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War Grimoire [$1.99 / HD] is a tower defense title with the trappings of a great genre-based game, but its execution of fundamental elements and basic design are holding it back.

Instead of lingering on the bad, I’ll note what drew our all-seeing eye to the project in the first place: its visual flair.

War Grimoire's world is a vibrant one, enriched by traditional fantasy and Japanese comics and cartoon tropes. In this genre in particular, it’s unusual to see a well-budgeted game shoot for something outside of space marines, bugs, and ravaged worlds.

Character has a place, too. Instead of traditional towers, soldiers of all builds — including archers, mages, and dragons — are the pillars of defense. While it does default to dull monsters, there are some creative enemies that end up attacking your armies in ways I’ve never seen in a tower defense title before.

One of the more remarkable aspects is tower placement. Most levels allow you free reign with placement. It’s like the wild west of tower defense titles in this regard. Enemies pile in from all over the place, and you’ve got to be wise with your limited resources, but near infinite placement of long-distance soldiers and close-up fighters.

I also want to make note of the RPG tie-in. As in most tower defense games, you can upgrade your ‘towers’ while a level progresses. In this, however, you can take it a step further by upgrading individual class weapons and skill trees with points earned from the battles you’ve won, or hey, even lost.

In the pre-release images for War Grimoire, we saw massive battles: huge numbers of enemies and soldiers smacking each other in a centralized area. It looked chaotic, but in the fun, manageable sort of way. There was reason to the placement, at least.

In execution, battles fall apart. They’re in fact, too chaotic. Enemy pathways are clearly enough defined from the get-go, but then they take odd turns that you can’t anticipate if you haven’t played a level before. Worst case, they take odd turns that you flat-out can’t defend because it’s impossible to earn enough in-level currency to defend these points.

Disorganized chaos is the tip of the iceberg in a title otherwise riddled with much smaller design issues. The UI is needlessly heavy, games don’t always save properly, the English translation is terrible, and in general, success is measured by trial-and-error.

I’d love to see this game patched with a couple of updates. It has a bright future if the core is tweaked and massaged.

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The wait for Tales of Monkey Island HD episodes is over. In one of the craziest App Store maneuvers I’ve ever seen, Telltale Games pushed out the remaining four episodes of the five-episode arc in a single afternoon. Each title is available at an agreeable $6.99, which a few dollars shy of what they continue to cost on other downloadable services.

In the interest of drumming up interest, Telltale has also slashed the price of the first game to $0 for a limited time. It’s a good game at a great price, and like the rest of the titles in the series, it’s faithful to the vision of Monkey Island while also still exhibiting its own charm and takes on the universe.

I've been there and back again with the series, so allow me to give you a little look at each app:

Monkey Island Tales 1 HD, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Talk about opening with a bang. Within the first minutes of the Tales series, Guybrush defeats his arch-nemesis the evil pirate LeChuck. Unfortunately, in the process, Guybrush loses his wife, his ship, and… unleashes a deadly pox into the world. Most of this episode centers on Guybrush getting a ship in order to find Elaine.

Monkey Island Tales 2 HD, $6.99 – Things don’t easier even though a few minor goals were met in the previous episode. In this adventure specifically, Guybrush re-unites with his wife and meets the Mer-people in his search for La Esponja Grande, which is otherwise known as the cure for the misanthropic pox infesting the world.

Monkey Island Tales 3 HD, $6.99 – You’d roast me if I revealed the setting for this episode, but I do want to note that it’s something COMPLETELY different than the previous episodes. In this place, Guybrush meets two new characters to the series, one of which becomes a key driver in the rest of the story arc.

Monkey Island Tales 4 HD, $6.99 – Guybrush goes on trial in the place where it all started. How does he defend himself against the accusations thrown at him? If only it was as simple as “Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!”

Monkey Island Tales 5 HD, $6.99 – Now, the task is to save the world against a threat. How Monkey Island of Telltale. Oh, and if it wasn’t plain, this is indeed the last episode of the series. But what a conclusion, let me tell you.

