Rogue Hearts By: NINETAIL Co., Ltd These days, I tend to avoid games that have micro transactions for in-game currency or items, especially consumables. So I almost didn't buy NINETAILS' turn-based RPG, Rogue Hearts when I saw that you can buy gems with real cash. But I really liked the screenshots and description of the game, so I finally caved, figuring $0.99 isn't much to gamble on it. It turns out, I…
Art Club Challenge By: Polytundra LLC As someone who minored in art in college, the idea of a game that tries to mimic an art class appealed to me. I like the concept, and it's interesting how Polytundra's Art Club Challenge forces you to use a very limited palette of four colors and only squares and rectangles to make your art. Unfortuantely, the execution isn't quite as strong as the idea. It…
Alto's Odyssey By: Snowman Back when Snowman's endless snowboarder, Alto's Adventure released in 2015, I lamented that such gorgeous artwork was being used on a runner, and not something more like an adventure game. It's not that I don't appreciate runners, but they're not my first choice in games. Despite that, I gave Alto a chance and had a great time with it, though I never completed all the levels. It got…
Dissembler By: Ian MacLarty At first glance, Dissembler might not look like much. It's certainly not as shiny as most match-three games on the App Store. It's made up entirely of simple, minimalistic squares and would probably be easy to overlook. It's also the first puzzler from Ian MacLarty, who's known for fast-paced arcade games like Boson X and Jelly Juggle. So when I got an email about it, I was a…
Purrfect Date By: Bossa Studios Ltd I have mixed feelings about Bossa Studios' cat dating simulator, Purrfect Date. I was excited about it ever since I saw the announcement trailer, with its catchy tune and ridiculous premise. I also knew it was meant to come to iOS, so I had something to look forward to. Since it's mostly reading, it's a great a fit for an iPad that you can rest in…
Death Squared (RORORORO) By: SMG Studio I got SMG Studio's Death Squared a few days early and was hoping to be able to finish it and write a proper review in time for release. It turned out to be a much harder game than I anticipated, and one that I enjoy but in short bursts. I didn't want to wait until I complete the game to get some impressions out for my…
Florence By: Annapurna Interactive (Mountains) This is a bit of a hard review to write. Florence is a short game, and anything you know about it ahead of time will just lessen the experience. In fact, even reading the App Store description will keep you from being all too surprised at what happens. Assuming you read it before buying, you're going to know at least the gist of the story. But it's…
True Legacy By: Blindfire Limited My start with True Legacy was a bit clumsy and confusing, due to stopping every few lines to read the meanings of terms. Since it takes place in Hong Kong in the year 2084, there's technology and jargon that needs to be explained by tapping on the word to see a definition. But I stuck with it and it wasn't too long before I got sucked in,…