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Did you know that Blackfish Games’s New Orbit [$.99] is cheaper than usual? It is. Since late this past January, the horror sci-fi title has been available at $.99 instead of its usual $2.99. It’s a good price, too: New Orbit is a solid, story-driven game that has some really sharp gravitational / orbital mechanics wrapped up in its Asteroids-inspired, but less frenzied shell.

At $.99, we think you should give it a try. Our users raved about the game after its initial debut, and still seemed high on it even after finishing. Check out what they had to say before making a purchase, or hey, watch this teaser trailer:

[Via @SteveStreza]

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We first checked out Liv Games over a year ago with Legendary Wars [$0.99 / HD], a great take on castle defense. Now the developers are back with Monster Wars [$0.99], the latest addition to the genre. Billed as a ‘follow-up’ to their previous game, Monster Wars succeeds at preserving the same great gameplay of its predecessor while tweaking elements and offering a new story complete with a load of new units.

For folks that played Legendary Wars, Monster Wars will feel very familiar. The majority of campaign missions still feature the same castle defense-style gameplay where you collect resources, build units, defend your own castle from the opposition while simultaneously moving forward attack units to take out the opposing fortress.

The campaign also brings back the side-scrolling ‘hack n’ slash’ levels from the previous game (for better or worse). Each successful mission rewards players with coins to spend on unit upgrades, with an occasional soulstone (premium currency that you can also purchase using IAP). Most importantly, the deep character customization also returns, giving gamers a ton of incentive to play the game as much as possible simply to level up your character stats.

Despite these similarities, Monster Wars does tweak some of the gameplay by adding new variations on the types of missions we’ve seen in the past. For example, there are a lot more escort quests that have you guarding a ‘Named’ ally or a catapult as you make your way towards the enemy castle. In the case of the catapult, you have to actually use it to take down supplemental castle defenses before you can even damage it. The side scrolling levels have also seen some additions, with endless runner and other objective-based missions being thrown into the mix. In general, these tweaks don’t really do much to change the core gameplay, but considering how well done it is, I don’t care too much.

While Monster Wars improves upon its predecessor in a variety of different ways, I think the aspect that folks will appreciate the most is the sheer amount of content available. The campaign is huge and takes an investment to complete. If you want to take a break from the main story, the game features several endless modes which put you right into the action for as long as you want. The fact that you earn gems and soulstones, which can be used to improve your units within the campaign, is a nice (and necessary) touch. Finally, once you’ve conquered everything you think Monster Wars has to offer, additional difficulties are ready to challenge you all over again.

Another great way Monster Wars differentiates itself is with the all-new cast of monsters that you command in your army. There are over 15 new creatures, from the lowly Skelly to the awesome Lich, with each offering different attacks, special moves, and stats to improve upon. Each of the base units also allow you to upgrade its tier, giving the unit new stats, a new look, and even occasionally new specials.

There is a ton of variety in Monster Wars, and considering you can only take a certain number of units into battle, there are a lot of different ways to plan and play. I was a little disappointed in the fact that ‘tier-upgrades,’ (along with the ability to unlock some units) required as many soulstones as they do. Considering Monster Wars doesn’t pass out soulstones as much as I would want, players will either have to shell out some cash or grind a bit in the endless levels in order to earn enough stones to see everything.

From a controls standpoint, Monster Wars does a decent job. Buttons at the top of the screen let you quickly set attack and retreat orders as well as set simple formations. I did find it particularly tough to specifically select units during the heat of battle as your characters all tend to bunch up while attacking. However, I can’t really think of a better way of implementing something within the confines of castle defense.

Monster Wars also continues the excellent overall presentation started with Legendary Wars. A great soundtrack sets the overall tone of the game while retina-quality visuals paint a vivid picture throughout the course of your adventures. The story, a tongue-in-cheek narrative telling the Legendary (pun intended) tale from the monsters’ perspective, feels a bit trite at times, but still does a good job keeping the player engaged. There were a few strange UI issues, like certain screen buttons not registering taps (almost as if the tap window was smaller than the actual buttons), but nothing detracting from the gameplay too much.

I imagine some folks may complain that Monster Wars feels too much like its precursor without much of a change to the core gameplay. I say, why mess with a good thing? While the game does feel like a re-skin at times, Monster Wars still does a great job taking the classic gameplay from Legendary and transplanting it in a new setting. Add in all the new content combined with the deep character customization and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be checking out Monster Wars.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Our ratings for games we reviewed in January are now in place, and we now present to you the ones that are on the top of the heap. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a three-star or higher is considered a “good” rating.

Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others. Keep in mind, this listing is comprised of games we reviewed in January, and not necessarily games that were specifically released in January.

5 Stars

Super Crate Box, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Vlambeer knocks it out of the park with this ultra-frantic crate collecting game. With great virtual controls, and gameplay that is great for pick up and play mobile gaming sessions, Super Crate Box is a game you shouldn’t miss.

4.5 Stars

Blockwick, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A really slick puzzle game that you can try for free. After that, level packs of increasing difficulty are sold in bundles of 60 for 99¢ a pop. Don’t let the initial pack it comes with turn you off, think of it more as a really long tutorial.

Hero Academy, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – This multiplayer tactical game by Robot Entertainment has become incredibly popular amongst our community, and even was the topic of a recent Penny Arcade comic. If you’re looking for people to play with, hit the forum link and you’ll find tons of people looking for a game.

Run Roo Run, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – From the creators of Scribblenauts comes this super-fun mini-level jumping game. Most levels will only take a few moments to complete, but thankfully, there’s a ton of them. Clearing a world unlocks some really difficult levels that’ll really put you to the test.

Smash Cops, $2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Not only does Smash Cops have great graphics, but it also has a new control method that we haven’t seen before for controlling your cop car. You use your finger to “push” the car where you want to go. It sounds strange, but it works great.

Triple Town, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – There’s a definite learning curve to Triple Town but once you get over that hump and come to grips with how the mechanics of the game works, you’ll be building amazing towns and cursing at bears in no time. Argh, those bears. They ruin everything.

Windosill, $2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – This iPad exclusive puzzle game originally started its life as a Flash title. It’s aged incredibly well, and feels like a perfect fit for the iPad. Multitouch adds so much, even if you played the original, it’s worth trying again on the iPad.

The rest of the game ratings can be seen in their respective rating categories (also found in the sidebar navigation): 5 Stars, 4.5 Stars, 4 Stars, 3.5 Stars, 3 Stars, and 2 Stars.

As always, we expect there will be some debate about relative scores, but keep in mind that everyone’s personal ratings may vary based on individual tastes.

For more of our favorite iOS games, check out our “Best iPhone Games” category which includes all of these monthly posts as well as other special compilations of the greatest games the App Store has to offer.

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I like to imagine there’s an Oberlin burnout somewhere who’s made a living getting bent on ayahuasca and pitching music-history based games to different companies. My hypothetical game designer, wide-eyed and euphoric, is responsible for games like Boom Boom Rocket, Eternal Sonata, Jazz: Trump’s Journey [$2.99], and now Frederic –Resurrection of Music [$1.99/HD/Lite], by Forever Entertainment S.A.

In the first scene, set in present-day Paris, Fryderyk Chopin climbs out of his grave, speaks with the Muses, and rap-battles a French DJ with dual-wield keyboards and a jetpack. After this, he rides a horse-and-carriage to Jamaica and gets high with a reggae artist named Rob. Amazing.

As he travels the world in his mystic carriage trying to unravel the circumstances of his undeath, Chopin runs through a series of musical duels with local artists. Mechanically, this translates into a rudimentary version of Piano Hero: notes travel on a track toward a touch-screen piano keys, and players are scored on their accuracy and combo streak.

The songs in Resurrection are modern remixes of Chopin’s most famous waltzes, nocturnes, études, and marzukas, re-imagined in the style of whichever locale our hero finds himself: country in Texas, Celtic dance in Ireland, chiptunes in Tokyo. I actually like most of the music — the Resurrection soundtrack is available for purchase on iTunes [$5.99] — but they all tend to suffer from repetitive melody and relatively simple arrangements. Still, the lighthearted pop remixes fit into the game’s absurdist aesthetic much better than an orchestral score would.

With only nine songs, Resurrection is relatively short, though some players might be able to extend its shelf-life by trying to improve their scores. But even on its hardest difficulty, at its most complex, Resurrection goes out of its way to indulge and empower the player, not defeat them with impossible challenges.

Like Climber Brothers [$0.99], the real joy of Resurrection is the one-to-one relationship between tactile input and feedback: tapping the screen of my iPad is more or less a reasonable facsimile of pressing down a physical key. This is a relatively simple pleasure, but Resurrection goes to great lengths to extend it by being overly-generous  in its design — players have a relatively large window to hit notes in, and it’s almost impossible to miss enough notes to fail a song. The goal here is to listen to the music and soak up the strange animations going on in the background.

