Category: Mobile Game Releases

Mini Metro (review) is the lovely game of subway maps, and its simple style and soothing music has consumed quite a few hours of my time. Developer Dinosaur Polo Club has announced their follow up, Mini Motorways, will be available on Apple Arcade starting this week.

Mini Motorways will launch Thursday, September 19, and it’ll start out being exclusive to Apple Arcade. As far as mobile goes, that’s going to be it – while a Steam launch is scheduled for 2020, there’s currently no plan to bring Mini Motorways to other mobile storefronts, which means Android users are out of luck on this one.

Which is a shame, because Mini Motorways looks delightful. It retains the stylized maps of Mini Metro, but adds a few subtle gradients and new color schemes to the mix, while adding to Metro’s complexity with highways, multiple building types, and new vehicle behaviour.

Here’s the trailer:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb6bf14lAYw?feature=oembed&w=459&h=344]

You can actually choose your color mode in Mini Motorways, and options include colorblind and night modes, which is a very nice touch.

The music, which is dynamic and changes as your cities grow, was created by Disasterpeace – that’s the artist behind the soundtracks for Reigns, Hyper Light Drifter, and the 2014 indie horror hit It Follows.

By Jerret Green 13 Sep 2019

First, let’s dispense with genre. Telling Lies is a narrative game with a puzzling aspect. Though its creator insists the game isn’t voyeuristic, its whole spiel revolves around the player watching video footage collated from an intelligence archive. Although the central mechanic is not digging through dirty laundry, per se, it is nevertheless watching movies of people’s immediate and unfiltered lives. There is some perverse pleasure in breaking this taboo, in being a fly on the wall of someone’s life.

On the flipside, it provides an honest, unflinching look at their lives. Using all the raw footage, the player is meant to piece together a master account of the connections between four people and one final act, presumably extreme enough to merit all this surveillance. In pursuit of this final explanation, the game becomes a simple trawl across the videos to try to find every clip. Fortunately, the strength of the acting and individual scenes is compelling, even while the much-vaunted mystery falls a little flat. In a nutshell, play Telling Lies for the human element and scrambled story, not for the whodunnit.

Any conversation can be searched by its component dialogue, broken down into individual words. The very first keyword, ‘Love,’ springboards the scattershot search. To keep things from getting too easy, you can only see the first five results. This is the exact same method as used in Sam Barlow’s game, Her Story (review), and it’s no worse for wear from reuse. In a novel twist, many of the conversations in the videos are dialogues between characters, so the actor might be flirting or arguing with a silent second video component, which must be tracked down and mentally reconstructed to give a full picture. Splitting videos makes for a delightful exercise in conversational deduction and wit. Oh, and the ‘metadata’ of each video also includes date and time-stamps. Protip: use the rewind function to view the full video, start-to-finish. Those are all of the game’s technical tricks; the rest of its staying power comes from the story.

Said story is convoluted but not especially complex. The video clips cast a web that is finely woven, with clear connection and logical nodes. Piecing it together is disorienting, like being thrown into a whirlwind of memories, fights, inside jokes and backstory. Here’s a rough sketch of some of it. The wife back home is sometimes aggrieved, sometimes amorous, always tender to her daughter. A cam girl manages her clientele with expert discretion and finesse. A right mess of a man attends a poorly lit party and sways after a few. He’s coming on to a fellow activist, and she’d rather go home alone, thanks. These vignettes and many more besides function like brushstrokes building up the details of each person’s life and motivations. Suffice to say that all of the four central characters are under stress and laboring under some illusions. That’s about as generic a setup as it gets, so luckily Telling Lies has a strong, diverse cast of characters with competent actors bringing them to life.

The material they’re given to work with is stout. Three women whose lives are only connected by a man, his own life riddled with uncertain motivations and cutting half-truths. Most of the titular ‘lies’ involve omissions and incomplete accounts rather than outright untruths. Telling Lies is, true to its title, a perfect exercise in context and discretion. The player is wholly free and unfettered can experience every perspective without judgement or heavy-handed narration. Even while dealing with the heaviest of material, the game never veers into easy moralism. The most intense disputes unfold with their full intensity while the player sits mutely as a third party, though the player character’s identity is not a simple bystander. As more videos are accessed, the in-game laptop timer advances into the late hours of night and eventually the wee hours of morning. Reflections pass across the screen-within-a-screen. It’s a deliberately layered perspective, partially to justify the video-access gameplay through a story conceit.

