Category Mobile

Hero Survival is a top-down shooter where you fight hordes of movie monsters from the team at PigeonDev, creators of Paladin Dream and Kill Fish.

You have been transported into the video game world of Hero Survival at the hands of an evil wizard. This wizard wants nothing more than to use his army of monsters to kill you but that doesn’t mean you have to let him. You control one of nearly a dozen heroes to take on the hordes, each with their own perks. As you slaughter the monsters, you earn experience points and eventually level up.

Each time you level up you unlock a skill or item/weapon. These range from improving your attack or damage to a temporary boost your skills. You also collect various weapon options that are randomly chosen like a knife or a sniper rifle. The downside is that you are only able to carry four weapons at a time. Choosing the right weapons and items can mean the difference between life and death. Imagine how easy this game would be if you could carry more than four though, it would be bonkers but I expect a ton of fun. After enough mayhem you will eventually have to fight the devil to unlock the next world/level. I have never survived long enough for this to happen.

Utilizing 8-bit graphics, the game looks quite simple but with the sheer mayhem and number of sprites on screen at the same time, I imagine this was a necessity for system resources. Controls are simple but with all the enemies appearing all the time there is still a significant challenge. If you enjoy games with a simple concept, easy to play but still challenge you at every step you will definitely enjoy this one.

Sneakybox and Atari team up to bring a tactics roguelite game with Days of Doom to consoles!

The last tactics styled game I remember playing before Days of Doom was another playthrough of Final Fantasy Tactics. FFT was the gold standard in Tactics gaming. No other team has been able to capture the magic of a world and the ease of gameplay as well. Sneakybox built the original version of this game for mobile devices but under a new team has rebuilt the game, saving mostly a few characters and maps, and released it to consoles. This was with publishing assistance from Atari.

The game focuses on the world after the zombie apocalypse is here, like in the movies, comics and other games, you must venture out and collect supplies and fight to live. Gameplay follows the classic tactics format where the area of the stage is laid out on a grid and you move your characters like a tabletop game. With my obsession with tabletop gaming it’s pretty obvious why this style appeals to me. visually the game is vibrant and looks like it jumped right off a page from a comic or graphic novel. The controls are easy to learn and feel natural with the gameplay. Overall I had a ton of fun and the game appeals to me on so many levels- tactics and zombies just to name the two big ones. This game is well worth the play and I look forward to playing again.

Ultra Pixel Survive is a two dimensional side scroller that looks and plays more like Minecraft than it does Terraria.

Ratalaika Games brings us Ultra Pixel Survive, a game about crafting and survival. When most people think of games like Minecraft they typically think of Terraria. Terraria is also two dimensional but has always felt like it was more about the survival aspect than the building a world. This game is more of a happy medium between the two. Unlike these two titles though your tools never break.

Players choose between one of close to two dozen characters, each with their own abilities. You must unlock almost all of these characters though. You unlock them by purchasing them with red gems which are earned by opening chests. Chests in this game were the bane of my existence, at first. You see, there is an achievement related to opening one that I was trying to get since the beginning. The trick here lies in the house you have. STAY OUT of the house. This resets the period of time you must survive to earn the daily chest. That means you have to stay outside and remain there for 24 in game hours straight to have the chest appear. When it does appear though it is almost always offscreen.

Graphically the game is quite simple, leaning into the traditional 8-bit look and feel. Controls are quite simple and feel organic. I loved the simplicity of the game and had an absolute blast playing. I want to see what some of these other characters are capable of too. My only complaint is on the chest mechanic; I feel that going into the house should only pause the time and not reset it, other than that, the game was great.

HEROish is a tower defense game from Sunblink Entertainment that features six epic heroes and card that summon troops to defeat your foes.

In the world of HEROish players control a champion and a handful of cards. Each card holds a power or a troop unit and can be upgraded to make them more effective. Sunblink Entertainment are the masterminds behind this tower defense game and were kind enough to share it with us. You start the game with a set number of points and each card you use is worth a set number of points. The main objective of the game is to save the kingdom and defeat enemy heroes. Each hero has a deck of cards to use and depending on how many points they save then put them into sending waves of troops at the other.

