Mini and my Steam Deck cover just about all of my emulation desires, and I’ve come to appreciate having dedicated devices for that rather than something that’s tied to my phone. It’s kind of ironic that Apple is now allowing emulators at a time that it’s least exciting to me. That said, having the entire history of video games (or at least a large chunk of it) ALSO on my device that never leaves my side will no doubt come in handy, and that the experience is so fantastic thanks to Delta makes it all the sweeter.

You might be thinking “Tile-sliding puzzles? Pffftt, those are so LAME" but let me tell you little sonny Jim, this is a game that does not hesitate to ramp things up to a high degree of difficulty as the game progresses. Yes, you are going to have your behind handed to you by a tile-sliding puzzler, and by gosh you are going to like it. The Enchanted World is available for pre-order on the iOS App Store here, and pre-registration for Android on the Google Play Store here. It’s free to download and try with a one-time full game unlock IAP priced at $3.99, but for those who pre-order you can score the game at a discounted price of just $2.99 during its first two weeks of launch. The launch date is set for May 7th.

The Bear (Free)

iTunes Description

The Bear is an interactive bedtime experience for everyone.

Lead the bear and the little one through a friendship-forming adventure as they travel across the atmospheric universe of the World of Gra. Relax and stargaze with these weird little characters, as they tell you stories of togetherness, of letting go and of the longing to find a place you belong.

Forum Thread: The Bear (by Mucks Games)

Block Passing (Free)

iTunes Description

A pollen avoidance game that uses physical calculations to prevent pollen from entering the nose.

-— Rules -—
– The game is over when a certain amount of pollen enters the nose.
– Move the cursor to push the pollen out of the screen to score points.
– Successfully pushing pollen out of the screen in succession results in a combo, adding to the score.
– Squirting nasal fluid can protect the nose from approaching pollen.

Forum Thread: Block Passing (by ChiikT)

Delta – Game Emulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Delta is an all-in-one emulator for iOS. Delta builds upon the strengths of its predecessor, GBA4iOS, while expanding to include support for more game systems such as NES, SNES, N64, and DS.

Forum Thread: Delta – Game Emulator (by Testut Tech)

Formula Bwoah: Online Racing (Free)

iTunes Description

Formula Bwoah is racing game with pit stops, engine modes and changing weather. Experience a game that rewards skillful play and risk taking in online multiplayer!

Drive, not just manage
Decide your racing style and see if you have what it takes to come out on top.

Forum Thread: Formula Bwoah: Online Racing (by HarthLabs)

Goetz ($3.99)

iTunes Description

Goetz is a narratively driven, picture book style puzzle game. Dive into a joyfully designed medieval universe and immerse in a lovely story about overcoming self doubt and finding one’s place in a changing world. Join knight Goetz and his friends on their fantastic journey across a land that is underminded by sinister forces. Solve tricky puzzles and be rewarded with fully voiced and visualized narrative pieces that drive the story forward.

Forum Thread: Goetz (by Sleepy Seed)

Hamster Inn (Free)

iTunes Description

Hotel management when you’re an adorable, tiny hamster is no easy task. But somebody’s gotta squeak’n do it! Open the world’s very first Hamster Inn and serve all sorts of cute animal guests. Upgrade and decorate your hotel as you provide 5-star service! With each new room, a flurry of whiskered guests eagerly await your service. Ensure their comfort, upgrade your inn, and witness a cascade of delightful moments in this vibrant inn kawaii game & management sim!

Forum Thread: Hamster Inn (by HyperBeard)

Isekai Dispatcher: He’s the Boss? (Free)

iTunes Description

Pixel art characters are reincarnated in Isekai!?

The latest release from IGNITION M!
A new sensation, " Board game x Auto Battle RPG"!

Forum Thread: Isekai Dispatcher: He’s the Boss? (by IGNITION M)

Mystery of Woolley Mountain ($7.99)

iTunes Description

Funded on Kickstarter with backers including legend of the genre Ron Gilbert, The Mystery of Woolley Mountain is an otherworldly adventure game filled with strange beasts, evil witches, confused automatons and wacky ropemen.

Join a renegade crew of time-travelling audio scientists on a hilarious and fantastical quest. A malevolent witch has captured a group of children, and it’s up to you to save them from the mysterious island of Woolley Mountain!

Forum Thread: Mystery of Woolley Mountain (by James Richard Lightfoot)

Packed?! (Free)

iTunes Description

Packed!? is a charming puzzle game which has you guiding two punctual little friends on their journey to escape the depot one box at a time.

Each box offers a fun, increasingly challenging puzzle to solve in as few moves as possible, as you push, slide and outsmart obstacles that stand between our friends and their path to freedom. They’re great listeners and will follow your direction in unison – for better or worse…

Forum Thread: Packed?! (by Shortbread Games)

Phone Escape: Hopeless ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Phone Escape is a unique and immersive story-driven escape room game. Explore and interact with the 3D environment, use the enigmatic phone to solve a variety of puzzles and unravel the mystery.
Can you escape?

Forum Thread: Phone Escape: Hopeless (by ENIGMATICON)

Pilgrims (Free)

iTunes Description

Pilgrims is a playful adventure game, created by the team behind Machinarium and Samorost. Roam the land as you please and make new friends, share a laugh with your fellow travelers and help them complete their little stories, your way. How many different solutions can you find?

Forum Thread: Pilgrims (by Amanita Design s.r.o.)

Quest and Arena (Free)

iTunes Description

It’s a simple-to-control, flashy action and graphics-free retro 8-bit RPG that feels familiar!

Defeat charming monsters depicted in pixel art.

The ultimate goal is to defeat the boss who aims for world domination.

Forum Thread: QUEST AND ARENA (by Takashi Shigenaga)

Quetzi (Free)

iTunes Description

What would happen if the game of the Snake was mixed with the legend of Quetzalcoatl? Well, that is QUETZI. Quetzi is the remake of a classic game mixed with millenary mythology and stunning art. Based on the Teotihuacan imagery, Quetzi will challenge you to complete the body of the Feathered Serpent through different worlds, sorting all kinds of obstacles and defeating mighty gods.

Forum Thread: Quetzi (by Capital Digital SAPI de CV)

Terror Trivia (Free)

iTunes Description

Dive into the ultimate horror trivia experience with Terror Trivia on iOS! Unleash your inner horror aficionado as you test your knowledge across movies, TV, novels, and video games.

From iconic horror films to spine-chilling TV series, immerse yourself in the darkest corners of entertainment history. Explore the twisted tales of terrifying novels and unravel the mysteries of haunting video games.

Forum Thread: Terror Trivia (by James Nickerson)

Word Dungeons ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Word Dungeons features classic word game fun with an immersive twist. Grab the letters you’re given and try to find as many words as you can. Discover the power of the runes – an ancient power that can aid you in your journey through the Dungeon. Acquire loot and use it to grow your power and discover the secrets hidden within the dungeon. Escape and flaunt your glory to the world on the leaderboard. Try a harder difficulty, find more secret treasure or go for a higher score in a fresh run. Each playthrough is randomized for endless replay-ability!

Forum Thread: Word Dungeons (by BlueRift Studios)

Well, the first couple that have popped up haven’t gone so well. Over the weekend iGBA was released in the App Store, but it turns out it was just a fork of Riley Testut’s GBA4iOS, which longtime readers of TouchArcade should be very familiar with. It was filled with ads and tracking, and was removed by Apple after spending a couple of days at the top of the charts. Then Bimmy, an NES emulator, was released earlier this week, but was taken down shortly after by the developer himself due to feeling uneasy about the whole situation.

So it seemed that Apple was quite serious about allowing emulators in the App Store now, and all that was left was to wait for an actual quality one by a seasoned developer. Which brings us to today. The aforementioned Riley Testut has now released Delta, the successor emulator to his previous GBA4iOS, into the App Store. Like GBA4iOS, Delta emulates Game Boy Advance, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color, and also emulates NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo DS. It has the benefit of more than a decade of work behind it, so the whole experience is extremely polished. Our sister site Macrumors has a great overview video of the Delta emulator on iPhones.

It was definitely kind of jarring to go digging up old stories about GBA4iOS and realize that it was an entire decade ago that Riley Testut was pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible with emulating classic systems on iOS devices. And that was while still a senior in high school, no less. So today’s official launch of Delta complete with Apple’s blessing is really a milestone I never thought I’d see. I’m not sure if they had a pizza party or not, though. I’m not sure if Delta is available for everybody globally or not, but I will note that anyone in the EU will need to download it through the new AltStore which also launched today, as opposed to through the actual App Store. By whatever means, do grab Delta while you can as it’s an excellent emulator in every regard and, well, you never really know when Apple might change its mind about all this, so get while the getting’s good.

As you can see, this takes place on a hexagonal playfield, and the mechanics are built around positioning as well as the slots in your revolver’s cylinder. Expectedly this will open up all sorts of tactical decision making as you play through randomly generated scenarios, and additionally environmental elements will come into play to either help or hinder your strategy for taking out enemies. After each level you’ll get to choose a new upgrade or ability, and you’ll get to ride a donkey! If that’s not motivation for beating a level I don’t know what is. As announced over the weekend, GUNCHO will be launching on mobile and PC on June 25th. In the meantime you can Wishlist that PC version over on Steam, play an early version in your browser over on Itch.io, or check out the mobile beta over on the game’s official website.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• Apple Updates App Store Guidelines to Permit Game Emulators, Website Links in EU Music Apps [Macrumors]
• PC games on the Miyoo Mini! // April Fools 2024! [TechDweeb on YouTube]
• Studio_Tour_Outtake_DONOTPUBLISH.mp4 [MKBHD on YouTube]

Wildfrost is a card battler, and has you playing cards into a two-lane field of play. You have a “leader" card and then a variety of support units. You must protect the leader at all costs as if they end up dying that’s the end of the game. Positioning plays a huge, HUGE role in the strategy in Wildfrost, which I think is one of its most unique traits. Where you place your cards and their position in relation to enemy cards is crucial. Every card has a countdown timer that ticks down with each move made, and when it’s up that card will trigger its attack or modifier or ability or what have you. This brief video explains it all well.

These countdown and positioning mechanics mean you need to be able to plan many steps ahead in Wildfrost. In this way the game reminds me a lot of those programming-based games like Human Resource Machine or even something like Factorio as you’re sort of planning out a chain of events based on your hand and the enemies you’re encountering. This isn’t the first or only game where positioning of your cards matters, but it certainly feels on a much different level than similar games and is one of the elements that makes this stand out from other roguelike deckbuilders.

As for the shortcomings mentioned earlier? Well, this game is capital H Hard, and often in a somewhat unfair, out-of-nowhere manner. There’s also a lot of instances where it feels like the game was designed around you having a specific set of cards to utilize for a certain battle or boss fight, and if the RNG doesn’t grant you those cards then you’re SOL. These are things that are par for the course in a game inspired by Rogue, but understandably not everyone’s cup of tea.

I think part of the difficulty concerns stem from players not fully exploring the options available to them by way of card upgrading and customization as well as specific synergies between cards played. Things that might feel like an unfair difficult spike or an unfair battle might actually just be expecting you to utilize some of the functionality of your units beyond their face value. This is where I think the game really finds its legs and gives you something to really learn and explore, and then use that knowledge in a very satisfying manner.

Of course, I’m just some guy who has only been playing Wildfrost for a couple of days, so my impressions could certainly change. Right now though I think this is a very strong option for those who enjoy games like Slay the Spire and its many contemporaries. I’ll also add that this port feels like a native mobile game in terms of UI and controls, an area where other mobile ports have felt lacking. It’s also totally free to try for yourself, and you can play up through the first boss before springing for a full game unlock. That means there’s really no good reason not to try out Wildfrost and see if its particular brand of roguelike deckbuilding tickles your fancy or not.

