You’ve seen True Stories, right? This week’s releases are astonishing, unfinished, bloody, and puzzling. I’ve got everything from uplifting metal strategy to castaway Vikings and from big-eyed bouncing gastropods to sequels without prequels. I’ll be on hiatus as I move to the other side of the planet soon, so this is my last post until sometime mid-late March. Never fear, Nick will be picking up the new-release slack while I’m gone.
It’s astonishing! What’s astonishing? The Astonishing! The heart of this __game is based on Turbo Tape’s previous release, symmetrical TBS UHR Warlords (TBS for “Turn Based Strategy,” nest c’pas, UHR for… I have no idea). The Astonishing adds a campaign and story based on pro metal band Dream Theatre’s album of the same title. It’s artists versus autocrats in this one, and Nick’s working on the review as we speak.
Be Astonished on iOS or Android.
Corpse Party: Blood Drive (iOS & Android)
The super-creepy sequel to Japanese Cult classic Corpse Party: Blood Drive makes the leap into 3D while keeping the “looks like a JRPG, plays like an adventure game” style of the original while adding visual novel-style interactions to the mix. Publisher 5pb. has put the original Corpse Party and Steins;Gate on sale to celebrate. Just don’t get mixed up and buy the Japanese or Korean versions by mistake.
The kids aren’t alright on iOS & Android.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (iOS & Android)
A new fantasy-comedy adventure game from the old school, The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 will appeal to fans of Kings Quest, Monkey Island, and the Discworld adventure games. In celebration of the release of The Book of Unwritten 2 on mobile, the original Book of Unwritten Tales is… unavailable on iOS or Android. Oh well.
Get the sequel before someone finishes it on iOS or Android.
Snailboy: Rise of Hermitron (iOS)
Snailboy: Rise of Hermitron is the sequel to the original Snailboy, which is no longer available… wait a gosh-darn minute, what is going on here? Where have all the prequels gone?!? Ahem. Anyway it’s a platformer with a slingshot mechanic, not typical PT fare, but it also has some featherweight RPG mechanics and arguably Metroidvania elements (repeating levels with new abilities: no map). Snailboy comes as a free demo with a single IAP for full unlock, which makes it low risk to try, if you can get through the “Annoying Orange”-worthy intro.
Hop, hop, jump! Hop on it… on iOS.
The Frostrune (iOS & Android)
The Frostrune is a hand-painted Adventure game based on Norse mythology. It’s a dark and puzzle-focussed tale about a shipwrecked Viking and the devs swear it’s scrupulously faithful to the sagas. It’s a bit like Year Walk, just with 100% fewer horses in suits and vastly greater odds of being mistaken for a Blind Guardian album.
The skalds will sing your tale - if you live to tell it - on iOS or Android.
Warlock’s Tower (iOS & Android)
You are a postal worker in an OG Gameboy fantasy world. Your job suuuuuucks: you have to deliver a letter to the top level of the Warlock’s tower, and every time you move in this turn-based puzzler, you lose a life. Why? Look, it’s a Warlock’s tower, okay? In order to survive, you have to pick up floating orbs of life energy as you go (Warlock’s tower), avoid monsters (Warlock’s tower) and traps (Warlock’s tower) and make good use of escalator-like conveyor belts (Warlock’s tow… okay, how about we just pretend it’s a JC Penny’s?).
Insurance and delivery confirmation are NOT available on iOS and Android.
Fire Emblem: Heroes (iOS & Android)
When Nintendo announced Super Mario Run for iOS, everyone thought it would be FTP. Instead, it was a premium game - the free download was just a demo. Now another flagship Nintendo franchise is coming to mobile, and this time it’s Fire Emblem! And this time it IS FTP. Couldn’t they have done it the other way ‘round or at least have made the IAP for specific content: complementary sets of heroes whose lives will be dramatically ended when some peon rolls a critical hit? I hate virtual currencies, but people are saying nice things about Fire Emblem: Heroes… so maybe I’ll give it a peek. [I've given it a couple of hours - it's not bad to be honest. Fire Emblems Lite w/ FTP-ED]
Marth, oh Marth, wherefore art thou, Marth? On iOS and Android.
