The new year’s still only just begun, and we’ve already got one of the best stealth games this year. Just be mindful of the challenge ahead.
We don’t get a lot of really great stealth games on mobile. The level of precision most standard stealth games require is pretty hard to replicate without going through some serious hoops. However, we do have an exceptionally abundant amount of puzzle games. That’s where Maruta Escape comes in.
Maruta Escape is as much a puzzle game as it is a stealth encounter.
Maruta Escape is as much a puzzle game as it is a stealth encounter. In fact, it’s probably the best hybrid of Portal and Metal Gear Solid I’ve ever experienced. Through clever use of time manipulation, multiple viable control schemes, and a clear, crisp presentation, it’s hard to not fall in love.
if you want a hardcore stealth experience on the go, Maruta Escape is one of 2019's very best.
It’s a deceptively simple gameplay loop. You have to stand in the sphere of objects to activate or deactivate them, avoiding patrols while escaping an illicit research facility. You slowly unlock the ability to not only rewind time, but your own movements in time. Through these powers, you find a means to escape the laboratory of a deluded madman, whose audio logs you find along the way.
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Normally this is the part where I’d explain what’s wrong with Maruta Escape, but really, my only complaint is that it is a HARD game at points. The free trial available on iOS only has the first few stages, but should be more than adequate a test to see if you’re up for the challenge Maruta Escape offers. It’s not unfair, but those expecting a casual experience will be disappointed; Maruta Escape plays for keeps.
Really, my only complaint is that it is a HARD game at points
You will get a marvelous stealth game out of this experience, with beautiful sound design and equally wonderful minimalist visuals. This is a top-tier game, but it will test your wits and reflexes equally. If you’re looking for something puzzling that’s a bit more relaxed, there are gentler options. That said, if you want a hardcore stealth experience on the go, Maruta Escape is one of 2019’s very best.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Learn the page, and tile, turning story behind iTunes’ latest hit game Roterra.
Roterra is the hot new fantasy tile-turning game on iTunes, and we had the pleasure to sit down with project lead Suzi Keehn of Dig-IT! Games to dig into all the wondrous details. We’re also happy to present it as the first of our new video interviews! Just click on the video below, watch some beautiful gameplay of Roterra in motion, and learn the story behind this brilliant puzzler:
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Can you guide your crew to safety? Or are you all prey for the Xenomorph?
Alien: Blackout was a controversial game when announced. Instead of a direct continuation of Alien: Isolation, it presents itself as a mobile spinoff covering one step on Amanda Ripley’s journey home. She’s stuck aboard a Weyland Yutani research station overrun by xenomorphs, and unable to act on her own. Instead, she has to rely upon the four new arrivals answering a distress beacon. Each of your allies has a full story arc and presents an asset to your escape, but they can also be snuffed out just as easily. You see, Alien: Blackout isn’t here to play around – it’s a true Alien simulator.
Alien: Blackout captures the same essence as Until Dawn, gamifying classic horror staples in a way we haven't truly experienced before.
Unlike Isolation, Alien: Blackout relies on abstraction to bring the horror to life. Crammed inside an airduct, you have to guide your new friends via security displays and limited security cameras. Worse still, your battery is on an eight minute timer, and you can’t fully control the systems of any branch of the station. You have to make do with extremely limited resources and feedback, sometimes going off of the survivor’s reactions as the mission proceeds. What’s a relief is that exploring Alien: Blackout to the fullest doesn’t require substantial time investment once you get the hang of it’s controls. Clocking in at around forty-five minutes, the main incentivize is to replay the story and experience different endings, including with everyone surviving at the end.
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In this way, Alien: Blackout captures the same essence as Until Dawn, gamifying classic horror staples in a way we haven’t truly experienced before. There’s elements of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Lost Vikings, and even some elements of Alien: Isolation‘s gameplay, such as hiding in lockers and careful use of the motion sensor. The new format doesn’t take away any tension or challenge, ensuring you’ll have plenty to scream at. This is bolstered by fantastic audio-visual design. From the creepy walk of the xenomorph to Amanda Ripley’s despairing breaths, the geniuses behind The Detail and the Thief of Thieves game are at it again.
