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TUAW's Daily App: Pinch
Pinch is an ingenious little game that I'd almost call a puzzle platformer, except that there aren't any actual platforms in it. Instead of navigating a jumping avatar through a series of gates and switches, you navigate little colored orbs, called Norbs, by dragging them around on the multi-touch screen towards a goal at the end of each 2D stage. On the way, you'll put them through their paces by combining or dividing them to match shapes or colors or hitting switches and opening panels to reach the end. The game starts simple -- just drag the Norb to the end of the level -- but quickly develops an awful lot of depth with some extra rules; the puzzles you'll face get mind-bending fast. OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards provide even more of a challenge for those interested. Pinch is Coatsink Software's first game, and it shows a lot of promise; this is a simple but really smart idea that is presented very well. It's US$0.99 in the App Store, and while there is no lite version yet, I'd say take the plunge if you're at all interested. The game's 48 levels offer more than enough enjoyment. Even if the trailer above doesn't give you a good idea of what it's like to drag the Norbs around, just a few minutes with the game will have you figuring out the intriguing concept in no time.
TUAW's Daily App: Strike Knight
I saw Backflip Studios' Julian Farrior speak at GDC earlier this year, and while there, he showed a few upcoming App Store games of his in a quick slide. Strike Knight was one of those, and it's now out in the App Store in all of its glory. It's a simple shuffleboard bowler game -- you grab a puck at the bottom of the screen, and flick it up towards the pins at the top, hoping to hit at just the right angle and knock them all down. Presentation is solid -- a bar crowd in the background cheers or boos you appropriately, and the titular Knight reacts to all of your shots while an arcade board flashes your high score as you play. The game is free-to-play, so it's definitely worth a try. The ads are slightly distracting (aside from the banner ads, currently all advertising the rest of Backflip's other titles, there are interstitials as well), but for a 99 cent in-app purchase, you can get rid of them, so if you like the game, you might as well make the buy. Aside from the regular singleplayer action, the app allows pass and play multiplayer for up to four people, and the gameplay's quite addictive -- that knight really pushes you to do better and better each time you play. Plus+ integration rounds out the experience, and there are awards to earn and leaderboards to top. Farrior and his team at Backflip are doing a great job pinning down some solid, quick experiences on the iPhone, and Strike Knight is nice addition to the company's lineup. If all of the apps he promised this year are as worthy as this one, they'll have an impressive stable of apps in the store.
TUAW's Daily App: Uprising
Match-3 games are pretty easy to come by, so presentation is the really the qualifier -- does it do something a little more interesting than the average block-matcher? On that level, Uprising succeeds. While the core gameplay is pretty common (you pull blocks around a board, trying to match them out in sets of three or more before they reach the top of the screen -- it's very similar to Xbox Live's great Poker Smash, if you've ever played that game), the treat is in the presentation. The blocks pause for a second as you match them, adding a little bit of extra strategy to your timing, and the simple graphics and sounds add up to make a stylish and intriguing match-3 experience. There is a bit of a hitch in the controls -- the touchscreen makes it a little confusing to see where the blocks are going, or which blocks you're moving sometimes, but the advantage is that multitouch works, so if you're careful about it, you can move more than one block at a time. That's something I've never seen in any match-3 game before, so Uprising is definitely worth the download. It's currently on sale for free as of this writing, too, so go check it out on the App Store.
TUAW's Daily App: Crazy Test
Some of the best apps are born from the wackiest ideas, and while Crazy Test probably isn't one of the best apps on the App Store, it is a wacky idea. Tactile Entertainment has been working on their Pocket Creatures title, but while goofing off (I suppose), they've put together this WarioWare-inspired bit of silliness. Basically, Crazy Test consists of a series of absurd mini games; some of them have you swiping the touchscreen in various ways, some of them have you tapping in certain places, and some even have you shaking the iPhone or iPod touch. Each "test" gives you a goal and then only a quick few seconds to figure out how to do it correctly. The only caveat I'd put on this one is that Crazy Test really is crazy, so come with a sense of humor. The app has quite a bit of silly, nonsensical violence and various bathroom-related jokes. There's nothing you couldn't see on TV these days, but if you're easily offended by childish jokes, steer clear (Tactile's Denmark-based European sensibilities probably play a factor as well). Otherwise, Crazy Test is an amusing time. While it seems like there might not be too much variety at first, the mini games eventually start showing off new wrinkles the more you play with them. It's not for everybody, but if you enjoy a little absurdity with your iPhone gaming, you'll find it's well worth the buck.