Rome: Total War is a grand-strategy __game that features both turn-based world conquering gameplay and real-time tactical combat between armies. The scope is daring and Rome pulls it off well. The mobile release captured our strategy-game-of-the-year award for 2016. Not a lot of mobile games replicate both the world and battlefield experiences of Rome: Total War, though games like The Battle of Polytopia—our strategy __game runner up—and Legends of Callasia get pretty close. We've reviewed many others through the years that can be described as "like Rome" as well. The purpose of this article is to highlight a few more games that we have not reviewed in the past that you may want to check out if you're a fan of Rome: Total War and other similar titles. As always, feel free to call out other recommendations in the comments below.
Autumn Dynasty Warlords (2014) [ Available on: iOS ]
The closest game out there to Rome: Total War is easily Autumn Dynasty Warlords, which also offers the same two levels of gameplay. The turn-based strategy layer has you acting as emperor. You'll construct and upgrade buildings within the cities under your control and as is common with this type of game, there's a balancing act between building markets to encourage trade and military encampments to hire and train troops. You can also build and improve watchtowers to defend each city. When you are ready to expand your great empire you will deploy troops to where they are needed most—either attacking rival warlords or pacifying an unruly public. You'll also have several officers under your command to lead warriors into battle and act as diplomats or spies.
When the time comes for war you trade your crown for a general's helm. Invading an enemy province is a multiple step affair and you have to choose how you want to approach it. You can set up a base camp within your foe's territory and, assuming you hold it against their best attempts to drive you off, use it to attack the gates of the province's capital city directly. Alternatively, you can conduct recon and infiltration operations and try to take the enemy by surprise. If you control two or more provinces that neighbor your target you can coordinate attacks from each.
Combat itself happens in real time with a slick paint-a-path method to direct units to where they need to be. You can very easily control precisely what each unit attacks and make smart tactical decisions like softening up fortified positions with ranged attacks and holding cavalry charges until the perfect moment. The controls work very well and battles are action packed without being overwhelming for those of us who prefer turn-based combat.
The bottom line is that Autumn Dynasty Warlords is an awesome game. If you're a fan of Rome: Total War and don't already own it I recommend that it is your very next purchase. For those who want more battles Autumn Dynasty RTS (which is also available on Android) is all about the combat without the turn-based imperial expansion. For the budget conscious, both games go on sale each and every holiday season and usually sometime during the summer months.
Age of Conquest IV (2016) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
Age of Conquest IV a turn-based strategy game that lands somewhere between Risk and Rome: Total War. You build up an army and march inexorably outward to conquer the world. The depth of options is nowhere near Rome, but it captures the same type of strategic gameplay and satisfaction of victory in much less time. You can generally finish a single-player game in a couple hours. Gameplay is WEGO-based, meaning it uses turns but all sides put in their orders at the same time, rather than you getting a turn and me getting to react to what you just did, and so on. You don't zoom into combat to control units and tactics, the winner is mathematically determined based on size of force, defenses, and a few other factors.
There are a lot of options for exactly how to play Age of Conquest IV. You pick a map—medieval Europe is the base option—and one of twenty different scenarios. My favorite is 1200 AD because I'm a huge history nerd and love playing various factions of historical significance. There are thirty different factions from which to choose including the Byzantine Empire, Papal States, and Holy Roman Empire if you want to recapture the glory of Rome. There are also five different game objectives from which to choose. Supremacy is the default option and is won by the faction that gains control of 82% of the map. That percentage factors in diplomacy, which spices up strategy a great deal. Allies count as 35% of the goal and protectorates as 100%. It's often simplest to bully enemies into bowing down than conquering them outright. Other scenarios are things like "domination" where you have to conquer everything and even a capture-the-flag mode. There are a ton of other options including five different AI settings, the ability to set teams, and much more. Seriously, you can customize the crap out of this game.
