16 Reasons This Was an INCREDIBLE Week for iPhone Games

If you’ve ever seen the movie Wayne’s World or the SNL sketch from which it was born, you know that Wayne and Garth were sometimes so caught up in something particularly awesome that they declared their own unworthiness of it. …

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If you’ve ever seen the movie Wayne’s World or the SNL sketch from which it was born, you know that Wayne and Garth were sometimes so caught up in something particularly awesome that they declared their own unworthiness of it.

While we don’t physically bow at our phones (at least as far as you know), we’ll admit that some weeks, the mobile game developers of the world make us feel that way. Thanks to the release of iOS 11 and the normal goodies in the weekly pipeline, this was one of those weeks, with so much new stuff worth noting that it was hard to know where to start.

Except, of course, we had to start with writing words because we’ve got deadlines to meet and all. So without further ado, here are more than a dozen reasons to grovel like Wayne and Garth if you’ve got an iPhone right now.

The Witness

Amnesia isn’t just a staple plot device for soap operas nor the favorite motivation of Calculon. It can also be the centerpiece of a game like The Witness, adding mystery to your starting point. In this case, you’ve got to solve a whole bunch of puzzles on a mysterious (but beautiful) island, hopefully finding a way home and not discovering that you spent your whole life opposed to puzzles. That’s a risk with amnesia. The write-up for this game promises it “respects you as an intelligent player and it treats your time as precious.” Can’t be upset about that. We almost forgot it’s by the maker of Braid, so it has pedigree too.

Thimbleweed Park

What if Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, the creators of such classic adventure games as Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, teamed up to give us a brand new quirky adventure strictly for mobile? Holy crap, they did. Thimbleweed Park looks like an amazing mix of the bizarre and the humorous, with five very different characters who can work together to unravel its secrets. or not. Set in the epic bygone era of 1987, it’s sure to leave you saying, “Wait, that was 30 years ago?” as you lose yourself in its world.

Morphite

Morphite sounds like an element that was made up specifically for your favorite sci-fi series that no one else remembers. Instead, it’s been invented strictly for this space adventure game, where you take on the role of Myrah Kale, trying to come to grips with both the Morphite itself and her own past. Smart money says they are related in some way. Between the stylized art, expansive soundtrack and the way the game offers both a main storyline and plenty of non-linear play, this game appears to be every bit as promising as it looked throughout its development.

NBA 2K

For all those who don’t think it’s possible to make a full-featured sports game on mobile because some companies don’t even try, 2K has been proving you wrong for several years with its NBA 2K series. One imagines that NBA 2K18 is further proof, seeing as it packs in both an ongoing dynasty mode and an expanded MyCareer mode with more scripted content than ever before. It also has a deep soundtrack if you care about such things, which you should if you’re planning on spending a lot of time balling on your phone or tablet.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice

Phoenix Wright games are kind of acquired tastes in the sense that you either “get” and enjoy the series about overly dramatic attorneys with the greatest names ever (we see you, Apollo Justice) or you don’t. For the former group, this is Phoenix and Apollo doing what they do best, taking on cases in various locations with new and familiar characters, the ability to dress them up in different outfits, the return of Ema Skye and her forensic tests and much more. For only a buck for the first episode, it’s hard to object to the price. Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.

Homescapes

This week has everything, so naturally it has some match-3 for you as well. Homescapes offers a few neat twists on the tried and true, including characters who interact with each other on the in-game social network and levels set in the rooms of a huge mansion which you unlock and renovate. Plus, it prominently features an adorable cat, always a good way to go for any mobile game.

The Journey Down: Chapter 3

Talk about dedication to your craft. The makers of The Journey Down spent years making this third chapter, and as our friends at Touch Arcade explain, it nearly bankrupted them in the process. We’re happy both that they didn’t end up going penniless and that they managed to complete this continuation of what has turned out to be a very unique adventure game that was originally inspired by African art. If you’ve enjoyed the ride so far, might as well finish it, no?

Another Lost Phone

The last time you found a lost phone in a game, it led to a story you might not have expected as you tried to piece together who owned the phone in question and what happened to them. Guess what? Another Lost Phone is kind of the same deal, only with a brand new character with a story all her own. Can you figure out what happened to Laura? Doesn’t anyone have those apps that can help them find their phones? Those are good questions that may or may not be answered here.

