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Puzzle Craft goes on a 'Treasure Hunt' next week
Puzzle Craft was one of my favorite games last year on any platform, not even just Apple's App Store. But like a lot of the title's fans, I've been somewhat disappointed that developers Ars Thanea haven't followed it up with any new content. They and publisher Chillingo had quite a few golden opportunities to get the game back in the spotlight with a big update, and they just haven't supported the game like I believe they should have. But there's good news here -- Chillingo has finally sent word that Puzzle Craft is getting a nice update next week. It's called "Treasure Hunt," and while it's not exactly clear how it all will work, it sounds like the game will be hiding treasure items in among the other items you collect, which you'll then be able to organize and complete into sets. In addition to the new gameplay, there will also be new jobs for your villagers, new tools to find and use, a level cap increase to level 60 and a new endgame goal: To upgrade your castle into an Imperial Castle, beating the game yet again. Personally, I'm really excited for the update -- it's not exactly what I would have imagined from a Puzzle Craft update, but hopefully it'll be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Chillingo didn't mention if the update will be paid or free, but given that the game is free right now, I'd expect it to be an in-app purchase. We'll check back with them, and keep an eye out for the new patch next week.
Best of the Rest: Mike Schramm's picks of 2012
Joystiq is revealing its 10 favorite games of 2012 throughout the week. Keep reading for more top selections and every writer's personal, impassioned picks in Best of the Rest roundups. Puzzle CraftFirst, I'd like to take a quick bow. Last year at this time (while lauding the great Jetpack Joyride), I pointed out that we'd never chosen a first-released-on-mobile game for our top 10 list, and that 2012 might be the year it would finally happen. And as you've seen on our final list, we did finally pick a game that fits that definition in 2012.But it wasn't my pick: For my money, Puzzle Craft is the best mobile game of the year, and definitely in my top five overall. Right now it's free on iOS, and offers a gorgeous and polished mix of casual puzzle gameplay that slowly gets more and more rewarding and complex as you level up and stockpile farm-based goodies. I love the "days of the year" time mechanic, I love the way that the rules change as you grow your town, and I just plain love this game. Hopefully we'll see new content in the new year, because I've been at max level for a while now. Max level, that is, on all three devices I've installed it on.
TUAW's Best of 2012 Personal Picks: Mike Schramm
2012 was one heck of a year for me -- I released my first iPhone app, went to Europe for the first time, spoke at the 360iDev convention in Denver, and spent most of the latter half of the year traveling around the country talking to iOS developers about the App Store, the company that runs it, and where both are headed. I've played with hundreds (if not thousands) of apps this year, and covered almost one every day for our daily app feature. So I've used plenty of great Apple and Apple-related products this year, and here are my picks of the best. Puzzle Craft (Free for iPhone and iPad) I've played (and loved) a whole lot of games from the App Store this year, but Puzzle Craft stands above them all as my favorite of the bunch. It's extremely well-designed, beautifully polished, and it has both a very simple and accessible game mechanic (similar to, if not borrowed from, iOS' great Dungeon Raid) and a very complex and deeply addictive progression system behind it. The story is mostly nonexistent, and I am a little disappointed the developers haven't followed up the app's success with any more content just yet. But especially for what is now a free game, there isn't a title that I loved more or played as much of on the App Store this year. I don't beat iOS games often, just because there are so many of them to play, but I leveled up to the max in Puzzle Craft, and then kept on playing. Puzzlejuice ($1.99 for iPhone and iPad) All right, so I've got a type -- you can tell by the word "puzzle" in two of my favorite games this year. But it's true: There's nothing I love more than an endlessly intriguing puzzle game, and Puzzlejuice gets this nod because in a year of less-than-special word games, it's the only one that really brought me back to keep spelling, over and over again. I do love the game's bro-ish voice (you don't just quit a session, you "rage quit"), and seeing behind the scenes of development in the Puzzlejuice emails was fascinating for me. But this is just a great, wonderful game, from design to gameplay to the various powerups and everything in between. Among word games (a genre which I'm tiring of, at this point), it's the B-E-S-T. Fairway Solitaire ($.99 for iPhone, $2.99 for iPad) I didn't think that Fairway Solitaire rolled onto the App Store this year, but I'm told that it did, and 2012 was definitely the year in which I played the most of it. Developer Big Fish Games made its name by cranking out casual titles on PC, and this has been its first big hit on the App Store (which it's followed up with a solid set of updates and content releases since around May). Like the other games on my list, Fairway Solitaire takes a fairly mindless mechanic (card solitaire), and makes it much more interesting with various other power-ups and game tricks. And a huge amount of unlocked content (not to mention the hilariously absurd golf commentary jokes) has