The big question though was when? When would we be seeing Slash Quest’s monumental return? Today we find out! And if you’re on Android, it’s even better news for you because Slash Quest is available on the Google Play Store right this very minute. The game did recently earn the Indie Games Fund from Google which helped enable it to receive new content and updates, so I guess getting a few weeks of exclusivity on Android makes sense. However, iOS players won’t be waiting all that long because its release date is planned for May 2nd, and it’s available for pre-order right now. There’s also a Steam version which is planned for release at some point in July. The iOS and Android versions are free to download with a one-time premium unlock of $4.99 for the whole game, but for the first two weeks there’ll be a launch sale where that unlock is just $3.99.

Art of Golf. (Free)

iTunes Description

Art of Golf is a stylized 2d golfing game with many game modes.
Play golf in tournaments and compete for high scores. Enjoy beautiful handcrafted landscapes with flying birds, moving clouds, particles and water effects. Apply spin to your golf ball to play trick shots and improve your scores.

There are also many extra sports: disc golf, footgolf, bowling, American football, hockey and even kubb! Art of Golf also includes many fun minigames: target practice, hit flags, crush apples, play with special golf balls and even golf on the moon!

Forum Thread: Art of Golf. (by Job Postma)

Bilateral! (Free)

iTunes Description

Quick daily word game! New puzzle every day. Easily share results with friends and family.

Free—without ads, accounts, logins, or passwords.

Forum Thread: Bilateral! (by Perplexed Games)

Boxes: Lost Fragments (Free)

iTunes Description

As a legendary thief, your next assignment lures you into a grand and lavish mansion. There you find a series of puzzle boxes, designed for an unknown purpose.

Soon signs begin to emerge that you are no longer in control of what is unfolding, and perhaps never were. You start to doubt if this is an ordinary residence or a containment facility of some sort. What should have been a quick in-and-out, gradually turns into your own harrowing struggle for freedom and answers.

Forum Thread: Boxes: Lost Fragments (by Snapbreak Games)

Builderment Idle (Free)

iTunes Description

Sit back and relax while your factory idly harvests, crafts, and sells items for you! Builderment Idle is a fun and casual take on the factory simulation genre.

In Builderment Idle players are tasked with managing the production of resources while keeping up with crafting them into valuable items ready for sale. The game’s intuitive mechanics allow players to upgrade their factories, enhancing production capacities and efficiency with each advancement.

As players progress they can explore new environments and purchase new factories to expand their operations and craft even more valuable items.

Forum Thread: Builderment Idle (by Builderment LLC)

Epic Win 2 ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Epic Win 2 is an iPhone app that puts the adventure back into your life. It’s a streamlined to-do list, to quickly note down all your everyday tasks, but with a role-playing spin. So rather than just ticking off your chores and reminders, completing each one earns you XP to improve and develop your character in an ongoing quest to improve stats, gain riches, and level-up. Also in this new revamped sequel you have a new magical world to explaire called Navarr.

Forum Thread: Epic Win 2 (by Banshee Apps)

Gridlock Dungeon ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Gridlock Dungeon is a single-player puzzle game in which you — the hero — attempt to clear creatures by traveling on an uninterrupted path through the grid. Progress through the dungeon depths and unlock additional creatures and mechanisms to test your puzzle-solving prowess.

Forum Thread: Gridlock Dungeon (by Red Hawk Games)

Home, Planet & Hunters (Free)

iTunes Description

We will provide for official hunters:
– At least 8 “Elite Hunters" to choose from: They’re all guys with stories, and you’ll like them, buddy.
– “Hunter Growth Support": The Hunter Association will provide various technical supports for growth. But you’ll have to figure out how to get better “Gear," teach “Teammates" the skills that suit them best, and thus build the team’s combat mix—just remember, there’s more than one way to be an excellent hunter!

Forum Thread: Home, Planet & Hunters (by Black Pearl Games)

Idle Beast Hunter (Free)

iTunes Description

As world got invaded by beasts, a few beast hunters awakened to protect what remains…

– Level up your statistics with drops from enemies !
– Level up abilities with their souls !
– Obtain randomly generated gears in Challenge mode !
– Wander the cave to discover secret relics and boost your stats !
– Optimise your equipped gear by comparing different tiers // sub stats,
– Collect different companions with special skills to assist you in your fight ! (First update will come with a companion Gacha, bringing more various gameplay !)
– Compete for the first spot in the stage ranking !
– Unlimited progression through gear scaling and sidekick collection (and more in future updates !)

Forum Thread: Idle Beast Hunter (by Maximilien Ludwig KURTEN)

Katana of Rin (Free)

iTunes Description

Amidst the whispers of cherry blossoms in a village steeped in samurai lore, a girl with a relentless dream awakens an ancient evil. Now, she must slice through darkness to become the greatest samurai in ‘Katana of Rin.’ Navigate treacherous lands, from dense woods where shadows loom, to temples where secrets whisper, and frozen peaks that touch the sky. Each step on this 2D action RPG adventure demands precision, skill, and strategic mastery of the katana.

Forum Thread: Katana of Rin (by Serhii Maley)

Lonesome Village ($5.99)

iTunes Description

Puzzle-solving adventure with social simulation

Lonesome Village is a cozy, quiet town struggling to rebuild after a strange calamity wiped out their homes.

Take the role of Wes, the coyote, and help bring this village back from the brink of destruction in a puzzle-filled life sim!

Forum Thread: Lonesome Village (by Ogre Pixel)

The Mystery of Eigengrau (Free)

iTunes Description

Uncover the Eigengrau’s mystery, destroy the cult, and rescue your brother!

Embark on a bone-chilling, atmospheric journey through The Mystery of Eigengrau, where horror permeates every moment. As you navigate a cursed forest, the very essence of scary horror permeates each moment, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Survival becomes a constant companion in this escape room of nightmares, testing your instincts against spine-chilling encounters.

Forum Thread: The Mystery of Eigengrau (by Gabriel Moldovan)

PreCats! (Free)

iTunes Description

Level Up by Idle! A Great Adventure RPG with Cute Cats!

Play Idle, Easy and Simple Super Level Up RPG for Cute PreCats!

PreCats Save the World!?
Defeat monsters in search of simmered mackerel!!!

Forum Thread: PreCats! (by Ignition M)

Shift II ($4.99)

iTunes Description

“The Hyperspatial Directive Node has been upgraded to a subdermal implant. All of its original functionality remains in place, quite literally at your fingertips. Please report any itching, spontaneous combustion or redness to your supervisor immediately.”

A sequel to 2022’s award nominated puzzle game for the Playdate, Shift II takes the familiar and adds all new mechanics, strategy and ways to play, and now on your phone! And sort of in color!

Forum Thread: Shift II (by Scenic Route Software)

Simple Match 3 ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Swap tiles and make matches of 3 to clear levels. Unlock hundreds of unique tiles and customize to fit your style. Discover a variety of different elements and mechanics as you progress through the game. Use satisfying boosters and power ups.

Unlike most match-3 games, Simple Match 3 was created to give players a relaxing and satisfying experience, without annoying ads or obnoxious effects.

Forum Thread: Simple Match 3 (by Mulberry Tree Games)

Skate Fish (Free)

iTunes Description

From the makers of BOMBFEST, welcome to a world where the only way to catch dope fish is to impress them! Customize your character, board, and fishing rod, and ride your way through seven chill environments, each with its own species to angle and rad obstacles to skate. Use two-finger touch controls to flip your board, grind ledges, and perform aerials and sick tricks as you become a skate-fishing legend by catching dozens of captious carp, bass, trout and other fish to help populate the local aquarium.

Forum Thread: Skate Fish (by Whitethorn Digital)

Taco: Hamster Hero (Free)

iTunes Description

Taco the Hamster’s once peaceful home is under attack! Creatures threaten every corner!
Drawn by destiny and the whispers of the wind, Taco the Hamster rises as the beacon of hope!
As a brave warrior and survivor with immense courage, join Taco on an epic journey to defeat the menacing foes and restore peace!

The adversaries are cunning and vast in number – one false move and it might be Taco’s last stand!
But, against all odds and with the will to survive, Taco’s determination and your skills will pave the path to victory!

Forum Thread: Taco: Hamster Hero (by Global Outlier)

The Things We See in Space ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Long ago, humans engineered Novas for cosmic exploration. These Novas, known as cosmic explorers, were designed to unveil the universe. After messages ceased, humans assumed the Novas vanished in space. However, the Novas never stopped exploring the wonders ahead. Alone in the quiet expanse, one Nova yearned for companionship. Initiating conversations with itself, Nova created a new companion. Together, they embarked into the unknown.

Forum Thread: The Things We See in Space (by Gary Leonard)

Wildfrost (Free)

iTunes Description

Take on the elements in Wildfrost, a tactical roguelike deckbuilder! Journey across a frozen tundra, collecting cards strong enough to banish the eternal winter…

The sun has frozen over. The world has succumbed to the Wildfrost. Now only the town of Snowdwell and its survivors stand as the last bastion against an eternal winter… Build up a deck of powerful card companions and elemental items, as you battle to banish the frost once and for all!

Forum Thread: Wildfrost (by Chucklefish/Deadpan Games)

Well, that was a LONG time ago, and over the years Super Monsters Ate My Condo fell into disrepair and eventually disappeared from the App Store. Sometimes I would wonder to myself, did it ever really exist at all? Or was it just some weird fever dream I had in my early 30s? This week brings confirmation that it was in fact real, and it was in fact spectacular, as PikPok has revived Super Monsters Ate My Condo for re-release here in 2024 both by way of Apple Arcade as well as a good old-fashioned regular free to try App Store release.

You know, I never really thought about it before, but when Reigns released in 2016 everyone (including ourselves) were quick to praise it for using Tinder’s “swipe left or right" controls in a video game. But! Monsters Ate My Condo did it first! In fact, maybe the creators of Tinder themselves were actually inspired by it back in 2011? Whatever the case, the controls still work as good as they always have and make for a nearly perfect mobile gaming experience for those who like to bust their iPhone out and play a quick game or two one-handed.

As for a deep dive into the actual mechanics, well, let me refer you all the way back to my original 5 star review of Super Monsters Ate My Condo from 2012. I haven’t been able to play the original in so long that it’s hard to tell exactly what details are different between it and this new re-release, if any, but the broad strokes all still apply. One change I can note though is that the original game had IAP, which was somewhat controversial at the time, but this new version does not. Obviously the Apple Arcade version doesn’t, but the regular App Store version is also a free to download demo with just a one-time premium unlock. So for AA subscribers and non-subscribers alike, there’s no reason not to check out one of the early-ish App Store’s best matching games, or re-check out if you were a fan like I was all those years ago.

As you can read if you venture over to YouTube and check out the description for the video, Flux went on to become a semi-celebrity after the heroic events of the first Crashlands, and travelled the galaxy doing interviews and meet-and-greets like some sort of almost-forgotten child actor from the ’80s that was in that one famous movie that one time. This was fun at first but eventually wore poor Flux out, so her and Juicebox decided to head back to their home planet to bask in the warmth and love of their friends and ride out the rest of their days on their former glory. But, well, their arrival didn’t quite go as planned. I’m unbelievably excited for Crashlands 2 and can’t wait for some sort of announcement about its release date, which as far as I know should still be sometime this year.

Afterimage Mobile ($4.19)

iTunes Description

A great deity created the world named Engardin, leaving four goliaths before her departure. The Goliaths abided by their different divine callings and upheld the order and flow of this world. Hence, the lives in Engardin reincarnated and multiplied.

Humans were the last creation, and their ever-expanding ambitions led to a protracted war against the Goliaths. Engardin was engulfed in flames, until a huge explosion known as “The Razing" devastated the Holy Grounds of mankind and brought a swift end to the conflict. But the divine order was broken, and lives withered away. The age of mankind came to an end.

