Category: Game Releases

Powernode is marketed as a “zen” puzzler, but I didn’t feel very zen when I started playing. Immediately, it began to take its toll on me as I struggled in vain to make quick calculations with small numbers multiplying around me, all meant to go to various stations in need of ‘charging’. It’s a confusing, frustrating operation if you don’t know what you’re doing at first, and can turn anyone who isn’t great with organizing things or making neat pathways off.

That was at first. Over the course of the time I spent with it, I found myself getting a bit better with each session. Where I began to break down with simple number puzzles, I was gradually improving and quickening my pace, creating even better energy networks than I had before.

That’s where Powernode excels: Helping you get a little bit better each time you play, even if you come into the game thinking there’s no way you could possibly be good at it.

Powernode will look immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever spent modicum of time with Mini Metro, a strategy simulation game that has you designing your own subway map between train stations.

Instead of getting passengers where they need to go by way of meticulously-organized train lines, however, you’re working to organize nodes, or number stations that fill with some sort of green substance when you successfully “power” them with the right sum. For instance, if you have a node marked “6” and two smaller energy crystals, we’ll call them, you need to figure out a way to use both of those crystals (perhaps they’re both “3” crystals) to get juice flowing to the node to satisfy its number requirements.

The diamond shapes emit pulses every few seconds that you can connect to the number stations in need of power. When the liquid has completely filled up a station, it will disappear. Of course, you’re not done there. As you continue to play, your micromanagement skills will need to kick into high gear, because additional numbers will sprout up like popcorn without any regard to where you are in your thought processes or whether you’re quick enough. When enough stations “die off,” you’re screwed, and it’s game over.

Any node outside of your “network” will disappear as well, though. This makes things a bit more difficult. So if you had a 4 and a 2 node here and there creating a 6 node to power one across the map, those are now gone, as additional stations continue to pop up at random.

It becomes extremely challenging as the game ramps up. Early on, when you deal with smaller numbers, trying to get nodes together efficiently makes you feel like a champ. But as soon as things start going faster, the game can begin to stress you out considerably.

There are a few things other than the demanding gameplay that might annoy you, too. The more you rely on one node, the slower its efficiency. This forces you to continually re-evaluate how you’re going to power every station without having to make some sort of complicated web that looks more like a rat’s nest than power lines.

But when you lay the power lines down, there’s no way to rearrange them unless the nodes disappear. This means whatever mistakes you make, with nodes in the way of others will be there for the long haul, forcing you to stare right at your foul-ups for the rest of each session. Powernode could have used some sort of “undo” method, but I didn’t see a way to do so aside from restarting the entire game.

It’s all very exciting as the game begins upping the difficulty. When you accomplish some particularly impressive feats later on, you’ll feel like an absolute genius. But if you’re not good at multitasking, or it potentially frustrates or stresses you out, this is not the game for you, as it won’t hold your hand in any way or offer any assistance.

If you need a puzzler that’s beautifully minimalistic, numbers-based, and extremely challenging, pick up Powernode – you won’t regret it.

It’s nice to see a weekly update packed with a range of genuinely interesting new releases, sales and updates. It’ll set us up well for April as we start getting reviews out – this week has been more news focused as we’re in the limbo period between freelance budgets, but hopefully you’ve appreciated being kept up to date with some of the more notable happenings this week.

We’ve got a couple of features on the horizon that hopefully will start appearing next week, otherwise it’s mainly keeping on top of the review pile.

Meanwhile, in mobile gaming…

Out Now

Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?! (iOS Universal) (Review)

Headline for this this week is a new entry in the tongue-and-cheek Holy Potatoes! Series, which we reviewed yesterday. This version sees you put in charge of a spy agency, building up your HQ, going on missions and navigating through a central story. For fans of the series it’s more of the same, which is fine although we hope to start seeing more innovation in the future. For newcomers this is a respectable espionage-themed management game that’s refreshingly silly. Hopefully, we’ll see this one cross over to Android.