You can play Age of Conquest IV as either a single-player or online multiplayer game. The AI is not bad and puts up a good challenge, especially at the higher difficulty levels. Multiplayer is cross-platform and as real-time or asynchronous as you like. Here again, there is a wealth of setup options including number of players, who can play (free-for-all, private games, clan-only games), and duration of turn (ranging from one minute to 7 days per turn).
Age of Conquest IV is a use case in how to make a free-to-play game. There are no energy bars, blind buys, or annoying videos to sit through. You can play the entire game for free on the medieval game map. In-app purchases unlock additional maps, of which there are many, and other modifications. In addition, the developer really supports this game and I see pretty regular updates. I can't imagine ever purging Age of Conquest IV from my iPad and find myself frequently coming back for a game when I need a war-game fix. If you like Rome: Total War there's really no reason not to give this one a shot.
Nanuleu (2016) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
At first glance Nanuleu has absolutely nothing in common with a game like Rome: Total War. In it you play as a network of magical trees defending you environment against a dark force (also represented by trees) gathered to expand and consume all in its path. It's when you delve a bit deeper, however, that some similarities begin to show. Nanuleu has resource management—minerals, water, and life—and specific trees that produce each. Your goal is to destroy the dark forces that defile the land by expanding and holding your territory through use of stalwart defenses (protector trees) and an invading army (generated by war trees) to take the fight to the enemy.
Gameplay in Nanuleu is in real time and plays out a lot like a tower defense title. War trees for both you and your foe spit out warriors at regular intervals. You don't have any control over how the units operate, warriors make their way toward the nearest enemy tree to attack it. Your job is to expand toward your foe and build the right trees in the right places to succeed. Much like in Rome: Total War and similar games there's a strategic balance between building trees to expand and attack versus those that increase your resource pool. You can go strong and fast and hope to end it Zergling style, or build up resources to fuel a stronger surge down the road. Resource granting trees can only be planted at certain spots on the map, further complicating tactics.
The game plays out in a campaign of three phases. First contact, where the blighted forest encroaches on your turf is the initial phase and the easiest. Invasion is like the middle movie or book of an epic trilogy—things aren't going so well and the bad trees have encroached far into your territory. Your job is to push them back. Counterattack is the "Magical Trees Strike Back" episode of the game where you take the fight to their turf. You can play each part of the campaign on different difficulty settings for a total of seven levels.
Fans of the real-time strategy component of Rome: Total War will likely enjoy how Nanuleu plays out. The tactical options are nowhere near as rich—few games are—but there's plenty of challenge to be had. I thought splicing in tower defense mechanics to handle combat was a fun way to go, but how much you like it will depend on how you feel about the genre. I do wish there were more levels to play, but we aren't talking about a ten-dollar game here, so I was plenty satisfied.
Eufloria HD (2012) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
Let's stick with the flora theme a bit longer to talk about Eufloria HD. Once again, you play as a colony of trees, but these are space trees rather than magical ones. Originally planted by the mysterious Growers the colony has a genetic mandate to reproduce and expand from asteroid to asteroid across the galaxy. Eufloria checks the same command-and-conquer gameplay boxes as Rome: Total War. You build up strength on home asteroids and send your seedlings outward to colonize and expand. You exploit resources on newly acquired asteroids to generate more seedlings . You explore nearby space seeking ripe targets for takeover and send your seedlings streaming across the void to exterminate the diseased greys, an enemy colony who represent an existential threat to your own.
Like different units in Rome and other human-based games, seedlings come in different types as well. An asteroid's energy, strength, and speed attributes determine what type of seedling gets produced by trees planted there. High energy seedlings are able to more quickly sap an asteroids core and begin a new colony. Strength determines attack power and stronger seedlings take down enemy trees faster. Speedy seedlings, on the other hand, are able to travel quickly between asteroids and zip around enemy defenses.
Eufloria is a full-on real-time strategy game, though it is more casual than many, and has a very Zen approach. The calming music and minimalist graphics create a mesmerizing experience. There are three different speeds at which to play so you can speed up or slow down gameplay depending on the current level of action. There's also a relaxed mode to further enhance a laid-back vibe. Don't let the atmosphere fool you, however, at its core the game operates on a ruthless kill-or-be-killed attitude common in nature. As with Nanuleu, you don't have much direct combat control of your seedlings. You decide how many to send and where, and can call them back or redirect if needed, but each seedling picks its own target and takes care of business.
