Umiro By: Devolver Digital & Diceroll Studios From the moment I saw some GIFs and screenshots of Diceroll Studios' Umiro, I knew I needed to play it. I didn't know much about the gameplay itself other than that it's a puzzle game with unique mechanics. But, besides the artwork, I liked that everything appeared to take place on one screen in portrait mode, and it looked like the perfect one-handed iPhone game.…
Urban Legend: Shin Hayarigami (Blindman) By: I-Play.Co.,Ltd. I admittedly knew very little about Urban Legend: Blindman before trying it, but the premise sounded interesting to me. It's a murder mystery horror game in the form of a visual novel, with the murderer apparently being an urban legend called Blindman. It starts off promising, with a disturbing image of a man tied up and begging for his life before someone uses scissors to…
Death Coming By: Sixjoy Hong Kong Limited The Next Studio's Death Coming has a really clever premise and I was enjoying it for a while. The idea is, you died and now have to become a reaper (yes, kind of like Dead Like Me). But instead of just reaping specific people, your goal is to kill everyone in a scene. You don't have to do so in order to pass a level,…
#WarGames By: Sam Barlow & Eko Full confession: I watched the original WarGames for the first time after finishing the new #WarGames series it inspired. The new Eko interactive series by Her Story's Sam Barlow uses some clips from the 1983 movie, as well as some other references to it, so I wanted to be in on the joke, so to speak. After watching it, I don't think it's necessary for the…
Read Only Memories: Type-M By: MidBoss, LLC. MidBoss' Read Only Memories has been around on several other platforms for a few years now, and I had heard good things about it, so I was excited to see it was coming to iOS. Lucky for us, that day is here and the game is available at a very generous free-to-try with a one-time in-app purchase to unlock the rest of the game. I've…
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…
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…
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…