The plot, such as it is, unfolds in a little over a year and has several huge events. National security, political activism, and ‘relationships’ make fodder for every kind of interaction. There are lullabies and come-hither crooners, fairytale tuck-ins and fairytale codenames. Because every player will view the archive in a unique order based on their search whims, the story is modular. Sometimes this means its emotional beats fall out of the usual rhythm, occasionally stealing thunder. If it were a less carefully constructed plot, or less interesting set of characters, the whole conceit would fall flat. Telling Lies mostly avoids this.

I’d talk details, for they are where the juicy bits are, but they are absolutely best experienced fresh. Suffice to say the game builds up its characters’ lives in the best way possible, including ordinary scenes as much as dramatic, emotional ones. Its tone is varied and generally well-considered. Unfortunately, each character’s appeal relies a little too much on their alluring status of strangers, like dimly scouting someone intriguing across a crowded room. Once they become a known factor, things start to look a little flat. The connections between them are shockingly direct and the final ‘gotcha’ is less satisfying than Her Story’s. This is largely quibbling: those who like getting inside the characters’ heads and stalking every last bit of a stranger’s life will take to Telling Lies like catnip.

By including a wide range of its character’s lives, Telling Lies mostly succeeds in telling a complete, compelling story connecting four disparate individuals. It coheres and tantalizes, but in its greater scope, becomes a little muddled in the final moments. That we’re witnesses a resurgence of FMV-style games is nothing short of a miracle, and Telling Lies remains an excellent addition. It falls short of perfection, but has all the hallmarks of a critical and commercial darling.

By Ian Boudreau 11 Sep 2019

By Josh Brown 09 Sep 2019

As you read this, I’m not actually here, so today’s update is going to be a bit ad-hoc. It’s not been a great week for releases regardless, so I’ll be spending some time looking at other things that may be of interest.

This week I finally got up the Battle Chasers content I’d planned – apologies for the delay there. We’ve also been looking a bit more into Pokemon Masters, as well as catching up with Dota Underlords, which we haven’t spoken about in a while. Checking in with our BoardGameGeek list as well is always fun.

PSA: I’m on holiday between the 10th – 17th. While I’ll have cover as usual there will be no Weekender update on the 13th. Normal Friday service resumes on the 20th.

Meanwhile, in the world of mobile gaming…

Out Now – Tropico on Android

Feral continue to prove their are the king of premium mobile games with the recent release of Tropico onto Android. With an uncertain market in terms of premium mobile releases, it’s gratifying to know that porting last generation’s strategy games is still a viable option, but it’d be easy to imagine developers just doing an iOS port and being done with it.

The fact that Feral, who are traditionally iOS developers, have taken the time to skill-up and bring these beloved games to Android as well is quite touching. We’re not doing another review, but you can read our iOS review if you want an idea of how it plays. I’ve got an Android code that I will be testing out anyway. If I discover anything note-worthy for Android readers, I’ll let you know.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmhwPB_ZqBk?controls=0]

Announced – Homeworld Mobile

Gearbox were at Pax West recently talking about Homeworld. They announced that Homeworld 3 is a thing, but they also dropped the surprise announcement that there will be a Homeworld game on mobile as well. At the moment it just has the working title Homeworld Mobile.

When it will come, on what platforms and in what form is all very much TBD. All we do know is that it’s being made by Stratosphere Games, who are known for making F2P Clash Royale like experiences. Here’s to hoping it’s not going to be like that but you never know with Gearbox. There’s an official website you can check out here. https://www.homeworldmobile.com/

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBaG6kR2AwU?controls=0]

Sale – Motorsport Manager Mobile 3 (Review)

This is more than just a sale – for some reason MM3 has gone free? There are IAPs that range from like $6 up to $11 for a ‘bundle’. I honestly can’t remember if they were there when the game launch. Did this one go F2P without us noticing? Either way, you can pick it up for free on iOS and Android if you’re interested.

Sale – Tides of Time (Review)

This is a neat two-player board game that’s about drafting a hand of cards to try and collect sets to score points. It plays very quickly over a couple of rounds, and is an excellent choice for couples or friends looking for a quick game to pass the time. It’s currently down to a couple of bucks on iOS and Android.

Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!