My only complaint is that the controls are less than ideal on smaller smart phones. This is a game you want to be playing on a tablet, or if you have luckier results than me, BlueStacks. Above all else though, Alien: Blackout is a breath of fresh air in a marketplace full of freemium games that pile on hours of grinding and mountains of microtransactions. Instead, it’s a reasonably priced, highly polished, focused experience that you absolutely need to have on your phone.
Our Rating
Pros
Cons
A reminder that mobile games can be more than one-touch platformers and match-three puzzlers, Alien: Blackout is the console quality experience mobile gamers deserve.
Steep learning curve, and best played on a tablet rather than phone.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
We dive into the twisted inner-workings of Alien: Blackout’s horror with the project’s lead writer JD Sorvari on how to craft a horror game where any character can die.
Appolicious: How did Alien: Blackout come into being? What gave birth to such an ambitious pitch as a AAA-quality mobile Alien game?
JD Sorvari: It was a fruitful collision of ideas between developer, publisher and IP holder. Each one had been considering different parts of the equation, which then came together in what is now Alien: Blackout.
Appolicious: Please, describe your role(s) on the project and what that entails.
JD: As the lead writer, I wrote more or less everything for the game, from the background and plot to the characters and dialogue. Of course I had some help from the other narratively inclined members of Rival Games and Theory Interactive as well. Also, I was involved in creating the original pitch and was a part of that whole process.
Appolicious: What’s the secret to maintaining tension and atmosphere in a mobile?
JD: We got a great boost from our combination of music and audio effects, which I feel really drive home the atmosphere. The fact that you know the Alien is always present, but you can’t see it, is nerve-wracking and creates general tension the entire time. The constant management of multiple crew members and also not being able to see where they are at through a camera at all times is really unsettling. Also blips… you come to know the sound of them and when you hear one, your heart jumps and you know you have to scramble to avoid the Xenomorph!
Can you survive? Alien: Blackout is a single-player game that will test your survival skills and see just how well you would fare against your own Xenomorph …
Appolicious: The decision to let crew members die was a bold one. How did you go about balancing that, and accommodating characters being potentially dead during the story?
JD: From a story point of view, it just took a bit of preliminary planning. All the dialogue was written so that different people could interject at different points, depending on who was still breathing, and separate dialogue was written for “last crew member standing” situations. None of the characters were created as “expendable”, as I wanted the players to be able to pick their own favorites from the crew. The real balancing work had to be done in level design though.
Appolicious: What is it about Amanda Ripley that you think resonates so much with fans of the Alien franchise?
JD: She carries on the same spirit that Ellen Ripley has. She can be strong, but she doesn’t have to resort to traditionally macho posturing to do it. She can also be vulnerable, and she displays a humanity that is sometimes neglected especially in video game characters.
Appolicious: What’s your personal favorite aspect and/or moment from Alien: Blackout?
JD: I just love how right it feels. I’ve been a fan of Alien for decades, and just looking at the level map with the dots moving around gives me chills and makes me smile at the same time.
Be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming review of Alien: Blackout.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Classic East Asian art meets a mythological mystery in Butterfly’s Dream.
Sometimes, the best gaming experience is a soothing, quiet one. For all the action-packed adventures and strategic challenges available on mobile, it’s always refreshing to find a great contemplative piece. Which is where Butterfly’s Dream‘s beautiful journey comes in. PlumbBun Studios’ brain teaser is equal parts a mystery and variety puzzler. You’ll travel through a scenic Japanese monastery and its surrounding mountains, slowly piecing apart your own amnesia as you encounter fellow travelers along the way. Each step is entwined by curious supernatural happenings following in your wake. It’s a story relatively light on dialogue, letting the world speak for itself. Honestly, that’s for the best, as the world itself is gorgeous.