Forum Thread: Afterimage Mobile (by Netera Entertainment)

ASTRA: Knights of Veda (Free)

iTunes Description

Fantasy is inherently brutal, yet therein lies its haunting beauty. ASTRA: Knights of Veda soars beyond the boundaries of fantasy as you know it.

The continent wilts under the tyranny of ‘Mad King’ Magnus, shrouded in death and anguish. Guided by Veda’s wings, the new ‘Master of the Book’ steps out into the darkness. Embark on an adventure through a world filled with mystery and allure, and turn the pages of a grand tale of fate entwined.

Forum Thread: ASTRA: Knights of Veda (by HYBE IM Co.)

Cardio Quest (Free)

iTunes Description

Cardio Quest is a fantasy role-playing video game that challenges players to get active and improve their health. By tracking heart rate during exercise, players do battle while they work out in real life. Watch your Hero slay monsters as you get fit and earn epic loot. Follow friends, rank on leaderboards, track your workouts, and level up as you turn your workouts into gaming marathons.

Forum Thread: Cardio Quest (by Press Forward Games)

Dark Tap RPG ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Embark on an epic journey into the depths of a thrilling dark RPG adventure where heroes are born from the shadows.
“Why are you drawn to darkness over light? Your subconscious has been calling you. Deep within lies your inner hero, once shunned as a demon, waiting to be awakened."
Dive into the darkness and unleash the power of your hidden shadows, leaving behind the pretenders and embracing your destiny as a true hero.

Forum Thread: Dark Tap RPG (by Su Min Kim)

Devil War (Free)

iTunes Description

A 3D sniper shooting game with science fiction, enjoy the fierce battles.

Devil War is a 3D first-person shooting game. Doom is coming, take your sniper, ready to eliminate all devils and save human! Experience the sniper action game! Are you ready for the challenges?

Forum Thread: Devil War (by 707 Interactive)

Garden Walk (Free)

iTunes Description

It’s a garden and a pedometer! The more you walk, the more your plants grow.

Looking for a fun walking app that will get you out of the house and into nature? Get your step on to collect new seeds, watch your flowers grow, breed new varieties of flowers, and share your garden with your friends!

Garden Walk requires HealthKit in order to read your step count.

Forum Thread: Garden Walk (by Bodeville)

Idle Aquaria: Ocean Evolution (Free)

iTunes Description

You are a Blob. You have to eat, so you can become something… bigger! A microbe? A fish? A mighty fantastical beast? Continue eating to find out what you will become!
Explore over 50 different creatures and relax as you watch them thrive in their natural habitat.

Forum Thread: Idle Aquaria: Ocean Evolution (by Amberbite)

Lona: Realm Of Colors ($0.99)

iTunes Description

“Lona: Realm of Colors” is a point-and-click adventure in nature focusing on art and narration instead of fetch puzzles and dialogue. Each level is an abstraction of Lona’s story and it is up to you to bring peace and balance to her painting and find out what has happened to her.

Each level has two sides: a chaotic side represented by Ms. Schmidt the cat and a dark side represented by Mr. Ruppel the crow. You can switch between the two worlds at will and try to bring balance to these extreme interpretations of a single situation. You can use items from each side in the other, and everything you do might affect both worlds. There will be 14 unique scenes from Lona’s memory and paintings each having two sides.

Forum Thread: Lona: Realm Of Colors (by SpaceFox Studio)

Lost Potato (Free)

iTunes Description

Reflect bullets, eliminate enemies, and help the potato escapes the jungle.

Introducing Lost Potato, an immersive gaming experience that stands as a prequel to the renowned Brotato series!Positioned within the same thematic universe, Lost Potato offers a captivating storyline that unveils the origins of Brotato.

Lost Potato is a minimalistic top-down roguelite where you can’t damage enemies directly. Push them into spikes, reflect bullets, and help a young potato find its way out of a jungle filled with man-eating tribes!

Forum Thread: Lost Potato (by Erabit Studios)

Roguesphere (Free)

iTunes Description

Roguesphere is a game where you shove foes and conquer worlds with one finger.

The whole universe is against you, but you fight anyway. Travel around planets, smash through anything in your way, and get back up no matter what.

Forum Thread: Roguesphere (by Renz Corp.)

Super Monsters Ate My Condo (Free)

iTunes Description

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the weirdest, wackiest, and most fantastic game show in the universe! Introducing our cast: LADY FEROCIOUS, REGINALD STARFIRE, BOAT HEAD, MR. SHIGOTO, and least of all our most promising contestant yet… YOU!

Super Monsters Ate My Condo is back for a second helping… again! The BAFTA-nominated chaotic action puzzle game makes its glorious return to mobile with updated visuals and original unforgettably addictive gameplay.

Forum Thread: Super Monsters Ate My Condo (by PikPok)

Swamp Attack 2 (Free)

iTunes Description

Our friend Slow Joe is just sittin’ on his porch, minding his own business, when a swarm of mutant ‘gators attack! Good job he’s got access to firearms, but he’s going to need a whole lot of help and a whole lot of ammo this time around…

DEFEND JOE’S SWAMP!

These monsters mean business and they’re racing straight towards Joe’s cabin in this awesome tower defense game. First they’re coming for the swamp, then the entire world, so show no mercy and kick them OFF your private property!

Forum Thread: Swamp Attack 2 (by Moving Eye)

Sword Sonata ($2.99)

iTunes Description

This is a fast-paced roguelike dungeon-crawling turn-based game where you plan your battles by arranging skill actions and defeating enemies. Throughout your adventure, you’ll acquire new actions, upgrade skills, and collect items.

Forum Thread: Sword Sonata (by Jampot Software)

Teeny Tiny Trains (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome aboard Teeny Tiny Trains, where you’re the conductor of your very own miniature railway empire! This game is your ticket to becoming a master of the tracks, blending strategy and puzzle-solving into a locomotive adventure.

Your mission is to strategically place tracks on the board, connecting them to guide your tiny trains from one station to the next. Starting with simple rail pieces, you’ll engineer a network that’s both functional and fantastic, steering through challenges and chugging towards success.

Forum Thread: Teeny Tiny Trains (by Short Circuit Studio)

Twinworld Survivor ($2.99)

iTunes Description

In this profit-driven era, we found ourselves entangled in the swamp of commercialized gaming. However, as time passed, we realized it wasn’t what we truly desired. Pay-to-win games, the incredibly difficult designs forced for payments, and the seemingly futile efforts in the eyes of whale players… Can these truly bring joy to players? The clear answer is no.

After much contemplation, we decided to veer away from the wrong path. Thus, this anti-“pay-to-win" game was born at this moment. We transformed in-app purchases into the gaming experience. Players unlock features and all the game content that usually requires payment by cracking the game with the hacker, defeating the coercive power of the “pay-to-win" boss, and ultimately helping the game dev realize the meaning of true game design.

Forum Thread: Twinworld Survivor (by Playbest Limited)

This definitely feels like an arcade-first experience built into the outlines of a farming game, and I am super here for it. The combo-based farming and slew of power-ups give Super Farming Boy a heavy emphasis on action which sounds like a nice change of pace from the slower, more methodical farming games that typically require patience. I also really dig the wacky characters, animations, and overall art style which isn’t surprising coming from the same developer that brought us the likes of Floyd’s Sticker Squad and Tower Power – Flick’em Up. No hard release date is set for Super Farming Boy just yet, but you can Wishlist the PC version over on Steam to keep tabs on its progress or you can sign up to beta test over on the game’s official website, and once we know a firm date for the mobile release we’ll let you know.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

The top-down arcade racer with tons of traffic and destruction is now on the App Store.

If barreling down a highway at high speeds while dodging and weaving through traffic sounds like fun, Speed Demons is the game for you.

Featuring a huge variety of modes and vehicles across hundreds of races, it’s better than ever and now available for $5 on the App Store!

Show Notes:

• ‘Suika Game – Aladdin X’ Review – Merging Multiple Melons is Marvelous on Mobile
• ‘Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective’ Remaster Now Available on iOS and Android Worldwide From Capcom

Besides not technically being a “new" release Suika Game is also kind of an odd pick for a Game of the Week because it was only last month that we chose Galaxy Mix as our Game of the Week, a game that was openly and proudly inspired by Suika Game and did its darndest to put its own unique twists on the “merging large spherical-shaped objects" formula. Indeed, Galaxy Mix is excellent, and does have a handful of cool features that are not present in Suika Game proper. However, as someone who didn’t play the original on Switch or in its somewhat janky web-based form, this week has been my first experience with the real-deal Suika Game, and I’ve got to say… I think I like it more.

There’s just something different about the physics of Suika Game compared to Galaxy Mix and similar titles. It’s very hard to explain but having been jumping back and forth between the two games all week, comparing and contrasting, they are most definitely quite different from one another in terms of feel. And while the power-ups and combo scoring in Galaxy Mix are neat features that do differentiate it, I’m feeling more drawn to the purity of Suika Game. This is a no-frills high-score chaser, and the lack of combos means I’m not accidentally creating a sticky situation for myself trying to build up a huge chain reaction, and no power-ups keeps my focus squarely on the space management of the jar and not hoping in the back of my mind that I’ll get bailed out of that sticky situation thanks to a lucky power-up.

On the flip side, it’s only fair to point out what I think Galaxy Mix does better than in Suika Game. Namely this has to do with controls. Galaxy Mix has a relative touch scheme, meaning you can drag anywhere on the screen to move your little aimer line. This is nice if you want to move your hand out of the way to see what’s going on and then make a move. In Suika Game the aimer line snaps to wherever you touch on the screen, so on more than one occasion I’ve found myself taking my thumb off the screen to plan my next move and then having the aimer snap to a location I wasn’t expecting when I put my thumb back to make that move, thus dropping a fruit somewhere I wasn’t intending to. This can REALLY screw up a game, but it’s a pretty minor nitpick and I’m starting to get used to it. Still, a relative touch option would be most welcome.

A cool option in Suika Game that’s not in Galaxy Mix is the ability to play in landscape if you want. This somewhat addresses the issue I mention above since in landscape you control the game with virtual buttons, either movement arrows and a drop button flanking either side of the play area or all controls on either the left or right side of the play area for ambidextrous one-handed landscape play. Obviously the game is inherently suited to portrait orientation given the shape of the play area, and you’d have to be a borderline psychopath to WANT to play in landscape mode, but I appreciate that the option is there for all the sickos out there. I kid, I kid.

I really do think the two games are different enough that they’ll both find a permanent spot on my phone for the foreseeable future, but after binging on Galaxy Mix for a month straight and kind of burning myself out, Suika Game is offering a nice change of pace while still having that “one more go" gameplay that’s easy to pick up and play but hard to put away. Gosh, that was like every mobile game cliche in one sentence, but I stand by it. If you’re a Galaxy Mix fan I think it’s worth the few bucks to see what the OG is all about, and if you’re a Suika Game hardcore then it’s well worth plopping a buck down to see what the competition brings to the table. One thing’s for sure, we’re well-served in the “merging large spherical-shaped objects" genre on mobile and I ain’t complaining. Finally, this piece was heavily a comparison between two specific games since that is the perspective I was coming from personally, but for a more general look at Suika Game on its own check out our review and maybe even learn a thing or two with our tips and tricks guide.

AFK Journey (Free)

iTunes Description

Step into Esperia, a fantasy world full of magic—a lone seed of life meandering among the sea of stars. And on Esperia, it took root. As the river of time flowed, the once all-powerful gods fell. As the seed grew, each branch sprouted leaves, which became the races of Esperia.
You will play as the legendary mage Merlin and experience strategically tactical battles. It’s time to dive into an unexplored world and embark on a journey to unlock a hidden mystery together with the heroes of Esperia.

