Titan Quest is a hack ‘n’ slash game that was originally released for PCs in 2006. Its gameplay is similar to Diablo, but the game takes place in the ancient world (Greece, Egypt, Asia). Titan Quest was well received by critics and gamers alike, so I hope that the current developer DotEmu, who is responsible for the iOS port, manages to translate the classic keyboard and mouse controls to intuitive touchscreen controls. If that’s the case, then we’re all in for a real treat!

Like I mentioned, Titan Quest is a classic hack ‘n’ slash game at heart, therefore you can expect light role-playing elements, item hunting, character customization and slashing through hordes of enemies. Playing the game you will be thinking to yourself “I’ll clear just one more dungeon” and before you know it, another two hours have passed. The developers are currently aiming to release the game late this year and it will cost less than 10$ – not bad for a game that was released as a full price title back in 2006!

If you are into games in general, then there’s absolutely no way you haven’t yet heard about Bastion, Supergiant Games’ debut title that was originally released on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade title. Bastion featured a really unique way of narrating the player’s actions throughout the whole game and offered an equally unique and beautiful art direction. No wonder the game became a huge success, was ported to nearly any and all platforms available (including iOS – you can find it on the App Store) and developed quite the fan base.

Why am I telling you all this? Because Transistor is Supergiant Games’ follow up title and many players had high hopes for this game. Did Transistor manage to meet all of these expactations? Well yes and no. Yes, because the game features yet again an incredible art direction, superb (and I really do mean superb!) soundtrack and a great narrative. However, its gameplay can’t really be compared to Bastion’s and some players didn’t quite like that. Personally, I think Transistor’s turn based combat is more nuanced than what Bastion had to offer and, most importantly now that the games is available on iOS, is more suited to touchscreen inputs. Additionally, I really like the fact that Supergiant Games tried to evelop something new and unique, rather than simply copying Bastion’s formula to success.

If you like games with a unique art style and an incredible soundtrack (just listen while you watch the trailer) – check out Transistor, it might be one of the best games available on the App Store right now.

Gemini Rue is one of my absolute favorite adventure games on iOS. If you’re old enough, it will remind you of the classic LucasArts games from the ’90s, like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis or Day of the Tentacle. Oh what great games (and times) those were! And if you’re a fan of games with a gripping story and a dense atmosphere, look no further: Gemini Rue has a real Blade Runner vibe going on. The story offers quite a bit of mystery and room for speculation, you will always be guessing how the characters are related to each other and what might happen next. The difficulty is great, it’s demanding but doesn’t feel unfair and (for the most part) the puzzles are solvable by using your mind rather than trial and error. Like I said: I really like this game. If you’re a fan of old-school point-and-click adventures, you owe it to yourself to get Gemini Rue for your iPhone or iPad.

Describing Device 6, the Apple Design Award winning game by Simogo, is not an easy task. Which is funny, because the game itself relies heavily on the written word. If I had to describe Device 6 with as little words as possible, I’d call it a “modernized text adventure”. It’s a thrilling experience with a gripping narration that really asks for your attention to detail in order to progress. The game is available on the App Store for quite some time now, but since we haven’t yet talked about it here on TapArena, it was about time we introduce you to this “game”.

Compared to what one expects from classic video games, Device 6 is a real oddball. You don’t have direct control over a character and you won’t be doing much that resembles traditional gameplay. Instead, you’ll get tiny pictures which complement the various paragraphs of text you’ll be reading. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, but I can tell you that you will find out how a character progresses thorugh various rooms in order to piece together a bigger picture. With Device 6, Simogo continue their track record of releasing highly polished games with an incredible art style and a unique premise. It’s something new, it’s something great, it’s something you shouldn’t miss out on!

This War Of Mine is a game you won’t forget. The developer, 11bitstudios, actually doesn’t really like to call This War Of Mine a game, because games usually are meant to be fun – and that’s not quite the case here. You get to experience war from a different angle than what you’re used to: You aren’t a soldier, you are a mere civilian, trying to survive in a city that is besieged and about to collapse. Clean water, food, medical supplies – things that we take for granted are suddenly so scarce that you will have to make some very tough decisions while trying to obtain these resources. Not to mention that you have to constantly watch your back. You never know whether any person that you meet along the way is going to be friendly or not – these people are struggling to survive as well, after all.

If all of this sounds very bleak to you, than you have a good a idea of what to expect from This War Of Mine. After all, it was the developer’s intention to make you really reflect upon the terrible situations people will have to face during times of war. The game was released last year for pc and is currently being ported to iOS. A release date is not yet announced, so keep an eye on upcoming news!

In my mind, there is no doubt: BioShock is one of – if not the – best game of the last console generation. And it’s currently on sale on the App Store for $2.99. BioShock is the spiritual successor of System Shock 1&2, released in 1994 and 1999. System Shock was truly ahead of its time and offered a great setting and atmosphere, but was a bit held back by the technical limitations back then (at least System Shock 1 – the controls were pretty crazy). Although I really like the System Shock premise, I believe that BioShock presented the most atmospheric setting ever: Rapture. An underwater city, built by and for the brightest minds of the world, who want to break free of the shackles that are artificially imposed upon them by their government or for religious reasons. “No Gods or Kings. Only Man.”. It’s a first person shooter at heart, although it does have some sort of RPG layer on top of the shooting mechanics: Plasimds. Plasmids are genetic mutations that you will be able to find and/or buy throughout the game that will give you a wide variety of abilities: Shooting fireballs, lightning bolts or summoning insect swarms. It’s great fun experimenting what tactics work with different weapon/plasmid combos.

