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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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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.

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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The just-released Paper Monsters [99¢], co-developed by Robots Vs Wizards and Crescent Moon Games, has been in the works for a long time. In fact, development originally began way back in mid-2010, and we didn’t learn until well into 2011 that Crescent Moon had actually jumped into the project to give it a graphical makeover (as they’ve been known to do from time to time).

With such a long development cycle, it’s easy for the hype over a game to do one of two things: either people start to lose interest as the months drag along, or the hype builds up to the kind of level that would be hard for any game to deliver on. Well, Paper Monsters finally has reached the App Store, so if you’re part of that first group then it’s time to start paying attention again.

More importantly, however, are the folks in that second group – the insanely hyped crew. Paper Monsters is an incredibly fun platformer, and it’s downright gorgeous to look at. Plus, it’s full of all kinds of whimsy and little touches that bring up those warm, fuzzy nostalgia feelings that will take you back to platformers of days gone by. But, if you’re looking for a genre-defining game that breaks all the boundaries that you thought you knew for platformers, well, Paper Monsters isn’t quite at that level. With tempered expectations, though, it’s one of the nicest platformers currently available on iOS.

First off, Paper Monsters takes more than a few cues from the iconic Mario series. It doesn’t try to hide this fact, either. With every jump your character makes, he lets out an excited “whoo!” that you almost expect to be immediately followed by “here we gooooo!” or “it’s-a me, Mario!” The majority of enemies are dispatched by jumping on their head, you’ll hop into gigantic pipes to warp to different parts of the levels, and there’s even a giant mouth built into a mountain that you’ll escape through after beating up on a boss, à la Super Mario Bros. 2.

These things don’t detract from the game though, in fact, they add to the already rich character and personality of Paper Monsters. As I said previously, the game is gorgeous. Graphics are all done in colorful 3D, though gameplay is strictly old-school 2D style. The music is also a big part of the experience, and it manages to create incredibly moody atmospheres to explore and play through. The many Mario-like flourishes merely enhance the already fantastic presentation of Paper Monsters.

Gameplay itself is simple and straight forward. You can move left or right, jump, and double jump. And… that’s about it. Occasionally, a level will have you playing as a helicopter or submarine, effectively playing more like a shmup which breaks up all the platforming nicely. These sections are actually quite fun, and I wouldn’t have minded more of them. In fact, one of the big downfalls of Paper Monsters is that it’s a pretty short game.

You get 4 chapters in the game, each with 4 levels, for a total of 16 levels. The environments run the gamut of familiar themes like grass lands, ice levels, the desert, and jungle ruins. Each level is a fairly good length, with checkpoints in the middle so you don’t have to restart from the beginning should you die, but they really won’t take too long to complete anyway. Some replay value is added in the form of 3 golden paper clips and a single hidden tile that need to be collected in each level if you wish to fully beat it. You can also collect buttons, which are essentially the “coins” of the game, and which can be accumulated and spent in an in-game shop on additional clothing items to deck out your character. It’s a fun distraction, but pretty non-essential. Also, if you don’t have much patience, you can get more buttons as IAP if you wish.

Finally, a really cool inclusion in Paper Monsters is the Dash Mode. This is essentially an auto-running version of the game, where your character runs to the right on his own and you just need to worry about jumping on enemies and over hazards while collecting buttons. It’s really quite fun, and could easily have been a full game on its own, so the fact that it’s included as a bonus is pretty nice. You can also try this mode in your web browser for free, if you’re curious.

But where Paper Monsters really wins is in its presentation and overall “feel”, which is something that’s hard to describe. I’ve played a TON of platformers in my day, and while some of them appear to have all the right components, sometimes the most basic mechanics of running and jumping just don’t feel right, and it pretty much ruins the rest of the experience. Paper Monsters pulls this aspect off well, as just playing through the levels is fun in and of itself, even if it doesn’t wow you with a ton of new ideas or endless amounts of levels. For lack of a better expression, it just feels right.

It seems the developers set out to make a throwback to some of their favorite old-school platformers, with awesome graphics and solid controls, and at this they completely succeed with Paper Monsters. If you don’t go in expecting the game to reinvent the wheel, and can appreciate the eye candy and simple fun of platforming, then Paper Monsters should give you plenty of enjoyment for your dollar. People in our forums sure seem to dig it, and with some additional levels planned for updates, there should be even more fun coming in the future.