Terra Battle 2

If you enjoyed the first Terra Battle and its combat system but wished it had more of a storyline, raids and other goodies, the sequel wants to talk to you. Not literally, that would be weird. But the developers insist Terra Battle 2 has been redesigned “from the ground up” with storytelling in mind, so if the strategy parts are still good, this should definitely be worth checking out if you’re craving a new mobile RPG.

Stormbound

Just to prove we weren’t lying when we said there was a little bit of everything this week, we made it this far without seeing any tactical/card games, and yet here we are. The board in Stormbound kind of looks like chess, and the angular art style grabs your attention right away. Plus we’re suckers for at least trying any tactical and card games that come down the pike, so count us in for this one, at least for the first week or so, to see if it grabs us.

BUT ALSO… ARKit

We’re not doing infomercials here at Gamezebo, but if we were, this is the part where we’d go, “But wait, there’s more!” See, in addition to the heavy dose of regular new iOS games this week, there’s also a brand new flood of titles that were just waiting for iOS 11 to grace your devices so they could take advantage of ARKit.

In Apple’s own words, ARKit is “a new framework that allows you to easily create unparalleled augmented reality experiences for iPhone and iPad.” In other words, this is what Pokemon GO brought to the masses, except with many more variations and capabilities. Naturally, the first titles may not be the ones we end up remembering the most, but you’ve got to admire that pioneering spirit and the cool and different ways they are approaching AR.

Stack AR

A pretty simple concept that looks amazing in AR. Just stack blocks on top of each other to get as high as you can without toppling the whole thing. It’s kind of like Jenga except you don’t have to take the blocks to stack them, and having the whole thing in front of you on your table or other suitable flat surface is really cool. Better yet, nothing to clean up once the tower inevitably crashes down.

The Machines

Everyone who saw Apple’s iPhone 8/iPhone X event saw The Machines in action, aiming to turn AR into a competitive multiplayer experience. That’s really swinging for the fences in this stage of AR, but there’s nothing wrong with that. What impressed us was the way you could physically walk around the battlefield, though this also gave us visions of unintentional injuries caused by running into our own kitchen tables. Nevertheless, this looks too cool not to try.

Flat Pack

This would just be another 2D/3D platformer mashup except that it also has an AR mode. That means you can tackle its levels out in the real world if you so desire, and honestly, if you have that option, why wouldn’t you? Flat Pack promises more than 30 levels that you can truly play with just one hand, and that’s an especially nice feature when you’re out navigating the real world while you’re playing.

Zombie Gunship Revenant AR

“Zombies in AR” is perhaps the most inevitable meeting of content and technology in recent memory. So let’s dive into it right now and get it out of the way. Since just because the dead are rising from their graves doesn’t mean we as people automatically lose our heaviest firepower, Zombie Gunship Revenant AR lets you blow those zombies up real good using a helicopter gunship. The thermal graphics are a nice touch, and we’re looking forward to keeping our streets zombie-free with extreme prejudice.

AR Runner

You don’t necessarily have to overcomplicate things when it comes to AR, so we give you AR Runner. Because if you were going to go running anyway, you might as well gamify your jog somehow. Run through checkpoints as quickly as possible, compete against other players and even avoid enemies if you’re one of those “I don’t run unless something is chasing me” types. We imagine this is one AR game that will actually do your body some good as well as your mind, but as always, your mileage may vary.

AR Sports Basketball

Someday, some kid is going to become the next Steph Curry while not ever having shot a basketball at a physical hoop, and we’ll all be unclear as to whether we are living in the Matrix or what. Today is not that day, but you can see how things like AR Sports Basketball are the first steps down that road, seeing as they let you “shoot” basketball on a hoop that is true to scale. You can also shrink the hoop down for use on your desk, which we’re sure your boss wont mind you doing when you’re supposed to be working on the big presentation. Yeah, they probably won’t mind. Definitely probably.

Nick Tylwalk enjoys writing about video games, comic books, pro wrestling and other things where people are often punching each other, regaardless of what that says about him. He prefers MMOs, RPGs, strategy and sports games but can be talked into playing just about anything.