What's fascinating is the sheer variety of puzzles on display and their use of your phone's capabilities.
It really can’t be overstated just how well Butterfly’s Dream presents its fantastical setting. The user interface elements are carefully limited, letting you primarily engage with the world by intuition while still keeping you on the main path. Elevating it over some Myst likes are its soothing background tracks and gentle animations. You never feel pressured to rush through anything, letting you appreciate the moment. The present conundrum might not be solved in your current sitting, but there’s no shame at putting it down only to come back later.
It really can't be overstated just how well Butterfly's Dream presents its fantastical setting.
As far as the puzzles are considered, I ironically kept expecting more elaborate solutions than the reality presented. You will have moments of backtracking, but given that comes down to a few taps and swipes at most, that’s not a major complaint. There are hints to help you along, though they tend to be on the vague side, and they can be disabled if you prefer to go it on your own. What’s fascinating is the sheer variety of puzzles on display and their use of your phone’s capabilities. What you expect is a simple tapping affair, but expect to make use of your gyroscope, audio cues, and more as you make your way through Butterfly’s Dream. Some land better than others, especially a musically inclined puzzle early on some players may need a guide for. Overall, it’s a pleasant mixture.
You never feel pressured to rush through anything, letting you appreciate the moment.
Butterfly’s Dream doesn’t break the boundaries of puzzle gaming, but it offers one of the prettiest, most pleasant offerings of early 2019. An easy recommendation if you’re looking for a free, artsy game with some unique mobile gameplay ideas.
Our Rating
Pros
Cons
Gorgeous visuals, great sound design, wonderful world to explore.
Hints could be a bit more helpful, and some puzzles require more legwork than others.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
It takes considerable effort to botch a management strategy game on mobile, but Cheerdealers finds a way with Distrust, one of the worst mobile ports in a while.
This was supposed to be a review of Distrust, the well received strategy-survival indie spiritual successor to James Cameron’s The Thing. It’s a genuinely neat game that melds ideas from the likes of Don’t Starve with a real-time management layer. You guide the last two to three survivors of a helicopter crash to investigate a seemingly abandoned military research base in the arctic and swiftly learn that things are awry. So far, so wonderfully creepy. That is, if you can actually manage to play it proper on your phone. You see, Distrust first came out on PC, and my goodness does it show because there seems to be absolutely no effort made to work with the new platform.
Icons are the size of ants, and often times you won't even know what they do until after pressing them.
Icons are the size of ants, and often times you won’t even know what they do until after pressing them. Distrust‘s free tutorial level certainly helps you get a feel for what all might be experienced, but the game itself seems to expect you’d be able to drag a mouse cursor over every icon to be informed what functions they serve. Also, because every action is so hard to make out, regardless of if you use the zoom function or not, you’ll often find yourself sending commands you never intended. Just swapping between your party can be an utter nightmare of one thinking you’re telling them to cancel their current task while you were just intending to check in on the other while they were doing something.
It's not that the gameplay itself is bad, but this mishandling makes a joke of ever playing this game on mobile.
Now, you might think maybe if you hold down your one finger, a small cursor might appear, or a magnifying glass might make it easier to choose and decide, but you’d be wrong. In fact, the only reasonable way to even move around the map to survey everything is to open the minimap and tap in there to quickly jump wherever you need to be looking. This leads to an extremely tedious experience trying to get your team to execute your plan properly. It’s not that the gameplay itself is bad, but this mishandling makes a joke of ever playing this game on mobile. I never experienced combat, but I have to imagine it plays even worse if basic exploration is any indication.
Worse still, as I said, while there is a free tutorial, the actual meat of the game is locked off. In fact, a lot of it is obfuscated with microtransactions, and while I haven’t played the PC port, you can be pretty certain it’s not nearly this bad on there. I understand the need to monetize your game – developers need to eat too – but the main hook of the game hasn’t even been fully introduced yet. You don’t end your demo before the exciting thing happens; it should end right as things are getting good. Then there’s incentive to put down the few dollars to see more. Combine this abrupt cutoff with the lackluster controls, and I can think of few worse introductions a game could offer to prospective buyers. It feels like this port was handled with little to no research or quality assurance, which shouldn’t be the case given how well it’s been received on PC.