Multiplayer can be done with with bots and gets quite hectic as your opponents send waves after waves of troops after you. You will still earn rewards for your fight if it’s only against the bots but that doesn’t mean they are going to go easy on you. They made me work hard for that win.

The graphics are crisp and look like a very similar style to either the Skylanders games or Disney Infinity. The controls are quite simple to learn and feel natural. The game is full of jokes and over the top characters making this perfect for me. I had a great time playing it and spent many more hours than I expected killing everything I could. If you like a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously and art that pops like a comic book then you’ll find something to like with this game.

Artari has returned with another Recharged reboot title and this time it is from the cannon firing Akka Arrh!

Atari and Jeff Minter have teamed up again to reimagine or recharge their classic AkkA Arrh for current generations. You play a turret that shoots bombs with some massive areas of effect. These shots when hitting an enemy turn that enemy into another explosion of similar size and shape and can lead to some massive chain reactions. The fights are chaotic and can be a little hard to follow with the constant explosions.

With super bright imagery the came looks like a stoner’s dream or if a bad trip, then their worst nightmare. If you suffer from light sensitivity then I would suggest avoiding this title. I played it with a migraine and it made the head pain worse by the time I stopped. This was before I learned there is a way to toggle the visual mayhem off. It made a huge difference. Atari fans will enjoy the classic playstyles and those without light sensitivity will enjoy the effect. I personally found the game to be repetitive too early into gameplay. This early into the game should continue to be fresh and engaging. Hard pass from me on this one.

In Path of Titans you play in an open world as one of many dinosaurs like my favorites, the T-rex or the Triceratops.

Alderon Games understands that just because you are getting older you don’t lose your love for dinosaurs. They crafted an open world game where you can choose between carnivores and herbivores. In Path of Titans players start with four small dinos, two of each of the ‘vores. Of course neither are favorites but they aren’t bad either. They are some of the weaker but faster options in the game. These four dinosaurs are the only ones you will get (at this time) for free. There are multiple payment options to get new models to use. This includes packs that include them or coin purchases. We were provided a code that gave us access to the full list of dinos available to make reviewing easier/cheaper.

When playing in single player the map has animals generated to interact with (or hunt if you’re a carnivore) and multiplayer does the same but allows you to interact with other players. What else would you expect from multiplayer? Each map can have up to 200 active players in addition to the NPC creatures. Most of my time was spent in singe player and these animals were so few and far between it felt like I was wandering with nothing or no one to interact with.

The time I spent in multiplayer was not what I expected. Most games like this you usually find players that have been around longer than you dominating the map and making it difficult for newer players to get started. This was not the case. The map I was in only had about twenty players total but the veteran players were offering to place themselves as meals for the new carnivore players or to guide the new players how to ramp up their skill level quickly. I have never seen this from an open lobby in ANY game before. It was a great way to be introduced to the multiplayer version of the game. This is how I want EVERY multiplayer game to treat newer players.

Visually the attention to detail on both the dinos and world itself far exceeded my expectations. My only real complaint with the game is the lack of player base. The maps are simply too large with too few players in them (at least the ones I played). Controls are intuitive and work well with the characters. Even better is that the game is continuing to be updated with new models regularly. Despite the inactive server I have to admit I not only had a great time playing but my daughter (who is obsessed with dinosaurs) enjoyed watching and playing as well.

HeroCraft has released an Xbox One version of their mobile hit Space Wolf, a turn and card based strategy game.

When I discovered Warhammer 40k Space Wolf I immediately reached out to the team at HeroCraft to see if we could receive a review copy to try it out. Little did I know at the time this was the same game I had played several years ago on my iPhone. When it first released I found it to be a good deal of fun but soon found a new title to draw my attention on my phone. Fast forward to last month when I received the download code for the game.

I had the game installed for several weeks before playing it and within the first couple turns I realized how similar this was to a game I played before. After a few minutes on google taught me that my suspicions were correct, this game was an updated version of a mobile game I’ve played previously. That isn’t a bad thing mind you, merely an observation.

