JunkJack
Latest
Pixbits announces Junk Jack X, coming later this year
There are quite a few "sandbox" games available on iOS, including the uber-popular Minecraft, and Majic Jungle's great Blockheads. But my favorite so far is Junk Jack, a 2D sandbox title put together by Pixbits. It's excellent -- its little square tiles are perfect for the iPhone's interface, and almost everything you can craft in the game is useful and interesting. There has been murmuring that Pixbits was going to create a "Junk Jack 2" release soon, but instead, the company has announced a game called Junk Jack X, a brand-new installment of the series with multiplayer, character customization, worlds support, a deeper crafting system and of course upgraded graphics. You can see what the game looks like in the announcement post, and it's definitely very impressive. Liquids will now flow through the game realistically, you can equip and upgrade various items in a few different slots and the game will also have other planets (!) and themes to explore. Junk Jack is a great game, and Junk Jack X looks like it improves on almost every feature. Pixbits says work is going well, but given the vast scope of the title, we probably won't see it on the App Store until Q3 or Q4 of this year. We'll be waiting.
Big updates for Fairway Solitaire and Junk Jack
Two of my favorite iOS games from the last few years have gotten big updates today. Fairway Solitaire is a really brilliant puzzle/card game that combines golf and solitaire in a fun way, and it's gotten a big update that adds a whole bunch of ongoing content. The game now has a "Daily Mode" where you can play a brand new challenge every single day, and earn new Challenge Cups to unlock even more courses. There's also a new card back and push notifications -- Fairway Solitaire is completely free, and that makes it one of the best cost-to-fun ratio games I've ever seen on any platform. Definitely give it a look if you haven't yet. Junk Jack has also gotten another big update, although the team behind that game has warned players not to install it just yet (there's apparently a game-breaking bug involved). Whenever the expedited update does drop, there will be a whole mess of new items in the 2D Minecraft-like sandbox title, including bows, animals to tame, new hidden treasures, lots of inventory and UI updates, and lots of revamped graphics in the world. The update sounds awesome, and Junk Jack is a great game. It's too bad the team got caught by a bug, but hopefully the next update will be out as soon as possible and everything will work fine again.
Daily iPhone App: Junk Jack builds something special
I have flown over 6,000 miles in the last two days -- on Monday, I left Prague to fly back to London, and then yesterday, I jumped on a plane to come back home to Los Angeles. And through it all, Junk Jack was there for me. The game has been out for a while now, and you might have passed over it previously as a 2D Minecraft or Terraria clone (which it basically is). But especially with the recent update, Junk Jack has carved out a major niche of its own, and it now stands as the best sandbox game I've ever played on a mobile device. You may know how these games work by now. You start in a wild, untamed world with nothing, and then start digging down to see what kinds of resources you can find and structures you can build. Crafting is a big part of the gameplay, with your first items being axes and swords made out of wood, but you can eventually work up to making clocks out of iron, and with the latest update, even weaving and coloring wool, and planting and growing food to cook. Controls are simple (just tap to break blocks, and drag to move around), and though I've built a huge maze of mines throughout my two flights, it's still surprisingly easy to find my way around. I'm still uncovering new treasures and resources constantly even after ten or twelve hours of gameplay. The one issue I've had is the game's recipe system. It uses the PC-based Minecraft's "workbench layout" method, which creates interesting depth, but often requires looking up recipes elsewhere, or having to flip back and forth through the in-game manual quite a bit. Inventory management is also kind of a pain on the iPhone's small screen. Just because you have so much stuff, some auto-sort buttons would be helpful. The latest update also sends Junk Jack universal, which makes the game a must-play. It's well worth the US$2.99. If you, too, have any big plans coming up that require a huge and deep distraction, just look to Junk Jack.
