Godus - Time is precious

One of the best computer games I've ever played in the late 80s/early 90s was Populous by Peter Molyneux, a genre breaking app which spawned a whole industry of "god" games, so it was with great excitement that i saw Godus by 22Cans on the App Store, designed by Peter himself, and widely regarded as the spiritual successor to Populous.

The price tag rang warning bells in my head though: it was free (with in-app purchases). "But it's Populous for iOS," I thought. I had to give it a try.

Leo's Fortune - Interview with 1337 & Senri

Leo's gold has gone missing. The thief has left a trail of coins like breadcrumbs to tease him into finding his hoard again, and thus begins the premise of this original game from 1337 & Senri.

Leo himself is a beautifully rendered ball of blue/green fur - with a large moustache and an Eastern European accent. You make him move to the left and right by dragging your finger on the left side of the screen, while the right side controls his up and down movement. Like a puffer fish, Leo can make himself bigger, which enables him to float and avoid obstacles, or slow down his fall. All of this is extremely well demonstrated in the tutorial.

Monument Valley - Interview with Ustwo

We keep hearing bleak news when it comes to the App Store; what was once a thriving and exciting revolution is giving way to "me too" apps, poor clones of successful games and a cataclysmic avalanche of "freemium" games based on grabbing as much money out of you or your children as possible through the highly deceptive use of in-app purchases.

But every now and again, something surprises and delights you, and reminds you that games are meant to give players pleasure, not frustration. Monument Valley does exactly that.

Oceanhorn - Interview with Cornfox & Bros

Creating a game is no easy task; Forge Reply for instance, had a team of fifteen working on the excellent Joe Dever's Lone Wolf, so it's pretty remarkable that three people set about creating and designing a vast, ambitious game of adventure and exploration for iOS called "Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas".

Joe Dever's Lone Wolf - Interview

Back in the early 80s, personal computing was still in its infancy, games were amazing for the time, yet primitive by today's standards and couldn't hope to match what we could imagine in our own heads. Perhaps because of this, a type of book became incredibly popular, one where you could choose how he story developed by making decisions for the protagonist as you read. Those decisions led you to read certain paragraphs and not others, making the story unfold differently, depending on those choices. Many series were created, but one of the most successful was based on the character of Lone Wolf, with its riveting ongoing narrative that linked all the books together, while the character developed and progressed throughout the saga. You played Lone Wolf, last of the Kai - warrior monks sworn to protect their homeland, Sommerlund, against the armies of the Dark Lords.

Clumsy Ninja - Review

I don't generally go for this sort of game because it is, for all intents and purposes, a freemium game which means that it's free to play but the deeper you get into it, the more likely you'll have to pay - and pay a lot - in order to achieve a new level or purchase a new item.

Solar Flux Pocket - Review

In addition to infinite runner and jumper games, another firm favourite among mobile games are physics-based puzzles, like the insanely popular Angry Birds or Cut the Rope franchises. One of the latest addition to this lineup is Solar Flux Pocket, a game which you'll be able to play on your iPhone and iPod touch. iPad owner will have to cope with scaled up graphics or buy the dedicated iPad app, Solar Flux HD, which is actually a different game, offering different levels.

The objective of Solar Flux is to save the galaxy: its suns are dying, and you must collect and deliver the needed plasma to revive each one.

Ooga Jump - Review

Back in January 2009, a two-man team released a game on the App Store. Calling it a game was actually beyond generous - there was nothing you could really do with the six little pygmies on a tropical island. But promises of regular updates were made and before long, new features were added, mini games were included and Pocket God became a mobile game phenomenon. After 47 updates, it's still one of the most original and highly imaginative games for iOS, even though its graphics have never been updated for the Retina Displays.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Interview

Arthur C Clarke once said, "two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying". In fact, that very quote appears during the introduction to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a game that explores the terrifying prospect that we are under attack from forces we do not understand nor hope to defeat, at least with our current level of technology.

Karateka Classic for iOS - Review

I was introduced to computers in 1984, when my father bought an Apple IIe. With the help of this wondrous new machine, I got to grips with programming, word processing, and unsurprisingly, games. One of these was Karateka, a simple, yet highly impressive action side scroller; you fought your way through many henchmen, avoiding traps along the way, hoping to rescue the lovely princess. What set this game apart was not only its animation, great fight sequences, satisfying musical score, and a simple, yet compulsive storyline, but the fact that you couldn't rely on extra lives to complete your quest. Just like in real life, if you died, that was it. Unlike real life of course, you could go back to the very beginning and try again. Many hours were spent attempting to rescue the girl.

Star Command for iOS - Review

This game made the news back in 2011, when it became famous for successfully funding its development thanks to crowdsourcing through Kickstarter.

It's taken a lot longer than anticipated to release Star Command, but it's finally here and we can now explore space, have diplomatic relations with aliens, organise away missions and shoot hostile space crafts on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad... Well, not quite.

Galaxy on Fire 2: Supernova - Review

Supernova is the third chapter of the Galaxy on Fire 2 iOS game. I've already covered the first and second instalments in the past for MacLife, but here's a quick recap...

Galaxy on Fire 2 is a space exploration, combat and trading game whose concept is very similar to the 80s sensation, Elite. Of course, the graphics are sublime in comparison, and unlike Elite, there's a storyline which you can choose to follow or not (nothing will happen to the main storyline while you're off exploring on your own).

Bastion - Mini Review

A beautiful console game comes to the iPad

The Calamity befell the world known as Caelondia, and only the Kid appears to have survived. Trying to piece the puzzle of what happened and how to fix it, the Kid travels the world as it rebuilds itself before his very eyes.

Contre Jour - Mini Review

Who knew a rolling eyeball could be so cute, and so challenging…

If you’re not a fan of first-person shooters or action games of any kind, then you might like to take a look at this puzzle game for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad: Contre Jour. It’s beautiful and its elegant music suits the action perfectly. You play a giant eyeball named Petit. During the introduction, you’ll learn that Petit’s favourite flower is dying and you must venture from world to world to gather up light beads to help her out - a nod to Saint-Exupéry’s world famous “The Little Prince”.

MacLife Review: Solomon's Keep

Want a quick and easy RPG game, with enjoyable graphics for your iPhone, then Solomon's Keep may be the one for you. The review's live on MacLife.

Check it out

Another World - Mini Review

A classic game makes an amazing comeback.

Most computer enthusiasts who have been exposed to technology for at least twenty years will have heard of a groundbreaking game called ‘Another World’ in which you played a scientist mistakenly propelled into another dimension where you have to survive and find your way home. The graphics were amazing for the time and the gameplay extremely rich with a great storyline. If you hanker back to the pioneering days of computer games, you may love to know that Another World is now available on iOS and will work on any recent iPod touch, iPhone or iPad.

MacLife Review: Companions

Want a fully fledged RPG game for your iPad, then Companions may be the app to get. My review of it is on MacLife's site.

Check it out

MacLife Review: Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie Expansion

The Galaxy on Fire 2 universe, reviewed earlier, has been expanded and you can read all about it on MacLife's website.

Check it out

MacLife Review: Battleheart

My review of the cute RPG Battleheart for iOS is on MacLife's site.

Check it out

MacLife Review: Galaxy on Fire 2

My review of Galaxy on Fire 2 for iOS, a Elite-style space faring game, is on MacLife's site.

Check it out