There's plenty to do in Eufloria, starting off with a story mode which is a hefty twenty-five levels and worth quite a few hours on its own. There's also a "Dark Matter" mode that lets you replay the story with different goals and in a different graphical style. Skirmish levels add still more content and are quick levels that can be replayed repeatedly. Eufloria is the oldest game on this list but holds up quite well and is a good bet for fans of Rome: Total War who are looking for a more casual experience with many of the same gameplay concepts.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown won multiple game-of-the-year awards in 2012 for its turn-based tactical gameplay centered on a squad of combatants. The sequel, XCOM: Enemy Within, was similarly well received upon its release in 2013 and brought the franchise to the mobile market on both the iOS and Android platforms in 2014. The success of these XCOM games inspired many __game developers to try their hand at the genre. In 2015 we got Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion, set in the Warhammer 40K universe, and one of my personal favorites Templar Battleforce. Last year brought us Pocket Tactic's RPG game-of-the-year Demon's Rise 2 and tactics game-of-the-year Invisible, Inc. All of these games feature tactical turn-based action that can be favorably compared to the XCOM games.
There are more mobile games out there for fans of XCOM. The purpose of this article is to highlight several that we have not reviewed. I put some emphasis on games released in the last couple of years, but also aimed for a good cross-section of options out there. Naturally I can't include every title with gameplay similar to XCOM and would love to see other options called out in the comments below.
Aliens versus Humans (2013) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
We'll start with an option that predates Enemy Within on mobile. Aliens versus Humans is an old game. So old that if you buy it for iOS you'll get the warning about it slowing down your device since the developer hasn't updated the __game to Apple's standards. That warning is often meaningless and misleading and you should go ahead and ignore it in this case.
Aliens versus Humans is effectively a clone of the very first XCOM game from back in 1994.It features base management, research, manufacturing, and of course tactical combat against alien enemies. The graphics are retro and nothing to get excited about, but the gameplay is solid, combat is challenging, and there's a whole lot of content for a couple bucks. You can bring a huge squad to battle which allows for more options to face threats than games that top out with a team of four or so. It also lets you play the attrition game to grind out victories. So while Aliens versus Humans is over three-years-old at this point, it is well worth considering if you're looking for XCOM-like action.
Legions of Steel (2015) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
The universe is under threat from the Empire of the Machines and an alliance between the League of Aliens and United Nations of Earth (U.N.E.) is all that stands in their way. Legions of Steel takes this war to the Machines' underground production facilities. You direct squads of commandos through the machine's dark metallic underworld.
As with XCOM games, there's a lot of tactical decision making in Legions of Steel. You can make use of movement stances, strafing, covering fire to take things out on your opponent's turn, firing options like auto-fire and suppressing fire, and ambush tactics. There are also a ton of different weapons with which to equip your squad to fit any strategy and I particularly like that you can shoot no matter how far you've moved, with modifiers of course. There are two different campaigns in Legions of Steel and the story is told through attractive comic-book panels between missions. There's also a "Skirmish" mode for quick fights and asynchronous multiplayer if you prefer a human opponent.
This game was developed and published by members of the Slitherine Group. Please read the About Us page for more information.
Alien Star Menace (2015) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
The first of a couple free options in this article is a little game called Alien Star Menace. Aliens have attacked the starship Paladin and it's up to you to save the day. Alien Star Menace is light-hearted and looks pretty basic at first glance but it actually packs a good tactical punch. You pick a five-person squad from a variety of special units with different pros and cons and take them into missions on different levels of the Paladin.
The mission objectives are things like "Kill Everything" and "Reach the Stairs" and the game rewards smart decisions like making good use of choke points and ranged attackers. Missions are very quick and perfect for bite-sized play sessions on your phone, which is often a big plus for gamers these days. Alien Star Menace is also free-to-play with no IAP. There are ads, which can be annoying, but the frequency is very low and I didn't find them to be overly obtrusive. I'm happy to recommend this one as a free gaming option for XCOM fans.
