HeroesAndCastles
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Heroes and Castles updated to version 3.0
Foursaken Media's Heroes and Castles has been updated yet again, with lots of new content to play. The game, which allows you to level up a hero by defending a town and its various resources against an army of invading minions, has been popular for Foursaken already, and the team told me during GDC that they were planning on adding plenty of extras to the game this year. They've reached version 3.0 now, and the latest update adds three new heroes: an Assassin, a Barbarian, and a Druid, each with their own abilities and weapons. There's also a brand new campaign for the game that must be unlocked to play, with new maps to fight over, and new allied units to join you in battle. You can upgrade buildings and units even further, the graphics now boast real-time shadows, and the game's performance has been upgraded overall. Finally, there are new achievements to earn in the game, which the best players can go after for Game Center glory. That's a sizable update that adds even more value to this excellent $1.99 game. Heroes and Castles can be downloaded right now. [via Touch Arcade]
Starbase Orion, Heroes and Castles, and Cut the Rope get big updates
This week saw three big updates for excellent apps now available on iOS. Starbase Orion is the first one I'll mention -- it's a really great take on the "space 4X" genre (similar to Civilization or Master of Orion) that's instead designed to run on a touchscreen. The 1.1.8 update is a big one, not only celebrating the app's one-year anniversary, but also adding an all-new tutorial (to make the game a little more understandable early on), as well as lots and lots of tweaks to starbases, weapons and ships. Some of the tweaks actually increase costs rather than make the game easier, but hardcore strategy players probably won't mind that much. Starbase Orion is US$7.99, which may seem high, but it is a really impressive title especially for fans of turn-based management strategy. And if you already love the game and want to support it more, developer Chimera is currently running a Kickstarter to bring the title over to Android, PC and Mac. Foursaken's Heroes and Castles is a much newer app, but it's a just-as-exciting mix of tower defense and action. It's been updated to version 2, bringing in lots of bugfixes from the community, and adding a lot of new content: New heroes, new skins and two new modes -- one that will have you playing 1v1 against another player online, and a second that pits you on the side of evil, trying to bring down the towers you'd usually protect. Heroes and Castles is well worth the purchase if you haven't picked it up yet -- it's $1.99 right now. And finally, old favorite Cut the Rope has picked up another update in time for the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Box offers 25 new levels to play through, and a new flaming paper lantern element to play with. Just like all of Cut the Rope's other updates, this one is free, so go and grab it right now. It seems unlikely that you haven't bought the game already (since everyone has), but just in case, it's only 99 cents.
Daily iPhone App: Heroes and Castles combines action and tower defense into one game
Heroes and Castles is the latest game from the guys at Foursaken Media (who, I believe, I first met up with at Macworld around this time last year). It's a little bit more involved than anything else I've seen them do -- on the surface, I'd probably compare it most to the great Dungeon Defenders, a really excellent game on iOS or Steam that you should check out if you haven't yet. Heroes and Castles isn't quite as well-polished as Dungeon Defenders, but it is a lot of fun. It's a third-person action game, where you play as a fantasy character either hacking and slashing or casting spells against oncoming waves of baddies. But the twist here is that it's also a tower defense game: In addition to your own attacks, you can also buy an army to help you fight off enemies, or buy repairs and defenses for the town you're protecting. There's a lot of depth here: In addition to three different player classes, there are lots and lots of various units and defenses to unlock as you play along. Heroes and Castles isn't a perfect game -- the graphics leave a little something to be desired at times (though they also shine in the right places), and the touchscreen controls are a little too simple for a game that is as deep as this one. That camera, especially, is sometimes tough to turn around, especially when you need to see where your wall is being attacked on a moment's notice. But for US$1.99, Heroes and Castles is a great bargain of a game -- it's the most impressive outing I've seen from Foursaken yet, and it's a great action/RPG/defense title that's well worth the purchase.
