The graphics are stunning and provide the player with a vibrant and colorful experience using a cast of well drawn characters and backdrops. The animation is solid, if a little ‘flash like’ but the maps, assets, shop, extras and awards are all beautifully drawn and match the rose tinted expectations you might have of the He-Man of yesteryear.

The characters include all the classics, battle-cat, man at arms, Teela and Orko as well as all the classic enemies you might expect such as Beastman, Lockjaw and the mighty Skeletor. A recent update has also added She-Ra as a playable character right from the outset.

Sounds and music all fit perfectly and they are plenty of swooshes and tings to reinforce the 80’s vibe whilst the music does seem like it might be based on the original tunes from the show (though I can’t remember more than the shows theme song).

The controls try so hard to be intuitive and they make a pretty decent job of it but it’s not perfect. The game has done away with on screen d-pad and buttons and instead adopted more of a gesture model. In theory this sounds great; moving your finger left and right on the left hand side of the screen moves your character and various taps on the right hand side attacks. Swipes upward on the right hand side also jumps your character. As the game progresses and you buy more skills and attacks, other gestures are added to your arsenal in order to perform them. Special powers are controlled by buttons in the top right and you will end up looking forward to the times you get to power up to the sound of ‘I Have The POWER!’ And you be forgiven if you hold your phone aloft when he says it.

There are plenty of levels to keep any gamer busy but the levels aren’t hugely complex (think Early Mario Brothers) and what it lacks in level difficulty it makes up for in hack and slash as are a plethora of enemies of your to cut down and collect those valuable gems. This crystalline currency can then be used in the store to buy an assortment of skills, attacks, weapons and characters. As you would expect, your gem count can be easily boosted with the range of in-app purchases that are all to frequent in mobile games nowadays.

Overall, this is a fun game that not only has bags of retro charm but also innovates in terms of controls. The graphics and sound are fantastic whereas the animation and control accuracy is less than perfect. The free to play model means you have no excuse not to download this nostalgic gem and re-live those innocent days playing with semi naked muscle bound men.

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The post Review: He-Man – Masters of the Universe appeared first on AppTrawler.

Although he was gone he was not forgotten, and various attempts to bring him back all seemed to fail. Recently there was a Kickstarter campaign (last month) by non other than the egg’s creators ‘The Oliver Twins’ who wanted to give Dizzy a complete overhaul to bring him into the 21st century. Sadly this failed and we had to settle for a Codemasters remake of Dizzy Prince of the Yolk Folk.

The graphics have been lovingly updated from its 16bit counterpart and everything has been mirrored from the original so retro fans and dizzy fan boys will be happy. This game celebrates it retro-ness with an old style graphic splash screen and Amiga ‘workbench’ screen whilst loading. However, for new gamers I am not sure the pick up and carry mechanic will hold many people’s attention. In essence, you have to find an item at one end of the level, take it to the other end and move forward. Sounds simple enough but there is plenty to keep you entertained throughout your journey. From start to finish there is a few hours game play so its well worth the price tag.

The one let down has to be the controls. They work fine but just seem a little ‘spread out’. There are six buttons for each of main points of the compass; up down, left right and all the diagonals but they are on all sides of the screen which makes it unusual to play to say the least.

Overall, it’s great to see the little egg back in action and although many newer gamers might not like the simplicity of this classic adventure those that remember the early day of gaming will play it with fond memories of yesteryear. We can only hope that this is Dizzy dipping his proverbial toes in the world of smartphone gaming, as it would be great to see more of our shell shocked hero.

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dizzy-prince-of-the-yolkfolk/id474181227?mt=8

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Inspired by fantastic games like MegaMan, Kid Icarus, and Super Mario Galaxy and others, Ultra Kid will have players flying their rockets through space to land on different moons and planets, where they will find crazy creatures to fight and dark tunnels to explore.

With a mixture of both 2.5D and 3D platforming, you’ll collect weapons and suit upgrades as you progress through the game to help you complete your main mission of saving the galaxy from Dr. Ridalin, who we’ve been assured is quite evil. Ultra Kid is still in development, and while details are vague right now, we expect to learn quite a bit more about the game in the upcoming weeks.

The post Preview: Ultra Kid: Mystery of the Mutants appeared first on AppTrawler.

The 40 levels included in LMB are spaced out evenly across 4 different areas (jungle, ice, fire, and “techno” themed). Progression is made by completing the first five levels in each area, which unlocks the next area. The difficulty ramps up at a pretty reasonable pace over the course of the game, but I recommend that most players play the last five levels in each area only after beating the first five in all of the areas, as these are generally much more challenging and will demand a total grasp of the game’s controls in order to get a gold ranking.

