Dropout Games are back and looking to follow on the success of Blyss, a game which perfectly combined relaxing visuals with fun and challenging gameplay with their new game Neo Angle.

Neo Angle which is inspired by the 80s neon art style and retro synth scene is an innovative game, full of complex puzzles for you to complete. The game introduces you to the gameplay elements in a simple fashion with a very basic tutorial on how to move through the levels. which is done by swiping in the direction you want your triangle pieces to move.

The aim is to swipe your way through the level collecting pyramids as you go and eventually ending up at a designated end triangle. The game becomes difficult with restrictions put in place when you collect a pyramid. Each time you do so the blocks you have gone through become locked, meaning you can’t go back on yourself. This forces you to take a very specific path to complete the levels. Eventually the game becomes more difficult introducing other elements to the gameplay with the addition of portals and switches. Because of this the player must adapt to the situation in order to advance to the next level.

Thankfully the game is set at a steady pace. There are no lives, and you have an unlimited amount of retries, meaning the game doesn’t thrust-rate the player. That’s not to say it’s not difficult, because at times it is. Some levels can take up to ten minutes to solve, whilst others can be done first try. The varying difficulty of the levels are what keeps the game interesting and makes it quite addicting.

The developers are huge believers of keeping their games simple. Something they did in Blyss. The same principles have been followed in Neo Angle where the developers have implemented minimal elements and almost no text, whilst also noticeably lacking a menu apart from buttons to control audio and to retry a level. There is also no controls except for the swiping, which is simple yet works perfectly.

The gameplay goes perfectly with the 80s styled neon artwork and accompanying synth music which really makes you feel like you are in an arcade. The best way to describe the theme is very similar to the popular 80s game Tron, of which there is obvious inspiration. That’s not a bad thing though as the Indian development team have done a great job in replicating that feel, but not going overboard.

At times though I do wish there was some variation in the level design, although the artwork is good, after a time it feels like more of the same. Blyss was enjoyable because of the different themes, whilst this game just has the one. Hopefully this is something which can be added to in future updates.

This game could have easily been turned into a freemium model game. I’m glad the developer decided not to do this as it means for a better gameplay experience. Despite this the current app store environment doesn’t support puzzle games that are paid, and in the long run this could hinder the games success. A possible solution would have been to release the game for free and have adverts and in app purchases (IAPs) for lives, whilst having an option for people to pay to disable these should they want to do so.

Despite this small complaint Neo Angle is a very enjoyable game that successfully manages to replicate the 80s style retro games whilst bringing the theme into mobile gaming. For $0.99 it’s a great pickup if you are after a challenging puzzle game without the pesky adverts and in app purchases.

If you enjoy simple, uncomplicated yet challenging games, this next installment from Digital Melody Games, the makers of Timberman, is the next app to try out. Risky Rescue is an arcade game which will keep you engaged with all its demanding levels, each loaded with cool music and flat-designed worlds. The missions may look simple but it will test your reflexes as it pushes you to be quick yet gentle at the same time if you don’t want to end up blasted away.

In Risky Rescue, you serve as a helicopter pilot set out to rescue stranded folks in places such as mountains tops and roofs. Just like in real life, you need to maneuver your chopper carefully to avoid obstacles like windmills and airplanes to get your survivors to safety. One careless move will blow up your ride, hence the term, risky.

The game comes with 50+ missions, or levels, and you can unlock 20 different choppers as you earn more points. Risky Rescue also features an endless mode where you need to beat the clock while rescuing as many people as you can.

Risky Rescue can be downloaded free in the App Store and in the Play Store and comes with in-app purchases for more helicopters to pilot.

From the team who brought us the incredibly popular Pocket Planes and the equally renowned Tiny Tower comes Capitals, a new take on the word games genre that has taken the App Store by storm. NimbleBit are well known for releasing exciting polished games, and thankfully they have done it again with Capitals.

If you have ever played Scrabble or Words with Friends you will already be familiar with this type of game. There is however one big twist in Capitals gameplay which adds a level of excitement not seen in its predecessors. The aim of the game is to make words using hexagon lettered tiles and to, over turns gain on your opponents territory. You gain their tiles when you connect your colored zone with theirs through the letters you play. To be completely successful at this game you need to master the skill of both defending and attacking. Playing big long impossible words aren’t always going to win you games, instead playing smart words that take your opponents territory is the way it should be done. Unlike previous word games you don’t score points for playing hard letters like Z, X and Q. But these add a new aspect to a game. The tiles are randomly generated on the board when a move is taken, throwing random letters out on the new tiles adding a challenge to your opposing player.

The game is stylized to perfection, with simple graphics, animations, sound effects and menu’s. I really like how uncluttered the board feels making it easy to concentrate on the all important letters and on making smart words. The game is Free to Play, meaning you only have three lives at a time, without further investment through in app purchases. Everytime that you start a new game whether it be with a Game Center friend or with a random opponent, you lose a life. Lives regenerate overtime at one life per hour and are capped at three lives. So theoretically you can only start three games in the space of three hours. This understandably will annoy some users who feel like there should be more lives, I disagree with this though. The game is turn based meaning at times it is possible to have as many as 10 games going at once. With this there isn’t a need to have more than one life per hour, however, if you do want more lives you can buy 5 lives or even unlimited lives through in app purchases.

