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iOS Hidden Gems

Flunkie

Banned
Chip Chain - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chip-chain/id549294243?mt=8
Make matches to make more valuable chips, or cash in the big chips and build your score. Great mechanics.

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Eighty-Eight - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eighty-eight/id597174223?mt=8
Like Drop7 but with one more number, a little more polished and "complete" feeling with a few different changes here and there.

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Xander51

Member
Holy crap, I didn't know that Baroque was on iOS. That's amazing! I totally dug the Wii original. Really happy I wandered into this thread.
 

Goli

Member
Holy crap, I didn't know that Baroque was on iOS. That's amazing! I totally dug the Wii original. Really happy I wandered into this thread.

Yup! The port isn't great since it seems to run at a lower resolution than that of the device you play in, but it's playable.
 
Cool Pizza - Free - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cool-pizza/id541666625?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFM_tsgBqJY

One of my favorite endless runner style games. Combines that with a bit of beat'em up action, some humor, a nice aesthetic, and good music.

Random screenshot:

Corrypt - $1.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/corrypt/id588935336?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUoYUKyesDs

Very good and very tough (well, for me) puzzle game. It's made by a guy named Michael Brough who has done a lot of interesting indie games. One of my favorite iOS games of this year. His games have a certain style to them I really like.

Random screenshot:

Dungeonism - $1.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dungeonism/id659907714?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I01dtg4eWM

Roguelike with a nice art style and good music. Fun and challenging gameplay.

Random screenshot:

Eliss - $2.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eliss/id306950009?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fELPZ26QRk

Pretty tough puzzle game that involves quick reflexes. One of my personal favorite iOS games. Love the art style and music also.

Random screenshot:

Pakkuman's Defense - $.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id560453722?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIe2641O_UA (PC version)

An incredibly fun combination of tower defense and Pac-Man style gameplay.

Random screenshot:

The Silent Age - Free - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-silent-age/id580991034?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslOlUSh0Pc

An excellent point-and-click adventure with an interesting story involving time travel and a good atmosphere. It's part one in a episodic series.

Random screenshot:

Slayin' - $.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slayin/id548580856?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOT8CH4_iJ0

Check out the PC version for free: http://www.pixellicker.com/games/games_slayin.html

A fun little sidescroller where the character is always moving and you controller which direction he goes. Your weapon is always out so all you have to do it run into enemies. You level up automatically as you kill enemies and collect money which is used to upgrade various things. You start off as a knight but once you reach certain levels you unlock other classes.

Random screenshot:

Swift Stitch - Free - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swift-stitch/id527773750?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZxZuzHGg8

This was one of my top games from 2012. It's also available on PC (and Mac/Linux, I think) and that version is free. Anyway, I love it's minimalist design and tough difficulty. It starts off simple but the difficulty goes up and the levels become hard, especially if you try and accomplish all three goals for each stage. Oh, and the music is incredible. Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seiFoxfk4NY

Random screenshot:

Zaga-33 - $.99 - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zaga-33/id516903940?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTj0nmUW4V4 (PC version)

Turn-based puzzle/roguelike hybrid by Michael Brough. I actually prefer this over Corrypt but I don't think it's quite as touch as that game. Still very good and was one of my favorite iOS games from last year.

Random screenshot:
 

Xander51

Member
Yup! The port isn't great since it seems to run at a lower resolution than that of the device you play in, but it's playable.

I checked it out on my iPad mini, and yeah, it definitely seems to still be running in the SD resolution of the original game, but other than that it's a pretty good port!
 
It was an overlooked indie on Steam so I'm recommending Puddle.

It's on the NZ App Store now and it'll be available in the US store tonight. Regular price of 4.99, launching for 2.99

A fluid physics puzzle-platformer where you rotate the environment to avoid obstacles and traps. Cool level designs ranging from zero g to the human body, each with their own art style, and with wide variety of fluid types to control

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Knife That Guy - 0.99
Games got good reviews on Android but seems to be going unnoticed on IOS.

"In the game you take to a dance floor with one goal, which is to cut up the guy with the red arrow on his head. As you knife him more and more, the game speeds up and there are more obstacles (other people) for you to move around to get to your target.