TUAW's Daily App: Silent Hunter Mobile
The Silent Hunter series is largely accepted as the pinnacle of submarine simulation. The PC and console games are pretty much the best way to feel like you're in charge of a real old-school submarine. Ubisoft currently owns the license, and they've now released an iPhone version of the brand, which has you piloting a German U-boat around the North Sea in 1939. It lacks most of the depth (pun intended, sorry) that Silent Hunter is known for; the game is basically a shooting gallery, and while there is a bit of strategy in ship placement, the plan is mostly to kill the other side before they kill you. Still, it's fun, and except for a little bit of lag in the controls, it plays pretty well. You can send your sub up or down in the water (make sure to stay below when you get close to the escort you're stalking) and fire torpedos at any targets you spot. The game's campaign mode has 12 different missions, and each one offers up a nice set of progressions, from just hunting down merchant ships to taking on destroyers, on up into anti-air combat. You can earn XP to upgrade your sub and its parts, but the gameplay doesn't change much; you pretty much just navigate to the right spot, and then open fire at the right time. The graphics are presentable on the iPhone, but the music is actually excellent. All in all, the game is definitely worth a go at US $1.99 (which is what it's on sale for in the App Store right now). You won't find anywhere near the level of complicated and subtle gameplay that the larger versions of Silent Hunter have, but if you just want to line up a destroyer in your sights and yell, "Torpedo away!", Silent Hunter Mobile does the trick.
TUAW's Daily App: Umbrella Today
Last fall, I moved out here to Southern California, and while I don't mean to brag, my concerns about the weather outside have fallen right off of my list of priorities; it's sunny and 70ºF here most of the time. However, back when I lived in Chicago, I had to check and see what the weather was like every day before I went out . While I was interested in the temperature, the conditions, and even the wind speed (it's a Windy City, in case you haven't heard), there was really just one question that I needed answered: Umbrella today? Umbrella Today is a site that answers that question for you. It's the brainchild of tech consultant firm thoughtbot. All you have to do is punch in your ZIP code, and you will get a yes or no answer as to whether you'll need to bring that umbrella or not. Of course, you're not always near a computer, so they've turned the site into an iPhone app. The app will not only answer the question, but it will even provide scheduled alerts or push notifications when you need to carry that umbrella. I love it -- it's simple, practical, and effective. The app is US$1.99, but even if you have an issue with that price, you can set up an email alert on the site for free. Still, a one-time payment of $2 is cheap for never being caught empty-handed in the rain again.
TUAW's Daily App: The Iron Horse
David Crane is the founder of Activision, which is currently the 800-lb gorilla of video gaming; it's a huge company with the biggest releases in the world. However, the industry pioneer is getting back to the small stuff. Along with partner Gerry Kitchen, he's started up AppStar Games, and they are working on much smaller titles for the iPhone and iPod touch. Their first title is The Iron Horse for iPhone and iPad, and while it is super simple, the game's metaphor and surprisingly strong atmosphere make it a pretty effective title. It's about trains (which in and of itself probably appeals to a few of us), and the goal is to hook up train cars to a train as it's moving by tapping on hooks at exactly the right time. The gameplay's simple: you just tap on the hooks when they line up about every five seconds or so. The graphics and sounds really fill in the background, though. The trains are designed on real cars, they move through various beautiful backgrounds, and the sounds of click-clacking on the tracks and the trains hooking up really get you in the mood. OpenFeint integration and special bonus levels can up the ante as well. There are a few graphical quirks. For example, they went with 2D models for the trains, so when they turn, it breaks the illusion a bit. Iron Horse is far more fun than it has any right to be, though, especially if you're a fan of trains. The full game is US $1.99, and there's a free version to try out on the iPad.
TUAW's Daily App: White Lines
This iPhone game borrows its title from Grandmaster Flash, but rather than a game about the perils of drug addiction, it's actually a memory game. Kyle Webster is an illustrator who made this Simon-like drawing challenge. The game offers up a series of white strokes on the screen, and its your job to replicate them exactly. Get them right to earn a higher score, but get three wrong and your game is over. The game's simplicity is outweighed by its speed. As with the traditional Simon game, things can get overwhelming very fast. There are quite a few difficulty levels for all kinds of gamers, and the experience of drawing with a purpose on the multitouch screen does keep it interesting. OpenFeint integration means you can challenge friends for high scores, too, which increases the replayability. The one drawback I found (and maybe it's just because I was playing the game on my 1G) was that, at times, registering the strokes was wonky. I would draw it correctly, but because the game was chugging along, it would miss one of my marks or think I lifted a finger when I didn't. The recent update to the game fixes some error strokes, though, so maybe the author will smooth that out in the future. Still, for US$0.99, White Lines is a fun touchscreen twist on the memory game, and the stark style is compelling. It's definitely worth a download, and it might even be good for keeping young ones busy while waiting in line or driving around town.
