Having always been a true dog person at heart, I was surprised to find myself actually warming up to cats in more recent years. But if someone had told me how diligent and heroic that some cats can be when something they love is put on the line, then I might have been on board with those fierce little felines from the very beginning! One part matching game, and one part strategy via upgrades, Combat Cats may be a little too simple for some, but its retro-infused greatness and progressive challenge are still certain enough to give you all that they've got for the short time it lasts.A mysterious "Catnipper" has stolen the world's supply of catnip, and to make matters worse, a legion of evil fish creatures have picked this exact moment to unleash their revenge, as your desperate cats take to the skies to retrieve the hot commodity that was taken from them. The story of the game is lighthearted and fun, and the means of single-screen storytelling is a wonderfully nostalgic callback to old NES adventures of yesteryear. The equally retro-inspired chiptune soundtrack is just as strong, and will get stuck in your head long after your cats slip into a catnip-induced catnap at the end of their journey.The gameplay of Combat Cats is fairly straightforward. At the start of every level, you'll be presented with a large grid of different pixelated square icons: each one a different color and representative of a specific attack that your cat fighter will be able to pull off. Orange constitutes a flame attack, blue is a freeze ray, green is a cloud of poison, and purple is a flurry of rockets. You make moves by simply tapping on any single tile that you wish on the screen, which instantly replaces it with a separated placeholder tile that is always raring to go. Matching four or more like-tiles will execute that respective attack and move you one step closer towards reaching your goal.
I have to admit; I'm rather shocked and mystified by Valkyrie Crusade. It's a combination collectible card game and town builder, which in itself is an odd match; but both elements support each other a lot better than I'd have expected. So much so, in fact, that it might just be my current freemium favorite despite all the needless issues.The sim elements of Valkyrie Crusade are fairly typical: collect three kinds of resources (gold, ether, and iron) and use them to build/upgrade structures that can gather and store more resources, as well as make incremental changes to the core mechanics. The card side of things is also rather familiar, with "friendship points" earned through befriending other players needed to summon (i.e. buy) more cards, card fusions, evolutions, etc.However, there are a few key differences. Cards used in attack and defensive formations have applicable stats, as expected, but they also have health (represented by "soldiers" for some incredibly odd reason). Different cards have different maximums, and it costs two of all three resources for every one players refill. So when these bizarro health bars get into the thousands, it can be quite expensive to keep everyone topped-off. Totally worth it, though, as the more durable a unit is the longer it should take for them to get knocked out in battle.
Perhaps the most commonly regurgitated complaint from mobile gaming's critics is that there's way too much copycatting in that portion of the industry. While the haters claim the lack of originality is a bad thing, it isn't inherently so. Many of the "blatant ripoffs" we've seen on Android and iOS has been about as good—if not better—than the games that inspired them. Then there are games like Castle Clash, which obviously draw inspiration, but lack that certain oomph needed to hold its own.Similar to last month's Jungle Heat, Castle Clash is a base-building strategy game that requires players to build armies, attack enemies, research goods, gather resources, and become the most powerful player. Anyone who's played games like Clash of Clans and Jungle Heat will notice the immediate similarities. While the art style is different, the actual gameplay is pretty much identical. The game kicks off with a brief tutorial session then leaves you with a barebones base with minimal defense. From there, you need to upgrade your structures and hire troops.The single player offerings are limited, but important. There's a series of levels players can play through as they wish. Each level consists of a battle against a pre-built base, making it an excellent tool for helping new players learn how to play, as well as what does and does not work when constructing a base. Rather than mocking players with the hodgepodge of levels in multiplayer, the level-based single player mode will quickly evolve from "a nice way to earn a few resources" to "adapt or die!"
There's always an alligator, there's always water, and there's always dirt separating the two. The infinite loop of Swampy's bath time in Where's My Water? was charming and challenging, generously packed with levels and updates that made its 99 cent price tag an absolute steal. Its first non-spin-off, direct sequel, Where's My Water? 2, has slashed that initial price down to nothing, but actually costs much more: players' time, trust, and patience have been sold down the freemium river.The good news: if you like any of Disney's Where's My games, there's plenty more to love here. Where's My Water? 2 plays out like all of its predecessors: swipe trenches in dirt to direct water to its destination. Along the way, you'll need to activate switches, avoid acid, collect duckies, and complete many other puzzle-based maneuvers. Swampy is still our primary water-target, waiting patiently for his bath to runneth over, but both Cranky and Allie have been upgraded from bonus level pack characters to main game integrations. Cranky's ducks and goal require acid instead of water, and Allie is still in need of steam to power her pipe organ. Their levels now appear alongside Swampy's, providing a refreshing change of pace for players who get bored with alligator monogamy.While playing with Cranky and Allie will be a new experience to players who dropped Where's My Water? before 2012, the basic puzzles in Where's My Water? 2 will not be. Very few changes have been introduced, and many levels feel more redundant than nostalgic. There are pipes and switches, acid and quick-growing weeds, nozzles and movable platforms. Despite the introduction of an overworld map and "locations" like the Soap Factory, every stage still takes place underground. When playing the first iteration of a level, veteran players will rarely encounter something new.
I've played my fair share of dungeon-crawling roguelikes, with their turn-based tales of slow, tight progression, treasure a-plenty, and endless floors of bloodthirsty enemies. Heroes of Loot, then, is something just that little bit different - it's essentially what happens when you cross a roguelike with a twin-stick shoot 'em up.As it turns out, this is quite the recipe for success. Heroes of Loot is fast-paced, frantic, exciting, and perfect for picking up, having a quick blast, and then going back to your daily routine - or, you know, just playing over and over again for an hour or three. If you enjoy your dungeon-crawlers, you should get a load of this.You are one of four heroes, sent into a never-ending dungeon to create a bit of a rabble. By killing enemies and grabbing gold, you'll attract more and more baddies to the dungeon, and make it far more dangerous. Which is apparently a good thing, according to the dungeon owner!The dungeons are randomly generated, such that each playthrough is different - as you'd expect from a dungeon-crawler. What you might not expect, however, is that the game plays out completely in real-time. That is, there's no turn-based action here; instead, the enemies are constantly approaching, and you'll have to fight them off twin-stick style.
Apple's App Store is no stranger to drag racing games, perhaps owing to the very simplicity of their design, and thus you could be forgiven for approaching Racing Rivals with a heavy dose of skepticism. And yet, for the most part, it's unwarranted. Cie Games and Nitto Tire have given us a game that's as fun as it is visually appealing, and the inclusion of an enjoyable multiplayer component allows it to surge ahead of many of its rivals.
Even if you're the happiest person in the world, there's no avoiding the fact that some days will always be better than others. And on some of those off days, haven't you ever thought of just throwing yourself down a hill and letting your body squash every physical thing that happened to be getting on your nerves? I wouldn't recommend it: I tried that once and just wound up bumping my head against my mailbox. Luckily, Giant Boulder of Death from Adult Swim Games makes this feat a whole lot more rewarding (not to mention safer for your head), as you guide a deadly boulder down an unsuspecting hill just for the sake of destruction.
Like Janet Van Dyne or Ray Palmer, Zynga has been shrinking furiously as of late. But amid office closings and layoffs, the company did snag Spooky Cool Labs during the summer. Even as Zynga has backed away from pursuing real money gaming, its new acquisition has been working on Hit It Rich! Casino Slots for Facebook. So naturally, the result is an online slots experience good enough that people would probably play it for real money. Ironic, no?