Each other person on the dance floor has their own little personality, some of whom try to get in your way to be stabbed. Although, if you stab them, you lose points on your health bar, which when put at zero means you die."

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RICO - A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rico/id602656300?mt=8
Rico is an old school jump'n'run game! Run across the levels, jump over obstacles, climb mountains, explore caves, swim through water Collect crystals throughout each level Avoid mines, acid pits and various deadly enemies along the way Find upgrades to get abilities like double jump Reach magic stones to activate checkpoints Find and use weapons to combat enemies Fly with a jetpack Face off against enemies in epic boss battles 4 difficulty levels to keep you challenged 4 different worlds 32 levels full of retro awesomeness If you like platformers, you'll love Rico!

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UNSTOPPABALL DX
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/unstoppaball-dx/id489103099?mt=8
Use your skills in this pysics-puzzler to navigate a fragile ball through 30 dangerous environments, all whilst avoiding enemies and searching for fragments.

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BLIP
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blip/id517284999?mt=8
Tumble, bounce and slide BLiP through an atmospheric world filled with deadly spikes and precarious platforms. Collect stars to unlock over 60 levels of challenging and addictive fun.

BLiP1.png

ZOMBIES.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies./id568711604?mt=8
An isometric rampage through the deep, dark, dungeons of bureaucracy. Claw your way through hideous swarms of Project Managers as they spew buzzwords and tasks at you. Zombies. The only zombie game that's not about zombies.

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CASTER
https://itunes.apple.com/app/caster/id314016537
Dash across scenic locations destroying bug like creatures called the Flanx using 6 unique attacks that include massive terrain deformation and high speed barrages of energy blasts!

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NIGHTMERICA
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nightmerica-usn/id596231696?ls=1&mt=8
Nightmerica is a game about facing the monsters inside your head, and shooting them with a whole load of bullets. Drawing on the retro spirit of arcade games and the? Explosions? Of modern titles. Face hoardes of monsters in three different arenas, using any of the infinitely randomly generated guns, sidearms or special weapons. Show your nightmares who's boss!

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Alric

Member
Autumn Dynasty a RTS where it looks like a painting and you draw the direction your guys go. It's really cool and works to the touch screen mechanics perfect.

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The Quest Gold There is lots of expansions and added content to this Lands of Lore, Eye of the Beholder and Elder Scrolls type game.

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Got a free game to recommend:

Turret Tilt

It's a fun challenging arcade shooter with a large number of upgradeable weapons and mix of tilt and touch controls. You can easily play this game with one hand. And while there is IAP, it's absolutely unnecessary

Fight the swarm! Turret Tilt is an action arcade shooter where you control a turret that's combating a constant onslaught of incoming enemies. Unlock weapons, upgrade items and see how long you can endure!

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moniker

Member
Not sure how hidden it is, but I haven't seen Beat Sneak Bandit mentioned a lot around here. A fun rhythm puzzle game.

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Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Kid-Tripp-for-iPad-1.jpg


Kid Tripp

You actually don't control the left/right movement, the kid auto walks in a sidescrolling adventure similar to the Rayman Jungle Run's kind of the auto runners. It's not the usual runner tho (thank god), think Bit Trip Runner. It reminds me of Wonder Boy 1 (SEGA's arcade version), you control the jumps, sprint and throwing rocks and you have a limited numbers of lives and coins to collect like the classic platformers. Runs at 60fps, looks super cute, leaderboards based... And I had difficulty in passing World 1-5... be prepared cause the game is FREAKISHLY HARD! I enjoy challenging games but this is something else, holy fuck!
The game makes it really easy to go back to levels to collect all the medals, it really flows as far as a stop&go mode and makes it much more enjoyable to just try to survive the levels in the main mode and after that try to collect everything in the specific LEVELS section.
No IAPS whatsoever, 99c, Universal and a whole 7 MEGABYTES of space needed on your iDevice!

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Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Sling It (Pollushot 2)

http://playslingit.com/images/screens/slingit_shot4.PNG[img]

[img]http://playslingit.com/images/screens/slingit_shot2.PNG[img][/QUOTE]

Hey mate, how heavy are those images? ;) The hell, the page actually freezed my iPad Mini, please fix 'em if possible :)
 
Hey mate, how heavy are those images? ;) The hell, the page actually freezed my iPad Mini, please fix 'em if possible :)
That's weird. I'm on my iPhone 4, which isn't the most powerful device, and all the images load just fine, no crashes or freezes

I'm quote them, hope that helps
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Yeah they're fine now, thanks.
I can't check right now but I guess they were kinda heavy? How much do those pngs weight?

