Among the best things in life is playing printed games in person with family and close friends. When those are not convenient we like iOS Board Games.
News, reviews, previews, and opinions about board gaming on iPhones, iPads, iPods and even Android devices. (iPhone board games, iPad board games, iPod board games, Android board games)
Hacienda HD Getting Very Close to Submission We've learned from Cube Your Mind that Hacienda HD, the iOS implementation of Wolfgang Kramer's Hacienda, is very near submission to the App Store. A final version was sent to testers last week. Cube Your Mind had hoped to submit the app to Apple by this past weekend. More info to come soon.
Skotos Info Update Checking with Shannon from Skotos we've learned that Reiner Knizia's Money will be updated with GameCenter leaderboards, Elo rankings, and achievements, including "quests" (harder ways to win) in about 2 or 3 weeks. Each other Skotos app will also receive leaderboards, Elo rankings, and achievements (but not quests yet) every one or two weeks after Money. Reiner Knizia's Masters Gallery should release in Q2 (June), Eric Vogel's Armorica in Q3 and Reiner Knizia's King Arthur Card Game in Q4.
Uwe Eickert Says Strike of the Eagle and 1812 Coming to iPad Uwe Eickert, founder of Academy Games was recently interviewed at Wargamer.com. In the interview Mr. Eickert states that Strike of the Eagle and 1812: The Invasion of Canada are being developed in HTML5 format for both computers and iPads.
Big Daddy's Creations Improving Neuroshima Hex Login Procedure A tweet from Big Daddy's Creations says that they are testing an optimized login procedure and that it works really smoothly, apparently taking about three seconds. Not yet sure when we'll see the update, but as usual, Big Daddy's appears to be listening to its fans like the developer they love.
Updates for Conquest! Medieval Realms Coming Over on TouchArcade Slitherine has reported on upcoming updates for Conquest! Medieval Realms. Among improvements are a save feature that is now in and being tested, resolving memory issues, a pinch zoom that is not yet working as well as they'd like, harder difficulty settings, and some other things. Slitherine is planning to submit the update this week.
App Releases
Free version of Total War Battles: Shogun Released Sega has announced that a free version of Total War Battles: Shogun is now available to download from the App Store. It is a "demo" version with five missions from the main game. You can get it on the App Store now.
Sing Something the Game Released You've heard of Draw Something. Now a developer named CUKETA brings you Sing Something the Game. In Sing Something you sing a song from a selected category and your friend guesses what song it is. You both get coins for the correct answer. Repeat. You all better hope Brad does not start posting solicited Sing Something clips. The app can obtained for free from the App Store.
App Updates
Nightfall Updated Playdek has updated Nightfall to version 1.0.1. The update includes improved tutorial flow and text, improved rule book text and layout, improved interface presentation and some minor bug fixes. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Forbidden Island Updated Button Mash Games has updated Forbidden Island to version 1.1.1. The update includes corrections to the number of sandbag cards in the treasure deck, improvements to the tutorial steps, and more. Check out the full details on the App Store.
Draw Lively Updated Developer Sunny Orange Software aims to make a better draw-and-guess game app experience. The Draw Lively app which features online drawing & guessing for up to 6 players, rooms to play and chat with friends, and viewing, sharing, and replaying a history of drawings has been updated to version 2.0. The update includes support for iPad, more colors and better performance overall. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
Assassin's Creed Recollection Updated UbiSoft has updated Assassin's Creed Recollection to version 1.10.11. The updated includes a fix to Uplay connection problems, improved Market navigation, and fixes Targeted Abilities (Gameplay). You can check out the details on the App Store.
Best Board Games Updated It's just Ludo and Snakes and Ladders but Joe Pitto has updated Best Board Games to version 2.0. The update includes vs AI, "play in pairs" team Ludo, a re-programmed engine, and re-drawn graphics. You can get it on the App Store for $0.99.