TouchArcade Rating:

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I’ve played a lot of iOS games in my time, and have gone through varying levels of addiction with certain titles. Even so, that usually doesn’t last for too long. I’ve never found my own personal Angry Birds or Tiny Tower. That is, until I picked up Hero Academy [Free] for the first time. Shortly after, I noticed that I was playing a match while cooking, waiting for people to come over, or pretty much any other time I had three free minutes or more at a time. At that point, I identified that I might have found that game that I feel the need to play endlessly. Good news is, all my other friends seem to have the same problem, so that works out for me.

Hero Academy is Robot Entertainment’s first iOS offering, and I think it’s the sign of good things to come. The premise is very basic: You are playing a tactical battle against another team, and the goal is to destroy their crystals before they destroy yours. Each round allows you five moves (”action points”), which you can use to either place team members and items on the board, or move and attack with your preexisting team members.

If you play the free version of the game, the only team available to you is the Council, which is made up of humans and is a well-balanced option. Should you wish, you can unlock the Dark Elves for $0.99, which can summon the spirits of their fallen enemies to aid them in battle.

At the bottom of your screen, you’ll see a selection of five items and characters, which the game randomly deals you each turn. If you don’t like what you got, you can use your finger to drag anything you don’t want over to the tiny door in the bottom left corner. Once your turn is finished, you’ll get new stuff and hopefully get dealt exactly what you were looking for. This selection of items includes spells and weapons to strengthen your characters’ attack and defense abilities so you can survive in the field for longer.

The board itself also includes some options to give you the advantage. In the middle of each board is a tile with a crystal on it, and reaching it will weaken the enemy’s crystal a bit. There are also tiles that have a sword or a shield on them, which will give you a buff to attack or defense. At the end of a turn, you can also choose to submit your turn normally or submit it with a taunt, which is pretty much just to piss your opponent off.

Getting to know your characters and how their skills can be used is vital. For example, the magician can cast a spell that can hit a row of opponents and only spend a single action point on it. Using these types of skills to your advantage will give you the edge needed to keep those fools off your crystals.

Frankly, I’m no fan of waiting around for someone to take a turn. When I first saw that Hero Academy had no single player mode where you could at least play against the computer, I was a bit let down. At first, I only had a few games going with other friends. The key to the fun of Hero Academy really came clear when I got a lot of games going, and that was when I started to feel my skills were improving and I was getting better at it. Considering my moves more carefully and how I could best defend against the way my opponent played was rewarding, and I started to win more matches.

There is one downfall to the game, and that is that the free version is relentless when it comes to in-game ads. Between each match, you’ll see an ad that you have to stare at for five seconds before it disappears and you can play again. If you’re good at ignoring things, you may not mind one bit, but if you’re like me and it bugs the hell out of you, you can buy any heroic team to get rid of the ads, which costs a buck. Only the Dark Elves are available for now, but Robot promises new teams are coming in the near future. You can also spend a bit more to get new avatars if you so desire.

Hero Academy is a simple game, and it does what it’s built to do very, very well. If the content continues to expand and offer more for the fanbase, I could see it being something I would want to come back to over and over again in the future. It also offers access to invite Facebook and Twitter friends to join you right in the menu, so never fear if you don’t have enough games going at a time. Invite everyone you know, and soon enough your phone will be jingling with the notification sound you’ve learned that you’re unable to resist.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Woody Woodpecker has his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame, his own famous theme song and a distinctive laugh (ha-ha-HA-ha!   Ha-ha-HA-ha!), but old Woody hasn’t had much press coverage in recent years. So he’s trying to make a comeback, with his new iOS game published by Chillingo.

Woody Woodpecker [99¢] is basically Tiny Wings [99¢] turned into a side-scrolling race between five cartoon characters across a curvaceous landscape. And like most Chillingo releases, it’s nicely presented. You choose which of the five characters to race as, with each having their own “vehicle” and special weapon.

You might choose Woody on a skate board launching missiles, Winnie Woodpecker on skis spraying perfume or perhaps Buzz Buzzard on his motorcycle splashing around black oil to slow down the opposition. Each character has slightly different attributes for speed, acceleration and handling, but this doesn’t make much difference, as it’s pretty easy to win races. This game would definitely benefit from more challenging difficulty levels.

The main controls are based on one finger, much like Tiny Wings. You hold your finger down to accelerate while descending and lift your finger when moving up-hill. Buttons are available to activate your character’s special weapon or for speed-boosts, both of which re-charge before re-use.  There are options for left/right hand controls, although strangely, you must display “left hand” for right handed taps.