kept this one popping up on my iPad's screen again and again. Kingdom Rush (free for iPhone and iPad) Like word games, tower defense is a genre that's overdone on the App Store at this point -- there are a billion tower defense games out there, and there are only a few that do anything really interesting with the genre. The just-released Anomaly Korea is a great example of really switching tower defense up, but Kingdom Rush is the best traditional example that I've come across this year. The combination of colorful graphics and deep strategy (complete with a fully unlockable talent tree) hit the target perfectly, and elevate a much-traveled genre to reveal the reason why it's so popular in the first place. I'm not a big tower defense fan, but I love Kingdom Rush (especially on the iPad), and that right there is enough reason to recommend it. Runmeter 5k ($4.99 on the iPhone) It's hard to describe just how helpful this app has been for me -- I used it every day for about three months earlier this year, training up to my very first half marathon. Runmeter was already a great app, but the 5k variant (which included actual 5k, half marathon, and full marathon training plans in the app itself) served as the perfect coach for me, providing direction, feedback, and even some motivation as I worked my way through a running plan. The GPS is so well implemented, the app tracks so many things effortlessly, and little fun bits like changing the app's alert voice or tweeting from the app (and reading you back replies as you run) make it clear that if you exercise with an iPhone or iPod touch, you should really have this app with you. The amount of features Abvio has crammed into this app is really staggering when you start to explore them, and for my money, there's no better running app or fitness system out there. Slacker Radio (free with ads, extra charge for subscription) There are obviously a number of cloud music services out there at this point, but Slacker Radio has muscled its way past the others in my view, to the point where I listen to it almost more than any podcasts or even my own music collection. Especially with a subscription, Slacker can seem like magic all too often: Just type in a song or artist, hit play, and you get to listen to exactly what you want. The curated stations are well-designed by professional music pickers, and there are even non-music stations that talk sports, news, or comedy when you're in the mood for that. There are a few holes in the library (mostly obscure songs that I really want to hear but aren't available due to royalty issues), and of course you need to be connected to the Internet to listen (which made this a no-go during most of my trip to Europe, unfortunately). But in the car, out running, or just sitting at my desk, Slacker's been an almost constant companion this year, and I've been glad to have it. iCade Mobile gamepad ($80, available now) Steve Jobs famously told us that we didn't need more than one button on his iOS devices, but we gamers know that sometimes, buttons come in handy. The flat glass of the touchscreen just doesn't fly in terms of precision or responsiveness in some games. And while there are a lot of bad Bluetooth-based game controllers out there, my favorite this year was the iCade mobile, a huge contraption modeled after the Sony PSP, which you can clip your iPhone into and then button away to your heart's content. It's not stylish or tiny by any account, and it probably won't fit into your pocket along with your iPhone (the ThinkGeek 8-bitty is probably more your style, if that's what you're looking for, though get ready for muscle cramps after just a few minutes). But it is durable and dependable, and it feels more like a controller than anything else I tried this year. Yes, $80 is expensive, but if you're going to bypass Steve's wishes for your own gaming enjoyment, you'll have to pay the price. iPad (from $499) I bought my iPad back at the end of 2011, but 2012 was the year of the tablet for me for sure. Before I bought my iPad, I was one of those who believed I just didn't need it -- my iPhone 5 is awesome, and I have a MacBook for all of my portable computing needs. Why would I need another computer in between those two? But over the course of this year, my iPad has become more and more helpful, and not necessarily in the places I've expected it. In truth, it's not a portable computer for me. I can move it around, but it's been much more of a homebody than I ever expected: I still probably take my laptop out of the house more often than I take my iPad. But it has definitely become my device of choice for more than a few of my favorite pastimes, including browsing the Internet, gaming, and reading. I've never been more productive while in bed: Every night I read a few chapters of my book of choice (I've read so many books this year!), and every morning, I grab it off the nightstand to check email and preload the day's news. And it's a second screen for me while watching TV or movies on the couch for sure -- I look up game hints while playing Xbox, browse IMDb when I want to know who that actor is that I recognize from that movie, and play great games on it, brilliantly made for a bigger touchscreen. In short, my iPad has carved a way bigger place than I expected into both my workflow and my free time this past year. I don't know that I couldn't live without it (although I wouldn't want to go back to reading without it), so it's still a supplementary device, aside from the great iPad-only game experiences. But 2012 was definitely the year of the iPad for me, the turning point at which I realized just how important and useful the tablet form factor could be.