Since failure — and, by extension, most of the game mechanics — is largely an illusion, Resurrection’s real hook is its insane premise and matching art direction. In both its art direction and treatment of ethnic stereotypes, Resurrection draws on the bande dessinée style of mid-80s Lucky Luke. The voice acting, too, is hard to place: British English re-routed through Forever Entertainment’s Polish roots.

But Resurrection’s essential Europeanness isn’t limited to animation and cut scenes, and this isn’t a game so much as it is a rewriting of Chopin’s cultural identity. During the Cadet Revolution in 1830 Chopin, the son of a Franco-Polish immigrant, fled Warsaw for Paris, never to return. Resurrection ultimately leads him back to a culturally reinvigorated Warsaw, but only after he uses his musical gifts to destroy the stereotyped, corporate shills that populate the rest of the world. Chopin is cast as the savior of music, but it’s odd that he uses modern remixes, not his traditional compositions, to further his cause.

By fudging its rhythm mechanics, Frederic — Resurrection of Music actually presents itself as more of an interactive cartoon than a game. But when viewed as such, Resurrection often comes off muddled and directionless and, even at the end of the game, it’s not clear why Chopin was resurrected, who he’s “saving” music from, or if he really succeeded.

Nevertheless, Resurrection is a bold product, unafraid to be campy, kitschy, and surreal, and presented as a labor of love from a team full of ideas. This game is larger than the sum of its parts and everyone I’ve showed it to has enjoyed basking in the art and music and in the fact that Frederic Chopin uses his second chance at life to smoke dope on the beach and learn the keytar.

TouchArcade Rating:

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It’s safe to say that cave flyers have been around the block a few times, and that a few of you might just be sick of ‘em. Hey, that’s fair—I know my enduring love of endless runners and cave flyers isn’t shared by everyone. But do me a favor: take a look at Blot’s [$0.99] trailer before writing it off. Yeah, it’s just another cave flyer, but goodness, it’s gorgeous.

We’ve seen the control scheme and basic design a thousand times before, and there’s nothing new about collecting coins for upgrades, cosmetic or otherwise. Blot won’t win many points for fundamental originality. But it’s a solid, fun cave flier that also happens to be beautiful, with an underlying sense of humor that’s sure to please.

Screenshots don’t do it justice — a big part of Blot’s appeal is how lovely its parallax backgrounds look in motion. Someone at Majestic Software has taken time to sketch out all manner of things — trees, candies, wastelands, ponies, helicopters wielding swords and morningstars, you name it—which the game then combines and recombines to build new backdrops each time you play.

This is part of a broader vision. Blot himself is an ink spatter, flying outwards from a pen. He dodges pencils and seeks out paint cans and smudges. The artistic theme isn’t carried through as far as it could be—art and coin collection don’t exactly go hand in hand—but it gets very, very close.

For controls you’re looking at something a lot like Jetpack Joyride [Free], to name one recent and popular example. The titular Blot is bigger and a bit floatier than Barry Steakfries and his jetpack, but it has the same inputs—tap to rise, let go to fall. The arc of its movement might take a bit of getting used to, but there are no drastic changes.

And what would a modern cave flyer be without a collection mechanic or two? Aside from coins, you’ll also seek out boost buddies. Blot grows as it absorbs these cute little dudes, making it easier to grab coins but harder to dodge obstacles. Once you pick up four, you get a big boost of speed and temporary invincibility. There are also colorful paint cans and smudges to be found that mess with speed, direction and magnetism.

The coins you collect can be exchanged for upgrades. The selection is pretty cool—stuff that makes paint effects or boosts last longer, alerts you to upcoming boost buddies, makes you magnetic or doubles your income. Since you can only pick one to equip, you’ll have to consider whether you’re grinding for coins, going the distance or working on a Game Center achievement that requires a bit of extra assistance.

The game takes any chance to serve up pop-culture references. Little things, mostly, like how the buddy detector is called the “pip-blot 2000,” and the unlockable costumes play off things like Star Trek and the Ace Attorney series. There are also achievements for flying past wild reference in the background sketches, although you’ll probably die if you take the time to look for them. Best of all, none of this feels as forced or out of place as memes so often do when they pop up in games.

Some of the foreground elements are a bit abrasive against the terribly sexy backgrounds, but everything else is awesome. There’s lovely (if brief) music to fly to, and Blot is stupidly charming for something with only a few frames of animation (that little scrunchy face…!). And while there isn’t a plot or a complicated mission system to keep you motivated, the high score grind is made valuable with coin rewards and a grading system. Practice makes perfect, but getting an A+ will take skill.