As a whole, this is a fantastic series. Sure, there are spots where the story drags and, yeah, there are definitely some horrible puzzles, but this series is easily some of Telltale Games sharpest work. The writing in particular is impressive. If you dig the first episode — don't forget, it's free — definitely start diving into the rest of these. They're worth your time.

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Ever since we posted the first trailer for 1-bit Ninja [$1.99] from developer Kode 80 I’ve been anxious to get my hands on the title, and after a small delay past its intended release date it’s now available in the App Store. 1-bit Ninja is a platforming game that's an homage to the classic handheld gaming systems of the 80s, but with a modern technical twist. At any point in the game you can tilt the perspective, exposing the previously flat 2D terrain as a 3D environment à la Paper Mario. It’s a neat effect, but also one that impacts the gameplay as it allows you to discover hidden aspects of a level, which makes for one of the most unique platforming experiences in the App Store.

The first thing to notice about 1-bit Ninja is that it completely nails the retro look and feel that it was going for. The game looks like it could have launched right beside Super Mario Land on the Game Boy two decades ago and would have fit right in. Despite the simplistic, blocky pixel graphics, there still manages to be a ton of character and style in 1-bit Ninja’s visuals. Those without a fondness for the handheld gaming graphics of yesteryear may not be so impressed, but for the rest of us the look of 1-bit Ninja should bring back memories of the good ol’ days.

Of course, it’s easy to get snapped out of that retro nostalgia haze once you shift the perspective to 3D. Touching either of the upper corners of the screen will swing the camera around and give you a look farther down the level either ahead or behind you. The effect is quite awesome, and still impresses me each time I see it. Beyond just looking cool, it also serves a critical function: checking certain parts of a level in 3D will expose hidden paths and secrets which are integral to completing every goal in a level.

There are 20 levels across 4 worlds in 1-bit Ninja, and just completing a level will unlock the next one. This is easier said than done, though, as each level is fairly lengthy and can be quite difficult to complete. You’re given 2 minutes to finish a level, and there are coins to collect and enemies to kill along the way which will add to your score. Each level also has 5 bonus coins to seek out and collect, some of which can be very tricky to get to. Going back to discover these bonus coins and shooting for better times and high scores give the levels in 1-bit Ninja a ton of replay value, though unfortunately there’s no online component for me to see how I stack up against my friends.

I was worried that constantly checking everything in 3D for secrets would slow down the pace of the game, and in fact, it kind of does. But that’s all part of the grand scheme of things in 1-bit Ninja. The game is really designed for two different types of play. One has you taking your time and exploring every nook and cranny for secrets and bonus coins, while at the same time learning the layout of a level. Once you’ve played a level enough to know what the optimal route is, then you can go for the perfect speed run. It works out incredibly well, and I’ve had a great time replaying levels over and over again trying to master them.

One of the radical design choices in 1-bit Ninja is the controls. Kode 80 has boiled the controls down to just two buttons, one that moves you forward and one that jumps. The inability to move your character freely back and forth completely changes how you play the game. If you miss collecting a coin or taking the path you wanted you aren’t able to go back and correct your mistake. You’ll just need to file that information away for consideration in a future run through of the level. To me, this makes for an interesting twist on a traditional platforming game, and I appreciate the different strategy that is needed in order to be successful. But for people who are just interested in having a new Mario-like game, you might never warm up to the idea of only moving in one direction.

If you can approach 1-bit Ninja with the right expectations, it’s easily one of the most enjoyable platformers in the App Store. The retro visuals are a delight and the 3D camera shift effect adds a super unique element to the game. The control style does take some getting used to, but after about 15 or 20 minutes with the game I had the hang of things and haven’t had a problem since. Opinions are pretty split in our forums, with some loving the unique twist on platforming and others unable to accept the limited movement.