TUAW's Daily App: Raging Thunder 2
Polarbit released Raging Thunder 2 a while back -- it's the sequel to their App Store launch title that's serving up solid racing on both the iPhone and the iPad. It's not the best pure racing game out there (Real Racing HD has gotten exposure, even in Apple stores, for that), but Raging Thunder has quite a bit of fun and depth added to it, allowing you to upgrade cars and even go for some Burnout and Mario Kart-style arcade action. And the latest update to the title, released about a week ago, adds online leader boards and touch controls for racing (in case you don't want to tilt your iPad or iPhone around as you play). Raging Thunder 2 is definitely a respectable racing title, especially good if you're an arcade racing fan, and the price is just as temptingl: US$2.99 on both the iPhone and the iPad. If you're in the mood for a little action with your racing, and a deeper experience than some of the pick-up-and-play racing titles, Raging Thunder 2 is worth checking out.
TUAW's Daily App: Bird Strike
If you're not one of the many who have discovered Bird Strike yet, then you're in luck. The game just got a solid update, with new levels, new power-ups, and OpenFeint integration. The game is almost like Doodle Jump but I actually enjoyed it a little more. You play a bird that is constantly trying to fly higher and higher with the help of rockets and various tools. The graphics are clean and fun, and it's actually a little more forgiving than some of the Doodle Jump-style games that I've played. The game was free for a little while and is now back up to US$0.99. Even at that price, though, it's an easy buy. Lots and lots of people have already gotten a chance to play the game, because it's hit nearly every spot on the charts already. However, if you've waited to check it out, now's the time to do it.
TUAW's Daily App: Space Miner: Space Ore Bust
Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is a terrific game for the iPhone -- it's an arcade game that's basically a one-stick shooter, where you move a ship around a 2D field (rendered in colorful 3D), collecting asteroid ore and taking down alien robots. But though the basic premise of the game is quite simple, there's actually a lot of depth that builds up over time, as you navigate around various zones, and upgrade your ship, your ore collector, and all of the other various parts of your space ore business. And while the gameplay is tight and fun, the best part of Space Miner (in my humble opinion) is the brilliant and hilarious script. Not only does the story of the game give you great reasons to keep going out there and blasting ore, but it's legitimately creative and funny. Chicago poet and performer Robbie Q. Telfer is listed in the credits as story editor, and that really paid off for the game -- some of the dialogue is just perfect. So yes, the game is worth a buy even at the normal $4.99 price -- but wait, there's more. Starting tomorrow, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is going on sale for just 99 cents for a limited time to help promote the Venan Arcade's upcoming second game, the strangely titled Ninjatown: Trees of Doom. At that price, it's worth a purchase just to play through the tutorial. Definitely be sure to grab it.
TUAW's Daily App: Chimes
Chimes is a beautiful and subtle game; its simple graphics and premise hold up some interesting gameplay that's somehow both frantic and serene. You're given five chimes of five colors to touch, and little drops of color will soon arrive on the screen and try to make their way to the bottom. Your job is to hit the chimes, and as waves of sound and color ring out, the little drops will be cleared when they match up with the right colors. Chimes can be added together as well, so when a red chime hits a blue chime, it makes a yellow chime, and so on. Drops can also have multiple colors, and when you start to realize that sending out waves of color can sometimes "paint over" the drops that are coming down, this previously simple game gets more complicated. It's a lot of fun, and it's free in the App Store. 1.1 added a few features to the in-app purchase that open up more modes and stages of gameplay. Even if you're too stingy to give the dollar, though, there's still plenty of gameplay to be had, even before you take the purchase plunge.
TUAW's Daily App: Darkroom Pro
I've been a fan of the Darkroom app for the iPhone almost since the beginning, only because it contained a bit of functionality I think that should have been included in the device from the start: a steady mode. The original Darkroom offered up a steady-shot mode that let you press a shutter button at any time, but then waited to actually take a picture until the iPhone's accelerometer told it that the phone was steady in place. The iPhone's camera has gotten better over the years, but especially in low-light situations, making sure the camera is steady is reason enough to use this app. And newer versions (after a short buggy delay right around iPhone OS 3.0) have added even more functionality, including a fullscreen shutter mode (no toolbar, just press anywhere on the screen to shoot a picture) and a timer mode as well. They've also added an online photo album into the app using StepCase's official service (which I've never used), but you can also just funnel pictures into your normal camera album if you'd rather upload them somewhere else. The latest update, released just this week, lets you tag your photos by place, so you can browse them later according to the location they were taken at. Darkroom Pro is definitely worth the 99 cent price if you do any regular photography with your iPhone at all. There's also a free version available, and while the functionality on that one is limited, it still does have a steady mode included, so you can at least jump in and give that a try.
