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Daily iPhone App: Beastie Bay is Kairosoft's addictive take on Pokemon
There are a few words in gaming that, whenever I hear or read them, just make the hair on the back of my neck stand up in anticipation. "Blizzard." "Civilization." "Puzzle Quest." And I would say that it's time to add "Kairosoft" to that list, because the Tokyo-based developer's mobile games are some of the most addictive titles I've ever played. I've lost hours and hours to great games like Game Dev Story and Grand Prix Story, and I've been scared to even play Dungeon Village for fear of what the Kairosoft formula of perfectly paced and rewarding strategy gameplay combined with a fantasy RPG setting might do to my already busy life. Now, the company has released a new game called Beastie Bay, which takes Kairosoft's extremely addictive earn / upgrade / "earn more" cycle and pairs it with another addictive gaming theme: Collecting and upgrading beasts, a la Pokemon. Like all of Kairosoft's other titles, this game uses their older mobile engine, so the graphics and menus aren't all that impressive. But also like all of Kairosoft's other titles, the gameplay is just so spot on. As you build facilities for your pets and helpers, take them out to battle, find new pets and then build more facilities for those pets and new helpers, you too will likely get caught up in the mania of "just one more turn" that these games tend to bring on. The beast-collecting twist is a definite lift from Nintendo's powerhouse franchise, but it's done in a very Kairosoft way, designed so that you're always winning and growing rather than simply grinding away in the tall grass. The other difference here from Kairosoft's past titles is that this game is definitely free-to-play. It features ads prominently (though they can be removed with a one-time US$4.99 purchase), and there are in-app purchases for in-game currency. But I think that change will allow even more people to see what Kairosoft can do on mobile, so I think the switch to F2P will be a good thing for the company. Kairosoft's games are already extremely addictive, and I can't really recommend Beastie Bay highly enough. Someday, if the company finally embraces iOS as a native platform, they'll more or less be unstoppable.
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.