Personally, I’m completely hooked on 1-bit Ninja, and if you think you’re able to accept some of the design decisions in the game and you're a fan of its retro aesthetics, then I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

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Casey's Contraptions [$2.99] was already a great game before this week's update. In our review, we applauded it for its charming approach to creative physics puzzling. But there was one outstanding concern: for a game with a full-featured level editor, it really sucked not to be able to share new levels with the world.

Turns out the developers got right on top of fixing that problem, because the newly released 1.1 update adds a global level sharing system. You can still share your contraptions with just your friends by email, but now you also have the option to share with the whole world. You can also download other users' creations by heading to the My Contraptions menu and hitting the Download Contraptions button. This takes you to a website that lists all the published contraptions, which you can grab with the tap of a button.

This leads to a new problem that anyone should be glad to have—an overabundance of choice. Thankfully users need to successfully play through their levels to post them, so there are no worries about broken levels. But given how popular level sharing is already, I won't be surprised if a ranking system shows up soon.

For those of you playing with children or family members, there's more good news—a user profile system has been added with support for up to six individual players. There are also a few bug fixes and tweaks to round things out.

It sounds like the next update will give us even more reason to keep playing. According to the developer, there are plans for a new location, new items, and the highly-anticipated iPhone version. The iPad version should be going universal too. Great news all around for Casey's Contraptions.

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P1XL Games, who brought us RPG Quest: Minimae [App Store], has just released an original collection of simple, C64-styled retro games entitled P1XL Party [App Store] — and it's a collection that retro gamers won't want to miss. The initial release brings three titles — Splatform, Wandererz, and Marz — but there's more on the way in free updates to come.

The first game on the list, Splatform, can best be described to readers as a side-scrolling take on Doodle Jump / Papi Jump — although it preceded both titles by years. It is a perfect recreation of the 2002 C64 title of the same name, 1st place winner of that year's Mimigame Programming Competition. In the iOS version, you tilt to send your bouncing ball from platform to platform in a quest for the greatest distance and highest score.

Wandererz is a mini-RPG, retro styled (of course), that puts you on a pixellated quest to rescue the seven lost daughters of the king. Your mission is to find the daughters, bring them back to the castle, and contend with the ghoulish creatures wandering the land along the way. There are potions, weapons, armor, treasure chests, dangerous swamps, and encroaching nightfall. It's a great little RPG experience packaged up for quick, mobile play sessions.

Marz is something akin to Space Invaders, but in reverse. You are in control of a space craft in a decaying planetary orbit. You will soon land, but you must first clear the surface of obstacles to avoid a crash. This involves precise timing and adaptation to your dwindling height from the surface. Once all the obstacles are cleared, it's thumbs up and you're planted firmly on the alien surface. A C64 color palette brings the nostalgia.

The developers indicate that coming titles in this collection include puzzle games, strategy games, racing games, and more. I'm pretty anxious to see where this goes. If you dig the retro, don't miss P1XL Party [App Store].

P1XL Games was formed in 2009 by Robin Harbron who worked with Jerri Ellsworth to bring the C64 DTV to market, and designer Sam Washburn. Harbron made the jump from Nintendo DS to iOS development in late 2008.

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Ben Cousins, the former general manager at EA Easy Studios who oversaw the creation of Battlefield Play 4 Free, has landed a new job in a similar field. It’s been revealed that Cousins is now working with ngmoco and forming a new studio in Sweden focused on delivering F2P games on mobile platforms.

Chock it up to “studio infancy” syndrome, but ngmoco isn’t divulging any specifics on what Cousins will be cooking up. We’re simply being told that he’ll lead the studio and drop games on Mobage courtesy of DeNA, the Japanese studio who bought ngmoco for an obscene amount of money earlier last year.

“The games industry is at an inflection point,” Cousins said in a statement. “These platforms are bringing hundreds of millions of new gamers into the fold, and at the same time existing core gamers are discovering the innovation, immersion and connectivity they bring. I’m excited to participate in helping shape what we believe is the future of games.”

It’s easy enough to speculate that Cousins will be making more core gamer-focused F2P games, which seems like a smart move considering the growth in this sector. We’ve got all sorts of “core” F2P games — League of Legends is a leading example — and it seems as though they’re continuing to fair well post-release.