Swift Stitch - Free - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swift-stitch/id527773750?mt=8

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZxZuzHGg8

This was one of my top games from 2012. It's also available on PC (and Mac/Linux, I think) and that version is free. Anyway, I love it's minimalist design and tough difficulty. It starts off simple but the difficulty goes up and the levels become hard, especially if you try and accomplish all three goals for each stage. Oh, and the music is incredible. Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seiFoxfk4NY

Random screenshot:



Btw, are you sure Swift Switch is free? I see there's an IAP "to unlock all levels", is that one mandatory?

Edit: yeah, I can confirm that only the first 10 levels are free, then you have to pay to unlock the rest of the game.
 

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
Hey mate, how heavy are those images? ;) The hell, the page actually freezed my iPad Mini, please fix 'em if possible :)

That's weird. I'm on my iPhone 4, which isn't the most powerful device, and all the images load just fine, no crashes or freezes

I'm quote them, hope that helps

Yeah they're fine now, thanks.
I can't check right now but I guess they were kinda heavy? How much do those pngs weight?

They're 2.3-2.7mb each, that's what happens with iPad retina sized pngs :)

-
Unrelated, I added Kid Tripp above to the August iOS Gaming thread. :)
 
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Figured fingershot rpg was worth a mention. It's a fantasy turn based strategy with tons of upgradable units that you play by dragging and releasing slingshot style. I got about 30 to 40 hours of enjoyment out of it before it got old. There's game centre multiplayer too
 

Sakujou

Banned
as long as the game is not super bad/popular everything is ok.

my personal favorite which no one is playing i know is gridrunner.

just the best game i have ever played on a touch platform and the price is also pretty good.
 
I don't see why not. Games made by GAFfers are always welcome. Especially if it was overshadowed/overlooked

OK, i created some of the music for the game. it's a rhythm game (like DDR, pop'n music, etc) with original songs made especially for the game, as well as licenced songs.
its kind of failed in the west (more popular in japan, as you'd expect from a music game)

but best of all, its free. :)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rhythm-control-2/id498660240?mt=8

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So please check it out. I wanna know what you guys think. I think its a pretty well polished game too.

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Robin64

Member
Is there an app for iPhone that is able to hold the shutter open for a long time when taking a photo? True long exposure, I mean. The ones I've tried seem to fake it. Is this something apps can even do with an iPhone?
 

wrowa

Member
I would really be interested in some Japanese/Asian iOS titles. The spotlight seems always to be on US games, but there got to be some quality stuff from Eastern territories on iOS. Sadly, it's always next to impossible to find something if you don't know what you are searching for.

I've already seen some great stuff here I had no clue about though. I was playing Battrix for a few minutes just now and it's fun.
 

PFD

Member
Is there an app for iPhone that is able to hold the shutter open for a long time when taking a photo? True long exposure, I mean. The ones I've tried seem to fake it. Is this something apps can even do with an iPhone?

Don't think so. Best I could find was this.
 
Has Dot Space Hero been recommended here?

It's gotten great user impressions on Toucharcade. Been out since June but I think it's getting more recognition now. It's like a mix of Jetpack Joyride and a SHUMP, with a fantastic art style and leaderboards

$0.99 and no IAP. Here's a trailer.


Toucharcade review (4.5/5)
DOT Space Hero is a charming, beautiful and most importantly, amazingly fun little iOS shmup. While there are many shooters available in the App Store, 1 Coin Studio has gone that extra mile to make sure that DOT is not only an excellent game, but an excellent game that has been designed around the iOS touch interface, rather than the other way around. The result is a truly wonderful piece of art that at this point I really cannot fault. Don't let the seemingly low number of stages put you off - you won't be breezing through DOT Space Hero and even once you've completed the game, you'll be coming back for more, if only to achieve triple stars on each stage by collecting all the available stardust (no mean feat) or improve on your Game Center leaderboard stats.
 
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