Forum Thread: AFK Journey (by Farlight Games)

Azmar Quest (Free)

iTunes Description

Azmar Quest is an Old School RPG, offering both a Text RPG adventure and a Turn Based RPG strategy game experience. It’s set in a fantasy world called Azmar, where the danger is around the corner.

You can play it offline (single player story) or online (PvP and Co-op).

Forum Thread: Azmar Quest (Old School RPG) (by S-Games & Apps)

Bunny Haven (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to Bunny Haven, where the enchantment of bunnies knows no bounds! Hop into this adorable bunny game, where you take the reins of a bunny rescue sanctuary. Adopt adorable rescue bunnies, transform your garden into their loving haven, operate a cozy cafe, and play matchmaker for customers and bunnies!

Forum Thread: Bunny Haven (by Runaway Play)

Cerulean Blitz (Free)

iTunes Description

In this game, you play as a champion of the sea, fighting your way through hordes of enemies to defeat three other champions and become the new king of the sea.

One of the game’s most exciting features is the ability to customize your character’s weapons, allowing you to discover the most effective strategy for defeating each level. This dynamic feature ensures that each run is unique and personalized to your preferences.

Get yourself ready to explore the depths of the ocean, fight challenging monsters, and become the next champion of the seas in Cerulean Blitz.

Forum Thread: Cerulean Blitz (by Oaks Games Studio)

Cosmic Robots ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Prepare for an epic tower defense showdown as you defend your planet against waves of incoming robot invaders! Strategically place powerful turrets armed with lasers, plasma balls, rockets, and more along the pathway connecting your planet to the enemy’s.

Lead an army of diverse robots, each with its specialized weaponry and tactics. From sleek drones to hulking tanks and towering walkers, every unit brings a unique edge to the battlefield. Unleash laser-guided rockets, and beware colossal big bosses armed with plasma cannons. The fate of your planet hangs in the balance as you repel the metallic invaders and secure victory.​

Forum Thread: Cosmic Robots (by Aniode)

Farming Simulator Kids ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Farming Fun For The Little Ones

Farming Simulator Kids introduces the growing generation to the colorful and fun world of farming and blooming nature – educating and entertaining them in a child-friendly and sheltered environment. Suited for all ages and easy to play.

Forum Thread: Farming Simulator Kids (by GIANTS Software)

Firesky (Free)

iTunes Description

FIRESKY, is a fantasy RPG that allows players to collect heroes and cards as they battle enemies and other guardians in an extensive story or in the PVP arena.
The rich story is a captivating tale, about a diverse cast of characters on an epic quest to destroy the ultimate threat in the multiverse, the Demon King and his formidable army.
Season one follows Keiko, a princess born in blood, who seeks revenge for the death of her parents and will stop at nothing until she battles the Demon King himself.

Forum Thread: Firesky (by Blue Dragon Entertainment)

Ghost Trick Remastered (Free)

iTunes Description

“Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective" was created by Shu Takumi, the creator of the Ace Attorneyseries, and is now back in a long-requested HD remaster of the original 2010 release!
Yasumasa Kitagawa, the popular composer who created the music for “The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles," has created a remastered 1-to-1 soundtrack for the entire game. Players can seamlessly switch between the original and remastered soundtracks.
Additionally, new extra features such as the “Illustrations" and “Music" features have been added. Tonight, we rise from the dead!

Forum Thread: Ghost Trick Remastered (by Capcom)

Nebula Navigator (Free)

iTunes Description

From the creators of Idle Dyson swarm this game brings an alternate perspective as you battle the corporation in an effort to stop them from wiping out entire galaxies!

Forum Thread: Nebula Navigator (by Blindsided Games)

Oh My Anne (Free)

iTunes Description

Oh my Anne is finally here! Join Anne in a relaxing puzzle adventure at Green Gables. Match, renovate, and enjoy a heartwarming story. Zen-like puzzle journey awaits.

EMBARK ON A HEARTWARMING JOURNEY WITH ANNE

Dive into the charming world of “Oh My Anne", where puzzles, fun, and adventure intertwine.
Experience Anne Shirley’s endearing story in Green Gables, brought to life in a beautiful puzzle game that’s both relaxing and stimulating.

Forum Thread: Oh My Anne (by NEOWIZ)

Squarelets (Free)

iTunes Description

Easy to get and engaging for hours! Experience a seamless blend of art and engineering in this award winning game:

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY
Tap on the squares to uncover more details hidden behind the pixelation – and guess which of the 6 images below is the hidden one! You’ll never run out of new puzzles and can play completely offline!

Forum Thread: Squarelets (by Chaos Cookie)

Stone Age: Digital Edition ($7.99)

iTunes Description

Lead your Tribe through the Stone Age to build human civilization’s foundation!

Forge your way through prehistory and build the foundation of human civilization. How bright is humanity’s future? It depends on You!
Lead your tribe through the Stone Age!

Forum Thread: Stone Age: Digital Edition (by Acram Digital)

Strange Horticulture ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.

Forum Thread: Strange Horticulture (by Plug in Digital)

Suika Game ($2.99)

iTunes Description

The rules are simple. It’s a game where you combine two small fruits to make a bigger one and work towards making a watermelon. You must be careful that the fruits do not overflow from the box as you keep scoring points and aim to get a high score. When two fruits of the same type hit each other, the fruit type “evolves.” Then, when you hit two watermelons against each other…!?
The ranking is updated every day! Have fun aiming for the top ranking!

Forum Thread: Suika Game (by Aladdin X)

WizUp! ($4.99)

iTunes Description

WizUp! is a wizard idle / incremental / resource management game: kill enemies, collect resources, purchase upgrades, prestige, and repeat!

Start slow and grow stronger, and play at your own pace! Discover over 45 different resources, upgrades, and items with unique mechanics. Here are some of the mechanics you will discover along the way:

Forum Thread: WizUp! (by TopCog LLC)

World of Warships: Legends (Free)

iTunes Description

Command historical warships in the battleship experience! Step aboard legendary vessels like the Yamato, Bismarck, Iowa, Atlanta, and Massachusetts from WW2 as you engage in battles on the high seas. In World of Warships: Legends, you’ll find an impressive roster of more than 400 historical warships representing 10 diverse nations. Choose and command the warship that aligns most with your personal style as you navigate and engage in epic battles.

Forum Thread: World of Warships: Legends (by Wargaming.net)

Zerko ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Make every number a zero!

Some call it reverse sudoku, while others call it a nullification game, but it’s Zerko – a puzzle game filled with shapes, numbers, and a straightforward goal: make every number zero.

To achieve this, you need to strategically place blocks of various shapes and values so that the numbers on the board effectively “remove up" to zero.

Forum Thread: Zerko (by Maciej Targoni/RainbowTrain)

As already mentioned, Lonesome Village has been available on other platforms for some time now, and it has garnered a positive reception for its super chill and almost relaxing puzzle-based adventuring. Like A Tiny Sticker Tale it’s not a terribly long game or anything, but that’s more than alright by me I say as I eye my never-ending backlog. This also feels like a game that will be well-suited to mobile. The plan is to release the iOS version of Lonesome Village on April 11th, and if you so desire you can pre-order the game right now for a price of $5.99 so you can be on the forefront of playing this mobile version when it hits. I myself really enjoyed A Tiny Sticker Tale so am very looking forward to Lonesome Village’s iOS release in just a couple of weeks.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

We’ve been down this road plenty of times before. A developer takes a well-known mechanic and implements it into an roguelike game making for something that’s easy to grasp and immediately accessible but also filled with layers and layers of depth. The closest parallel I can draw is the King Cashing games which used slot machines as the core of its battling system. Slice & Dice works very similarly. Each member of your party has its own dice that is rolled before each turn. What’s on each side of the dice can vary wildly, but generally you’ll be looking for an attack or defense action.

You can lock in a dice’s action after a roll or you can try to re-roll and get something else. You have limited re-rolls so if you aren’t careful you can get stuck with something you didn’t really want, but that’s also part of the strategy. Once you’ve rolled and locked in your choices for each party member you then perform each of their actions on the enemy or enemies in front of you. Once each member has taken their turn it’s the enemy’s chance to go, and things go back and forth like that until one side is wiped out. Hopefully the enemy’s side.

This isn’t necessarily Earth-shaking stuff here! It’s a very competent set of base mechanics built around the novelty of dice rolls, but that could describe just about every RPG in existence. No, where Slice & Dice truly shines is in its mind-boggling depth in terms of character builds, items, abilities, and weapons. It just does. Not. End. Each face of each of the dice can be upgraded or customized, there’s a seemingly endless stream of class types for your party members, there’s practically always some new item or spell or something happening after every battle. It’s almost unbelievable.

This is a game you can just kick back and play… forever, I guess? I mean, it’s a game you can “beat" by making it through all 20 battles including a ferocious final boss battle, but like any roguelike worth its salt it’s not really about the destination but the journey. With so many directions your party can grow, with so much reliant on the RNG of rolling dice, with so many varieties of enemies to learn and plan around, this is just a game that doesn’t seem like it’s going to get old anytime soon.

Slice & Dice was originally a landscape-oriented game, and it does feel most natural in that position, but this new iOS release does feature portrait orientation support and holy smokes does that make this an easy “go to" game. It switches on the fly so pick your poison depending on your current mood. You also can try out the game completely for free, with access to the “Easy" route which features just 12 battles instead of 20, and WAY less stuff like items and enemies and whatnot. But it’s more than enough to decide if this is a game for you, and a one-time unlock of $8.99 gets you the full enchilada, so not hesitate to give Slice & Dice’s free version a go.

Color options are great and all, but this slight release date delay is also allowing for full Chinese and Japanese localizations courtesy of Astrolabe Games, and more people in more places being able to enjoy a video game is always worth the extra wait. If you haven’t been following along with Yolk Heroes, it tries to mimic the experience of raising a virtual pet a la the Tamagotchis that were all the rage back in the ’90s or so, but once you’ve raised your little virtual pet, or in this case an actual elf child, you’ll then send your offspring out into the world to do RPG things, like battling and finding treasures and whatnot. And yes, your beloved can and probably will die during the course of their adventures, in which case you’ll need to hatch another elf baby out of an egg and start the process over again. Circle of life and all that. Man! I’m so excited for this one! April 30th can’t come soon enough.

Airport Boss (Free)

iTunes Description

Ready to embark on your Airport journey?? Drag & drop the passengers to their respective queues and help them board their flight before the timer runs out!

Fasten your seat belts, and get ready to board your passengers before the flight takes off!

Manage the passengers at your airport and guide them through all the processes like Check-in, Security, Immigration, and finally Boarding! Level-up to different airports, and have fun managing passengers, baggages and planes!

Forum Thread: Airport Boss (by Spiel Studios)

Blood Strike (Free)

iTunes Description

Run & Gun your way to the top in solo or coop! Do you have what it takes to be the last one standing? Smooth firefights optimized for a wide range of devices await!

Intuitive Controls. World Class Precision.
Aiming, shooting, running and gliding in Blood Strike are the smoothest you can experience in a mobile FPS. Let nothing stand between you and that perfect victory.

Forum Thread: Blood Strike (by NetEase Games)

Boomerang RPG: Watch out, Dude! (Free)

iTunes Description

Hundreds of years ago… There was a place called Dude World.
Some demons started attacking out of nowhere, like they always do in these sorts of games…
Like a hero in the legends, a brilliant baby Dude was born in the Dude World.
The baby, as if it wanted to show everyone how capable it was,
firmly gripped a boomerang flying straight towards him!

Forum Thread: Boomerang RPG: Watch out, Dude! (by SuperPlanet)

Bravo! Digital Edition ($3.99)

iTunes Description

Play the digital edition on the popular dice game now!

