Colorful superheros. Grizzled commandos. And… friendly cyber-doggies named Fido? These are the characters of the color casts of some of the new iOS game apps that’ve caught our eye. One’s porting a card game, one’s porting a board game, and the other’s a RPG designed specifically for hand-held. If you’re looking for a few more distractions this summer, keep these names in mind while perusing the iTunes store.
Sentinels of the Multiverse
Handelabra offers a digital take on the popular superhero card game here–and it’s a breeze to just pick up and run with. Players can assemble to battle dastardly villains together in exotic locations like the Ruins of Atlantis; and now that it’s come to iOS, those settings are far more vividly realized. What really completes the experience, though, is the original music that’s been composed for the port. Every hero needs a theme song, and the Sentinels’ new fanfare makes each one of the 9,000 potential battles feel like the most dire struggle for the fate of the universe.
Heroes of Normandie
An over-the-top and darkly comic vision of Operation Overland… that now fits in the palm of your hand! Slitherine lets players assume the roles of four different factions throughout three campaigns in World War II’s most decisive battle. Keeping an accessible balance of fleet-footed action and substantive strategy, this e-boardgame allows players to jump quickly into combat, but also still makes sure their tactical choices have meaningful consequences. While each army has an extensive and specialized collection of characters, gear, and abilities, this port’s most attractive feature might be the “quick battle mode” for players who want to get straight to combat with pre-designed maps and pre-crafted armies. ‘Cause nobody wants to wait to get their war on…
Evolution: Battle for Utopia
The ironically-named “Utopia” is a nasty, dangerous alien planet–and now’s your chance to colonize it! Incorporating both action and strategy elements–like a cyborg running two operating systems and multiple mechanical implants, perhaps–this RPG takes players over the whole arc of extra-terrestrial exploration. Throughout a rich storyline, up to four players will have to survive a crash landing on Utopia, terraform its lands to their will, colonize, and ultimately defend their settlements with a staggering arsenal of upgradeable weaponry. Evolution boasts to be “one of the most epic games in the history of iOS,” fully exploiting the extra room app gaming affords by letting players investigate every surprising corner of this nightmarish alien world. If it sounds harsh, then harsh should be your thing–but you are getting a robo-dog to make the whole experience a touch friendlier.
Do any of these apps look apt enough? What other games for iOS should we look out for? Fill the talkback with suggestions. We’d love to feature your picks here.
Featured Image Credits: Handelabra Studio, Slitherine, MY.COM