Gameplay is based on an initiative system that can be manipulated by various cards to speed you up or slow you down. Each character has a set of cards that are randomized and then dealt to be used. Each card can offer movement, some sort of buff, an attack or even healing options. Under the image on each card will list the damage the weapon CAN do but you are limited on ammo or it is a single use card. Compared to most Xbox One titles the graphics are a bit dated but appear to be a significant improvement off of the original. My only complaint with this game is that movement and targeting is along a predefined X and Y axis regardless of the rotation of the camera. Compared to the original format I felt this was a huge improvement as on mobile devices the screen is just too small to really enjoy the effects.

Aerial_Knight and Headup Games brings us the endless running action game Never Yield and it is crazy addicting!

Most endless runner games throw random obstacles at you that you use one of a couple methods to avoid and will literally go on, forever. With Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield the formula is changed, it actually has an end. Simply put it just looks and feels like an endless runner. The bulk of the story is told through quick glimpses of action but no dialogue, no trailing prologue like in a Star Wars film, everything is centered around the action. 

The stylized characters look like something you would expect to see in Back to the Future’s version of the future but full of weapon-wielding drones and vehicles looking to run you over. Without quick reflexes expect to die, often, but with each death you see a continue screen where you’re given the choice between “Never Yield” or giving up, along with a death counter for the particular run. With enough skill you can complete the story in a single sitting within a couple hours tops, my reactive skills were not on point and it took me about five total hours to complete the story. I found the game to be fun, despite the frequent deaths and well worth playing through more than once.

TinyBuild’s Kill it with Fire allows players to kill their eight-legged foe fire but so many other options as well including C4.

We have a saying in our house when we see almost any bug, but spiders and scorpions especially- “Kill it with fire” and with this game you get to do exactly that and more, at least as far as spiders are concerned. The folks at TinyBuild saw fit to share the game with us, not once but twice. We got to test it out on both the Xbox One and the Switch. Personally I only played the Xbox version while my son played both. I will speak to the game as a whole and mechanics followed by his thoughts on which platform is the better experience.

Each stage you must locate weapons, upgrades and of course the spiders themselves. Some allow you to smash, explode, shoot and burn them. I’m certain there are other ways to kill the spiders as well but I just haven’t found them yet. As you find ways to kill the spiders you’ll find each death counts towards unlocking various doors. Some will reveal new rooms, others will reveal hidden documents, a secret chamber or even a storage for ammunition. Visually the game isn’t the most gorgeous but with a game like this it doesn’t need to be. It feels like the goal was focused more on user experience than on a stunning visual and for most of us that experience is much more important.

I thought a traditional controller would be ideal for gameplay but my son, having played both versions, believed that the Switch version was the far superior method for the game. We will have to agree to disagree.

My expectation of the game was it looked like it would be fun but would be forgettable. I make it a point to play each title for approximately one hour, a testament to the quality of the game is how much time I spent after that hour. I played this for three to four hours so far and wish I had more time to invest in it. I can say that this game is not to be overlooked. I look forward to finding each of the hidden weapons and upgrades to use to kill those eight-legged bastards.

Warhammer Quest and Perchang team up again with The Silver Tower!

Perchang is not one of those developers everyone knows but those that do seem to love them, I happen to be one of these people. They have taken a beloved tabletop experience and brought it to mobile phones. The latest iteration of the Warhammer Quest line being The Silver Tower.

New players start with two characters and quickly get the opportunity to get a third. To unlock additional characters you can collect or purchase blue crystals. 100 will get you a random character and 250 will get you a guaranteed 3* or higher character. That’s not bad at all considering the fact that you will average about ten per day by completing minor challenges. This challenges vary from collecting gold to gaining experience or killing certain enemies. Either way you can easily get a new character pretty regularly. Recently though they added a third option where every week for about 5 or 6 hours you can get a special choice. Some weeks this choice is from all of the Death faction characters or like this week’s a 4* magic user. For those impatient enough you can purchase additional gems.

Gameplay is similar to previous versions in that during the player’s turn you move your characters across the map and then perform your actions. However, one slight difference to previous versions is that you could move your maximum distance and still perform an action but with Silver Tower you can only move short distance and then attack, attack twice or move a long distance. Visually the game is simply gorgeous and the animations of your characters are rendered just as crisply. The game is fast paced and a ton of fun. I sincerely hope the team is allowed to do a hybrid of these mechanics but include a story mode with the newer Warhammer Quest- Blackstone Fortress.