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Lately we've been seeing some great puzzle games hit the App Store, and Burn it All [99¢] is no exception. Published by Bulkypix and released as a universal app, Burn it All greatly expands on the rope burning formula of Burn the Rope [$1.99 / Lite / HD] with a great new mechanic for actually lighting the ropes themselves that makes the game play totally different even though they may look similar in screenshots.

The object of the game is to ignite the ends of ropes by dragging a flaming lava rock to each end and watch them burn down before the timer runs out. The gameplay is loads fun and revolves around figuring out which ropes to burn in what order, which becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses.

In between lighting a rope on fire your lava rock will automatically return to the volcano to briefly recharge and ignite to be used again. Initially I assumed this to be a fault of the games controls but I quickly realized that it's an important component that the developers obviously wanted to leave in. This gameplay mechanic of making you wait in between recharges is what adds another level of both excitement and frustration to the game, and because you're being timed your first inclination would be to go as fast as you can. But move too soon and you'll quickly find yourself way off your mark, wait too long and you'll be wasting valuable seconds, timing is everything.

As you progress through the levels, new ropes and obstacles are introduced from slow burning ropes, to moving bats, and wooden objects all of which you'll need ignite. Also each world gives you a new lava rock to control with different abilities. Some of the later puzzles can get very complex, between a maze of ropes and water droplets waiting to extinguish your flame. Each level is constructed incredibly well, and the overall difficulty ramps up very nicely. With Game Center and Open Feint achievements there's some great replay value for those perfectionists out there looking to get that 100% completion.

There's currently 4 worlds with 25 levels each, with updates planned for more in the future. Burn it all is a solid puzzle game that plays wonderfully, even though its premise might not be all that original. Burn it All is an easy recommendation, especially if you liked Burn the Rope. Similarly, if you download and enjoy Burn it All, you'll ned to give Burn the Rope a try.

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Grim Joggers [$1.99] from 10tons Ltd is an interesting endless running game that was released back in January. It featured many of the common traits of the genre, like jumping pits and avoiding hazards, but also put a wrinkle in the gameplay by having you control multiple characters at once. During play your crew would slowly die off as they inevitably ran into traps, but your score multiplier increased based on the number of your survivors while passing set distance markers. This ensured that you were always striving to keep as many joggers alive as possible, and combined with the task of managing all of the characters at the same time it made for some hectic fun.

We really liked Grim Joggers when we reviewed it in January, and the game was subsequently updated once in February and again in March, each time adding a new playable level among other features. Now a free version of Grim Joggers is available called Grim Joggers Freestyle [Free]. More than simply a generic lite version, Grim Joggers Freestyle is actually a competent little package on its own.

The full version of Grim Joggers features 5 different themes to play in, each with their own unique visuals, enemies, dangers, and Game Center leaderboards. Grim Joggers Freestyle is a single mode that features a new environment with a mixture of elements from all 5 of those themes, along with its own leaderboard and set of achievements. This means you’ll be running into life ending dangers like man-eating plants, polar bears, artillery shells, and aliens all in the same level.

Grim Joggers Freestyle is free to download and contains ads in-between games, but these can be instantly skipped so aren’t too much of a nuisance. The mashed up style of gameplay is worth checking out even if you own the original Grim Joggers, and I’d love to see this mode updated into the paid version of the game someday. If you haven’t yet given Grim Joggers a try, then Grim Joggers Freestyle is a great taste of what you’d be getting more of in the full version, and is definitely worth giving a download.

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Danish developer Kiloo, who you may remember as the collaborator with Manomio on the licensed Commodore 64 [$4.99] emulator app, inked a deal at the end of March with Wham-O, creators of the Frisbee, to develop a game based on the classic flying disc.

Called Frisbee Forever, you’ll send your Frisbee flying using a flick gesture and then direct it through the 100 different levels using either tilt or touch controls. Each level is rendered in colorful 3D graphics and filled with targets to fly through and items to collect. There will also be 100 different styles of Frisbees to unlock, collect, and use in the game, as well as an assortment of achievements to earn.

Frisbee Forever looks pretty sweet so far, and I’m a total sucker for the bright, cartoonish look of the graphics. The game is already approved by Apple and is scheduled to release this Thursday. There is a discussion thread in our forums for Frisbee Forever where Kiloo has already announced that an additional snow-themed level pack is near completion as part of the game’s first update, along with Game Center integration for the current set of in-game achievements.