It bears noting that Cousins was also a creative lead at EA DICE, so he’s got some decent ‘core’ game experience under his belt, namely with (proper) Battlefield games.

If anything, dude is going to be making F2P games. That much is plain. I just wonder if we’ll see more bullets instead of farms from ngmoco Sweden.

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There's so many games coming out tonight that I don't even want to waste time on a witty introduction to this post. It's like this is the Wednesday before the Christmas App Store freeze, this is a veritable stampede of games. Anyway, the way this works is a little like this: Developers can set their release dates on the App Store for a specific date in the future. Since the App Store is a worldwide market, things are released in the various regions as it becomes that date in said region. New Zealand's proximity to the International Date Line makes them first, followed by Australia and eastern Asia, then slowly the rest of the world. All of these games should be available in the US App Store at 11:00 PM Eastern time!

Without further ado-

1-bit Ninja, $1.99 – Forum Thread – We've been looking forward to this game since we first heard about it. 1-bit Ninja combines old-school platforming with a slick 3D gimmick where you can rotate the camera to see what appears to be a 2D plane in 3D, potentially revealing secret platforms. I've been lucky enough to spend some time with a pre-release copy of the game, and it's awesome. You can't move backwards though, which takes a little getting used to.

BackStab, $6.99 – Forum Thread – What do you get when you combine Pirates of the Caribbean and Assassin's Creed? Well, you're looking at it! I spent some time with BackStab at E3, and while the pirate universe definitely seemed cool, it was a little weird to be doing missions that were fairly obviously lifted directly out of Assassin's Creed. Regardless, it's being released as a universal app, which is something I can totally get behind.

Battleship for iPad, $2.99 – Forum Thread – Another game we saw at E3. This is a technically competent port of Battleship, but it boggles my mind why EA releases games like this without online multiplayer. I mean really, with how successful Words With Friends has been, imagine how much more successful similar push-based online multiplayer would be with a recognizable IP behind it.

Circus City, Free – Forum Thread – Have you grown tired of building farms, tending livestock, and other similar tasks? Well, Glu hopes running a circus is something that will entice you into Circus City a try.

Continuity 2: The Continuation, 99¢ – Forum Thread – This game looks really slick, as they've combined platforming and sliding puzzle games into one. It's universal too, making the whole thing even more appealing.

D.A.R.K., 99¢ – Forum Thread – I got a super-early look at this game back at PAX East, and while it looked awesome then, it looks so much cooler now. D.A.R.K. is an action-oriented Sci-Fi RPG with tons of enemies, upgrades, and content to blast through.

Don't Fall Off, 99¢ – Forum Thread – This game puts you in charge of helping Rollie stay on his little paper boat floating down a river. For whatever reason, Rollie can't get wet, making his choice to travel by water extremely questionable.

Fish Odyssey, 99¢ – Forum Thread – I can't help but be pedantic with this game's title. Clearly it's called Fish Odyssey, but it seems the majority of the animals you're helping jump over waves by tapping are actually mammals. I suppose Mammal Odyssey doesn't have that great of a ring to it.

Hills of Glory: WWII, 99¢ – Forum Thread – I'm not sure describing this as a "castle defense" game is the most accurate, but it seems to fit. You defend your base from an onslaught of enemies using various military weaponry. Sure, your base isn't technically a castle, but it's similar.

Ionocraft Racing, $1.99 / HD – Forum Thread – This steampunky version of Wipeout features 13 tracks, upgrades, online leaderboards, and everything else you could ask of a steampunk version of Wipeout.

Kona's Crate, $2.99 / HD – Forum Thread – The above trailer makes this game look like a ton of fun, but I can't get over how weird it is to make a crate the main character that you have control of in this game. Regardless, there's over 60 levels for you to fly your crate through, online leaderboards, and all kinds of other goodies.