By Joe Robinson 04 Sep 2019

By Joe Robinson 03 Sep 2019

If you start talking to people about Battle Chasers, you’ll find that just about everyone had their own approach to the game. That’s a mark of a complex and well-designed system. None of the six characters can be absolutely pigeonholed into traditional RPG roles, and the many ways that they can buff, debuff, heal, and damage will result in individual approaches across the board.

So experiment! Look for synergies within character’s attacks and abilities, and across characters. It’s tough to build a character totally wrong if you’re keeping mind of their natural advantages. That said, here are some general tips for getting the most out of the game…

Tips & Tricks

The Attack modifier affects all of your combat abilities, including defensive and healing abilities! Boosting your Attack is the fastest way to use more effective moves in combat. Because Attack even affects your characters’ defensive and healing moves, it is usually a better choice to buff Attack rather than Defense when you find you are taking too much damage.

Your characters’ level also makes a huge difference in terms of their strength–all the attributes in the game are scaled according to level. If you’re having trouble on a boss, grinding out a single level will probably make up the difference. The Arena is a great place to quickly nab some experience.

One unique feature in Battle Chasers is the Haste system. In addition to the initiative scores that determine who goes first, faster characters also get their attacks off faster. An attack that is too slow may allow an enemy to slip in their own attack before you finish! Abilities that add Haste can make Very Fast abilities instantaneous, giving you more control over the pace of the battle and more attacks compared to your opponents.

While initially it seems like Overcharge is a kind of bonus mana, it’s actually a much more powerful replacement for mana. Once you have the ability to quickly build up your Overcharge, there’s no need to keep a reserve of mana–in fact, it can be to your detriment. Some perks gain big bonuses if you have a large reserve of Overcharge, but having full mana limits your potential Overcharge pool. Drain your mana in some easy fights if you need to, so you can save space for a big Overcharge bonus.

Some final tips:

• Don’t forget to equip your perks, and switch them around when you need to try something different.
• Dungeon skills are also a big help if you’re struggling with a fight.
• Debuffing the enemy before the battle will give you a huge advantage.
• Don’t neglect to eat.: There’s a lot going on in this game, but food can give you big bonuses that you will especially appreciate before a boss fight.

Character Notes

Garrison

With Overcharge being such a key mechanic of Battle Chasers, Garrison is the DPS-generating heart of any solid team. He has a larger Overcharge pool and Overcharge-generating attacks and abilities. His Warblade ability will quickly become one of the strongest attacks in the game once you master building his Overcharge pool. At the beginning of the game, his Rally Strike is a useful first cast that will boost your whole team’s Haste. You can also go with attacks that cause bleeding and use Siphon to heal.

Gully

Gully is a versatile character that can serve as a tank or a defensive caster, but also hits hard enough to help in dealing damage. Her Taunt ability is key for tanking, and will keep the bad guys off of your more vulnerable characters, while Defend makes her nigh-invincible. Gully is always a good choice for a dungeon crawl, since she can smash her way through secret passages–look for the dust coming out of the wall.

Calibretto

This giant war golem has an interesting mix of healing and damaging abilities, making him a great addition to any party. At the beginning, you’ll definitely want him on healing duty, but consider branching out to DPS. His Sundering abilities are big damage boosters, especially combined with Gut Punch II that also builds Overcharge.

Knolan

Knolan is a tougher character to use, since he builds Overcharge much more slowly and relies on his mana pool far more than other characters. However, his spells are great for crowd control and debuffing your targets. You’ll be relying on Calibretto for healing by the time you get Knolan, but Knolan can also work well as a healer.

Monika

Red Monika is also a great damage-dealer, so you should probably choose between her and Garrison. She relies on building up her critical hit chance for doing huge amounts of damage. Another option is to use her as an evasion tank with her Camouflage abilities.

Alumon

Alumon comes in later in the game, but will become a part of many parties thanks to his jack-of-all-trades skill set. He is also a great healer. He may even be a better choice than Calibretto because his overheals can become shields with his Grim Covenant ability.

Do you have any tips or tricks of your own? Let us know in the comments!

