Chillingo Ltd

iPhone App $0.99 Our Review By Sinan Kubba on February 6th, 2012 Rating: :: PRETTY EPIC A perpetual motion platformer that is unique and funny. No, really. Developer: Price: $1.99 Version: 1.1 App Reviewed on: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: User Interface Rating: Gameplay Rating: Re-use / Replay Value Rating: Overall Rating: One Epic Game seems like an antithetical moniker for a PSP Mini game, but that’s where Grip Games’ perpetual motion platformer originally released last summer. While it was acclaimed by critics, like many Minis released onto the PlayStation Network it was rather neglected. Of course, the spiritual home for a -like game is undoubtedly on iOS, and now that OEG has made it home I hope it receives the grand reception it deserves because it is truly excellent. First off, the game is funny. While the humor is not always hilarious, in its story mode OEG strikes a chord with its one-of-us, self-deprecating jokes about the games industry. “Why can’t there be a single action game without zombies in it???” the square-jawed protagonist cries moments before pitting you against a line of zombies. All of gaming’s shooter clichés turn up like World War II, aliens, the BFG, and the shotgun. All of this is nodded to in the cut scene dialogue which is full of jibes at the immaturity that still pervades the media’s blockbuster titles. What’s ironic, though, is how the painfully familiar arsenal of shotguns, machine guns, lasers, and flamethrowers helps to give OEG a unique feel in its own overcrowded genre. Each weapon power-up feels distinctive, has clear pros and cons, and forces the player to adapt his strategy as he runs and jumps through the levels. This considered 2D shooter play complements platforming levels that, while randomly generated from constituent parts, never feel too repetitive. The backdrop are some appreciably testing and diverse challenges which go far beyond simply surviving as long as possible. Also, I can’t forget the wonderfully cheesy soundtrack which includes a fully-fledged operatic number for the medieval level and a grinding rock one to shooting those damned aliens to. My only negative points about OEG are that I wish the story mode was a little longer and added a few more individual twists into the play, and that the leaderboards were easier to find and negotiate. One Epic Game may be a tongue-in-cheek name, but as it turns out it’s Read More

When I think about possible themes for tower defense games, a tale about space pirates attacking a futuristic Earth in search of highly sought after ‘Spice’ is probably the last thing I’d think of. Yet, that’s exactly the premise of Spice Invaders [Free], a new freemium title from Chillingo. While the game itself is a nice take on tower defense, the bulk of the conversation unfortunately turns to its freemium elements which distract greatly from the actual game. As a tower defense game, Spice Invaders plays similarly to Fieldrunners [$2.99 / HD]. Players are charged with defending one (or more) bases in open-field maps. Enemies come in waves from a variety of different entrances, forcing you to build towers in such a way as to prevent them from taking out your base. Since the maps are open (with some featuring random barriers littered throughout the map), you can do this by surrounding your base, forcing the baddies into long paths made of towers, and so on. The core gameplay isn’t particularly innovative, even the tower types are pretty standard (machine gun, missile, anti-air, e.t.c.). The game does have a pretty mean difficulty streak, since the AI adapts to tower placement and tries to find the path of least resistance to your base. The end result is a game providing a decent challenge for folks that aren't used to complex tower defense strategy. Where Spice Invaders differentiates itself is in its overall presentation and execution. The visuals are crisp and vivid and do an interesting job portraying a futuristic (and bleak) Earth. This is also reflected in a good level design, as Spice Invaders takes you through a tour of the various continents. The music is catchy and adequately sets the mood. Even the menus, in-game tutorial and story cutscenes are done well. In fact, based on the above I’d argue that Spice Invaders has all the core elements of a great tower defense game. That is, until you get to the pay wall. Yes folks, after seven missions in South America (the first continent in the game), you are unceremoniously informed that in order to move to the next continent you must either reach level 20 or pay-up 42 spice. When I reached this point, I was barely level 13, so you can imagine my surprise at making the level cap that high. Also, since I was upgrading my towers on Read More