Bravo! is an ingenious, addictive game featuring an enhanced scoring pad and seven dice, including a special die with exciting effects, for endless variations and opportunities. Players must roll dice and choose which boxes to fill in to maximize their points on the scoring pad.

Forum Thread: Bravo! Digital Edition (by Outline Development)

Brick Mini Golf (Free)

iTunes Description

Get the brick in the hole. Touch and drag to shoot. Tilt to add some spin. Billions of procedurally generated holes make every game different.

Play today’s course theme as much as you like. Smash stuff in a Museum today, come back and play a new style tomorrow! Watch for traps in the Dungeon, fun gravity on the Moon Base, squishy tentacles in the Aquarium, and more. Every style has unique challenges.

Forum Thread: Brick Mini Golf (by Headlight)

Call of Duty Warzone Mobile (Free)

iTunes Description

Call of Duty®: Warzone Mobile is here! Drop into real Call of Duty® action with innovative FPS Battle Royale mobile gameplay, featuring Call of Duty®: Warzone style combat and weapons with real graphics.

Explore iconic Battle Royale maps, Verdansk and Rebirth Island. Enter Shipment, Shoot House, and Scrapyard, the most exhilarating Multiplayer maps in Call of Duty®, built to handle the most intense firefights. Powered by Call of Duty technology, fight your way through Call of Duty®: Warzone Mobile to level up your weapons, earn shared XP, and bring them to Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone for the ultimate connected Call of Duty experience.

Forum Thread: Call of Duty Warzone Mobile (by Activision)

CookieRun: Witch’s Castle (Free)

iTunes Description

Clear dynamic tap-to-blast levels and explore the mysterious and enchanting Witch’s Castle. But watch out! Traces of the witch are everywhere, and dangers lurk around every corner! Team-up with the Cookies to explore and discover the secrets of the Witch’s Castle!

GingerBrave has escaped from the oven, only to discover he is trapped in a castle filled with magical oddities and terrible traces of the witch! Help in his quest to navigate through the castle and lend a helping hand to the denizens he meets along the way. Can you successfully aid GingerBrave in his quest to escape this deliciously spooky castle?!

Forum Thread: CookieRun: Witch’s Castle (by Devsisters)

Deep in the Woods ($2.99)

iTunes Description

A classical tale of a family search, players will experience the changing seasons of the year and explore the scenarios in the beauty of the seasons.

“Deep in the woods" is a different kind of point-and-click puzzle game, like a beautiful painting. Players can use dragging and swiping the screen to explore the well-designed scenes in depth. This special gameplay experience will make the interactive puzzle sessions more interesting while enhancing the visual perception and sense of immersion.

Forum Thread: Deep in the Woods (by CottonGame Co.)

Duel Revolution (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to Duel Revolution, the ultimate monster battling MMO!

In this game, you will explore the island of Bitacora filled with all kinds of monsters, known as Evo. Catch and train these creatures to become the strongest Evo duelist and engage in intense real-time battles against other players.

Forum Thread: Duel Revolution (by Game Matter)

GOKA Street (Free)

iTunes Description

Hello. We’re here.

Now, who are you? A striker unstoppable, a defense like a wall, a goalie of impossible saves?! Just follow the call and climb up the career ladders, GOKA Street challenges you!

Be the next big player!

Forum Thread: GOKA Street (by Blay Games)

Golden Goal: Soccer Squad (Free)

iTunes Description

Get ready for a fresh spin on on-the-go soccer strategy! Choose your coach, draft the perfect team, and unleash them on the field in tournaments that combine the strategy of soccer management with the fast-paced fun of mobile PvP real-time tactics games.

Forum Thread: Golden Goal: Soccer Squad (by Humble Bundle)

Granola Jumps (Free)

iTunes Description

Tap the screen to kick the eggshell at the right moment and make more jumps!

How many jumps can you make?

Forum Thread: Granola Jumps (by Guilhermo Barretti)

Hades (Free)

iTunes Description

Slash your way through an ever-changing Underworld to ditch the afterlife in this dungeon crawler, with the Greek gods rooting you on. And when you die trying? Try again.

Your quest awaits: As the immortal Prince of the Underworld, you’ll fight through a dungeon maze full of deadly hazards — and confront your daddy issues — to reach your destiny in an action-packed roguelike RPG inspired by Greek mythology. This award-winning adventure weaves together heart-pounding combat with richly intricate storytelling and artwork.

Forum Thread: Hades (by Supergiant Games)

Howl (Free)

iTunes Description

Howl is a turn-based tactical folktale set in medieval times. A sinister “howling plague" has ravaged the land, turning all who hear it into feral beasts. You play a deaf heroine plunging into danger in search of a cure.

Plan up to six steps in advance to outmaneuver your opponents: wolfish creatures filled with hunger and rage. Various types of fiends are lurking in the shadows, each of them possessing different abilities and their own levels of vitality. So, you need to consider carefully the strategy that will bring them to their knees.

Forum Thread: Howl (by Mi’pu’mi Games/astragon Entertainment)

Monster Never Cry (Free)

iTunes Description

Join Monster Never Cry for amazing rewards and embark on a revolutionary anti-hero RPG journey!

Dear [Demon Lord], the time has come to assemble your [Devil Legion] and rebuild the Exiled City from the ruins. Let us reshape [destiny] by crushing the Warriors led by the Hero King!

Join other Demon Lords from around the world to uncover the truth behind the invasion of [Askr]. With your mighty power, we believe that Monsters will never cry.

Forum Thread: Monster Never Cry (by Boltray Games)

Otter’s Odyssey (Free)

iTunes Description

Help the lost otter get out of the forest! Due to a storm, it was trapped in a dense jungle and separated from its friends.

Make your way to victory! Defeat ferocious monsters with your courage and confidence and use your jumping and dodging skills.

Don’t lose your heart, little otter! your friends are waiting to reunite with you.

Forum Thread: Otter’s Odyssey (by Otter’s Adventure Limited)

Pipunka The Jumper ($0.99)

iTunes Description

Pipunka The Jumper is an exciting mobile game that transports you into a world of thrilling adventures. In this charming platformer, you control the adorable round protagonist named Pipunka, who is on a mission to rescue his yellow friends from evil wasps who have kidnapped them. The game offers engaging gameplay, beautiful graphics, and interesting levels that will test your skills and reflexes. Join Pipunka on his captivating journey and help him free his friends!

Forum Thread: Pipunka The Jumper (by Volodymyr Vlasenko)

Shields Defend (Free)

iTunes Description

Get the highest score on this arcade game.

Rotate the shields to block bullets (red spheres), but avoid and collect shield restoration (& other) bonuses.

Rotation is by tilting the play device. The control scheme can be changed to using touch on left/right side of the device in the settings menu.

Forum Thread: Shields Defend (by BleatBleat)

Slice & Dice (Free)

iTunes Description

Tactical dice-rolling roguelike combat. Take control of 5 heroes, each with their own unique dice. Fight your way through 20 levels of monsters and try to take on the final boss. If you lose a single fight you have to start over so be careful (and lucky!).

Forum Thread: Slice & Dice (by Oliver Garland)

Speed Demons ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Speed Demons is the ultimate highway racing simulator, with breakneck speeds, amazing physics-based crashes, and the most intense TRAFFIC ever seen in a video game. Featuring hundreds of events, tons of varied vehicles, endless highways, and 11 gameplay modes, this is the top-down, physics-based racing game the world has been waiting for.

Forum Thread: Speed Demons (by Radiangames)

Vermitron ($2.99)

iTunes Description

They’re coming! Get ready to defend your lovely flower from invading insect! Prepare your bug spray, call your holo-pet, fortify your base and don’t forget your mission: find the watering-can!
Vermitron is a retro-styled arcade twin-stick shooter with tower defense elements inspired by the classic titles like Robotron, Smash TV, Gauntlet or Pssst from ZX Spectrum.

Forum Thread: Vermitron (by FobTi Interactive/Clickteam)

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• Catalog First Anniversary Sale (Hello Playdate Podcast)
• TipTop Shop App Offers Single-Transaction Buying, Selling and Device Trade-Ins (Macrumors)

Anyway, Vroomies. It’s a top-down racer with pretty unique mechanics that were built specifically for the touchscreen. Your car moves automatically, and when you come to a turn you need to swipe in the direction that the track is turning right as you’re passing through it. Time it right and you’ll maintain your speed, time it poorly and you’ll lose some speed. There’s a 5-segment meter to the right of your vehicle that are your Control Points. Mistime a turn and you’ll lose a point, and if your meter runs empty you’ll spin out and stop. Not a good thing if trying to win a race.

Control Points serve another purpose. At various points on each track are shortcuts and you can spend some of your Control Points, if you have enough available, to take that shortcut. This can be risky though since Control Points are also your safety net for mistiming turns. It’s a risk/reward option that adds a layer of strategy to the races. Similarly your tires can wear down, causing you to need to make a pit stop. What type of tires you choose and when you pit are other strategic choices that add depth to what seems like a very simple racer on the surface.

In addition to making turns, there are pads on the track that you’ll want to tap right as you’re moving over them to trigger an effect. That can be a boost or a pad that refills one of your Control Point segments. Mistiming one of these taps will also cost you a Control Point segment. Finally, when you reach the All Star level tournament, a jumping mechanic is introduced where you’ll swipe in the direction of a jump but then hold your finger down until you reach a landing node. These jumps really mix things up as some are longer than other and you’ll have to time how long you hold down on the screen to remain airborne.

All of these mechanics blend together to form an experience that is so fast-paced and exciting you never would have dreamt it was possible by just looking at the simple screenshots of Vroomies. This is one of those games where once you’ve dialed in the mechanics your fingers react before your brain even realizes what’s going on. You just kind of zone out for a minute or two while your hand is busy in a flurry of taps and swipes, and when you snap out of it you just hope you were somehow in the lead when it all ended. It helps that the game is excellent about accepting your control inputs, so if you miss something it’s totally on you and not that the game registered your input wrong.

Toss in an experience system with leveling and a simple but impactful upgrade system and everything just comes together so well in Vroomies. There’s quite a bit to chew through with 11 tracks, 3 championship series, global leaderboards, leveling and upgrading and the like, but still I want more of this. Oh and did I mention that Vroomies is free for some reason? Just… free. No ads, no IAP, no tracking BS, no online requirements. Like did I just end up in the Twilight Zone or something? So there is absolutely no reason not to be downloading Vroomies and trying it out for yourself right this minute, unless you’ve already been doing that since the game came out a month ago.

It’s a super interesting premise for what is essentially a bunch of crazy-gorgeous elevator puzzles, and I am here for it. When we first posted about The Valley of the Architects in January the game was hitting the final stretch of development and testing, and over the weekend Whaleo officially put the game up for pre-order on the App Store at a price of $4.99 with an expected release date of March 29th. They are still looking for some last minute testing ahead of launch, so if you’re interested in maybe trying this one out early head over to our forums and make some noise about that. Assuming nothing major comes up we’ll be looking forward to getting our hands on The Valley of the Architects when it launches at the end of the month.

Bomb Finger (Free)

iTunes Description

Use fast fingers to defuse as many bombs as you can until an explosion ends the game! Try your best at two game modes, Classic and 3 Lives, for expert players, Hell Mode!

Bomb Finger by BPU Games, the addictively fun and exhilarating bomb-defusing arcade game that will keep you on the edge of your seat! With two exciting game modes to choose from, the challenge never ends in this fast-paced and addictive casual gaming experience.

Forum Thread: Bomb Finger (by BPU Games)

Bullet Hell Days (Free)

iTunes Description

Only boss stage shooter game. and,
the stage can be completed in about 3minutes.
This game has 160 types of enemies. and,
you have 12 type of machines.