While not true for all, many mobile games fall squarely within the tower defense, MOBA, or pay-to-win genres. It’s rare that you find a turn-based RPG that’s actually an exciting, quality experience that feels as though it could have made a home on PC or consoles, save for the errant port. But that’s exactly what I found with Battle Chasers: Nightwar. It’s a turn-based RPG with modern and retro elements that manages to dazzle, despite the usual trappings of mobile gaming. If you’re looking for a sprawling mobile adventure that feels like jumping into a classic game of yesteryear, you’ll find it here.

Nightwar sets the stage immediately with a gorgeously-animated cinematic scene that kicks things off right with western comic artwork and fantastic voice acting. The narrative follows a young girl named Gully who’s searching for her father, along with the help of a war golem named Calibretto. Along the way, the pair rendezvous with swordsman Garrison, rogue Red Monika, and mage Knolan as their paths cross with a group of enemies led by the sorceress Destra, who wants to take all the land’s mana for herself. What begins as a modest journey throughout the landscape to find Gully’s father after their airship crashes turns into a much deeper story than that as you traverse the landscape.

From the first few moments of the game, it’s clear that plenty of work went into making it lush and believable. The Western fantasy-inspired landscape is rife with locations to explore in the background and foreground, but even more dazzling are the characters themselves. They’re surprisingly detailed and move fluidly, with a level of detail I simply didn’t expect to be translated for the mobile version of the game, which originally landed on consoles and PC. From your characters’ portraits to their sprites, they exude personality and uniqueness, and you feel as though you’re on the precipice of something epic as each new character is introduced.

The game plays out much like you’d expect a turn-based RPG would. As you make your way through the world to advance the story, you’ll explore a hub-like overworked that has clearly-marked points of interest to explore. It’s a much more streamlined method of pushing players to their next objective, with icons representing houses to enter, monsters to fight, and dungeons to explore. You use an on-screen control pad to navigate, which doesn’t feel terrible for once, or you can tap where you want to go along the path before you.

You tap on icons to interact with them, such as an exclamation point to investigate a new location, and if you happen upon a monster icon in your way, it’ll be time to fight. Combat is where the game truly shines, and it’s a good thing – there’s plenty of grinding to be mindful of when getting started, with each character receiving their own level and skill tree to fill out. You get three in your party at a time, and you must have them all participate in battle if you want to earn experience. This means grinding is usually necessary if you don’t want an unbalanced team.

With that said, as you explore dungeons and make your way throughout the game, you’ll have to fight plenty of monsters. It looks familiar at a glance, but features some intriguing permutations that make it different from the rest. You take turns, with your party represented as well as your enemies via the timeline at the top right of the screen. This way you can always see who’s up next. You take turns slinging attacks at each other or using defensive manoeuvre as you build up Overcharge. Overcharge is accumulated as you use certain attacks (mana-less options), which is added to your mana gauge. This means Overcharged characters get plenty of mana to use. So you charge up your gauge, and your characters can then use powerful attacks. It’s pretty cool stuff, especially if you’re into annihilating your enemies without trying too hard.

There’s also Burst, which builds up slowly as you take turns. Your party shares the resource, and it can reach three charge levels. When at a high enough level, any character can use it to rip a powerful ability free, even if they’re low on mana. They’re cinematic, powerful attacks that you’ll love to watch, and they’ll do a devastating amount of damage to your enemies. There’s a lot of strategy involved when it comes to figuring out when’s best to use Overcharge and when you should actually let a Burst fly. Between these combat options and regular gameplay, there’s a lot to keep track of, which keeps things interesting.

An excellent traversal system, gorgeous artwork, music, and voice acting as well s a nuanced combat system make for an exciting cocktail for Battle Chasers: Nightwar, but one thing I did observe was that the game sometimes didn’t seem to respond to input as readily as I wanted it to. Sometimes, I’d have to tap on a target a few times to get it to do anything. I know it’s not my responsive iPhone X screen, as I have no other issues elsewhere, and is localized to the game. Not a huge deal, but frustrating nevertheless.

In a world where mobile games are often treated as second fiddle to their more explosive, bombastic console and PC cousins, it was refreshing to see so much loving attention heaped upon the mobile version of an obviously successful and interesting RPG. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the mobile version, but found that it was just as pleasing as the original game, but even more so since I can take it with me anywhere I go. It’s also a game you pay for once, meaning you don’t have to continue blowing cash on it after your initial purchase.

Whether you’re an RPG buff looking for your next fix or you want a fun, exciting mobile story-based game to sink some time into, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a fantastic option. You won’t be disappointed.