One little warning – you can purchase coins with cash. Don’t bother unless you’re out to support the developers or stockpile a huge supply of portals—you’ll just rob yourself of the fun of actually playing. The grind isn’t painful at all unless you need the highest end items right away. My only quibble is that the IAP coins come a bit cheap – a single $2.99 purchase can give you most of what you’d ever need, so grinding starts to look like a bad value proposition.

It’s hard to complain, though. While it fails to distinguish itself on mechanics, Blot blows most of its competition out of the water with style alone. It’s delightful, plain and simple, and when given the choice between equally solid games, I’ll take the one that delights me any day. Who wouldn’t want a little more joy in their games, right? So take a good long look at Blot, and let us know if you like what you see.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Games like My Little Monster [99¢] are nefarious. In spite of being a largely thankless collection of repetitive chores, they have this way of making you fuss over them constantly. They’re like kids except without all the collateral benefits. Just ask anyone who has ever owned a Tamagotchi or any other of those ‘virtual pet simulator’ things.

I use the term loosely, by the way. My Little Monster isn’t exactly what you would call a Tamagotchi, though the simplicity of the gameplay here is definitely on the same level. At the beginning of every in-game day, you’ll be given the opportunity to decide whether you want to purchase new hats, upgrade one of your three skills or improve various statistics. This, in turn, is accomplished by spending the currency you earn from your daily fights.

Now, before you get excited about the idea of rumbling with other leviathans, combat here isn’t all too fancy either. You have no direct control over the fights themselves. For the most part, your time will be spent tapping on various words on the screen, tapping on the ability you want to use, and a fair bit of waiting. Assuming you survive, you’ll then have your score tallied and the whole cycle will begin anew.

Yes, I know. It’s kind of underwhelming but that doesn’t make it a bad game. In an odd way, it’s actually one of the reasons that My Little Monster works so well. You can play it anywhere, any time. Because so little brainpower is needed to propel the game forward, it’s ideal for meetings and long, uncomfortable road trips. Of course, things would be different were the presentation any less stellar.

Group Sound really did a brilliant job (granted, they could have gone with a better choice of fonts but that’s me being nit-picky) with the delivery in My Little Monster. The nostalgia-inducing visuals, the silly cut-scenes, the menagerie of eccentric enemies, the offbeat dialogue, the ludicrous plot – they all go along together like Japanese curry on rice. I mean, really? Is it even possible to dislike that little green guy and his earnest quest to grow up and destroy the world? I thought so.

Though considerably shorter than I would have liked it to be, My Little Monster is a reasonable amount of bang for your buck. If ‘virtual pet simulators’ weren’t a thing back when you were growing up, you might not quite enjoy it as much as some. But for the rest of you, this may be a pleasant trip down memory lane.

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Hatchi [$.99] the game will be evolving, too. Portable Pixel’s clever take on the Tamagotchi has received its first update. Like most first passes, this is a Clean-Up On Aisle App kind of thing: Hatchi now displays even more pet statistics, has a help screen, boasts Game Center achievements, and sports greater stability across platforms.

Embedded in the patch notes, however, is a roadmap for future content updates: more evolutions, more food options, and also plans to add brilliant features like pooping, mini-games, and a social component are coming, the studio says. Oh, and that iPad version, by the way? It was name-dropped. We’re guessing it’s not strictly a possibility anymore.

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After releasing their first iOS game back in mid-December, I got together with Resolve Digital at Macworld to discuss what they have planned for the future of the game. It’s called Fathead [99¢], and it’s a 2D side-scrolling motorcycle game. This is kind of a tough sell in the App Store, as there are already dozens upon dozens of similar games, but Fathead’s distinctive feature is that it’s entirely controlled with just one touch. This means it’s extremely important to keep tabs on your acceleration as you tackle the terrain, as there’s no braking or reversing if you happen to mess up.

This also takes place on one, gigantic, continuous level. There is actually an end to the level, but very few people have reached it so far. Checkpoints spread throughout the level mean you won’t have to start from the beginning each time, and the more checkpoints you can cross on one continuous ride without crashing then the more your score multiplier goes up, opening the door for some nice scoring strategy. Fathead really feels less like a normal motorbiking game and more like something akin to Tiny Wings, in that timing and finesse are the keys to playing a lengthy, high scoring game.