Namco games and more on sale for iOS this weekend
We're likely to see quite a few iOS games go on sale this week and next, as the holiday season (Too soon? Sorry!) revs up into gear. Namco has led the pack off this year, with a nice long list of holiday sales on its apps. Through Monday the 19th, nearly all of Namco's games are cheaper than usual. Soulcalibur is down to US$6.99 in a universal form, the Dig Dug and Galaga remix games are just a buck each, the great Pac Man Championship Edition is just 99 cents (that's a must-buy at that price), and I Love Katamari is down to $1.99. There are a few other deals in Namco's catalog, but those are definitely the standouts. Elsewhere on the App Store, Worms 2: Armageddon is down to just 99 cents, which is an excellent deal. Kairosoft's great racing team simulator Grand Prix Story is only 99 cents as well, so be ready to lose your weekend playing that one. Finally, Puzzle Craft, which is my favorite iOS game of the year so far, is completely free this weekend. That's a must-grab for sure -- that game's mix of puzzle gameplay and very deep progression was a huge win for me this year. If you haven't picked up Puzzle Craft yet, definitely get it. Stay tuned for lots more big deals and app sales on the store this week.
Outwitters, Super Knights and more get nice updates
There are a few new solid updates out to popular games on the App Store, and you should head into the App Store app and grab them as soon as you get a chance. First up, Outwitters has gotten a big update to hit version 1.1. The biggest change is a new item in the in-app store that allows you to run more games at one time, but there are a number of bug fixes as well, for game crashes and game timeouts. If you are interested in checking out a very well-polished turn-based strategy title and missed this one a while back, now's the time to grab the free app. Knights of the Round Cable has also gotten a big update, as well as a name change: It's now called Super Knights. The update features the same gem-collecting, cable-spinning gameplay, but it's been updated and "superized" with faster action and new mechanics like more princesses to collect. There are also daily challenges now, so grab the update if you're interested. Puzzle Craft was also updated earlier this week with a big gold bonus for players, and the iPhone classic Fieldrunners has just been updated as well, with support for Retina display. It's also on sale for just US$0.99, so pick it up now if you haven't done so already. And that's not all: Plants vs. Zombies (both the standard and HD versions) got updated with new achievements and a Last Stand mode. Minecraft got its big update (now with creepers, so watch your back). And the Touch Arcade app (featuring content from the popular iOS gaming site) was updated with iPad functionality recently as well.
Daily iPad App: Puzzle Craft is puzzle farming bliss
I came to a realization a little while ago: I love grindy games. I really enjoy games with a certain amount of repetition to them, games where I slowly but steadily build up resources and a character (or an empire) while performing somewhat mindless but infinitely amusing tasks. Puzzle Craft fits right in that category -- like that other great puzzle/RPG mashup, Puzzle Quest (as well as the recent 10000000), it provides a solid and rewarding system of progression to a fairly basic but amusing puzzle system. The progression system is all "built" around a town: You start out the game with just a farmfield, and then slowly use that field, collecting its resources in the puzzle game, to build up houses and a mine, and then a windmill and so on, until you have a thriving metropolis in its place. To do all of this, you collect a series of resources, each of which can be used to build buildings, tools, or hire certain citizens or workers. Because Puzzle Craft is published by Chillingo, all of this is very clear, and the graphics are colorful and clean, with specific icons used for each resource that easily and quickly convey what you need to collect more of. The puzzle mechanic itself is reminiscent of Dungeon Raid -- it's a match 3, but instead of moving items around a grid, you need to draw a line through as many of the same items as possible. Puzzle Craft does iterate on that system, however, by letting you combine objects when you collect enough of them -- you can combine 10 grain into a carrot, and then combine carrots into a soup. Hiring workers lets you change how those combination rules work, and tools can be used in certain situations to help clear the screen or collect a certain kind of resource. Puzzle Craft is a really terriffic game, possibly my favorite App Store entry of the year. It's a 99-cent universal download, and I highly recommend it. Yes, it can get a little grindy, and specific strategies (like when to use tools) can get very complex. But it brilliantly combines a very casual puzzle mechanic with a very engaging progression system, and that's made me put hours of gameplay into it since it was released last week.