Forum Thread: Bullet Hell Days (by Makoto Yanagisawa)

Dream House Days DX ($5.99)

iTunes Description

The house of your dreams is a dream no more!

You play both architect and landlord in this fanciful new sim, and it’s up to you to furnish your ideal abode with anything from arcade games to saunas to convenience stores. Certain combinations can power up your rooms…and their rent. Put an HDTV and game console together to make a game room, or a grand piano and painting together to make a fine arts room!

Forum Thread: Dream House Days DX (by Kairosoft)

Dune: Imperium ($10.99)

iTunes Description

Immerse yourself in the world of Dune.

Experience the ultimate blend of strategy and intrigue as you navigate the treacherous landscapes of Arrakis in the award-winning board game Dune: Imperium!

Battle online, locally with AI, or against the formidable House Hagal.

Forum Thread: Dune: Imperium (by Dire Wolf Digital)

Game Dev Tycoon (Free)

iTunes Description

Design blockbuster games, build your studio from the ground up and become part of retro video game history in this super-satisfying business manager simulation. New features exclusive to this Netflix edition let you develop games based on movies and leverage livestreaming to grow your fanbase.

To succeed as the founder of a game development empire in this creative sim, you’ll need to experiment, make smart decisions and use your time wisely. Upgrade your skills as a developer with each release and win fans around the world to progress toward the dream of becoming a true tycoon.

Forum Thread: Game Dev Tycoon (by Greenheart Games)

Graviton Force ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Graviton Force is an action game based on orbital mechanics and using two simple rules of play: red things are bad and blue things are good.
Featuring an original soundtrack, the end of the world is here and you’ll die for it.

Forum Thread: Graviton Force (by Andrew Meir)

Paragon Pioneers 2 ($5.99)

iTunes Description

Dive into the captivating world of Paragon Pioneers 2, an engaging city-building idle game filled with extensive content promising months of immersive gameplay. Discover and conquer customizable islands, carefully shaping your empire to satisfy the needs of your citizens. Even with limited playtime, you can delve deep into this simulation, experimenting with various strategies to enhance your realm. Build a magnificent palace and establish your legacy as the most renowned leader in Paragon’s history!

Forum Thread: Paragon Pioneers 2 (by Tobias Arlt)

Pixel Heroes: Tales of Emond (Free)

iTunes Description

“Pixel Heroes: Tales of Emond" is a classic Japanese-style RPG pixel art casual idle game. The legendary Goddess of Light created the sacred Emond Continent, but the magical civilization here is quietly eroded by evil thoughts, and the dormant Demon King is about to awaken after millennia. In the chaotic timeline, a bizarre dream unfolds, unlocking your long-sealed memories. You begin to reminisce about everything in the distant past: on the war-torn continent full of scars, there has always been a resolute figure leading people towards the light, and that figure is “You," the executor!

Forum Thread: Pixel Heroes: Tales of Emond (by HaoPlay Limited)

Recursion ($3.99)

iTunes Description

Waking up you’re alone, confused, hungry, and a little sad – just your usual Monday morning really – but wait, what’s that sound? Oh f**k no, they’ve only gone and done it. The machine’s been activated.

Equipped with just your wits and a prototype Chronologically Aware Memory Enhancement and Recall Appliance, or C.A.M.E.R.A. for short, you’re now in a race against time to shutdown the machine before the loop resets.

Forum Thread: Recursion (by Glitch Games)

Summoner Wars Online (Free)

iTunes Description

The exciting card game of fantasy battlefield combat!

Summoner Wars is the exciting card game of fantasy battlefield combat that puts you in the role of a powerful summoner. Display your tactical prowess by summoning units to your gates, outmaneuvering your opponent, and cutting down the enemy summoner. Countless unit types, a wide variety of spells and abilities, and the option to build your own decks, all make for a game sure to entertain, play after play.

Forum Thread: Summoner Wars Online (by Plaid Hat Games)

Terra Crest4 ($1.99)

iTunes Description

TerrA Crest4 is a classic arcade game that immerses players in a fast-paced, action-packed shoot ’em up experience. Set in the depths of space, players take control of a futuristic spacecraft armed with powerful weaponry. The game is played from a top-down perspective as players navigate their ship through vertically scrolling stages filled with hordes of enemy spacecraft, ground-based turrets, and other hostile entities.

Forum Thread: Terra Crest4 (by Ivan Cerra de Castro)

Vroomies (Free)

iTunes Description

Vroomies is a racing game tailor made for touch controls! Using simple swipes and taps, you’ll race your Vroomie to victory against your adorably fierce competition!

Championship Mode – Put your racing mettle to the test in 4 Championships! Race to the top of the standings, unlocking Upgrades and Challenges for a fresh experience every time you play. It’ll take a good strategy and quick thumbs to make it to the top – do you have what it takes?

Forum Thread: Vroomies (by Unordered Games)

Zombie Forest 3: Underground (Free)

iTunes Description

It just so happened that you met the beginning of the zombie apocalypse in the middle of the night forest. Running away from zombies, you accidentally stumbled upon a lonely hut hidden in the very center of a forest full of walking dead. What was the surprise when you found out that there is a fortified basement under the hut, which has everything you need for survival. And from that moment your story begins…

Forum Thread: Zombie Forest 3: Underground (by Alexander Tavintsev)

There were lots of little differences between Game Dev Story and Game Dev Tycoon, but the latter managed to capture the same sort of magic and whimsy of the former while still putting its own stamp on this particular type of simulation. The game was a pretty big hit on PC and arrived on iOS a handful of years later in November of 2017, and we were big fans of this new mobile conversion, awarding it 5 stars in our review. Just a couple of months later the game arrived on Android as well, and then it made its way to Nintendo Switch in the fall of 2020. Now, as announced this past December, Game Dev Tycoon has joined the ranks of the Netflix Games library and is available for all Netflix subscribers today. As you can see in the trailer above, it also features a few nods to some of Netflix’s properties, which is kind of a cool easter egg for fans. So if you have Netflix go give Game Dev Tycoon a spin as their games library just continues to get bigger and stronger by the month.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

This is like a sandbox for RPG enthusiasts. As the trailer below will tell you: 12 classes to choose from, 10 different races, 6 different job types. Mixing and matching allows for a staggering number of possible character builds, and that’s before even taking into account the game’s extensive weapons, armors, items, and more. Oh, and then there’s the entire crafting system and the weapon forging system, and even the ability to create your OWN items. And pets. And skill trees. And, and, and… Let’s just say you will not be lacking in variety with Adventure to Fate – Lost Island.

There are unlimited character slots too, so just… go nuts, build every kind of character you can think of. The main campaign follows a set of story beats, but the actual layouts and enemies are randomized every time. This is a game that’s meant to be played over, and over, and over again, and can easily offer hundreds of hours to those who have an RPG itch to scratch while on the go. The game autosaves beautifully so you don’t have to stress if you need to drop out of the game suddenly and can hop in for a quick minute or hunker down for hours, it’s up to you.

Also worth highlighting is the game’s accessibility for the blind, with full Voice Over support, which is something that always deserves a round of applause. It plays in portrait which is always a bonus for me, and about the only thing I’m wishing for at the moment is the ability to swap which side the virtual d-pad is on, or maybe just more control options in general. Nothing major though, as you can also play by tapping directly on the characters and enemies, and I’m finding this is how I’m preferring to play anyway. There are just SO MANY adventures waiting to be had in Adventure to Fate – Lost Island, if bang for your buck is a high priority, it doesn’t get much better than this.

The biggest new feature coming in what will be the game’s version 1.7 update is the ability to draft, which means you can earn a slight speed boost based on your positioning behind other cars on the track. Basically you let them take the wind resistance hit and eek a bit more juice out of your vehicle. The new drafting element should shake up the gameplay pretty good. Other new features include quality of life improvements, like a Restart option in the pause menu, being able to change your upgrades at the race start screen, re-balancing to some of the more difficult races, and of course plenty of various bug fixes. The exact release date is still up in the air but it’s looking like it will be later this month for very early in April, and the new standalone version of Speed Demons will be $4.99 with no ads or IAP.

Adventure To Fate – Lost Island ($4.99)

iTunes Description

A Turn-Based RPG Game that is Accessible to the blind and visually impaired. Fully playable by all and indie-created. Help support Indie and Accessible Game Development!

Adventure To Fate – Lost Island is an accessible turn-based RPG dungeon crawler.
-Tons of character creation possibilities (12 Classes, 10 Races, 20+ Pets, 6 Professions).
-600+ items to loot, craft, buy and find.
-300+ unique monsters to fight.
-Fully accessible to the blind and vision impaired using Voice Over!

Forum Thread: Adventure To Fate – Lost Island (by TouchMint)

Another Bar Game ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Have you never worked in a bar? No problem – Frank has!
Help him serve craft beer to thirsty and picky clients, wash glasses, clean tables and keep everybody happy!

Remember to check which beer the bar guests order. Is it the new IPA on tap, that weird pineapple milkshake sour or just a pilsner? Somebody has waited too long and is complaining? Serve popcorn to keep them happy.

Forum Thread: Another Bar Game (by Arik Games)

Downpour – Make a Game (Free)

iTunes Description

Downpour is the best way to make games on your phone. Collage together photos, drawings and text, and then connect them together into a branching story. It’s genuinely quick and easy to use — you can make a game before your tea has gotten cold.

Once you’ve made a game with Downpour, what then? You can share it within the app, allowing other people to play games and follow you, or you can share the link and anyone can play.

Forum Thread: Downpour – Make a Game (by Downpour Limited)

Ghost In The Mirror ($3.99)

iTunes Description

Ghost In The Mirror is an anthology of graphic adventures. A series of ghost stories characterized by a lot of storytelling, puzzles, and wild humor. A collection of modern adventure games that still capture the spirit of the ’90s games.

This is “Here Be Dragons", the first episode of the saga. In this adventure I’ll take you to the 18th century, and together we’ll experience the adventures of Roger, a morally dubious boy on the run from the law. A journey that starts in a fishing village, with light puzzles and comedic moments, but will take us adrift at sea, surrounded by mystery, ghosts, and…
…Well, I don’t like to reveal too much about the plot, so that’s enough!

Forum Thread: Ghost In The Mirror (Sui (f)Arts)

Japan Taxi Simulator (Free)

iTunes Description

Step into the streets of Osaka as a taxi driver, where the thrill of simulation driving meets the joy of virtual travel, exploring the meticulously recreated real Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku areas. This game offers a unique open-world racing simulation, allowing you to freely navigate through the heart of Japan and experience the city’s authentic and intricate lifestyle.

Forum Thread: Japan Taxi Simulator (by ChiGames)

Kingdom: The Blood (Free)

iTunes Description

Infectious disease outbreak leads to a zombie overrun in Joseon!

KINGDOM: The Blood – an action game inspired by the acclaimed hit series – invites you to experience intense battles in a zombie-infested Joseon Korea’s last royal dynasty.

Forum Thread: Kingdom: The Blood (by YJM Games – Action Square)

Matexo (Free)

iTunes Description

The goal is simple: meet the target value by strategically applying a series of operations to a starting value. As simple as it may seem, it can get quite challenging.

Discover a unique and puzzling experience through hundreds of hand-crafted levels and enjoy an immersive atmosphere in your journey. With progressively challenging levels, this game is perfect for all ages and math levels. Download now and start your math adventure today!

Forum Thread: Matexo (by Logisk Studio)

Métropolitain ($1.99)

iTunes Description

Paris, 1924. The eve of the VIIIth Olympics. The midst of Les Années Folles. A bustling Saturday night. Locals and tourists alike, travelling from the bohemian bistrots to the late night cabarets or early morning shifts. All navigating their way through the maze which is the newly built Métropolitain. Can you help them catch their correct train on time?