Two game modes are provided: Single-player race, or online multiplayer via Game Center. The multiplayer mode randomly matches you with one opponent. My first race was Woody versus someone else playing as Woody. Since then it’s been difficult to find a random online opponent (there’s no option to play a specific friend).

The thirty single-player levels are spread across three locations. You start on the golf course, but can unlock the snow-covered slopes of the Arctic and Circus levels by winning races and earning “thumbs-up” awards, which is essentially the 3-star achievement system used in many games. On the golf course, there are sand-traps to slow you down and lightning clouds to shock you. While in the Arctic levels, the characters are given skis. You can switch characters between races as it doesn’t matter which character you use to beat each level.

Scores are based on the number of slides, tricks, mayhem (swooping on non-race characters), time and points gained during the race, all of which contribute to your “thumbs-up” rating. But if you don’t place in the top three, you don’t receive a score. High score leaderboards are provided in both Game Center and Crystal, with a separate leaderboard listed for each of the three race locations. But don’t rely on the on-screen progress indicators to see how you’re doing, as they frequently misreport your position.

Woody Woodpecker is an easy game to enjoy (like Tiny Wings) and has a special nostalgic appeal. However, whereas Tiny Wings had islands to reach and evolving objectives to satisfy, this game has neither. Sure, there’s levels and worlds to unlock and a few Game Center objectives, but the character attributes aren’t upgradable and the wins come too easily. It would be more satisfying if the various characters, means of transport, and weapons were unlocked along the way, rather than all provided from the start. Overall, a good game, but just for a couple of days or for the kids.

TouchArcade Rating:

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By the time you read this, my big problem with Letris 2 [Free] might be resolved. That’s the beauty of modern gaming: what is broken can be fixed. But indulge me for a second before I get to the good stuff (and there is quite a bit of good stuff to be found in this freemium title): Letris 2 uses what might be the worst dictionary I’ve had the pleasure of bashing my head against.

Ivanovich Games has already assured us there is an update coming in that adds 25,000 words players have submitted. That leaves a question, though – why were at least 25,000 words left out in the first place? Worse, how is it that the game accepts every common curse and racial slur I tried, a smattering of proper nouns, and at least a few non-English words in their place? The dictionary is the backbone of any word game, and this one is more than a little fractured. Let’s hope the update fixes it, because aside from that one glaring issue there’s a lot to like in Letris 2.

The game is split into two sections, each one unlockable with a separate in-app purchase of $0.99 after you try a few levels. On one side is Letris, a game that doesn’t have as much to do with Tetris as it sounds like it might. On the other side are two puzzle modes, Acronymus and WordMatrix.

In Letris mode, letters continuously fall from the top of the screen into tidy rows at the bottom. You can tap letters to form words with any of them – only in the highest difficulty mode do you need to use letters that connect. Each level of Letris gives you a goal to reach. Collect that many letters in the words you make and you move on to the next. Longer words give better scores, clearing the screen is worth a bonus and you’ll fail if the screen fills up.

Though this mode is time-sensitive, it’s also pretty mellow to start. Once you unlock the paid content for Letris mode, you can keep progressing to higher and higher levels with higher and higher scores to reach, but the levels, as they are loosely defined, are never the same twice.

Acronymus is more of a classic puzzle mode. You’re given a set selection of letters that you need to use up completely. There’s always a solution planned, and you can use hints (that you can also purchase) if you get yourself stuck trying to find it. WordMatrix is an extension of the same idea – a full screen of letters that you need to use more and more of each level, until eventually you’re forced to come up with a collection of words that use up every single letter on screen.

Because these modes aren’t timed, you can play around freely to try to come up with outrageously long or obscure words. It’s fun, and pleasantly relaxed – when the dictionary cooperates, of course.

There are a couple oddities aside from the word selection, though. For one, it doesn’t seem to be possible to unlock the premium content until you work through the free levels of at least one mode per pack. This means that even if you’re sure you want to buy the game, you’ll need to sit through ads for a while before you can disable them with the purchase of either IAP pack. For another, it’s surprisingly easy to abandon a game without your score being saved – the ability to resign is hidden beneath the hint button, and using the obvious home button instead will abandon your game and leave your score off the Game Center leaderboards.