Unfortunately, the iOS port of BioShock has suffered quite a bit of a graphics downgrade. This does hurt the atmosphere a little bit and you will notice that this game wasn’t developed with touch controls in mind. However: It’s still an incredible game at its core and if the setting intrigues you just a little bit, I can’t recommend BioShock enough. And for $2.99 it’s an absolute steal.

Gameloft was one of the very first developers who really tried to push the envelope when it came to creating App Store games that aspired to be like full blown console games. And while one might not like the freemium trend (I think the word “trend” might not even apply anymore: Freemium is here to stay) that Gameloft tends to follow nowadays, or the fact that most Gameloft games are quite obviously inspired by some of gaming’s biggest IPs, I do believe that Gameloft played a vital role in making iOS gaming as big as it is today.

Looking at Dungeon Hunter 5, I guess you can find all the positive and negative qualities I have just described – depending on what you’re preferences are when it comes to playing games on your iPhone or iPad. Dungeon Hunter 5 is a top-down action RPG, very much in the spirit of Diablo, the genres most prominent entry developed by Acitvision Blizzard. If you watch the trailer above closely, you will most likely find quite a few similarities, especially the environments remind me a lot about Diablo 3 – but actually, when it comes to the visuals, it seems like there’s also some Torchlight 2 DNA in there.
But enough with the comparisons – the Dungeon Hunter series has so far been quite enjoyable, so if the trailer intrigued you and you like the premise of action RPGs, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t head over to the App Store and download Dungeon Hunter 5 in order to give it a try – it’s free, after all.

Please excuse the poor worldplay, but it actually fits the game – in a very charming way. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was originally released as an Xbox exclusive way back in 2005 (sounds weird to say Xbox without 360 or One following it, doesn’t it?). And while there’s a good chance that you’ve never heard of the game’s main protagonist, the bounty hunter Stranger, I’m sure you’re familiar with Oddworlds most prominent inhabitant: Abe. Yep, same developer, same universe. And while Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee will always have a special place in my heart, it’s safe to say that Oddword: Stranger’s Wrath is an outstanding game on its own right.

Unlike the Oddworld games with Abe as the main Protagonist, Stranger’s Wrath is a third person action adventure (with some first person features). The game was highly praised by the critics back then, and one of the reasons was its varied gameplay: You’ll spend your time traveling, platforming, climbing and sneaking – all the while using melee and ranged weapons to defend yourself. Stranger’s Wrath really is fun to play, its atmosphere sucks you right in and I’m sure you’ll have a hard time putting your iPhone or iPad down. Get it!

Ah, the good old days. Icewnind Dale makes me remember them. The days, when computer games didn’t care that their complexity requires you to study a handbook with dozens of pages. The days, when you even died during the tutorial level because you had no real grasp of the game mechanics and there wasn’t a popup window every ten seconds explaining you exactly where to click next. Quite a few gamers miss those days. Occasionally, I miss them as well. And that’s when you realize: Holy moly, there’s Icewind Dale on the App Store!

Icewind Dale is a classic role playing game, based on the Dungeons & Dragons system. It uses the same engine as Baldur’s Gate 2, considered by many to be one of the very best RPGs ever created. Both Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale are available on the App Store as “Enhanced Editions”. It is debatable, whether or not the term “Enhanced” really fits. There aren’t really that many changes compared to the original game, but on the other hand, that’s also a good thing. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? I’d say that the most important enhancements are technical aspects, and Beamdog, the development team behind the Enhanced Editions, handled that pretty well with this release.

Beware though: Icewind Dale was never meant to be played on the go in short bursts, this game really requires you to devote some time if you want to get the most out of it. But if you are willing to do just that, I can pretty much almost guarantee that you’ll have an incredible time with this game!

When it comes to Monument Valley, all I can think about are adjectives: Elegant. Polished. Beautiful.
There are many puzzle games on the App Store, but Monument Valley really is one of a kind. I can’t pinpoint its greatness down to a single feature, it’s more like a synergy effect that turns this game into so much more than the sum of its parts. The art direction is flawless and in combination with the sound and music it creates a very distinct atmosphere.

However, as much as I like Monument Valley, it is not without fault. Maybe it’s just me (I like my puzzle games to be challenging), but I thought the game was too easy. The game’s visuals might be mind-bending, but the diffculty is not. Rather than figuring out a path for the protagonist, it’s more like guiding her through the levels. Don’t get me wrong, this is in no way dealbreaking – some people might even prefer this kind of gameplay compared to a more challenging approach, especially if they play on their iPhone and iPad. It just pushes the game more towards the audiovisual experience genre. But what a great experience it is, so go and grab Monument Valley on the App Store as soon as you can!