Whispering Willows iOS Review: Enter At Your Own Risk

Whispering Willows By: Night Light Interactive They say first impressions are everything. In the case of Whispering Willows on iOS, this is mostly true. My first reaction to it was "what is this madness?!" when I booted up the game on my iPad Air 2 and it was upside-down. This was both puzzling and annoying, as I've always held my iPad with the home button to the left and now I couldn't.…

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The Guides + Compendium: Game Review

The Guides By: Kevin Bradford and Luke Lisi I got my hands on the cryptic puzzle game The Guides a couple weeks before release. I was instantly intrigued and excited at the prospect of a puzzle game that was designed around mobile devices. I loved the idea that everything I needed to know is contained inside the app, since I've been turned off by similar games that required too much outside knowledge.…

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KOI – Journey of Purity: Impressions and Gameplay Video

KOI - Journey of Purity By: dawei lee KOI - Journey of Purity is one of those games I saw in the App Store and bought on whim, based on the description and video. I had just recently played Prune and had an itch for another artsy and tranquil puzzle game. But while KOI is most definitively a pretty game, it's by no means tranquil. The game has you controlling a small…

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MechaNika Review: Not As Innocent As She Appears

Psychotic's MechaNika By: Mango Protocol MechaNika, by Mango Protocol, is a very odd little game. It has a cutesy, hand-drawn cartoon appearance which can be misleading. The game is packed to the brim with character, but it has a 17+ rating for good reason. The first tip-off that there's more to this game than meets the eye might be when Nika, the protagonist, calls her schoolteacher useless. Soon after that, she gets…

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“Her Story” Fans Are In For a Treat If the Game Sells 1 Million Copies

Her Story By: Sam Barlow **Note: If you haven't already finished playing "Her Story," turn back now. There are SPOILERS ahead!** I've recently been interviewing creator Sam Barlow and actress Viva Seifert about the full-motion video (FMV) murder mystery game Her Story. If you've played the game (and if you're reading this, I hope you did), you may have come across the video clips in which she sings an altered version of…

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‘Prune’ Review: A Deceptively Challenging Piece of Puzzle Art

Prune By: Joel Mcdonald My first impression of Prune was that it's going to be more art than game. I got some very strong Monument Valley vibes from it, especially with its minimalistic icons and very similar camera feature. That would be fine, as I do love games as art. But as I progressed, the levels got significantly more challenging. Like any good puzzle game, it throws new elements at you every…

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The Long Siege: Review

The Long Siege By: Anomaly Studios Pte Ltd Match-three games are my go-to games for trains, waiting in line, lying in bed and similar settings. The problem is that the majority of them these days are filled with consumable in-app purchases (IAPs) that I don't have any patience for. So I'm always on the lookout for a good premium match-three without IAPs. My absolute favorite is Hero Emblems, but I ran out…

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Brain It On! Review: Draw Your Way Out of This Conundrum

Brain It On! By: Orbital Nine My initial reaction to Orbital Nine's physics-based game Brain It On! was that I'm too dumb for it. I nearly gave up after getting stumped just a few levels in. But instead, I decided to stick with it and see what would happen. At some point it just clicked and I was three-starring every level. I was hooked. Brain It On! has a very minimalistic appearance.…

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