TUAW's Daily App: Deadliest Catch
Brand-based games can be hit or miss -- at worst, they're a crass attempt to cash in on a name, and even at best, they often rely far too much on the license, leaving fun and design out of the equation. But the official Deadliest Catch game for the iPhone actually impressed me. As just a game on its own, it lacks -- it's really just a series of minigames designed to simulate crabbing, which itself isn't that fun to begin with. But if you happen to be a fan of the Discovery Channel show (and I am), trying to guide your boat through stormy weather or hook the crab pots safely is actually a good time. The app has a quickplay mode, where you can just jump into the minigames if you want (steering the boat, hooking crab pots, rescuing a man overboard, or sorting crabs on the table), but the real pleasure is the campaign mode, where you can actually build a boat and crew out of the cast of Deadliest Catch, and then make your own way out into the Bering Sea to try and catch Alaskan crab. Mixing up the minigames is a lot of fun -- just like the real sailors, you lay down pots, check them as they come up, and hope that you hit the crab motherload. The app faithfully recreates the show's feel of going out on the deadly ocean and searching the depths for that big pile of crab that means you'll come home with some cash. The only drawback is that at US$3.99, the app is expensive, especially for a licensed title. Not that $4 is expensive for a quality game (if you like the show, it's worth picking up), but for something that could itself serve as an ad for Discovery Channel, that price is a little steep for the potential audience. The good news is that there are no ads in the app itself (except for some links to both Discovery content and developer Hands-On Mobile in the menu), and it runs surprisingly smoothly, even on my old 1G iPhone. If you follow the Cornelia Marie and the Northwestern like I do, grab it right now and go crabbin'! Everybody else can wait for the eventual price drop.
TUAW's Daily App: Powder
TUAW's Daily App spotlights one great App Store app, every single weekday. Powder probably isn't the most polished roguelike RPG experience on the App Store (Sword of Fargoal is generally considered to be among the best), but what it lacks in graphical quality, it makes up for in ease-of-use. The genre is sometimes tough to get into, but Powder, originally designed for the Game Boy Advance, uses easy buttons and icons to let you guide your turn-based RPG character through random dungeons, killing monsters, gaining XP, and drinking weird potions of various colors, all while trying to avoid cursed gear. It's still not easy (roguelikes are notoriously ruthless affairs, and permadeath is still the rule), but the controls are surprisingly intuitive, and the included tutorial makes an often steep learning curve much more gentle, even if you're new to the genre. Plus, Powder wins points from me for its flexible save state process; it's very easy to work your way through a dungeon floor, exit out to make a call or do something else on your iPhone, and then dive back in and pick up right where you left off. Best of all, it just recently went free; that makes sense, considering the other versions are free as well. If you still want to support programmer Jeff Lait, you can do so by donating on his Web site. Meanwhile, Powder is a free download in the App Store, and definitely worth checking out.
TUAW's Daily App: LaDiDa
LaDiDa is a strange little app that came out a while back. It's basically a "reverse karaoke app," in that, instead of playing music that you can sing along with, you sing, and it'll play the music back to you. The technology seems based on the same idea as Microsoft's MySong -- you hit record on the app and then sing whatever melody you want (or rap, or just play a tune on another musical instrument), and then the app quickly builds up the rest of the band around you. It works surprisingly well. I'll spare you the trauma of hearing me sing, but even when I just threw in a few nonsensical bars of an improv song, the app did an admirable job of backing up my tune with drums and chords. If you do hit on a worthwhile tune, you can save it on your iPhone, and there's even a "Discover" section in the app where you can hear what other users are recording and rating. The app allows you to create a full song without any musical talent at all. While it doesn't guarantee that you'll create anything worth listening to, if you've ever wanted to write a song but don't know your sharp from your flat, LaDiDa can help. The app is $2.99 for the iPhone in the App Store.
TUAW's Daily App: Homerun Battle 3D for iPad
One great app, every day -- that's TUAW's Daily App, every morning on TUAW. We're still seeking an official name for the daily app. If you suggest a killer name for this feature in the comments, we'll send you a t-shirt! There are quite a few baseball games on the store these days (including one from the MLB itself), but Homerun Battle 3D focuses on the best part of the game: hitting home runs. Com2uS released the iPhone version last year (and it's great -- it was recommended to me by the producer of Street Fighter for iPhone), but the iPad version just got released about a week ago and it's excellent as well. You control bat placement in the strike zone and swing by tapping the screen; that's basically it. The simplicity of the game really makes the fun shine, and extras like gold balls and multiplier pitches (every once in a while) make you feel like a real home run hero. The free version lets you hit a few balls around, but the full version allows for character customization, some online challenges, and even head-to-head multiplayer. In-app purchases kind of spread a shadow over the whole thing -- some of the customized gear and uniforms can run very expensive. That stuff is easy enough to avoid, though. The core gameplay is a lot of fun, and whenever you want a quick round of batting practice, it's there for you. Homerun Battle 3D is $4.99 on both the iPad and iPhone, with a trial available on the iPhone.