In each level in LMB, the goal is to reach a little checkered sphere that marks a finishing line of sorts. To get there, players will have to navigate narrow platforms, hard-to-avoid-bumpers, and various inanimate obstacles that threaten to send the little metal ball into the abyss. In each level, there is a time limit, but this time limit is usually quite generous. Most levels can be completed in 2-5 minutes, although there are some more difficult levels later in the game that can require either a lot of skill or a little more time. The time limit is included not intended to make players fail; it’s a way to encourage high-score chasing and improvement of best times.

A bit of needed variety spices up LMB through the use of several powerups, all of which are activated by jumping (which can be done by tapping on the screen for a short hop or holding and releasing for a larger jump) while on a purple powerup location. Powerups include a smaller ball (which allows passage through tiny gaps), a giant ball (to roll over otherwise dangerous holes), or the activation of nearby moving platforms. Those moving platforms play a large part in some of LMB‘s levels, forcing players to react swifly to avoid oncoming obstacles while avoiding falling off the edge and tumbling to a time-consuming doom.

Every moment of LMB‘s action requires a mental balancing of the risks vs. the benefits of pursuing nearby stars. On the first run through most levels I ignored stars, collecting them only if they were directly in my path. On second playthroughs I often got more risky with my star collecting, taking dangerous jumps to get to a blue star in hopes that the few extra seconds earned would pay off in a gold medal. Aside from the usual “race” levels, there is a fair share of bonus levels in LMB that ask players to collect all of the stars in a level as quickly as possible. These levels are generally less linear than their not as “bonusy” counterparts, and do a lot to help improve the game’s pacing.

Unfortunately, there are no online leaderboards in LMB, but Debacle Software has confirmed in our forums that they (and tilt calibration, another omission from the first release) will be coming in an update. Another small complaint that users in our forums have expressed is the seemingly low-resolution of the artwork, which is otherwise fantastic.

While there are some key features that needed to be added via update to Little Metal Ball before it’s a truly great game, I have no qualms about recommending it in its current state. LMB is good, simple fun, and is great for quick pick-up-and-play sessions. For those who like Labyrinth, Little Metal Ball is a great game with a similar feel, but expanded and unique adventure-style gameplay.

App Store Link: Little Metal Ball, {content}.99

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So, Ghosts ‘n Goblins it is.

Exactly which historic name Capcom would finally adopt for the iPhone version of their upcoming sidescroller has finally been revealed. IGN has scored some of the first screenshots for the iPhone version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins.

We had first heard of the port back in September at the Tokyo Game Show 2009. Capcom a then unnamed game that used 3D models in a 2D side scrolling game. In that respect, it shares many characteristics with the PSP’s Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins which was also rendered in 3D.

The iPhone version of the game appears to use a 4-direction virtual pad along with 2 on screen buttons.

No other details were revealed about the game, though we hope to see it soon. Gallery of images from IGN.

Update: More info about the game which is officially called Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Gold Knights:

Return to the Ghoul Realm as the legendary Arthur or impetuous Lancelot in Ghosts‘N Goblins: Gold Knights for the iPhone and iPod touch. Explore six stages of peril as you attempt to recover the missing maidens and learn the secret of the demons’ return.

Battle with sword, lance, arrow and axe against swarms of demons, monsters and undead minions in one of the most exciting platformers on iPhone.

Key features

– Brilliant 3D graphics and classic platform action!
– For the first time, play as two different heroes each with a unique play style.
– Master six different weapons per character and power up each weapon with magic.
– Destroy treasure chests to uncover weapons and more powerful suits of armor.
– Further customize your Ghosts ‘N Goblins experience with DLC.

The post Preview: Ghosts ‘n Goblins appeared first on AppTrawler.

See, I’ve always felt like the grappling hook has got a bum rap in movies and videogames as a simple means of scaling rooftops and performing ninja-like entrances and escapes. But as anyone who’s played Bionic Commando, Links Awakening, or even Metroid Prime knows, a good ‘hook can completely change your outlook on a game. The creators of Hook Champ were obviously taking notes, and managed to turn a physics-based platformer into some sort of adventurous, floaty racing game that’s perfect for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Throughout Hook Champ, you’re tasked with keeping an airbound treasure-hunter alive as he swings away from the cursed whale-being determined to eat him whole. The controls are super simple — just touch left or right to move, and tap a surface to grapple and start your swing — but they require a bit of old-school finesse to get just right. Along the way you’ll find a handful of coins, gems, and artifacts that help pay for new levels, upgrades to your equipment, facial hair, and hats. Can’t forget the hats!

If you expect to be a hook champ right off the bat, try not to feel too bad when you get gobbled up a handful of times — learning how to best build up momentum, tactfully snag coins, and utilize your dwarven rocket boots will take more than  just a few levels (and upgrades) to perfect. Then again, once you do get into the swing of things (boo! hiss!), Hook Champ tosses tiny waterlogged corridors and endless pits of molten magma into the mix to humble you once again. It’s a challenging game, but one that’s both fun and rewarding to perfect; and that’s exactly what makes it such an addicting little app worth keeping an eye on.