You can't just slap a game on mobile, something developer Cheerdealers needs to understand.
One can only hope Distrust gets its act together in the future, but first impressions are everything. Being free-to-start might net it plenty downloads, but that doesn’t mean half as many players are going to stick around. You can’t just slap a game on mobile, something developer Cheerdealers needs to understand if they intend to make a place for themselves on the appstore.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Roterra’s the new big puzzler on the block. It’s got marvelous ambition and a great gameplay conceit, but does it threaten to fall flat in some areas?
Roterra is a charming game. It’s also a hard one to critique, because it’s more than the sum of its parts. The narrative, while present, is honestly pretty vaguely presented; you’ll only know the fantasy tale it’s based upon if you watched our interview with the project lead. It’s not that the story is hard to understand – it’s a very cute puppet show approach – but it doesn’t offer much context or as clear stakes as it could with just a dash of text or narration.
The puzzles are ingenious, but sometimes the controls just aren't quite where they need to be.
It’s got a beautiful papercraft aesthetic like out of child’s picture book. Everything looks so whimsical that you can’t help but be tickled by the animations on display; however, the lighting could be better, leading to some levels feeling a bit flat. The sound design also varies in quality, carrying a charming whimsy that sadly doesn’t really evolve that much, falling into repetition.
It's got a beautiful papercraft aesthetic like out of child's picture book.
The puzzles are ingenious, but sometimes the controls just aren’t quite where they need to be. Forced camera angles can make certain solutions harder to suss out, or leave vital blocks hard to reach. Nothing’s unbeatable, yet I can’t help but wonder if the game would benefit from some sort of camera or an AR mode where you might physically peer around the environment.
It's also a hard one to critique, because it's more than the sum of its parts.
Yet, I totally see why people fell head over heels for it. Roterra clicks when you least expect it, suddenly presenting some new elaborate scenario that demonstrates the depth of such simply mechanics. The ah-ha moments you experience are worth not spoiling, and Roterra‘s ever-sliding world is one I’d like to see explored again… just with a bit more polish next time.
Our Rating
Pros
Cons
A genuinely refreshing puzzler with some marvelous block-shifting brain-teasers.
Quality of life improvements could be made. Camera perspective can hinder some puzzles.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
It’s that time again – let’s ring in the new year with the best of 2018! These apps were handpicked by our staff as the best of the best; the pinnacle of their genre that stuck with us long after playing. Whether playing on Android or iOS, you need these installed on your phone and tablet. Without further adieu…
Pako 2
Pako 2 feels like what would happen if you took the very end of every mission of Grand Theft Auto
Pako 2 is the perfect sort of game for every fan of crazy 80’s car chases and chaotic physics games. A melding of everything great about hot pursuits with slick controls leads to what can only be described as truly wonderful madness. It’s got great retro visuals and loads of additional content to unlock, keeping your latest getaway as refreshingly unpredictable as your first. Pako 2‘s breakneck run absolutely worth your time. See our full review here.
Alphabear 2
Words are a powerful thing, especially when they assemble Voltron-like bears to save history. Confused? It’s okay, we all are, but that doesn’t stop Alphabear 2 from being one of the best puzzle games of this year. Going beyond the limits of Scrabble, Alphabear 2 offers wordplay combinations that reward the most astute and swift linguistic aficionados. Whether you want quirky humor or deep puzzles, Alphabear 2 has you covered. See our full review here.
Mouse Bot
MouseBot is one of those games that catches you unassumingly.
Few games were as unexpected as Vector Unit’s Mouse Bot. Who would expect the mobile racing masters would dive into the 3D platforming genre, let alone inject their racing sensibilities into such a quirky new IP. Where many mobile platforming games struggle, Mouse Bot flourishes thanks to a wealth of clever traps to evade, adorable story, and cute as a button graphics that keep you earning cheese for that sweet new robo-mouse skin. A delight for older fans of Crash Bandicoot and young gaming enthusiast alike! See our full review here.