Forum Thread: Métropolitain (by Le Quinzième)

Ready Set Golf (Free)

iTunes Description

Tee off with your friends and players from around the world in Ready Set Golf! Race against real players in fast-paced rounds of mini golf, activate power-ups unleash your skills to climb the leaderboard, earn exciting cosmetics, and activate power-ups. With support for up to eight players simultaneously, the competition is fierce and the taste of victory is sweet!

Forum Thread: Ready Set Golf (by PikPok)

Tumble Rush (Free)

iTunes Description

A fast-paced marble maze that you control by tilting your device!

Frantically tumble through physics-based tricks and traps, gather coins, and unlock a cast of cute, collectible characters.

Forum Thread: Tumble Rush (by Juvenile Pursuits)

Whale Captain ($3.99)

iTunes Description

Embark on your Dream Adventure: Discover uncharted lands, master the waves, and soar the skies!
Each voyage is teeming with diverse creatures, people, and wonders to behold.

STUNNING HANDCRAFTED VISUALS
Sail through treacherous yet thrilling terrain amid captivating environments. But don’t be too distracted by the sights and sounds, stay the course!

Forum Thread: Whale Captain (by Tyrannosaurus Games)

Back when this game first launched in November, our own resident Nintendo Switch Fella Shaun Musgrave took the Switch version for a spin and enjoyed it quite a bit in his review. Allow me to liberally pillage that review to bring you this quick synopsis:

The game has the slight whiff of a tactical RPG about it, but I must stress that this is more like a puzzle game than anything else. There’s very little randomness about it, and the game more or less knows what you have available to you at any given point. It’s all about using your knowledge of the various wolves and how they’ll react to put together a plan that will score you a victory. It’s a very cool game, but one that will take patience to learn the ropes in. It opens up significantly as you play, giving you more agency in how you want to handle things. A nice difficulty curve if you can get over the initial hump. I also love its extremely distinctive look.

Currently you can pre-order the iOS version of Howl over on the App Store and it will be coming to Android devices as well when the mobile version launches on March 21st. It’ll be free to try with a one-time $3.99 full game unlock IAP. To that end the game features a free demo on the platforms it’s already available on, so if you want to take it for a test drive before its mobile launch check it out right now on your PC or console platform of choice.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• ‘Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile’ Launching Globally on March 21st
• Pure Brass Fidget Cube Fidget Spinner Gears Linkage Fidget Toy Hand Spinner Metal DIY EDC Focus Meditation Break Bad Habits ADHD (Brass) [Amazon]
• The Jekyll Vessel [Jekyll to Hyde Design]

This is a horizontal scrolling shooter that takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting where aliens have arrived on Earth and humanity decided to greet them peacefully. The massive aliens just kind of hung out in the sky doing their own thing, and humans just kind of kept doing their own thing as well. Slowly though, the aliens began consuming the planet’s resources and taking over, and since the humans lived alongside them for so long they weren’t really well-equipped to fight them off.

Their solution was to just… nuke the whole planet, basically. And let me tell you, that did NOT go as planned. The aliens still ruled supreme, humanity was almost completely wiped out in the process, and those humans who did survive have splintered off into various factions. You, with your fleet of flying tanks, are sort of a hired goon that blasts away aliens and humans alike across 24 different missions as you try to help reclaim Earth from the aliens.

Controllers are supported in Flying Tank, and the game plays just great with them, but this is also a game that was designed incredibly well for the touchscreen. Default controls have your ship–er, tank–following your finger, but relative touch is available in the options and it’s my preference. You fire your main gun by tapping the screen or holding down to rapid-fire, launch your special weapon with a swipe to the right, and drop a bomb by swiping down. Yes, there are ground enemies in addition to airborne ones. You also have another special ability, typically a shield, mapped to an upward swipe.

The result is an incredibly capable killing machine with complex weapons and defense abilities all mapped to easy to use tap and swipe gestures. It’s so much more fun having full control of your arsenal and being able to make strategic decisions on when and where to fire off your weapons or deploy a special ability, compared to lots of made-for-mobile shooters where your ship just auto-shoots and you just kind of guide it through the game. For lack of a better term this feels like a “real" shooter and not something dumbed down for the sake of the touchscreen.

The combat is a blast and there is no shortage of stuff to customize and upgrade your fleet of flying tanks with, and there are SO MANY awesome and unique weapons and enemies it really stands apart from other shooters. There is a ton of stuff to do in this game, but I’m also finding myself really enjoying the story side of things. Best of all is that Flying Tank is free to download and try with 8 missions available, and if you get through those and like what you see there’s a couple of different options for unlocking the full game depending on if you like extra goodies or not. Personally, I love extra goodies, so I bought the deluxe unlock, but it’s nice there’s a cheaper option too. If you like shooters and premium mobile game experiences you can’t really go wrong with Flying Tank.

A Tiny Sticker Tale ($3.99)

iTunes Description

A Tiny Sticker Tale is a cozy miniature adventure about changing the world, using the power of stickers!
*(This is an emotional and short experience whose main story can be enjoyed in approximately 2 hours)

In A Tiny Sticker Tale, take anything from the world around you, turn it into a sticker, and use your creativity to stick it back in different places, solving puzzles, and helping your new friends!

In this wholesome bite-sized adventure, step into the tiny boots of Flynn, the donkey, and journey across Figori Island, discovering the vibrant quests that will require the power of a very special magical sticker album.

Forum Thread: A Tiny Sticker Tale (by Ogre Pixel)

Bat to Bed (Free)

iTunes Description

Level 1 is here!
Set off on an epic (and punishing) one-button climb to the top in the first installment of this charming retro-styled adventure.

Bat to Bed is a more action-oriented and faster-paced take on the unforgiving game genre. With expert timing you’ll quickly ascend and gain ground, but just one mistake can spell disaster. With each attempt your skills will grow in an addicting loop of progression and tension.

Forum Thread: Bat to Bed (Brothers Make Games)

Bike Unchained 3 (Free)

iTunes Description

Blaze down epic trails, race to glory, and customize your bike. Will you be the next MTB legend? Unleash your inner rider with Bike Unchained 3, the ultimate MTB racing experience. Join worldwide MTB riders in the much-anticipated third installment of the hit MTB racing series, Bike Unchained, published by Red Bull. Race, jump, and customize in the most thrilling downhill MTB game ever created.

Forum Thread: Bike Unchained 3 (by Red Bull)

Cask (Free)

iTunes Description

Embark on a grand adventure with CASK, the ultimate mobile real-time strategy game! Immerse yourself in a strategic journey, collecting resources, building a nation from the ground up, and commanding armies to conquer the virtual world.

With CASK, you can relive the mechanics of classic RTS games, experiencing vibrant casual gameplay sessions of 30 minutes. Begin your village from scratch, equipped with a Town Hall and 2 Villagers. Your goal is to grow your nation by collecting wood, food, and gold, enabling the construction of houses, castles, towers, and the training of more villagers or soldiers, including knights and archers.

Forum Thread: Cask (Fernando Pastor)

DEFENDUN ($3.99)

iTunes Description

“Dungeon Defense! DEFENDUN"

In the world of DEFENDUN, the strategy begins!
The power of three basic units is crucial. Combine the amazing abilities of Warrior, Archer, and Mage to create endless battle strategies.

Forum Thread: DEFENDUN (by Gonggam Company)

Eggy Party (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to Eggy Party!
Get ready to unleash your creativity and join the ultimate party extravaganza in Eggy Party by NetEase Games! Dive into a world bursting with endless possibilities, where you and your Eggy Friends can break through absurd obstacles, explore imaginative realms, and embark on epic adventures together. It’s time to egg-splore, create, and play like never before!

Forum Thread: Eggy Party (by NetEase)

Ex Astris ($9.99)

iTunes Description

When the first satellite passes through the atmosphere, we believe we shall conquer the universe someday. Now I realized, humans are solely extending the boundaries of the earth left the kaleidoscopic world behind.

Investigator. Have you ever thought that the mourning sea in front of you has lost its warmth? We are struggling in the shallow waters when tides over the shore. We are stranded on the sandbank when waves recede. Every single star shall rejoice and lament.

“Go through the storm and transcend eternity. Bon voyage."

Forum Thread: Ex Astris (by Hypergryph)

Flying Tank (Free)

iTunes Description

Epic side-scrolling shooter. Blast aliens to smithereens! Play Offline.

Slay giant bosses, drop bombs from above and build an arsenal of fun, powerful weapons.

Reclaim the stolen Earth in a rich action-packed horizontal shmup!

Forum Thread: Flying Tank (by David Peroutka/Hexage)

Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling ($1.99)

iTunes Description

“Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling"

A seemingly monotonous life, full of books and endless study.
But what happens if you reach the ‘point of no return’?
Follow the challenging life of a student in this short psychological adventure game.

Forum Thread: LUISOAC (by Yaozuo Games)

Odokonia (Free)

iTunes Description

Odokonia is a free-to-play turn-based base builder strategy game. Players submit their turns at the same time and action ordering is determined by the action’s “roll order" and a small amount of chance. With combat split between land and sea, sophisticated AI, and full multi-player support, the game has infinite replayability.

Forum Thread: Odokonia (by HexTech Studios)

Ragnarok Origin: ROO (Free)

iTunes Description

Ragnarok Origin: ROO — a sequel to the beloved, classic RO. Officially developed and operated by Gravity.
Participate in the new server launch events to win luxurious rewards and embark on a new adventure!

Immerse yourself in a vast fantasy world full of mysterious monsters and extraordinary characters. Explore massive landscapes, legendary kingdoms, and dreadful dungeons with your pets and pals!

Forum Thread: Ragnarok Origin: ROO (by Gravity Game Vision Limited)

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile has spent the past couple of years in various states of beta or soft launch, and over on the official Call of Duty blog the developers note how invaluable that early testing has been for the game, noting that there have been “dozens of major updates, thousands of bugs fixed, and new content and features added" during that time. The have also reconfirmed that the game will launch with two main Battle Royale maps, Verdansk and Rebirth Island, and that cross-progression will be available for players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and the big pants version of Call of Duty: Warzone. There’s still time to pre-register for the game to unlock some rewards upon launch, and apparently more than 50 million players have pre-registered for the game already, which I guess isn’t surprising given that it’s a Call of Duty game. For more in-depth info about cross-progression and pre-registration rewards hit up the aforementioned blog post and look for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile on iOS and Android March 21st.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

Show Notes:

• ‘Warframe Mobile’ Is Now Available on iOS With Full Cross Play and Cross Progression
• Warframe Mobile Interview: Creative Director Rebecca Ford & Mobile Product Lead Jussi Elonen Discuss Bringing the Massive Game to iOS, Controls, Cross Play, FFXIV, & More
• ‘Rainbow Six: SMOL’ Is a New Action Roguelite Shooter From Ubisoft Out Now on Netflix Games
• A Mobile Version of the Superlative ‘Balatro’ Is in the Cards, Game Currently Available on PC and All Consoles
• SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Balatro’ & ‘Arzette’, Plus Today’s New Releases and Sales
• ‘Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure’ is a Clever Story-Driven Puzzler Announced During the Nintendo Direct and Coming to Mobile via Netflix Games

First off, despite its looks, this is very much a Rainbow Six game. Tactical special forces-style objectives abound, so expect to be breaching doors, taking out terrorists, rescuing hostages, diffusing bombs, and tons more. It all takes place from an isometric perspective and overall it’s a very streamlined experience compared to a proper Rainbow Six game, but that also means it’s very easy to play on the touchscreen and very easy to dip in and out of for brief or long sessions.

The objectives typically don’t take more than a minute or two to complete, but they’re no pushover either. Play smart, because just going in guns blazing with no sort of plan can and will get you killed. A roguelite element to Rainbow Six: SMOL is that once your character dies, they’re gone for good. Pick a new recruit and start all over trying to level this new one up. Thankfully your larger progression systems aren’t reset upon death, but losing a character that you’ve dumped time into can sting enough to make you be more careful.