Lamebo VS Zombies, 99¢ – Forum Thread – Developers are really reaching these days to come up with things that haven't already been done before in the world of zombie games. This one in particular attempts to differentiate itself by having you control a, uh, sheep. Despite the weird premise, the art style of the game looks fantastic and I'm always a sucker for games with tons of upgrades to unlock.

Monkey Island Tales HD, $6.99 – Forum Thread – Currently, Monkey Island Tales HD Episode 1 [$6.99] is available on the App Store, and Telltale is wasting no time releasing the others. Here's iTunes links for the rest of the series coming tonight:

• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4
• Episode 5

Powerslide Penguin, 99¢ / Universal HD – Forum Thread – This penguin-flinging game looks cool in the trailer, but it's another one of those mega-confusing split non-HD and HD releases like Red Ball 3. The HD version is universal, but the non-HD version doesn't include Retina Display graphics, so if you want those, you'll need to spring for the HD version.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, $1.99 – Forum Thread – This Mario Kart-esque game seemingly has it all. Tons of recognizable characters, universal compatibility, online multiplayer, and a reasonable price. I'm surprised!

Sunshine Cruise Lines, Free – Forum Thread – This free to play game has a fairly interesting premise that involves customizing your own cruise ship. There's also functionality in game to actually go on cruises, visit various ports, and all kinds of other cruise-related things. I admit, I'm intrigued.

Tiny Tower, Free – Forum Thread – NimbleBit fans have been waiting for this game forever, and it's finally here. They've applied the same free to play style of gameplay from Pocket Frogs where paying for anything truly does feel optional. It's a ton of fun, I had a blast with beta versions of the game and have been building my tower since I got my hands on the final version of the game last week. Don't miss Tiny Tower.

Trenches: Generals for iPad, 99¢ – Forum Thread – The Trenches series of games have been stupidly popular on the App Store, and now Thunder Game Works is bringing it to the iPad. The start of the show seems to be the single device multiplayer, seen above, which looks like a ton of fun.

Watch Out Danger Ahead, 99¢ / Lite – Forum Thread – This super-minimal platformer puts you in control of a simple ball. I'm digging the simple art style. Make sure you check out the above trailer.

War Grimoire HD, $2.99 – Judging by screenshots, this tower defense game has some crazy awesome art in it. 60 kinds of weapons (towers?) are included, as well as 30 different environments. The graphics look fantastic, and it's even got an entirely original soundtrack.

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Japanese mobile company DeNA has announced two new games for the Japanese market via its new-fangled social platform called “Mobage.” The names of the games should ring a bell: Infinity Blade X and Professor Layton Royale.

Professor Layton Royale is the product of an actual partnership with Level-5, the original creators of the series. Yet, I don’t think it’d be wise to expect Royale to be a full-fledged entry in the Nintendo DS franchise — it’s a crossover between Layton and Kaito Royale.

In a press conference the other afternoon, it was announced that users would be tasked with taking on the role of detective, as well as a thief and a citizen. That doesn’t sound too Layton-y to me, at least, but I suppose we’ll see for sure later this fall when it hits.

Infinity Blade X, on the other hand, is the Infinity Blade [$5.99 / HD] we all know and love — minus the whole “free to play” part. In a nutshell, on Mobage virtual items will serve as the way the game makes money; there will be no initial cost. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you won't be able to earn extravagant weapons and armor with in-game gold. You'll just be forced to buy them.

DeNA seeks to be a world leader in the mobile / social realm and it’s making huge strides by being aggressive and creative in the space. These two games are just the latest in a string of other moves that has made Mobage enticing in the East has us scratching our chins in the West.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

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The Hexog are coming, and it's up to you, as the ARC pilot, to stop them. You'll need to bring your best Bust-A-Move skills to the table if the Hexog threat is to be eliminated, and the universe of Current [$0.99] is to be saved.

While some action match games let you play calmly, Current demands nothing less than your best reflexes. The Hexog breed, you see. Let them get a foothold, and they'll spread swiftly. The green ones grow exponentially, each one spawning into every surrounding hex. The red ones fill straight lines. The blue ones… well, let's not talk about the blue ones.