Nishan Shaman
At its surface, Nishan Shaman is a simple musical rhythm game; drum along with the music based on the arrival of the monsters and sit back and relax.
Who expected the year’s best rhythm game to be based on an ancient Chinese myth? Either way you spin it, Nishan Shaman stunned us with its arresting style as we tapped along to the beat, cleansing the world of evil spirits. If your 2018 was a rough year, start off 2019 right to the beat of Nishan Shaman‘s drum. See our full review here.
Infinite West
Infinite West is the turn-based strategy must-have of 2018. Pitch-perfect design, fantastic balancing, a rogue-like structure, slick controls, and endless replayability allow you to live out your cowboy/girl dreams. It’s a simple game, with depth lurking under the surface to always leave you begging for one more run. See our full review here.
See / Saw
See / Saw is everything you could possibly want in a physics-based murder simulator.
Do you have an itch to see tiny geometric test subjects fling themselves through all manner of hilarious, physics based deathtraps? Well, first of all, you should probably join Sam’s Murderous Gamers Anonymous group, and secondly, download See / Saw this instant! While far less gory than the titular franchise referenced in its name, See / Saw is the perfect mix of Super Meat Boy and Portal you’ve been waiting for. With easy controls yet fiendish challenges awaiting, it’s time to tilt your perspective with See / Saw! See our full review here.
Donut County
Like a delicious donut, Donut County's gone so fast that you'll mourn its exit, only to start again.
Donut County is simultaneously one of the most engaging AND relaxing games of 2018. A nominee for the 2018 VGA’s, it stands tall as one of our favorite mobile games of the year thanks to its reverse-Katamari Damacy, town-swallowing shenanigans. Brimming with wondrous scenarios as goofy as they are brain-teasing, it’s hard to not dive back in and replay it as we write this list. It’s more fun than a barrel full of raccoons, and absolutely worth the asking price. See our full review here.
Pavilion
Pavilion is marvelous, and I’d be neglect in my review to delay even a moment to convey this to you.
Few games capture the mysterious beauty of Myst as spectacularly as Pavilion. Presenting players with a 4th-person perspective, nudging the protagonist along through a surrealist landscape, Pavilion is one of the most artistically stunning mobile games of this year. Fans of Monument Valley take note – you will fall in love with Pavilion. Perhaps the most acquired taste of our list this year, but still so enrapturing it’s impossible to pass it up. See our full review here.
Hero Hunters
If you had told me someone was going to create hybrid of Overwatch and Cover Fire, I would’ve called you mad.
For those interested in something less introspective, but just as excellently executed, you’d be hard pressed to find a better mobile shooter than Hero Hunters. Boasting not only slick cover-shooting, but a swath of unique heroes that serve you in both its extensive campaign mode and addictive online multiplayer, Hero Hunters is quite the package. While many a “hero shooter” game has fallen flat in the aim to mimic the subgenre’s best, Hero Hunters rises above to achieve true frenetic, action-packed glory you’ll want to have in your pocket. See our full review here.
Bacon: The Game
Bacon: The Game is perhaps one of the strangest, most freakishly wonderful games to have ever existed.
Yes, a game about bacon released in 2018. Indeed, that game was stupefyingly better than it has any right to be. To describe it is like solving a riddle, as it contains hidden depths amid one of the simplest mechanics in games – the mere act of flipping a piece of bacon. It’s free, it’s amazing, you’ll put bacon on everything, and you’ll be laughing along with us soon enough. See our full review here.
Game of the Year: Card Thief
Card Thief is your new gaming addiction, melding deep stealth tactics with accessible card play.