Frisbee Forever will launch with universal iPad and Retina Display support, and we’ll take another look at the game when it launches later this week.

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This weekend has seen a few notable App Store discounts. Here's a quick roundup of the stand-outs.

Ozone — $2.99 → Free, Ozone HD — $4.99 → Free [ review ]

Geardome is offering both the iPhone and iPad versions of Ozone [iPhone, iPad], their clever game of precision problem solving, at no cost for a limited time.

Ozone puts you in control of an inflatable ball that can be moved about various maze-like levels by way of touch-directed bursts of air. The goal is to collect all of the yellow orbs strewn about each of the game's more than 50 pseudo-3D levels in order to exit each maze. But there's more in each level than just yellow orbs. You must negotiate a wide variety of obstacles and enemies in order to make your way through each level. There are, among other things, moving traps, doors to unlock, weapons to collect and use, spikes to avoid, and end-bosses to contend with. A steel ball power-up renders your ball impervious to damage and able to plow through certain walls for a short period. Some pathways require you to deflate your ball in order to fit through, and then it's fingers-crossed that an air pump is just around the corner, because when you're out of air, you're out of luck. And those bursts of air that move you hither and yon — they're not freebies; each burst lowers your air level just a bit.

We reviewed Ozone a year ago and just loved it. I still consider it one of the most engrossing iOS games out there. Don't miss your chance to grab it for free.

Game Dev Story — $3.99 → $0.99 [ review ]

Kairosoft has dropped the price of their excellent Game Dev Story [App Store] in honor of their follow-up title, Hot Springs Story [App Store], which was released in late February.

In Game Dev Story you'll play the president of a fledgling game development company as you direct your crew of designers, artists, and coders in an effort to create a string of successful video games over a 20 year time period. Beyond just making games, you'll need to grow your own brand name by running a game convention booth, attending awards shows, advertising, and managing an ever-changing fan base. As your company expands, you'll have the opportunity to move into larger offices and hire a bigger team of employees, all of whom can be leveled up and trained (at the expense of  higher salaries) so as to create better games. If you really become a big company, and have employees with the right skill sets, you can even create your own console and compete with the well established big boys in the hardware game.

Tapper World Tour — $1.99 → $0.99, Tapper World Tour HD — $2.99 → $1.99 [ review ]

In celebration of a major expansion pack on the way, Warner Bros. has dropped the price of Tapper World Tour [iPhone, iPad] for a limited time.

Tapper World Tour is a remake of the 1983 arcade game Tapper that preserves the fast-paced action of the original while enhancing it and wrapping the entire package in the wonderful art of legendary animator Don Bluth.

Tapper World Tour has you playing as the quick-on-his-feet bartender Sam from the original game, or his equally capable daughter Nikki. Gameplay involves manning several bar counters at once and serving drinks to the patrons whom are slowly approaching the end of each bar. Dishing out drinks sends these folks back down the bar from which they came, and a level is complete when all patrons have been served and cleared out.

The game takes place across 11 different cities in 3 different countries, each with their own unique drinking establishments and customers. The game just oozes all sorts of personality, and it’s hard not to just sit back and enjoy what’s happening on the screen during play. If you were a fan of the original Tapper games or if you enjoy a good fast-paced arcade experience, then Tapper World Tour will satisfy.

Operation Wow — $0.99 → Free, Operation Wow HD — $1.99 → Free [ review ]

If you remember shoveling quarters into Taito's Operation Wolf back when you were a kid, you'll probably want to grab Ivanovich Games' loving tribute to the classic, Operation Wow [iPhone, iPad], while it's a freebie for a limited time.

Operation Wow has been lovingly crafted in the vein of Operation Wolf. The graphics have been drawn by hand giving it a cartoonish look, and the thin storyline of the original has been axed, but everything else about Operation Wowwill tickle your nostalgia bone if you were a fan of its inspiration. The 6 stages in the game follow the same themes as the arcade game, and there are similar enemy soldiers and vehicles like armored tanks and helicopters firing at you from just about every direction. Gameplay involves simply tapping to shoot, but Operation Wow takes advantage of multitouch allowing you to shoot up to 10 bullets simultaneously.

Operation Wow really succeeds at being a loving tribute to fans of the original game, but even if you’re unfamiliar with Operation Wolf it’s still a pretty solid arcade game in its own right.

Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone for iPad — $6.99 → $0.99

Inspired by Steve Purcell's comic series Sam & Max, Lucas Arts in 1993 released the SCUMM-based adventure Sam & Max Hit the Road to much critical acclaim. Sequels followed and the odd, starring duo gathered something of a cult following. Those in the cult may want to take a look at Telltale Games' take on the digital duo for the iPad, Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone [App Store] while it sits at such a major discount.

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Bummed that the Space Shuttle launch got scrubbed and need a pick-me-up? Have nothing to do this weekend? Are you totally out of iTunes credit and want a new game to play? Well, I have the solution to all three of these problems, and potentially any other problems you can cook up: Physics Gamebox [Free]

While you're waiting for the game to download (you are downloading it, aren't you?) you can check out our review. In a nutshell, Physics Gamebox comes packed with two incredibly popular games that got their start on various Flash game portals out there. Ragdoll Cannon has you shooting ragdolls at goals (and actually was the inspiration behind Ragdoll Blaster) as well as Roly-Poly Cannon which puts you in charge of firing your cannon at Roly-Poly bugs who have invaded. 300 levels in all are included, which should keep you busy for quite a while.

For more freebies, swing on over to AppShopper, or check out our price drops and freebies forum. It seems like there's always awesome stuff to be had for free (or very cheap).

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Earlier this week Epic Games reported that LucasArts signed a multi-year studio-wide licensing agreement to utilize Epic's awesome Unreal Engine 3 across multiple platforms. According to Epic Vice President Mark Rein, “LucasArts is now primed to capitalize on Unreal Engine 3’s ability to scale across platforms, from mobile, through PC and console all the way up to the next generation of games.”

Now, I'm not entirely sure just how excited to get about all of this. Epic Citadel [Free] and Infinity Blade [$5.99] have done a great job showing just what the Unreal Engine 3 can do on the iOS platform. Technically speaking, if games are developed in UE3 with multiple platforms in mind, targeting iOS devices could all be part of the same development process that would result in Xbox 360, PS3, and PC games. Rein does specifically mention mobile gaming too, and there's no disputing the fact that iOS is a main mobile platform currently.

However, LucasArts really has yet to get that involved in the world of iOS. Their App Store catalog is fairly barren, and only consists of Monkey Island remakes. I'd love to think that we're about to get a bucket of amazing LucasArts Unreal Engine 3-powered games dumped on the App Store, but if this is just being announced now, it will likely be quite a while before we see any of the projects utilizing this engine.

Keep your fingers crossed, iOS-owning LucasArts fans!

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Fishlabs' highly anticipated add-on to Galaxy On Fire 2 [$9.99 / Lite] recently hit the App Store, and is likely sitting in your pending updates listing if you already own the game. (Assuming of course you haven't already updated.) This update actually comes in two parts, a free component and the actual Valkyrieadd-on which is unlocked via a $4.99 in-app purchase.

In this update, everyone who owns Galaxy On Fire 2 will be granted access to three ships from the original Galaxy On Fire: The Phantom, Vol Noor, and Wraith. Also, you'll be able to get a personal space station to store multiple ships as well as all your loot, cargo, and other items that you want out of your ships' cargo holds.

The Valkyrie add-on picks up on Keith T. Maxwell's adventures, and is largely based around fan feedback. Aside from a new array of planets, ships, weaponry, and other equipment, there's also an entirely new extensively voiced over campaign. The repair robots and automated turrets sound particularly useful, and a new black market trading system will allow players to get even more involved in the galaxy's virtual economy.

For more information on our game, you can check out our review, the insanely active forum thread, or Fishlabs' own incredibly interesting developer diary for the whole add-on project. I've had a great time with Galaxy On Fire 2, and look forward to delving deeper into this new add-on. The cost of the game and this new add-on might seem expensive in App Store terms, but the amount of content in the original game and now this new add-on is nothing short of ridiculous. I'm not exaggerating at all by saying if Galaxy On Fire 2 sucks you in, it could keep you busy for months.

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Need more RPG fantasy action? Cool, because another big title based on these three things is now available for purchase on the App Store. The game I’m talking about here is Zenonia 3: The Midgard Story [$4.99], following Zenonia [$1.99 / Free] and Zenonia 2 [$1.99 / Free] as the third installment in the series.

