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…
Puzzlepops! Trick or Treat By: Layton Hawkes Puzzlepops! was one of my favorite puzzle games this year, so when developer Layton Hawkes sent me an advanced copy of the Halloween-themed sequel, Puzzlepops! Trick or Treat, I dropped every other game I was playing to dig in. Even though I had plenty of other games I was enjoying, for two days I played nothing else until I completed it. I suggest reading my…
That Dragon, Cancer By: Numinous Games I was curious about That Dragon, Cancer back when it first released on PC. I read up on it a bit, but not enough to spoil the whole experience. I knew it was made as a tribute by Ryan and Amy Green for their young son, Joel, who lost his four-year battle with cancer. I'm not actually afraid of a game offering a depressing, gut-wrenching experience.…
Burly Men at Sea By: Brain&Brain Burly Men at Sea is a hard game to write about, mostly because anything I say will spoil some of the magic. I'm not sure how to convince you that it's worth experiencing without ruining part of the fun of discovering it yourself. So if you're already planning to pick up the game, maybe just do it and don't let me ruin it for you? If…
Dog Sled Saga By: Dan FitzGerald Although I'd been looking forward to Dog Sled Saga for quite some time, I didn't really know what the gameplay would be like. I just knew it was about racing a team of sled dogs. I like dogs (who doesn't?) and the pixel graphics made them look adorable, so of course I had to play it. It's been in development for a while, but thankfully the…