The Verdict

Does Hook Champ finally give the grappling hook its just desserts? Absolutely. Hook Champ does a delightful job of being fast and fun, with upgrades, unlockables, and heaps of challenge to keep you playing for more than just a few minutes.

Is it worth $2.99/£2.49 ($0.99/£0.49 for a limited time)? Yes and yes! Take a look at some gameplay vids or screenshots, and you’ll get the gist of the entire game. If it looks like your cup of tea, grab it while it’s hot.

The post Hook Champ: Physics based Platformer appeared first on AppTrawler.

**UPDATED: Release date announced for 21st October!**

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to re-launch those cows into orbit ever since we heard Gameloft was bringing the iconic, dirt eating, chewy length of worm flesh – Earthworm Jim – to iPhone and iPod touch back in August.

For those of you’ve been asleep on Mars since 1994, Earthworm Jim follows the exploits of an ordinary garden worm that becomes the recipient of a super powered super suit, which a galaxy full of desperately nefarious evil-doers want to get their hands on.

Jim quickly became a cult icon thanks to the gorgeous looking and immensely humorous platform games in which he starred, and even got his own TV cartoon series (which is well worth a watch, if you’re as infantile as I am).

I must admit to having some concerns over how well the high octane gameplay of Earthworm Jim will fare using virtual buttons on the iPhone’s touchscreen, but judging by the newly released gameplay video below it looks as though Jim is back and in full swing.

Groovy!

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The basic gameplay found in Soosiz is that of a traditional platformer, where you run and jump your way past obstacles and enemies while collecting coins and rescuing your buddies along the way. Some enemies can be dispatched by simply jumping on their heads, while others need to be avoided completely. As is typical in platformers, timing and dodging become important skills in later levels. Rescuing buddies can give you additional powers (jumping higher, running faster) and once you have 100 coins, you can trigger a brief indestructible power-up allowing you to easily plow through enemies. Soosiz is very easily controlled with simple left/right virtual buttons and a jump button. Holding the jump button longer makes you jump higher.

The big twist to the game is its gravity-changing mechanic. When jumping to a platform above you, the entire world spins around and up becomes down. While this all seems like it might just be a novel gimmick, Touch Foo manages to utilize it fully across Soosiz’s 7 worlds and 65 levels. The gravity experience is truly an integral part of the game, and not simply a tacked on afterthought. Triggering this gravity manipulation simply requires you to jump onto another platform, and becomes second nature very quickly.

The game was in development for 6 months, and it really shows in Soosiz’s excellent level designs. Soosiz manages to constantly introduce new elements and obstacles to keep the game fresh and interesting across its 7 worlds. Each world carries its own themes (space, underwater, snow, etc…) as well as unique elements. Boss battles at the end of each world are also varied throughout.

You are given 3 lives at the beginning of each level, and can replay any level you’ve already unlocked. For me, the game managed to be stay progressively challenging, interesting, and fun without being frustrating, even though many of the levels took multiple attempts. Fortunately, your running coin count is not lost when you die, allowing you to continue to build up coins for the indestructible power-up if you find yourself struggling with a particular level. Meanwhile, gold, silver and bronze achievements per level, as well as the many secret areas should offer plenty of challenge for overachievers.

Graphically, the game carries a rather simple cartoon style but still retains its own charm. The game’s music, however, feels strangely out of place throughout (additional music in this video). There’s also an inexplicable use of the Up on the Housetop Christmas carol for the level win screens. While the music certainly isn’t a deal breaker, it does reduce some of the game’s immersion.

Regardless, the game is otherwise incredibly well executed with excellent controls, has a ton of content and is a lot of fun. We highly recommend it.

App Store Link: Soosiz, .99 (Intro sale, Ends Monday)

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Soosiz is a great looking 2D platformer that we previewed a few weeks ago. Aside from the usual running/jumping mechanic, Soosiz also introduces gravity flipping jumping, allowing you to jump onto platforms directly above you. The gameplay mechanic is reminiscent of Gomi but packaged in a more traditional platformer title running at a faster pace. The game comes with 7 worlds and 65 levels, each with bronze, silver, and gold achievements.

See this developer provided video of the game in action:

The game includes left/right virtual buttons for movement and a jump button for jumping. Additional on screen controls allow you to zoom out for an overview of the map. Holding the jump button down further lets you jump a little higher. Some enemies can be dispatched by jumping on them Mario-style.

Even with our brief time with the game, we’ve been very impressed with the total package. The controls are responsive and the gravity turning gameplay design works well and is very fun. The game also appears to incorporate a lot of different gameplay elements, enemies and obstacles.

A few of the more advanced obstacles and enemies are shown in this video:

App Store Link: Soosiz, .99 (Intro price)

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