The Frostrune By: Grimnir Media & Snow Cannon Games If you're a follower of this blog, you probably know that I'm a big fan of point-and-click adventure games, especially atmospheric ones. I have a weak spot for pretty artwork and I love when a game can draw me in on its visuals alone. The Frostrune, a gorgeous game made by Norse developer Grimnir and published by Snow Cannon Games, is one I…
Splitter Critters By: RAC7 Games (Update, 2/4/2017: The game got some new content, discussed below.) When I got my first iPhone, it felt like magic. It still kind of does, but now it's magic I've gotten used to, that is part of my daily life. I don't often stop and ponder anymore how incredible it is that thing is able to translate my taps and swipes into very specific commands. In the…
This is only the second year I'm listing my Games of the Year, and 2016 was an incredibly strong one for iOS games. It was hard getting this list down to just ten or fifteen games, so I also have some runners-up. There were just too many great games this year! So, without further ado, I represent my GOTY 2016 list! Any reviews I wrote are linked to the name of each…
Aurora - Puzzle Adventure By: Silverback Games Let me start this review by saying that I absolutely love the idea behind Silverback Games' Aurora - Puzzle Adventure. I even love the puzzle design -- most of the time. It's creative, clever, and sometimes downright tricky. It's because I like the puzzles so much that I put up with a lot that I didn't like in order to enjoy them. There are so…
Swap Sword By: Alec Thomson If you've been following me for a while, you probably know that I'm a big fan of match-three games, but not the kind that you see in abundance in the App Store. I prefer the deeper games that rely on skill (and a bit of luck), where you can't buy your way ahead. Since most match-three games are free with timers and pay-to-win in-app purchases (IAP), I…
Little Briar Rose By: Mangatar What you'll notice first about Elf Games Works' and Mangatar's point-and-click adventure, Little Briar Rose, is the art style that's meant to mimic stained glass, the kind you see in the beginning of Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast. But that's not the fairy tale being told here. Instead, it's a version of the tale better known as Sleeping Beauty, in which a princess is put into…
unWorded By: Bento I really wanted to love French developer Bento Studio's narrative puzzle game, unWorded. The idea sounded intriguing -- forming images out of letters. The first few seconds of the game had me thinking, "wow this is going to be something special." I could barely contain my excitement. I mean, just watch the opening scene in the video I made below. There's a face that explodes into letters. It's provocative.…
Replica : A Little Temporary Safety By: Zero Rock Entertainment (SOMI) My experience with SOMI's surveillance game, Replica, has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I was really looking forward to the game when I first heard about it and was disappointed when it turned out that mobile players would have to wait longer for it than PC players would. Then, when I finally got my hands on the game, it…