As for what’s next for Fathead, Resolve Digital has an update coming in just the next few weeks or so that will add 3 new environmental themes to the game, which you can see below. One is based off of the developer’s homeland of New Zealand, one is a desert theme, and one is a city at sunset which is loosely based off of San Francisco. I’m told that the new environments won’t change the layout of the current level, and are just cosmetic, but it’s nice to have some differentiation in the visuals. Also, new levels are a possibility down the line as well, if the success of the game warrants it.

After the new themes come out, another new update is in the works which will add a currency system and two brand new motorcycles to buy. The currency will be stars that you collect during your run, seen in the screen shot at the top of the page, and the two different bikes will each have their own unique attributes to give a different gameplay experience for each one. I didn’t get a chance to check out the new vehicles as they aren’t quite ready just yet, but I’m looking forward to them as well as the new environments coming in the next couple of updates.

It’s hard trying to justify having yet another 2D motorcycle game on my device, but something about Fathead just keeps bringing me back to try and get just a little bit further and increase my score just a bit more. If you aren’t totally up to your eyeballs in motorcycle games, then give Fathead a look and keep your eye out for the new updates to hit over the coming months.

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Back in October 2011, we saw a preview of the arcade-puzzler Hank Hazard [99¢] from Red Rocket Games and Chillingo. Well, a few months have passed, but it’s finally out. And after punching, dropping, rolling and blowing up Hank the bucktooth hamster for a couple of hours, I realized I was enjoying myself.

Hank is a brave rodent, who dreams of being the worlds first “stunt-hamster”. He’s sealed inside a transparent hamster-ball which must maneuver through each level, collecting three stars before crashing into the finish target. It’s part “physics game” and part “puzzler”, as you need to determine a safe way through each level.

There’s no joystick, buttons or tilting as you don’t control Hank’s movements directly. Instead, you interact with the surrounding items to make him move. For instance, tapping certain platforms makes them disappear, so if Hank was sitting on that platform, he would fall and roll down a ramp. Or perhaps there’s a weight on the platform, which then falls on a see-saw and catapults the daredevil hamster upwards to an awaiting star.

There’s spring-loaded boxing gloves, reversible escalators and “hamster-safe bombs”, which are just a few of the ways to move the otherwise stationary hamster. But, avoid the fire-pits and electrical fields, or you’ll be one charred little critter.

The first chapter is named “The Early Years” but you can also unlock the “Bigger and Better” and “Fairly Badass” chapters by earning stars (making 75 levels in total). A further 18 bonus levels can be unlocked by reaching special golden stars or gifting the game. And there’s even a small mini-game hidden away in the credits page, which earns you one of the 23 achievements.

A three-star rating and score is awarded for each level, with high-scores stored via Game Center and Crystal. A separate leaderboard is provided for each chapter, plus an overall leaderboard for total score. To improve your scores, you can gain a “nuts” bonus by collecting all three stars while  also satisfying a specific objective for the level, such as:  “Finish the level traveling at greater than 32 mph”, reach a certain height, finish within a certain time, or finish within a limited number of moves. This adds some extra challenge and replay-value.

The level designs are varied and interesting, and ramp up in difficulty as you’d expect with the last chapter requiring more thought than the fairly easy first levels. The difficulty increases because there’s more game elements placed on the screen to navigate through.

Whenever I start to tire of Chillingo’s constantly expanding range of casual physics-based games, they have a tendency to release another cute and enjoyable game. Somehow they always manage to lure another dollar from my wallet. But frankly, who can resist a few hours entertainment for a single dollar, when it features puzzles, a wide-eyed hamster, and bombs.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Where’s My Water [$.99 / Free] keeps getting bigger, better, and … harder? Earlier yesterday, Disney polished off yet another update to the playful puzzle title, adding in some neat story elements and a total of five free puzzles and many others via IAP. The package itself has been dubbed “Cranky’s Story.” We’ll let the boilerplate do the explaining:

Cranky is the toughest alligator around and he has worked up an appetite from sabotaging Swampy’s water supply. He eats anything, especially all the rotting and disgusting junk found in the dumps and sewers. Cranky will not eat vegetables however, and now his food is covered with vegetable-like algae. Use the dirty purple water to clean off Cranky’s plate so he can eat!

Disney says that upon IAP unlock, users will get “50 super-challenging puzzles… and enjoy a completely new way to play.” Catch that? Looks like these guys are hoping to court you now. Oh! And apparently, the “Cranky’s Challenge” part of this content pack is “a game within a game,” so, uh, prepare for that.

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