The game also has customization options allowing you to change the color of your territory on top of being able to alternate your icon too, this again can be purchased through an in app purchase. Despite the amount of IAPs, I feel like the game is completely playable without the need for them. In a week I have played over 80 games and I haven’t spent a dime. The best part though is being able to track your stats such as your win percentage and longest word. The only thing that irritates me is the wait for others to play their turn with them being given up to seven days to do so. NimbleBit is already working on improvements to the game including a ranking system that pits you against similar skilled players, an expanded word list and have promised even more additions in the future.

As I develop tactics and a catalog of quirky words I find myself enjoying Capitals more and more to the point that I am picking up my phone and playing a move every hour. The simple game style makes it easy for any casual gamer to pick it up, and although I might be early in saying this I believe that it could compete with Word With Friends in being the next big word game, and ultimately another hit for the guys at NimbleBit.

Capitals is available for free on the App Store.

Word building games are a great way to sharpen your critical thinking and build vocabulary. If you are passionate about playing word games, you must try your hands at Word-A-Fall. Word-A-Fall is an iPhone app that is quite different from traditional word building games. It is fast-paced, interactive and easy to learn but difficult to master. This app is a great boredom buster and the perfect way to have a few hours of fun with friends or family.

What’s the app about?

The objective of Word-A-Fall is to see how many words you can create within a limited time period. The app features a waterfall from which letter tiles flow down continuously. You have to simply tap on the letters to form words. You need to form as many words as possible before the tiles disappear into the waterfall. You score points for every word you form correctly. The app belongs to the Games category in the iTunes App Store.

Working of the app:

Word-A-Fall comprises three game modes – Classic, WordSmith and Rushing Rapids. Classic mode gives you a time limit of two minutes within which you have to form as many words as you can. In WordSmith mode you need to create words that have a minimum of four characters, within the same time limit. Rushing Rapids is the most challenging mode. The speed of the tiles increases with each word you submit. At the end of each game, your score, best word and total word count are displayed. You can share your scores with your friends via SMS.

Once you choose a game mode, letter tiles start falling down the waterfall. Each letter tile holds a value from 1 to 10. Your score depends on the total value of the tiles that make up the word. After you form a word, you just need to swipe your finger to the right to submit it. When you choose a tile by mistake or if you are not able to create a word, you can swipe to the left to drop all the letters of that word. You can pause the game at any time by tapping on the timer.

The most interesting feature of Word-A-Fall is the 8 Action tiles. These tiles make the gameplay very exciting by either increasing or decreasing your score. There are a total of 5 positive and 3 negative action tiles. The 2W, 3W and 4W tiles double, triple and quadruple your word value. The 10W tile multiplies your word value by 10. The +10 tile adds 10 extra seconds to the timer (this will be of great help when you are running out of time). You need to be careful about the negative action tiles; the -10 tile reduces 10 seconds from the timer. The blind tile makes all the falling tiles fade away from the playing area for about 10 seconds. The bomb tile, the most dangerous of the lot, clears your entire letter field.

Word-A-Fall has got an overall pleasant appearance and the sound effects suit the theme of the game. The Instruction option explains the game clearly. Options to get your friends involved in the game through social media could have been included. The app could have been optimized for kids by including simpler levels, to help them get a hang of the concept of word building.

Word-A-Fall is a fun way to enhance your word building skills. The app costs $0.99 and requires iOS 6.0 or later versions.

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I first heard about Settlers of Catan a couple of years back, when my sons had played it at a friend’s house. They really enjoyed it, so I purchase a copy for our family vacation. After one game, we were hooked. The whole family now plays including our extended family.

What makes Catan so enjoyable? The rules are relatively straightforward, almost anyone can win any game, up to 6 people can play at a time, and you have to interact with the other players. Catan has been out for iOS for some time now and is even available for Android devices. I have played the Android version but have never had a chance to try the iOS version until now.

The goal of Catan is to dominate your island, either by having the most knights, longest road, most settlements or cities. You do this by acquiring or trading resources: wood, sheep, ore, clay. The iOS version of the game is very true to the board game, so if you have played before you should not have any trouble getting into the game.

The game is broken into two sections: Campaign of Custom Game. To play campaign you need to purchase one or both of the expansions. The two expansions are Seafarers and Cities and Knights. Each expansion is $4.99 USD and independent of the other. When you do purchase an expansion, you until a number of maps and scenarios you can play in the custom game area. In the custom area, you can create a game, continue a game, or watch the tutorial. The tutorial is broken up into different aspects of the game so you can focus on just the parts you want/need. There is also an Almanac with terms and definitions for you.

When you start a custom game, you can choose from a number of different scenarios, each gives you the keys to victory and a general layout of the map. As I mentioned earlier, many of the games are part of the expansions, so you will need to purchase them to unlock. There is a lite version of both expansions present when you purchase Catan, so you can get a favor of what they are like. After you chose the scenario, you can modify a few other options like, number of players, human or AI, victory points, dice mode, robber mode, etc. You can do multi-player on the same device. There has been some talk about online multiplayer but not sure its status. You also can only save 1 game at a time and there are no profiles.

So how is the game? Great. It plays well on the iPod Touch 5th Genertion. The graphics are sharp and the game board is very easy to view (pitch to zoom) and the menu items do not take up that much space. After playing a couple of rounds, you will get the different buttons down. Gameplay is smooth and overall, I think the game is a bit harder than the board version because I find it difficult trying to remember of keep track of the other players resources.

If you enjoy the board game and want a portable, well developed, and supported electronic version of the game, then I recommend you purchase Catan for iOS. With two expansions and possibly more on the way, Catan for iOS offers a ton of gaming. So see if you can help the intrepid seafarers on the new island that they have discovered!

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