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

This War of Mine: Stories – Father’s Promise (iOS & Android) 

For some reason PT never covered the original mobile release of This War of Mine, arguably one of the most successful indie titles of this generation. While it’s narrative focus isn’t quite the kind of thing we look at here, the marriage with tense, survival mechanics as you strive to live through the civil war that’s tearing up your city makes for some morbidly compelling gameplay. The Stories spin-off is a stand-alone tale, with a unique story and unique locations, and is a stand-alone release.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ5BKWZEEog?controls=0]

Sports releases are few and far between in the mobile world, so we try to highlight newcomers wherever we can, especially across sports other than Soccer/Football. We’ll try and get a full review of this one up and running so true baseball fans can gauge whether or not this is worth their time. The 2019 version of R.B.I. Baseball sports some new features such as a Franchise mode that lets you manage the same team across multiple seasons, and of course the yearly updates to rosters, uniforms etc…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRd86HHqkBY?controls=0]

The sequel to Clarus Victoria’s Predynastic Egypt turn-based management/sim game, although this new title is only on iOS for the moment. Released on PC last year, Old Kingdom offers more of the same simulation-like gameplay where you must guide Egyptian society through the “Great Pyramids” era. The mobile version represents starts at ‘2.0’, so it’s had a lot of fixes and improvements since launch on top of the new features brought in.

The developers are offering the main game for free, where you can play through the first 50 odd turns, with the full game being locked behind a £4.99 IAP.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wgN5BpKssY?controls=0]

Shattered Plane (iOS & Android) – Full Review Coming Soon!

Last but certainly not least, a new turn-based strategy game has come to turn. Shattered Plane pits four players and/or AI opponents against each other in a fast-paced game of conquest. You have armies that you push around the map, and you can either attack your opponents armies or conquer settlements. It describes itself as ‘tactical’ but there arn’t any actual tactical battles – everything auto-resolves. Planning is paramount, and maps are procedurally generated. There are online rankings, as well as local hotseat multiplayer available. 

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

Updates

Rebel Inc. (iOS & Android) (Review)

Ndemic have released the third major update for their insurgency strategy game, Rebel Inc. Free content includes deserting soldiers and luxury hotel construction, while the Tanks & Caves expansion adds a new maps, a new commander, and tanks! You can unlock the expansion for $1.99 or by playing through the whole game on Brutal. There’s a season pass option now as well.

Don’t forget to check out our tips & tricks guide if you’re looking for advice – we’re in the process of updating it with the new content.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (iOS & Android)

One of Bioware’s all-time classics, Knights of the Old Republic, as been a welcome sight on mobile for a while now thanks to Aspyr (the same company that brought Civilization 6 to iPads as well). Being as aged as it is, you don’t often see much support for it these days but the mobile devs have been good at pushing out quick-fixes where they’ve been needed. This week they released a small patch that made some UI & resolution adjustments for iPad and iPhone X devices, as resolving a crash issue on iPad Pro.

Sales

Holy Potatoes! We’re in Space?! (iOS Universal) (Review): $2.99
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! (iOS & Android) (Review): $1.99

In celebration of the release of A Spy Story, above, Daylight have discounted their other Holy Potatoes! games, so if you’re interested in checking out the others now’s a great opportunity to jump on board.

Wars Across the World (iOS Universal) (Review): $0.99

One of our favourite iOS war games is currently half price for the second time since launching… although considering full price is $2, that’s not saying much. WATW’s main thing is through the various scenario DLCs available, which are still their usual price. Still, if you’re looking to speculate, now is a good a time as any.

Solitairica (iOS & Android) (Review): $1.99

We’re getting a lot of roguelike/card game combinations coming out at the moment, but back in 2016 Solitairica set a gold standard for this type of game. You can read Tof’s review to find out our full thoughts on this, but if you haven’t tried it yet we’d highly recommend you do so while it’s going cheap. Note that the game is free-to-download on Android, with IAPs for the full game.

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