Speaking of those larger progression systems: Holy moly. They are everywhere. So much stuff to upgrade, so many things to unlock, so many skill trees to fill out. It’s honestly quite staggering, and makes me think that at some point in time this was destined to be a free to play game, but since it’s on Netflix there’s no IAP shenanigans so really it’s just TONS of stuff to work towards.

The structure of the missions is really cool too, with multiple types of objectives open to you and then branching paths leading you to each next one. So for example you might choose from an assassination mission, a hostage rescue, or a bomb diffuser mission to start, and whichever you pick will lead to another set of options, and so on and so forth. It’s a fun way to mix things up, and like I said before it’s very conducive to playing for both short or long sessions depending on how much time you’ve got.

I’m still sort of in shock at just how odd Rainbow Six: SMOL is, and impressed at its very existence. The seemingly out of place visual style makes more sense after your first couple of missions, when an event happens that kind of qualifies all the absurdity in the game. Most importantly is that the gameplay is fun. I’m not sure how long that feeling will last through the game’s numerous and seemingly LONG progression systems, but right now I’m having a ball. A SMOL ball, if you will. If you have a Netflix account you should give Rainbow Six: SMOL a shot.

It’s not clear if the summer release window also includes places outside of Japan, but given how popular the series is now I’d kind of think they’d want to release globally, but that’s just my guess. There’s also some information on the newly-launched Neko Atsume portal website regarding the existing game. They mention that they will continue updating the original game to the best of their ability but that their focus will be on the sequel, as it sounds like this new game will be designed from the ground up with frequent content updates and long-term support in mind. I look forward to seeing how my kitty-collecting virtual life will be enhanced when Neko Atsume 2 launches later this year. Please look forward to it too.

Slash Quest was a quirky and fun entry to the Apple Arcade library, but as is the case with a number of the game’s that have graced Apple’s gaming subscription service, not all of them stick around forever. Slash Quest was removed from Apple Arcade last September, which is a bummer for Apple Arcade subscribers, but awesome news for everyone else as the game is now coming back to the App Store as a regular release as well as coming to Android and Steam in addition to iOS. More people get to slash! More people get to quest! More people get to play Slash Quest! There is no release date announced other than the vague “this summer" but you can Wishlist Slash Quest over on its Steam page and we’ll keep an eye out for a more specific release window in the coming weeks.

The Merry Meadow is unlocked today, but in a little over a week the latest event The Springtime Celebration will kick off. Running from March 2nd to April 14th you’ll see that all the island’s trees are in full bloom, and “players can join Hello Kitty and Friends to collect petals all around the island and exchange them for beautiful Japanese-inspired decor and fashion, including their very own kimono." All this and more awaits players in version 1.5, and let me tell you, it is so much fun talking about these types of things in a game that is not free to play. It’s like… “here, enjoy this new stuff!" instead of “hurry up and grind your battle pass or you’ll miss out on these limited time cool things and you’ll literally die from FOMO!" I’ll take having to subscribe to Apple Arcade over that type of thing any day.

Arcado Champs (Free)

iTunes Description

Experience the thrill of Slot meets Strategy for the first time ever! A unique gameplay that combines luck and strategy. Get ready to be amazed.

Slot meets strategy! Arcado champs is a real-time multiplayer strategy game where you build your squad that engages in epic battles based on the outcomes generated via the slot machine spins during the gameplay! Battle & clash with players across the world and work your way to escape the abandoned arcade machine.

Forum Thread: Arcado Champs (by Gape Labs)

BROK The InvestiGator (Free)

iTunes Description

BROK is an innovative adventure mixed with beat ’em up and RPG elements. In a grim world where animals have replaced mankind, what kind of detective will you be?

In a futuristic “light cyberpunk" world where animals have replaced humans, privileged citizens live under a protective dome from the ambient air pollution while others struggle to make a living on the outside.

Brok, a private detective and former boxer, lives with Graff, the son of his deceased wife. Although he could never elucidate her accident, recent events may shed some light on an even more tragic outcome… one that may be linked to their own existence. Will they be able to withstand the threats of this corrupted world and face their own destiny?

Forum Thread: BROK The InvestiGator (by COWCAT)

Button City ($4.99)

iTunes Description

Button City is a narrative adventure game about friendship and community. Enter a pastel diorama world inspired by 90’s nostalgia and filled with cute characters to befriend. Complete quirky quests around town, play arcade games, collect fun costumes, solve puzzles and more as you follow a story from beginning to end about growing up and saving the things that are important to you.

Forum Thread: Button City (by Subliminal)

Close Cities (Free)

iTunes Description

Close Cities is a relaxing puzzle game in which you will have to build cities in different worlds over time. Find a road and start there. Solve all 160 levels and become a Close Cities legend!

UNIQUE PUZZLES
You will start each level with an empty map that you will have to fill with beautiful cities. Choose the right road, choose the area and tap or drag with your fingers!

Forum Thread: Close Cities (by Juanma Altamirano)

Hidden Through Time 2 ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Join Clicky on a new, enchanted adventure in Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic! This charming 2D hidden object game is sure to delight with its playful tone, cozy vibes and endless fun. Search for all the hidden objects scattered around beautiful hand-drawn worlds, and unlock more as you go. With both a single player campaign and an online mode where you can create your own dreamworld, the adventure never ends!

Forum Thread: Hidden Through Time 2 (by Rogueside NV)

Invincible: Guarding the Globe (Free)

iTunes Description

Invincible: Guarding the Globe is an idle squad RPG set in the Invincible universe featuring a new story never seen in the comics or Amazon Prime TV series, with graphic multi battle action, character collection, team management, idle features and, of course, super-powered visuals.

Forum Thread: Invincible: Guarding the Globe (by Ubisoft)

Letteroll (Free)

iTunes Description

Can you solve the LETTEROLL of the day? The game is simple:

1. Make connecting words using all 10 letters.
2. Words must be at least 3 letters.
3. Proper nouns are not allowed.

Some rolls are harder than others, but all are possible.

Forum Thread: Letteroll (by Hunch Labs)

NBA Infinite (Free)

iTunes Description

Welcome to NBA Infinite! Play for free today, experience nonstop PVP action, and chase your NBA legacy.

Run the court in NBA Infinite — a real-time PvP mobile game crafted to supercharge your love of basketball. Stake your claim as one of the best to lace up your sneakers as you build your team from the ground up — collecting and customizing your first-class lineup. Then hit the court with your star team and cross up your opponents as you create your legacy.

Forum Thread: NBA Infinite (by Level Infinite)

Please, Touch The Artwork 2 (Free)

iTunes Description

A relaxing hidden object adventure.
Explore iconic paintings, collect items for their quirky inhabitants, and solve casual puzzles.
Discover the world of James Ensor, Belgian Modern Art pioneer.

Forum Thread: Please, Touch The Artwork 2 (by Meynen Studio)

Polimines Deluxe ($4.99)

iTunes Description

A captivating logic puzzle combining Minesweeper and Nonograms mechanics.

Polimines Deluxe combines Minesweeper and Nonograms for a captivating puzzle experience. Immerse yourself in a difficult game where logical thinking is key, and hidden patterns are everywhere. All levels are designed by hand so that guessing is never necessary.

Forum Thread: Polimines Deluxe (by Penguin Pop Games)

Rainbow Six: SMOL (Free)

iTunes Description

Defuse bombs, free hostages and crush enemies in this fast-paced rougelite shooter based on Tom Clancy’s popular “Rainbow Six" franchise. Assemble the best squad, save the world of Smol!

You’ve just joined Rainbow as a Recruit, and your mission is to kick the doors down and deal with cultists. Liberate the world of Smol from the mysterious threat that looms over it, and find a way to get your teammates back home.

Forum Thread: Rainbow Six: SMOL (by Ubisoft)

Recontroller (Free)

iTunes Description

This is a new type of shooting game that integrates 2D and 3D.

Features
– A barrage of bullets coming from the back of the screen
– Good hit feeling

Recontroller is a game in which the player must defeat enemies by shooting various types of bullets to conquer each stage. Players gain experience by defeating enemies, and their abilities increase as they level up. Enemies and bosses with various characteristics appear in each stage.

Forum Thread: Recontroller (by ChiikT)

Remortal: A Spiritual Journey ($2.99)

iTunes Description

Remortal is an intense action-packed auto-runner game that takes you on a journey through a metaphorical curious world.
Experience the ups and downs of an individual’s existence as you battle your way through the game’s challenges!

Forum Thread: Remortal: A Spiritual Journey (by Crescent Moon Games)

Rogue Dungeon ($4.99)

iTunes Description

A dungeon crawler based on our board game. It plays like an old-school roguelike, using hand management, card draw and dice rolling as primary game mechanics. Players will need to figure out how best to use their hero abilities, skills, items, experience and luck to survive.

It’s a loot management game at its core and that’s where its charm comes from. You might start the game with a hunk of meat, that you use to charm a wolf, who helps you defeat the zombie who drops a lockpick, which you use to open the safe, where you find the jeweled goblet, which you trade for a lucky shield, which you use to block the dragon’s fire.

Forum Thread: Rogue Dungeon (by Cerberus Gate Games)

Warframe (Free)

iTunes Description

Join over 70 million players in the most massive free-to-play sci-fi experience coming to iOS devices.

Confront warring factions throughout a sprawling interplanetary system as you follow the guidance of the mysterious Lotus and level up your Warframe, build an Arsenal of destructive firepower, and realize your true potential across massive open worlds in this thrilling, genre-defining third-person combat experience. Carry your progression through the expansive Origin System across platforms with Cross Platform Save.

Forum Thread: Warframe (by Digital Extremes)

You Will Crash! ($5.99)

iTunes Description

In this retro, arcade-inspired hectic lane changer, race through NEON LAGOON. Your vehicle gains speed every successful lap, allowing you to claim a faster and faster time.

Watch out! You will face obstacles and on-coming vehicle traffic as you race through the vaporwave & synthwave aesthetic inspired canvas that makes up the landscape of NEON LAGOON, with amazing jumps, loops, and more. When you crash you lose speed, and if you crash too many times, your race is over!

Race against yourself and beat your best times, unlocking more tracks as you progress. Play regularly to unlock special bounty tracks that only unlock at special times!

Forum Thread: You Will Crash! (by Team Dream Walkers)

Ok, see what I mean now? Pretty cool, right? Obviously you’ll need to use a lot of forethought in how you move through the world of Arranger since you’ll be causing so many other things to move with you at the same time. There’s also a whole storyline to follow as well as a wonderful art style and colorful cast of characters. A star-studded team of industry veterans, who are calling themselves Furniture & Mattress, started working on what eventually became Arranger way back in March of 2020, which as you might remember was just the very beginning of the pandemic. It’s been a long road since then but Arranger is looking marvelous and I can’t stop thinking about how clever the premise is. They are targeting a summer 2024 release window so keep an eye out for this one later this year.

This is more than just a runner, as developer Mad Llama describes it as “a journey through a metaphorical curious world" where each chapter in the game represents a stage in your character’s life. Each chapter will feature new mechanics, and new emotions which are represented as hazards in the game, requiring you to figure out how to best deal with those emotions as you continue on your journey of life. Finally, as the developer’s describe when posting about Remortal in our forums last summer, “Overcome the protagonist’s inner demons and help them emerge from their darkest thoughts and feelings, hoping to fulfill an ultimate purpose." Sounds pretty deep for a runner! Which I’m all for. Remortal: A Spiritual Journey is a premium game being published on mobile by Crescent Moon it’s and available for pre-order on the App Store right now at a 30% discount, and its planned launch is later this week on February 21st.

Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.