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.…
Candleman: Walk with Shadows By: Γò¼├║╬ô├▓├▓Γö¼├¡Γö¼ΓòíΓö£┬╜Γö£┬╗Γö¼Γòí╬ô├▓├▓╬ô├▓├▓ (CMGE & Spotlightor) Let me get the obvious out of the way -- Spotlightor's Candleman is a breathtakingly beautiful game. Even though you will spend some time in the dark, when the environments are illuminated, it's almost impossible not to gasp. When it was first advertised for consoles last year, I was blown away by the trailer, but I didn't have any expectations of it coming…
Fortnite By: Epic Games If you've been following me for a while, you probably know that I'm not a fan of free-to-play (F2P) monetization that change the nature of a game by penalizing you for failing and/or give a leg up to those who spend real cash. The App Store is filled with games like this, whether it's paying for extra lives or moves in a game like Candy Crush Saga, consumable…
Cotrio By: Bartosz Bialek Bartosz Bialek' Cotrio is a surprisingly stylish game for a math puzzler. The developer tried to make it a relaxing but challenging experience, and I think he achieved that goal. The artwork and animations are minimalistic and remind me of Carl Burton's Islands with their monochromatic 3D landscapes. Together with a chill soundtrack, the game offers a calming experience despite its challenging puzzles. The way Cotrio works is…
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands By: Xigma Games As someone who liked the idea of Raw Fury's Kingdom: New Lands more than actually playing it, I was still very much looking forward to Xigma Games' The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands. My biggest issue with Kingdom was having to start over from scratch every time I messed up. It's hard to even know you're not doing well until you get to a point where you're…
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…