To fight them, you need take your ship to their systems and yank them out of the sky. Firing them back at a matching Hexogs will destroy both, and take out others around them. You have a limited number of shots per level, so make them count. Each of Current's 56 levels is a struggle as you fight to swiftly defeat the multiplying hordes before you run out of ammunition.

In the first sets of levels, your only weapon is your shot. But eventually, you discover the game's namesake "current," a force you can use to arm yourself against the Hexog. You unlock weapons that use their multiplying powers against them, blowing them to bits when they breed and forcing them to infect each other. This is war, and it isn't always pretty. Well, actually, it is quite pretty, with all those wireframe Hexog exploding all over the grid.

The whole thing happens to the beat of an original techno soundtrack – make sure to wander into the music menu and play with the different songs. They take Current from a pretty interesting Puzzle Bobble clone to something really cool. The beat of the music rules everything – the Hexog breed to the beat and you slaughter them to it as well. It gets downright hypnotic at times, when you get in the zone and polish them off with style.

Other times it's a little more frustrating, but a recent update addressed that problem. Now not only can you switch between three difficulty levels, you can also toggle the game to a turn-based mode at any time. The Hexog will only breed once per each of your shots in this mode, avoiding the utter chaos of the original action. Things can still get completely out of control if you're not careful, but it's all a little more strategic and a little less reflexive.

If you can't get enough of Current, you can replay on higher difficulty modes or try to get three stars on each level. The levels are procedurally generated, so it shouldn't be the same experience twice. Game Center Leaderboards seem like an obvious addition, and hopefully they'll show up in an update some day. It sounds like there are more levels, game modes and songs in the works, so there should be plenty of opportunities to destroy the Hexog yet to come. Good thing, too – I just love to watch them disappear.

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Have a Snake-shaped hole in your app collection? Longing for light cycles? Check out Hard Lines [$0.99], by Spilt Milk Studios. It's the perfect mix of point-gobbling and line-racing arcade action in one little package.

The basic gameplay is simple and familiar. You take control of Lionel, a line that can take only 90 degree turns. You've got a choice of controls, with Tappy's on screen buttons, Swipey's swipes to turn, and Turny, which divides the screen into two tapping zones (yes, the game presents its controls with those rather tongue-in-cheek names). If you crash your line into itself, another line or a wall, it's toast. Your goal, as in Snake, is to survive and earn as many points as you can in the process.

Don't write this off as just another knockoff. Hard Lines takes the formula further with six great game modes. Yes, you can play Snake mode, where your line grows ever longer as you gobble up glowy things. Or you can play Survival mode, which is a light cycle battle that pits you against a couple opponent lines. Deadline gives you three minutes to pull in the highest score possible, while Gauntlet sends an endless supply of enemy lines at you. There's also Pinata, where the lines you kill explode into piles of point-bearing glowy things, and Time Attack, which requires you to keep earning points to keep going.

What you get out of all that variety is a high-score race that doesn't get dull. Hit a plateau in one mode and you can move to the next. Unfortunately the leaderboards are currently only OpenFeint, not Game Center, but Spilt Milk Studios plans to address that in an upcoming update. They'll also be adding Retina support and tweaking the difficulty to get players right into the action. You can keep tabs on their plans in our forums.

What Hard Lines is missing in those features, it makes up for with charm and humor. The lines are chatty little things, always ready with quips to entertain you or to lament their deaths. On a long enough timeline these might get old, but so far the developer has been adding more quips to keep them fresh. The graphics and sound have a retro-stylish appeal that brings to mind the games Hard Lines owes its existence to. Oh, and make sure not to miss the vocal theme in the tutorial – it's really something to hear.

I expect that the lack of Game Center support will be a deal-breaker for many of our readers. If you can let that go, there's a great arcade gaming waiting for you in Hard Lines. I'll be waiting for you on the leaderboards if you decide to jump in.

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