Neither of these things is enough to ruin an experience which is, at the very least, worth trying with a mind to buy. I’d try it out after the update before pulling the trigger, though. Unless you take great delight in playing a few forbidden four-letter words, the updated dictionary should be worth the wait. In the meantime, our discussion thread is a good place to get a bit wordy.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Wizard Ops [$0.99] by Phykentech is an on-rails 3D shooter with lots going for it. The gameplay is fast, controls are simple, and there’s some variety in the weapons and uniqueness in the sound effects. However, these positives can’t make up for the fact that the game is very short with not much room for replayability. Add in some performance issues, and Wizard Ops becomes one of those frustrating games that have potential but fall short.

Wizard Ops has you playing the role of a fire mage once part of an elite group of wizards that served the royalty of the kingdom. After the queen dies in an accident, the king irrationally imprisons the wizards in dungeons throughout the land. When the king’s daughter is subsequently kidnapped, he reluctantly releases you and charges you with freeing your brethren and taking down the enemy forces that hold the princess captive.

As a fire wizard, your weapon arsenal includes a multitude of fire spells that shoot projectiles. In addition, destroying enemies and bosses occasionally yield additional weapons which can then be purchased in the in-game store. While Wizard Ops has a decent selection of weapons (18 in all), a lot of them follow the same ‘fire magic’ motif and don’t offer much difference other than fire rate and projectile spread. Still, there’s enough variety to provide players with different strategies for taking on the opposition.

The most enjoyable part of Wizard Ops is the fast-paced nature of its gameplay. It plays very similarly to the classic Space Harrier series and retains that sense of speed. The entire game is controlled by just simple swipes, with movement, aiming and shooting being linked. While the obvious goal is to take out as many enemies as you can, you’re going to find that a lot of the gameplay involves dodging the large amount of hazards and projectiles being thrown at you. Some of the later levels up the ante and have you dodging and feinting across the entire screen just to stay alive. It’s fast, frenetic and a joy to play if you’re a fan of twitch-based gameplay.

Special mention should be given to the sound effects in Wizard Ops, which were created by Michael Winslow of Police Academy fame. The game’s thread has a neat video showcasing some of the sound recordings and I’d recommend checking it out. From a gaming perspective the sound effects sound like, well, sound effects. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about them but I will admit that I did enjoy the nostalgia trip, as Winslow’s style is very much apparent.

Unfortunately, Wizard Ops has a few annoying problems that detract from the overall experience. First, I experienced several crashes that would occur while either pausing the game during a level or while trying to check out the store after completing one. While I don’t find the occasional crash a big deal, there was one instance where I had lost all the progress I made on the last level I completed. Another issue is in regards to the visuals. Since enemies and projectiles appear to be coming right at you, it can be somewhat hard to figure out just how far away the projectiles are from hitting you. However, this is just a byproduct of the sort of 3D shooter that it is, so I can’t fault the game itself too much for that.

The biggest disappointment I have with Wizard Ops is just how short it is. The entire game encompasses six normal missions, a tutorial level, and a final mission which doubles as a general ‘survival’ mode. Each mission can be beaten in about 3 – 4 minutes, meaning that from a content perspective there isn’t much there. Sure, there’s three difficulties (with hard being incredibly tough), and there’s some replayability in regards to collecting coins and trying all the difference weapons, but it just didn’t seem enough to me.

It’s probably because I greatly enjoyed the core gameplay of Wizard Ops that I’m bitter about the lack of content. I want to see more missions, more enemies, and more weapons. Even the overall story just seems to come to a sudden standstill after playing the few levels that the game offers. I want to recommend Wizard Ops for its gameplay, but I can’t ignore the severe lack of content. I’m certain that the developers will be adding more missions and will hopefully flesh out the complete narrative. Nevertheless, folks looking to try it out now may not get the complete experience hoped for.

TouchArcade Rating:

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Hey, guys, remember when Tamagotchis were a thing? I hope so, because a big part of why we’re so excited about Portable Pixels‘ Hatchi is directly tied to nostalgia. Our all-seeing eye recently caught a first-look posting of the app on our message board, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the find.

Hatchi is a fine-looking Tamagotchi-style, er, throwback that provides a similar same kind of experience. You’ll feed, teach, train, and clean your digital little animal and then, as a result, forge some sort of emotional bond to it. Basically, it’s like a dog that can’t do the annoying things like, say, pee on the carpet or drool.

Tamagotchis were huge for a spell and we had more than a few hanging from our keychains, so we’re pretty stoked to give this mobile iteration on the idea a shot. Portable Pixels has submitted the app for review, so it should hit within the week.