To be the best mobile game of the year, an app must be accessible yet deep, vividly detailed and engrossing, content filled but not requiring more time than a three minute bus trip to get the full experience. Card Thief encapsulates all of these ideals, evoking the core tenets of Thief and its stealth contemporaries, all in the span of a deck of cards. Easily one of the most refined, replayable, and downright amazing games of this year on any platform, earning a 10 out of 10 from Elijah (a rarity, to be sure), we are proud to name Card Thief as our Game of the Year!See our full review here.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Hello Neighbor is the mobile adaption of the confusingly rated PC game that brings the puzzle game directly to your phone.
The horror genre for the mobile world is pretty lacking – though there are a few notable examples, the horror genre is pretty generally underrepresented throughout the market, both on iPhone and Android.
To help assuage this, Hello Neighbor is now available, bringing the horror puzzle gameplay to your phone.
Hello Neighbor is all about the atmosphere. You are a small child who, without meaning to, observed your creepy neighbour doing something he shouldn’t be.
Hello Neighbor is the mobile adaption of the confusingly rated PC game that brings the puzzle game directly to your phone: https://appolicious.com/hello-neig…
So, being a rational 12 year old, you needs must find out what he is doing.
The gameplay consists of trying to work your way through the house into the basement, avoiding the patrolling neighbour from catching you and working out a way to reach the objective.
Sadly, only the first of the three chapters are available for free, requiring you to play a hefty retail price of $15 for the full game; however, the primary question is whether or not it’s worth it.
Sadly, only the first of the three chapters are available for free, requiring you to play a hefty retail price of $15 for the full game; however, the primary question is whether or not it’s worth it.
The key draw of Hello Neighbor is intended to be a combination of both its AI and its puzzles. The angry neighbor reacts to your movements, laying traps and overall adapting to your movements so as to remain unpredictable throughout the game. Additionally, the puzzles are meant to be pretty intuitive and intriguing.
The problem is… they are not. The game’s internal logic seems almost random, requiring you to make a leap of faith to solve each individual section, with the enemy neighbour seemingly taking random movements and materializing on top of you.
It is likely that this sense of the enemy always being nearby is meant to cultivate a sense of being constantly overwhelmed and frightened, which it does do, but it also creates this intense sensation of frustration.
As the first chapter is all you can play without forking out a huge amount, the core gameplay of the first chapter stands out, and it’s just too problematic. The enemy is always on top of you due to the small size of the house, as well as his seemingly supernatural ability to find you.
Although the ever-present sensation that you are about to be manhandled by a moustachioed middle-aged man is certainly frightening enough to prompt you to avoid being caught, the gameplay itself simply isn’t sufficient to keep you engaged or interested in what happens.
Instead of playing all the way through and desperately trying to beat the game, you are just going to get bored and stop playing altogether.
Instead of playing all the way through and desperately trying to beat the game, you are just going to get bored and stop playing altogether.
If the puzzle design were better, as well as the first map being improved, then Hello Neighbor could be something really interesting. Instead, it’s simply too little and too frustrating.
Our Rating
Pros
Cons
The game manages that sense of foreboding and trepidation quite well.
The puzzle and map design are atrocious enough to leave you constantly frustrated. The actual gameplay simply is not fun or interesting enough to keep you playing more than a few minutes, let alone finally finishing it.
Get for iPhone – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hello-neighbor/id1386358600?mt=8 Get for Android – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinybui…
The hidden object genre is peculiar. It’s perfect accessible for many, capturing a lot of classic adventure game themes, but is often eschewed as niche; which is what brings us to Stranger Cases, a game aiming to change that with a free-to-play, all-ages hidden object puzzler.
You play as a daring gumshoe detective helping a scientist find his baby robot drone, venturing through a maze of increasingly head-scratching rooms. Each one serves as a standalone level that you need to progress through, with their own secrets to uncover as you solve a variety of brainteasers.
The clean visual design and intuitive interface never leaves you hunting for items long, and the brisk pace lends a sense of immediacy some adventure games lack..