By Rob Rich on February 3rd, 2012 What's better than a list of recently-released free iOS games? An even BIGGER list of recently-released free iOS games. Call me crazy, but I felt compelled to make this week’s list of freebies a little bigger than usual. Maybe it’s because there were more to pick from. Maybe there was a larger number of legitimately interesting titles. Or maybe I was just on a roll and went with it. No matter the reason, there’s a nice big list of iOS games down there that can all be acquired without the use of money. Why not take a look? GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective – It seems like Capcom has started to compulsively port their DS games to iOS. Not that I mind, because most of their DS games are utterly fantastic. GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective is most likely no exception. The dead private eye who continues to solve cases as a spirit while possessing various items in order to freak out nearby living folks might be a tad eccentric for some, but it’s right up my alley. I can only assume it’s right up other peoples’ alleys as well. FREE! + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Released: 2012-02-02 :: Category: Games Rock the Vegas for iPhone – People love to build their own cities in a virtual environment. A lot of people also love to gamble. Rock the Vegas offers both of those things. For free! With no broken thumbs! FREE! iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Released: 2012-01-30 :: Category: Games Brand Name Space Game – Okay, so there’s no shortage of top-down SHMUPs on the App Store. But how many of them feature semi-satirical names? And look pretty? And are free? Yeah, okay. I kind of backed myself into a corner with this one. Still, it’s free so why not take a look? FREE! iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games Range – Range might be a game. Then again it might not. Either way, it’s intriguing: it attempts to subconsciously teach players another language through the use of audio cues and platformer-style gameplay. I don’t know if it really works or not, but it’s a pretty cool idea. And I’ve always wanted to start learning Japanese… FREE! + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and Read More

+ Universal App FREE! Our Review By Rob Rich on February 2nd, 2012 Rating: :: CONTROL THE SPICE Spice Invaders is an extremely content-rich tower defense game with one fairly major problem. Developer: Price: FREE Version: 1.02 App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS Graphics / Sound Rating: Gameplay Rating: Playtime Rating: Replay Value Rating: Overall Rating: Build defenses. Hold off the attacking hordes. Above all else, protect the base. This is a song and dance we’re all very familiar with. What makes Spice Invaders a worthwhile tango partner is the way it’s practically full-to-bursting with content. Extra towers, new upgrades, special passive abilities and even cosmetic items can be purchased with spice earned (or bought with real money) through repeated play. It’s a surprisingly compelling and rewarding system with one major drawback: the multiplayer. Assuming we’re all knowledgeable of tower defense games, I’m going to cut right to the specific nuances. Players will do the deed throughout several varied levels/maps gaining experience for their pirate to unlock new towers, spending earned cash and points on said upgrades, unlocking new levels and eventually new game types. Each stage (and modes, once they’re unlocked) can be replayed as much as needed and there’s no shortage of incentive to do so. Aside from the ever present desire to unlock more and more stuff, Spice Invaders has a bit more going for it. It looks great with lots of colorful imagery, plenty of visual upgrades to each tower and these adorably goofy little speech bubbles that pop-up from time to time to show what a given unit is thinking. I’m particularly fond of seeing a rarely-used turret saying something akin to “I feel useless…” It made me laugh. The overall interface is also pretty slick and easy to navigate, too. The big issue I’ve had with Spice Invaders is the multiplayer, sadly. It seems like something that should be the driving force here, but as of right now it feels like a broken mess. Friend integration is both overly complicated and hit-or-miss (not a fan of Crystal, either). Actually playing with a specific person is nigh impossible to do because, for some reason, it fails to recognize friends who are online. We had to organize a meeting via computer chatting in order to get a game started. Once the game started, it was even more of a mess with players’ bases and turrets not marked very Read More

+ Universal App $0.99 Our Review By Jason Wadsworth on February 1st, 2012 Rating: :: PICKY PICKY PENGUINS Make sure each penguin gets its favorite fish as quickly as possible in this clever physics puzzler. Developer: Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.2 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4S Graphics / Sound Rating: Game Controls Rating: Gameplay Rating: Replay Value Rating: Overall Rating: While penguins may not be widely known for their greed, their love of fish is no secret. In Greedy Penguins, using physics and ingenuity, players must get fish into the mouths of the waiting penguins. This style of game has certainly been seen before. Playing with the physics in various levels with different layouts and obstacles to get some object from one place to another is a well established iOS gaming concept. What Greedy Penguins brings to the genre is a bevy of intelligently designed levels with lots of cute if sometimes slightly off-color animated characters. The gameplay in Greedy Penguins is typical for the genre. Players use the physics and the environment in each level to drop, bounce, roll, and fling fish into the penguin’s mouths. Not just any fish can go to any penguin, though. The fish must match the color of the penguin that eats it or that penguin will get sick and throw up. Give a penguin the right fish, however, and they will happily dive into the water below and swim away. This gets them out of the way and lets players get fish to any other penguins in the level. These well designed levels make this game much more than just a physics toy, it actually becomes something of a puzzle with players trying to figure out the right sequence and timing of events. The character are really well animated and each penguin as well as the various other environmental characters has its own unique set of animations. Some are cute, some are slightly crude, and some are just bizarre. These animations bring whimsy and interest to each level, and new animations are unlocked by doing well on the levels. As a physics game, Greedy Penguins is run of the mill and standard, but as a puzzle game it really shines. The puzzles are clever, challenging, and super satisfying to figure out and complete. The animations are fun and well integrated with the gameplay. Innovative, though it may not be, Greedy Penguins is a well Read More