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After getting together to pick our official best games of 2011, we also had our writers take a look back at the last year and compile lists of their personal favorites along with their reasons why.

2011. What a year. The App Store has been online for over three years now, and it still feels like the future to me most days. Looking back on my life of gaming, it’s just crazy how far we’ve come, and not only in terms of the quantity and quality of iOS releases. When I was begging my mother to take polaroids of me as proof that I beat NES games, the very existence of devices like iPhones and iPads would’ve seemed like some sort of unattainable future eternally found only in science fiction. But, here we are, almost to the point that we’re taking being able to download ridiculously great games, wirelessly, from anywhere, often for a fiftieth (or less) of the price for granted. That’s crazy.

My responsibilities as Editor in Chief of TouchArcade here has me cycling a silly amount of games through my iOS devices, as I make sure to at least try every game we review to make sure I agree with what we post. I usually just don’t have the time to get incredibly invested in too many of these games, as serving as the gatekeeper for TouchArcade content really just doesn’t allow for it. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, as badly as I wish there were.

So, the games I end up playing for extended periods of time are an eclectic mix of titles that may have larger over-arching goals, but are totally conducive to quick pick up and play sessions. I’m not sure I’d call any of these games the best games of the year, but they ended up being my favorites, and the ones I spent the most time with:

Dungeon Raid, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Even though Dungeon Raid was technically released very late in 2010, it didn’t hit its stride until a few updates later in 2011. No other video game (including consoles) released this year even comes close to the amount of time I’ve invested in Dungeon Raid. I loved Puzzle Quest, but the way Dungeon Raid boils down that formula its core essence is pure genius. Unlockable classes, random abilities, and game balance that makes any strategy viable with some work has created not only one of my favorite iOS games, but one of my favorite video games in general. I can’t believe I’m saying that about a match three.

King of Dragon Pass, $9.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Since completely abandoning PC gaming at some point in the last ten years and becoming a full-fledged “Mac guy” I’ve missed out on so many of these obscure PC titles. At first glance, King of Dragon Pass might not seem that friendly to iOS style pick up and play gaming since it’s a shockingly involved game of managing a tribe that can go on for months (assuming you’re good enough, of course). Where KoDP wins me over is that it’s the perfect game to load up, make a few management decisions, close the game, and come back to it later. I’m in the midst of a game that I’ve been playing for close to three weeks total now, and while I’m not sure I’ll ever ascend to position of King of Dragon Pass itself, each game is random enough that it feels totally fresh. A universal update is coming too, which I’m beyond excited for.

NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – The only series of sports games that comes with more nostalgia for me is the Mutant League games. I couldn’t even guess how much of my life I’ve spent playing NBA Jam between the ancient console versions, the four player arcade machines, and subsequent ports and re-releases. 18 years after NBA Jam’s original release, I still smile like an complete idiot as I shatter backboards, dunk on fire from a hundred feet in the air, and as the announcer exclaims, “BOOM SHAKA LAKA.” The iOS port is absolutely fabulous, although I really wish it had online multiplayer. I’ll keep my fingers crossed on that.

The Last Rocket, $2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – I’m all about games that feel like they offer a totally complete package that all meshes together in perfect harmony. It was this reason why I loved Sword & Sworcery so much, and I feel like The Last Rocket comes packed with similar magic. Too many games hinge on retro tropes, but don’t go “all the way” (for lack of a better way to put it). Pixel art and/or chip tunes with modern gameplay can feel a little disjointed at times, but The Last Rocket nails the whole thing to the point that you could load it on to a NES cartridge and blast it back through some wormhole to 1985 and it’d fit in perfectly on a shelf at Funco Land. The appropriately barebones story, the graphics, the music, the gameplay… Flawlessly nostalgic.

Battleheart, $2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Without a doubt my favorite iPad game of the year. Battleheart is one of the few games that seems to really just click on the iPad, as the touch interface allows you to control four characters at once to have these surprisingly intense battle sequences that feel like you’re micromanaging an entire party of players in an MMORPG. I really wish there was more to it, as I feel the end-game is a little lacking, but I’ve had a silly amount of fun over the year just re-starting the game over and over to level up a new party, relying on a vastly different class composition each time. I’ve really really got my fingers crossed for sequel treatment, similar to what Zombieville USA saw, as more than anything else Battleheart feels like the foundation for a game that could be beyond incredible.

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