Touch Arcade

For a more strategy-focused, traditional tower defense, Dungeon Warfare 2 hits it out of the park. It is hard, it is unique, it has great level design, and it has a ton of replayability. For players interested in scratching the itch left by Kingdom Rush: Vengeance, those looking for a more premium experience, or those who recall with fondness lane-based tower defenses, this is a steal. For folks who aren’t interested in planning and thinking out the best way to approach a level, or who find the whole dungeon aesthetic to be a turn off, maybe look elsewhere.

Rolando: Royal Edition is a rare example of a game that feels truly timeless, making it an easy recommendation to any gamer, regardless of their past relationship with the series. With the likes of Apple Arcade on the horizon, there’s still a long way to go in the turbulent tale that is iOS gaming. However, Rolando: Royal Edition ensures that HandCircus’s opus will go down as more than just a forgotten footnote in the depths of TouchArcade’s archives, but instead a significant part of the App Store’s incredible legacy. Welcome back, Rolando – we’ve missed you.

When I think about it, Photographs seems like it’s everything, narratively, that is lacking in 10000000 and You Must Build A Boat. Gone are the frenzied decisions, often thoughtless motions, replaced with a shorter game with arguably less replay, but a narrative and structure that will allow for it to linger in your mind longer than the other two. The term “video game" doesn’t feel right when Photographs is more than that: it truly is a haunting experience of human nature and compassion, depression and connection.

The game unfolds in entertaining and challenging ways that I can’t share in great depth (again, I would be spoiling a lot of the fun if I did so), but I will say that what starts as a simple card game becomes a story-creation engine that includes summoning alien gods, sacrificing friends and foes alike, founding cults, and much more. Just be prepared to discover this world as you go along, as long as you don’t mind losing your sanity (thankfully only in terms of the game) along the way.

It is a welcome reminder that war isn’t all about the soldiers on the frontlines, that it has a heavy impact on citizens living in war zones. Father’s Promise, for lack of a better term, is a promising addition to the This War Of Mine line-up, and I’m already looking forward to more tears if/when the second episode (The Last Broadcast) comes to mobile platforms.

As it stands, Cure Hunters is really a game for folks who want that retro platformer feel, or a challenging roguelite, but don’t necessarily want to pay for a ported oldie or a new game. For everyone else, the monetisation strategy will be a big red flag. Whether it’s worth downloading despite that… well, that’s up to personal preference and what you’re willing to tolerate.

As such, while it is a fun little game to fill five minutes here or ten minutes there, it isn’t something that is likely to last long-term. While the basic gameplay is fun, the visuals are beautiful, and the broader gameplay loop is enjoyable, the reward system simply isn’t there and it really shows. Perhaps this will change in the future but, more likely, it will not, and the grind for gold will drag Pirates Outlaws down, down to the dark abyss below.

Sprout: Idle Garden is fun and casual rather than all-consuming. Yes, I want to get that next flower that seems unobtainable… but I also want to do a complete redesign, so maybe that takes precedence. Or I want to stay away from my phone all day to spend time with family, and return to a boatload of cash and an option to triple it for watching an ad: score!

The game is great for one-handed play while you’re standing on crowded public transit. It provides near-infinite possibilities as it stands, but my mind is already floating to what could be added later on, such as even more cards, themed events, or new characters. The world of Card Crusade is pretty much limitless and full of strategic possibilities!

Overall, Scorcher is a really good game by Radiangames that’s a single update away from being a great game. Radiangames has a fantastic record of supporting their games on the App Store, which makes Scorcher a easy recommendation even with my complaints.