iPhone App $0.99 Our Review By Jennifer Allen on January 31st, 2012 Rating: :: FANTASTIC The tale of one fearless hamster as he leaps his way around many, many levels of the finest physics based puzzling around. Developer: Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.0.1 Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4 Graphics / Sound Rating: Game Controls Rating: Gameplay Rating: Replay Value Rating: Overall Rating: Since first getting my hands on a preview build of Hank Hazard back in September, I’ve been excited to play the full experience. On the surface, it looks like a typical puzzle platformer, the kind of which we’ve seen many times before. Underneath however is a title that offers more depth than is usually the case, mostly thanks to the plethora of different objectives to complete. The player takes on the role of Hank, stunt hamster extraordinaire, as he navigates 100 levels that increasingly test the player’s reactions and thought process. As is typical with such a game, the first few levels are simple enough. They introduce the main mechanics behind the game such as the importance of blocks that can be tapped away and the dangers of fire. There’s also the explanation of the many different bonuses that can be acquired. We’ve all seen physics puzzle games that involve picking up 3 stars between the start and end of the game but how about ones that offer bonus challenges? Hank gains a nut bonus through completing certain objectives such as hitting the finish line at a set speed or completing the level in under X amount of moves. 18 secret levels can also be unlocked through collecting golden nuts that are hidden amongst some of the main group of levels. It’s a good mix of different things to concentrate, ensuring that Hank Hazard feels a cut above the rest. It’s great fun to play, also, with that ‘one more go’ mentality living strong throughout the game. Much of this success is down to the mixture of obstacles to traverse. Weights shoot Hank flying into the air across levels and boxing gloves can be activated to propel Hank skywards with one memorable level turning the game into pinball briefly. The further players progress, the more imaginative obstacles become making it a joy to see what’s next. It’s a great amalgamation of typical gaming tropes with the stunt hamster theme. Put together, Hank Hazard is a fantastic physics puzzler. Amongst Read More

Back in October 2011, we saw a preview of the arcade-puzzler Hank Hazard [99¢] from Red Rocket Games and Chillingo. Well, a few months have passed, but it's finally out. And after punching, dropping, rolling and blowing up Hank the bucktooth hamster for a couple of hours, I realized I was enjoying myself. Hank is a brave rodent, who dreams of being the worlds first "stunt-hamster". He's sealed inside a transparent hamster-ball which must maneuver through each level, collecting three stars before crashing into the finish target. It's part "physics game" and part "puzzler", as you need to determine a safe way through each level. There's no joystick, buttons or tilting as you don't control Hank's movements directly. Instead, you interact with the surrounding items to make him move. For instance, tapping certain platforms makes them disappear, so if Hank was sitting on that platform, he would fall and roll down a ramp. Or perhaps there's a weight on the platform, which then falls on a see-saw and catapults the daredevil hamster upwards to an awaiting star. There's spring-loaded boxing gloves, reversible escalators and "hamster-safe bombs", which are just a few of the ways to move the otherwise stationary hamster. But, avoid the fire-pits and electrical fields, or you'll be one charred little critter. The first chapter is named "The Early Years" but you can also unlock the "Bigger and Better" and "Fairly Badass" chapters by earning stars (making 75 levels in total). A further 18 bonus levels can be unlocked by reaching special golden stars or gifting the game. And there's even a small mini-game hidden away in the credits page, which earns you one of the 23 achievements. A three-star rating and score is awarded for each level, with high-scores stored via Game Center and Crystal. A separate leaderboard is provided for each chapter, plus an overall leaderboard for total score. To improve your scores, you can gain a "nuts" bonus by collecting all three stars while  also satisfying a specific objective for the level, such as:  "Finish the level traveling at greater than 32 mph", reach a certain height, finish within a certain time, or finish within a limited number of moves. This adds some extra challenge and replay-value. The level designs are varied and interesting, and ramp up in difficulty as you'd expect with the last chapter requiring more thought than the fairly easy first levels. The difficulty Read More

