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.

During E3, Betehsda has not only announced Fallout 4 but also used the occasion to release Fallout Shelter, an iOS game focused on building your ideal underground vault. It’s a competitive genre in the App Store, but none of the other games are as atmospheric as Fallout Shelter (even though Tiny Death Star isn’t too shabby either). If you are a fan of the Fallout universe and you’re the proud owner of an iPhone or iPad, then you absolutely have to try this game out. The fact that it’s available for free makes this decision even easier. And compared to other town-bulding games, the free2play elements aren’t that bad here – you can progress quite a bit without having to spend any of your hard earned cash. Enjoy building your vault!

Color me surprised: Nintendo will enter the mobile market in 2015! A partnership with DeNA has been officially announced during a special press conference. If you’ve ever dreamed about playing Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and the likes on your iPhone and iPad, now is the time to rejoice! Unfortunately, it is not quite clear what IPs will hit the App Store and what kind of gameplay we can expect from these games. But if Nintendo does one thing right, it’s fun, addictive and polished gameplay – therfore, I’m rather confident that we’ll see some great games being published that are going to be a great addition to any gaming collection. If you ask me, the turn based Pokemon games would be great fun to play on iOS devices. Let’s wait and see what Nintendo will announce in the near future. But whatever it is, please let it be full fledged “core-experiences” (for lack of a better word). Fingers crossed.

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!

If you like fighting games, you must have already heard of Mortal Kombat. It’s arguably one of the best beat-’em-up series out there and without a doubt one of the most controversial as well, due to its very graphic nature. The first Mortal Kombat was released in 1992 and the series has since seen many releases on almost any platform under the sun. It’s great news that the newest entry, Mortal Kombat X, is not only released on the current console generation, but also available for your iPhone and iPad. Let me point out though, that this game isn’t a port – it’s more like a reimagination for touchscreen devices, based on the assets of the console version. In my eyes, that’s a good thing though, because touchscreens just can’t offer the kind of feedback and precision necessary for controlling a fast paced and complex beat-’em-up.

Mortal Kombat X is avaliable on the App Store for free, it looks gorgeous and therefore I highly recommend you go and check it out. However, if you like your beat-’em-ups a little more oldschool with classic controls, why don’t you have a look at the excellent Street Fighter IV or Street Fighter X Tekken? Decisions, decisions!

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.

If you are old enough to remember Frogger, you know exactly what to expect from Crossy Road. In case you don’t remember Frogger, think of the title “Crossy Road” as a literal representation of the gameplay. I know, I know – corssing roads doesn’t sound like fun at all, right? Wrong! Crossy Road has just the right amount of polish to its somewhat whimsical presentation and controlling your litte character on screen feels tight and responsive. In the end, you only have to answer one question: Haven’t you always wanted to help Doge cross the street? If your response is “wow”, then there’s exactly two things you should do: First, watch the trailer above, showcasing several in game characters and second, go and download Crossy Road from the App Store – it’s free and universal, meaning you can enjoy it on your iPhone and iPad alike.