World of Warriors: Quest (2015) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
World of Warriors: Quest is a light turn-based tactical game where you play as a team of warriors from across the ages—Roman centurions, Viking berserkers, and stealthy ninjas for example. The characters fill your standard RPG roles. The Roman, Brutus, is a tank and taunts enemies with his attacks to keep their attention. Gunnar, the Viking warrior, is a decent balance of damage and survivability. The ninja is named Kuro and he's the glass cannon—big area-of-effect damage but very low health. Those are the starting characters but you encounter more as the game goes on.
You choose three warriors to take on a number of quests that lead you across the Wildlands on a mission to discover what the local bad guys are up to. Each quest has several waves of fights and it can be a challenge to keep your team upright and alive so you don't succumb to attrition. Each warrior has special attacks to make use of and there are also consumables֫ that recover health, enable big attacks, or provide extra movement speed. World of Warriors: Quest is not a particularly deep game, but good for those interested in light squad-based tactics. You also can't beat the price—this one is free with no IAPs or ads.
The Last Warlock (2016) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
The Last Warlock is a turn-based tactical game with a somewhat unique almost-anything-goes approach. You play as a warlock capable of summoning deadly creatures, casting magical spells, and crafting weapons, armour, and other equipment. You embark on a series of quests to find and defeat enemy warlocks, all vying to discover the secrets of the famed last warlock. To defeat these rivals you must first best their monsters, traps, and puzzles before taking them down.
The Last Warlock provides an extraordinary amount of freedom for a tactical game to decide exactly how to do so. You can go straight for your foe or explore a little and take the road less travelled. This provides a great deal of replay value because you can play the same quest multiple times and use a different strategy. Your squad in this game are the creatures you've summoned and you can end up with quite a crew as you grow in power and a quest wears on. The single-player campaign is quite extensive and will provide many hours of play for one premium price. There's also an asynchronous online option for those looking for multiplayer action.
Star Chindy (2016) [ Available on: iOS | Android ]
Star Chindy was mentioned in the comments of my roguelike guide but it I feel it fits here as well. The game mixes in elements of both FTL and XCOM. You warp around the galaxy in your ship, the Star Chindy, in a hunt to take on and take out a big bad alien race that very nearly wiped out earth. You'll maintain and upgrade your ship, and others you pick up along the way, and decide where to go and what risks are worth taking in your travels.
You'll take a squad on various away missions and engage the enemy in turn-based tactical warfare. The missions are a good challenge and get better and better as you train up your squad. The space-based combat is less interesting, however. It plays out in real time, rather than being turn based, and your weapons auto-fire on enemy ships in range. Your job is to frantically maneuver your ships to avoid enemy fire. Luckily the fun of the squad combat more than makes up for this and despite this odd dichotomy, Star Chindy is definitely worth a go for fans of XCOM.
Do you know of any more games that would fit the topic of today's guide? Let us know about them in the comments below!
Not too long ago I was asked to review a couple of titles that succeeded in putting a fresh spin on the thousand year old __game that is Chess –an impressive feat, to say the least. Moveless Chess added a puzzle mechanic to the core gameplay, while Really Bad Chess felt like a 5 year old fiddling with the nuts and bolts. They both had a unique flavour and considering there are a hundred different versions of the standard __game that simply attempt to add bells and whistles graphically, it’s always nice to see developers get under the bonnet to rewire something traditional.
Which brings us to Chezz, by QuickByte Games, a chess experience that (you guessed it) takes the traditional game and does something different with it. This time, the focus is on speeding the experience up by removing the turn-based system of traditional chess, and turning it into a free-for-all. When you move a piece, a cool-down timer appears above it, rendering the piece useless for several seconds. There’s a genuine tension at play as you see your rook fixed in place, the time slowly making its way to zero, as an opponents’ bishop slowly makes its way across the board. The opening moments of a game are crucial, especially in multiplayer, as you’ll typically find players lining up and moving multiple pieces early to try and get the advantage.
