Touch screen controls aren't often accepting of side-scrolling platformers. The level of precision seen in games like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog is often understated. Sometimes, a game comes along and reminds us just how important tight controls can be. There's a bit of upside to Super Daddio 2, but a sloppy control scheme and other fundamental issues create a handful of problems.
Time for some truth bombs. First, the downthrust ability from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was the best part of that entire, difficult-to-love entry in the series. Second, any game that is created based around that same downthrust mechanic is automatically worth eyeball time. And third, Shovel Knight is just such a game, on track to shock those eyeballs into a state of pure retro pleasure once it becomes a reality.
In the fertile mind of indie developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, frogs can wield guns—and they're not afraid to use them. Pixel is the one-man team behind the frankly brilliant action game Cave Story, so it's impossible not to get excited about his newest title, an iOS side-scroller called Gero Blaster.
Gamers have received a lot of imperatives over the years: the empire is evil and must be stopped, this threat to the galaxy needs to be obliterated, shoot everything that moves. But none is so simple, so noble, as Jones on Fire's single sentence tagline: "Kitties are cute and should be saved."
Whenever I play a game that affords me the ability to rewind what I've done previously, thus bringing me back from the dead and undoing the terrible jump I tried to make, or giving me an extra crack or ten at that last puzzle, I'm reminded of the fact that 99 percent of modern video games would probably be greatly improved with the addition of a rewind function. Besides having a silly name, Chrono Disfunglement plays around with the concept of rewinding time ever so gloriously, and is let down only by a combination of a slow start and an alarming brevity.
Major Magnet is a platforming game developed by PagodaWest Games where you try to use your variety of movement tools to get the highest score and reach the end of each level in the quickest time possible. Gamezebo's quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, information, and hints on how to play your best game.
The new rotund and big-nosed hero in town probably can't fix your plumbing. Marrying gameplay elements from platformers both recent and classic, Major Magnet introduces a unique brand of traversal much more kinetic and demanding than touch controls can typically manage. Developer PagodaWest Games has built a vibrant and extensive game that remains engaging and varied. Already honored by App Store Editors and PAX East, is the Major a 2D mascot for the mobile generation?
The BIT.TRIP series has brought gamers a lot of retro-inspired joy over the past four years. Although each title in the six-game BIT.TRIP collection (Beat, Core, Fate, Flux, Runner, and Void) features wildly varied gameplay mechanics—from Pong-like paddling to Gradius-esque shooting—they all share similar visual and musical aesthetics while abstractly telling the story of Commander Video. Runner2, the first direct sequel to a BIT.TRIP game, leaves the blocky Atari visuals behind but brings the challenge, charm, and superb gameplay of the series into the next generation.