On the difficulty side, Stranger Cases isn’t Myst, but that’s really the point. Not only is there a hint system, but most of the dialogue and well animated visual prompts help you piece things together quickly. Rather than leave you lingering over what items go together, Stranger Cases is more concerned with ensuring you have fun. The clean visual design and intuitive interface never leaves you hunting for items long, and the brisk pace lends a sense of immediacy some adventure games lack.
The sound design and music aren’t quite as on the mark. The main tune is fine but repetitive as you press on. The sound effects take the worst hit, all sounding like audio samples you’d find for free on YouTube. Not a deal breaker by any means, it’s just far from ideal. There’s no spoken dialogue, so at least you don’t have any awkward voice acting to deal with?
Truly, the greatest highlight about Stranger Cases is that it's a mainstream-targeted hidden object game.t
What this leads to is an experience that’s pleasant enough, if not groundbreaking for the genre. An acceptable, entertaining thing for you to play with your kid or to do yourself if you want a casual brainteaser for on the bus. It helps that each level’s got enough content for a quick ride, and you can do multiple in a row, though without paying, expect to sit through ads – which is a fair trade all things considered.
Certainly worth your time, but cracking the mystery of Stranger Cases won't redefine adventure games for you.
Truly, the greatest highlight about Stranger Cases is that it’s a mainstream-targeted hidden object game. We get so many aimed at the “lonely housewives” market that it’s nice to see one more in the vein of classic edutainment titles like Pajama Sam and Spyfox, if a tad bit more humorous than taxing. Certainly worth your time, but cracking the mystery of Stranger Cases won’t redefine adventure games for you.
Our Rating
Pros
Cons
A hidden object game for everyone with a charming aesthetic and slick design.
Nothing groundbreaking design-wise, and the sound design leaves much to be desired.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Donut County is remarkable. Donut County arrested my attention so much that I accidentally burnt my dinner. Donut County is so good that I played it start to finish in one evening. Donut County is what mobile ports of PC games should aspire to be. I suppose you could say, I rather enjoyed Donut County. […]
Donut County is remarkable. Donut County arrested my attention so much that I accidentally burnt my dinner. Donut County is so good that I played it start to finish in one evening. Donut County is what mobile ports of PC games should aspire to be. I suppose you could say, I rather enjoyed Donut County.
Donut County is a treat.
Starring determined girl Mira and her meddlesome raccoon friend BK, Donut County is equal parts an absurdist comedy and a surprisingly involved mystery. There’s this blending of Twin Peaks meets Looney Tunes that works far better than it has any right to. Told mostly in flashbacks, you learn how the citizenry of the titular Donut County ended up beneath the earth, and the scheme against their peaceful habitation. I won’t spoil anything but boy do things escalate quickly.
Like a delicious donut, it's gone so fast that you'll mourn its exit, only to start again.
The wonderful gameplay chocolate to Donut County‘s peanut butter story is that for all the jokes and twists, the game itself is strangely soothing. It’s sort of like a reverse Katamari Damacy. With a simple tap and drag, you guide an ever-widening hole around a variety of levels, swallowing up items that help you solve puzzles and devour more and more. Brilliantly, you don’t actually have to keep your finger over the hole, but instead, can control it from wherever you tap on the screen.
Combine this with the methodical nature of about 90% of the puzzles where you’re just swallowing up the town and you get this zen-feeling like when you clean a room. It’s aesthetically pleasing, with smooth low-poly models and a storybook color palette bolstered by some hilarious animations and dynamic physics.
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Further selling this chill mood is the sound design. You’ve got some brilliant synth tunes that waft like a breeze, and jibberish lines of dialogue that make your ears tickle. It captures the game’s coastal town tone perfectly, and when moments of tension ratchet things up, the music follows along in lockstep.
Really, the only thing that might jar you is the decision to conclude the game with a very traditional videogame(TM) BOSS FIGHT that, while not bad, feels a tad bit rushed and out of place. It’s like going from 0 to 60 in a SNAP. Not badly executed, but I’m still not sure if this is the ending that –Donut County– needed. That said, the credit sequence was incredibly clever.