In case you've never heard of it before, Dominion is a deck building card game created by game designer Donald X. Vaccarino and published by Rio Grande Games in 2008. Since its release, Dominion has been ripping up the charts over on BoardGameGeek, and has won all sorts of other awards including taking home game of the year at Germany's Spiel board game festival. In fact, Dominion's success and popularity have spawned an entire genre of other similar deck building games. A few days ago, Dominion Donald X. Vaccarino [Free] hit the App Store, and since then I've been trying to verify the validity of this port. It seemed pretty shady, and the developer's web site sure didn't help things. After some additional digging, I came across a post by Rio Grande Games' Jay Tummelson over on BoardGameGeek. It turns out that over the years they've given their blessing to a number of developers to release iOS versions of Dominion, provided they agree to remove it once the official version hits the App Store. What's more interesting though, is that the official licensed version, per this same forum post, is only "a few weeks" away. Even more curious though is that Chillingo currently has a game titled Dominion [$1.99] on the App Store as well. We'll just have to wait and see how the dust settles on all of this. If you're interested in Dominion, I'd snag the free version out now, and if you own Chillingo's Dominion it might not be a bad idea to back up the .ipa just in case there's any hijinks with take-down requests by Rio Grande Games so they can score the "Dominion" title on the App Store. I hope Rio Grande is serious about this "few weeks" thing, as an official version of Dominion has potential to be awesome.   #4   Today, 03:06 AM Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 3 Quote: Originally Posted by Wow, while it looks simple, that gameplay video looks to be a nice challenge. Downloading! Thanks for the comments! An audio cue would be fun... we'd have to find something that doesn't disturb the music. Currently the music isn't built to be modular enough to speed up or change during the game in response to user actions. What do you think about the size of the play field that is visible? Do you mind not being able Read More

...one would expect, the ingredients cost money and if they are overcooked or undercooked, the patron doesn’t pay full price, thus reducing profits margins. Profit margins are essential to progressing through the game. The extra money is used to unlock specials, which fetch higher prices as well as unlock spices such as salt, sugar, pepper and others that certain patrons enjoy and pay the gamer b... Read More

5th Cell is the developer behind the very popular Scribblenauts (which was released on iOS to great acclaim last year, and just had a new level pack update), and it recently brought a new title to the App Store called Run Roo Run. 2D platforming is a genre that's almost as old as videogames themselves (Mario, who you may know, is the grandfather of jumping around on 2D platforms), and as far as I'm concerned, Run Roo Run is a master class in 2D platforming design. It also has the added benefit of being a running title of sorts, and a puzzle game as well. The idea is that you, as Roo, a very cute Australian kangaroo, have lost a little blue buddy, and it's your job to jump across the Aussie landscape, over and around various obstacles, to save your friend. But your run is broken up into a series of stages that consist of one screen each, and so the goal is to keep the constantly running Roo jumping at just the right times to make it to the end of the screen and onto the next one. The action starts simple, but soon double jumps are added, and then the ability to slow Roo down or speed him up, and then you can swing on things, and just like Cut the Rope, a series of relatively simple elements can be combined into some very ingenious puzzles. Also like Cut the Rope, all of the action is crystal clear to see and understand, and the colorful graphics (especially on the iPad's HD version) and very chill Aussie soundtrack make this one a pleasure to play through. It's well polished, excellently designed, and for a 2D platforming fan like myself, every new stage is like another dish at an all-you-can-eat jumping buffet. And every level is timed and rewarded with gold, silver, or bronze medals, so there's lots of drive, even once you've conquered a simple one, to go back and do it perfectly the first time around. Run Roo Run is a great title, and shows that 5th Cell has really fallen in love with Apple's platform (of course, the big sales from Scribblenauts probably didn't hurt that emotion, either). It's available for 99 cents on iPhone, or for $1.99 on the iPad, with over 420 levels included, more showing up every week, and the option to buy some Read More