The game sneakily has a ‘tower defense’ vibe about it as well. The end goal of Chess, regardless of how the mechanics are tweaked, is to checkmate the king to win the game. This means always keeping one eye on your defensive line, because any exposed areas will see a random bishop come flying in to take out your king. Chezz then becomes a hyper-intense version of its original counterpart, and the forward thinking that comes with playing normal chess is needed here tenfold. The game helps with this, by previewing the steps possible to move when you tap on a piece. If you’ve played chess before, you know that a knight can move in an L-shaped fashion, but it does help to have all possible maneuvers on show to help make the quickest decision needed.
When you think you have the hang of the game’s core mechanics, it starts to throw new obstacles such as fire, burning up any piece that is unfortunate enough to land on it. The fire itself can be put out, which leads to potential tactical opportunities to clear a path and swoop in. This feels rather gimmicky and I prefer the elegance and simplicity of the game’s core design, but I can see why the developers added features to expand the gameplay further into the main campaign. The challenge does get ramped up, as further into the adventure you’ll notice your army starts to dwindle, while the AI’s remains the same. They also tweak the formula in other ways, such as survival levels, where you need to keep your king piece alive until the time runs out.
Speaking of which, there are three modes as of now: adventure, training, online, with the main campaign using an over-world map to move from one challenge to the next. There is no time-restricted consequence for failing a level, so you are free to try as many times as you like.
Online multiplayer works really well, which is needed for a twitch-based game like Chezz. I’ve yet to run into any issues with delay or lag, and earlier versions of the game that were suffering from certain visual issues have since been cleared. It is commendable to see QuickByte continuing to improve on the game’s overall experience. There is a rankings system in place, and the game keeps you matched up against similarly ranked players. Local multiplayer is not included, but that doesn’t seem like a practical inclusion.
The game is free-to-play, so IAPs are here. The in-game currency comes in the form of “pawns” which you can use to purchase items from the (currently limited) shop. Inside you’ll find a couple of skin packs, and several items that give different perks and buffs. These range from allowing you to queue up moves for pieces on a cool down, to changing the mechanics and movement of different pieces. These items average around 400 pawns, and a pack of 500 will set you back £3.69. Pawns can also be earned through winning games and watching adverts, so I think overall the game does a decent job of a fair price plan, and not slowing the flow of the game if you decide to take the cheap and long road.
Also, as you build up your experience, with each level gained you can increase the stats of a chess piece to enhance their speed moving across the board or reduce the cooldown timer between moves. It’s a simple inclusion, but adds a tactical depth as you try and decide whether to make an even spread of speed and cooldown across your army, or try and overpower particular pieces that you think will give you the edge in play.
Chezz is a simple, yet very well executed game. Graphically it is bright but not overly ambitious, which is fine, as the game should focus on providing a smooth experience, and it does this extremely well. By focusing on its strengths rather than the “free-to-play” aspect, it offers a strong incentive to play and reward the developer, instead of feeling purchases are necessary to progress further in the game. The design and build is great for a quick session on the go.
We’re a little but late with this one (my fault, sorry), but we’ve got some more free __game codes to giveaway this week. You may remember Nick reporting on developer Righteous Hammer and their intent to continue support of Solitairica, a fun card-game with an RPG twist. You can read our review of it here.
We’ve got iOS and Android codes to giveaway for the __game in advance of the new update due in February which introduces a new mini-boss.
This will be a random draw, and to enter you only need to do the following:
Solitairica takes the classic ‘Solitaire’ card game and twists it into something unique. What other classic card games have you seen re-invented into something else and what was unique about it?
Post below in the comments. The answer doesn't have to be a mobile game; it can be from any medium but the core elements of the game being adapted have to be clearly identifiable in the design. If you can’t think of an existing game, feel free to make up something you would find interesting, adding in a quick sentence or two as to how it would work.
The competition will close and the winners will be contacted on Monday 6th February. Make sure you keep an eye on the forums – all winners will be messaged via PM. Any questions, you know where we are!