I could go on a baker’s dozen more times, but I think you get the picture. Donut County is a gourmet fast food. Like a delicious donut, it’s gone so fast that you’ll mourn its exit, only to start again. Absolutely worth the asking price.
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
Few mobile games have courted as much mirth and headache as Ben Esposito’s Donut County. We sat down with him about his raccoon-filled absurd puzzler, and the journey to its release.
Appolicious: Over the years, you’ve produced a number of surreal games, and Donut County is no different. Where do you find the inspiration and energy that drives your games?
Ben Esposito: Humor drives a lot of my decisions with regards to my games. If an idea makes me laugh, I know there’s something to it. Sometimes I laugh because it seems like a bad idea. Those “bad” ideas interest me the most because it usually means no one else is pursuing them, haha.
APP: For those unfamiliar, what’s the story of Donut County? Who are BK and Mira?
BE: Donut County is a city inspired by Los Angeles. Raccoons have moved into town, and they’re stealing people’s trash using remote controlled holes. You play as BK, an idiot raccoon who opens up holes to steal trash in exchange for prizes. Mira is BK’s friend who learns that BK is destroying their town. The story is really told backwards though, it begins with the entire town underground, and BK has to answer to Mira and the rest of the Donut County residents.
APP: Was mobile always in the cards for Donut County, or did the port come about later in development?
BE: I always thought Donut County would be fun to play on a touch screen, so I made a lot of design decisions that made the controls flexible enough to work on both a touch screen and a controller.
APP: What led you to go multiplatform?
BE:Donut County is meant to be really accessible for a broad range of people, kids to adults, gamers to non-gamers. The controls worked really nicely for everything– touch, mouse, and gamepad. I saw a great opportunity to reach a wide audience by launching on multiple platforms.
APP: What did it take to perfect controlling a bottomless hole in a 3D space?
BE: The trick is really that hole moves in 2D space, haha. One of the constraints I worked into the game is that every level takes place on a perfectly flat ground, at the same height in space every time. So all the elevation changes are just smoke and mirrors.
APP: How do you design levels for a gameplay element that can potentially completely break them?
BE: Designing levels for Donut County was challenging because there’s no way to fail them. If you get an important object stuck somewhere, I can’t just say you failed and restart the level. The solution was really just meticulously adding invisible safeguards that stop players from getting into unwinnable states. It doesn’t always work though, haha.
APP: Donut County has, unfortunately, dealt with the mobile market’s aptitude for copycats. Coming out the other side of that with your game’s release, do you have any final thoughts on that experience?
BE: It’s hard to say how the clones of Donut County affected the game. It’s possible that many people who liked the clones would never have paid for Donut County, so that’s fine. The worst part was the blow to my motivation. It was really difficult to see someone take such a unique idea, squeeze it into a mold, and hand it out for free so that people can watch terrible ads.
APP: Why raccoons?
BE: I had a personal experience with raccoons in one of my apartments in Los Angeles– they would steal all our stuff and sleep in the laundry machines. They can adapt so well to life among humans that they eat our trash. They’re bad, but they’re not really evil. Also they’re cute.
APP: Your art style of choice is taking off now in the indie scene with other projects like Untitled Swan Game. Why do you feel indie developers are drawn to such a whimsical aesthetic?
BE: There is so much to explore aesthetically in video games beyond realism. Videogames in general are very abstract in terms of what you actually do, so it’s really fun to play with visual abstractions as well. When a cartoon character falls in a hole, it’s cute and funny. When a realistic human falls into a hole, it’s messed up, haha.
APP: What is the world beneath the hole?
BE: The world underground in Donut County is a space where things go to be forgotten. You can see in the background there are some objects that have fallen in, presumably long ago, which aren’t seen in the rest of the game.
APP: Donut County is your highest profile project yet, after being project lead for Tattletail. With cutesy puzzlers and demonic toys under your belt, what should fans expect of you in the future?
BE: I’m not sure what my next project will be, but you can bet it will be a little funny and very weird!
Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.