This specific iteration offers a few new things — foremost being the “Fairy helper system,” which adds some additional depth to the leveling mechanic. There are also a total of four character classes, more special active and passive skills, as well as a new, more streamlined inventory and item management system. Oh, and if you’re down with some Words With Friends style asynchronous play, Zenonia 3 has that — there’s a special “Execution Room” which allows "co-op" play for loot, as well as PVP.

If you need a sense of what this game is about, check out this trailer. It's a little flashy, but there's some actual gameplay at the end:

The Zenonia games have always had a massive fan following on our forums, and the latest installment is no different. The thread has grown to an impressive size, and is worth checking out for the many impressions and gameplay tips left by readers.

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If you've never heard of The Impossible Game [99¢ / Free]] go ahead and take a minute to clear your schedule because your going to need some free time. Released just over a year ago on the App Store, The Impossible Game is a port of the highly popular Xbox Live Indie game under the same name. While it's a platformer by nature, there's one major difference about The Impossible Game that really makes stand out from the rest: As the title might suggest, this game is hard.

The game's graphics consist of only 2 shapes, squares and triangles. The Impossible Game won't win any awards in the graphics department it makes up for it with some of the most original platform gaming I've ever experienced. The gameplay is simple and straightforward and consists of a square that moves automatically through a level at a blazingly fast speed while you try to tap on the screen to make your square jump over and onto other squares, all while trying to avoid smashing into them head on.

When you fail (and you will) and hit a box or land on some spikes you will automatically start right back at the beginning of the level and start over from scratch. Luckily there is a practice mode which allows you to place flags down as you progress through the the level so you can restart from your last dropped flag, but what makes this game so "impossible" is to truly beat a level you must make it all the way through from start to finish with only one life.

Even though it looks like a simple platformer from the outside this game still feels unlike anything I've ever played before, due in part to the way the levels are setup with the boxes in some crazy configurations with some needing to be climbed like an endless staircase and the rest needing to be precisely timed with the perfect jump or release of the screen, all the while moving at sonic speed.

The music consists of catchy techno beats that really tie in the precision jumping with the the frantic gameplay to perfectly produce a platforming package that I've yet to experience anywhere else. Even after a couple hundred plays through, the music still felt like a critical part to beating the game and not once did I want to turn it off as it seems to really help you to time jumps to sections in the song.

Because of the difficulty of this game, If you find you have the patience to finally beat these levels you will truly feel you have accomplished something amazing in a video game… Even if the reward at the end of a level is lackluster to say the least.

Keep in mind it will get quite frustrating to beat a level in one life, but once you do, it will be burned into your memory for life as a result of (potentially) hundreds of retries. This may somewhat diminish the games replay value, but I still continue to pick it up from time to time to see if I've still got it. Regardless, the game comes standard with two levels, each of which should take you quite some time to beat. If you're looking for more there's also a 99¢ IAP level pack to add an additional two levels.

Sure The Impossible Game came out quite a while ago, but it's still a ton of fun. If you liked the game on the Xbox 360, you'll likely enjoy it just as much on the iPhone. Otherwise, if you're the kind of person who gets into brutally difficult games and doesn't mind endlessly retrying levels until you get it right, look no further than The Impossible Game.

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While PopCap Games is content to leave all unpleasantries to its 4th & Battery division, the good-hearted portion of the company is helping to enrich the life of 9-year old Owain Weinert, according to Kotaku. Partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who have a long history of helping children stricken with life-threatening illnesses to realize their dreams, PopCap has recruited young Owain as lead designer on an upcoming iOS game called Allied Star Police.

Allied Star Police is a sci-fi real-time strategy game where you play as a base commander who must deploy “automated battle machines” and “targeted ballistic ordnance” in an effort to fight of a race of aliens known as the Flamions. GameSetWatch reports that Owain, who was diagnosed with Leukemia last year, has been visiting the Seattle-based PopCap Games every week helping to create Allied Star Police. You can see one of these visits in a clip from Q13 Fox News who recently reported on the story (video is in Flash):

Allied Star Police is still under development and could be as much as a few months from releasing, and PopCap has stated that 100% of the proceeds from the game will go right back into the Make-A-Wish foundation. We wish Owain luck in his new endeavor as a game designer, and we’ll let you know when the game is released in the App Store. There is currently a thread discussing Allied Star Police in our forums, as well.

[Via Kotaku and GameSetWatch]

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