Hot Deals
Quado Drops Price on Mexican Train to Free Quado Media is a developer working a feature of apps that not many developers seem to be paying attention to right now. Quado's specialty is apps that use iPhone/Touch as a "hand" for hidden information and the iPad for the "board" of shared information like you would when playing a print board game. Few apps do this. EA's Scrabble is one that we know of. Comment here if you know more. Quado has now dropped the price on one of their first apps, Quado Mexican Train Dominoes, from $2.99 to free. So if you have an iPad and some friends with iPhone/Touches you can try out their app that plays in "console mode" with a main board and hidden domino hands. Expect to hear more from this developer in the future. Get Mexican Train now for free on the App Store and pick up the "hand" app, Mexican Tray for free as well.
Mother Lode Price Dropped to Free Over the holiday weekend, Order of Magnitude Games dropped the price of its Survive-inspired app to free. We've heard that this current sale is not likely to happen again for a while so get it while you can. Additionally, the developer has also noted that they are working on their second game. If it does well enough to keep them in business then they will come back to Mother Lode, revamp the art and sound, and add more gameplay options. You can get Mother Lode for free right now on the App Store.
Interesting Links
Tin Man Games to Bring Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks to iOS and Android Tin Man Games, maker of gamebook adventure apps where you choose your own adventure and battle with dice, made a simple two word announcement on their web site last week: Fighting Fantasy. A press release from Tin Man that appeared on Gamasutra states that Tin Man will develop Blood of the Zombies, the long-awaited Fighting Fantasy gamebook from Ian Livingstone, written to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and 30 years of Fighting Fantasy. The app will be released simultaneously alongside the printed book being published by Icon Books in August 2012. Using their critically acclaimed gamebook engine, Tin Man Games will also be bringing a number of the other Fighting Fantasy books to iOS and Android, with Steve Jackson’s House of Hell slated as the second release later in the year.
OLO Game Releasing May 31st Developer Sennep describes OLO as a social board game of skill and strategy. A board gamer description might include comparisons to Crokinole or perhaps Bocce. It's a dexterity game where the object is to get and keep your discs of different sizes (and thus different physics) in your opponent's zone. The app features two player, four player and online multiplayer as well. An HTML5 web app of the game can also be obtained for free by visiting the OLO web site from an iPad or iPhone.
Teaser Video for Magic: The Gathering Duel of the Planeswalkers 2013 Wizards of the Coast has released a teaser video for Magic: The Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. It should be noted that the graphics in the video are probably from the PC or console version and the iPad version could very well look different. Still, we like the direction this is taking.
Magnifico and Inkognito Coming to iOS As reported by Eric on BGG News, designer Spartaco Albertarelli has announced that he's working on an iPad version of Magnifico. Another effort from Italy has Dario de Toffoli announcing that Studiogiochi and iNigma are working on an iPad version of Inkognito as well.
Think - Mindpath and San Juan Coming from Ravensburger Digital In a short interview with Thomas at Ravensburger Digital (to be posted soon), we learned that their next app will be Reiner Knizia Think - Mindpath in June and followed a few weeks later by Andreas Seyfarth's San Juan.
Le Havre Info Update Chris from Codito dropped by BGG to let everyone know that testing on Le Havre for iOS Universal has been going very well and they are honing in a release date which could be late June for the much anticipated app.
App Releases
Sword and Poker Back in the App Store With Sequel We're not sure if we remember why the original Sword & Poker disappeared from the App Store, but now it's back and with its sequel to boot. Sword & Poker 2(WW) is a fusion of Poker and an RPG. You play cards from your hand to grid of cards to make poker hands to defeat monsters. You can check out the new app ($3.99) or the original ($2.99) on the app store. There's even a lite version you can check out for free.
Empire of the Eclipse Released ZarkSoft has released Empire of the Eclipse, an MMO 4X space game app three years in the making. In this app you will compete against up to 1,369 other players to establishing an interstellar empire and use diplomacy, economic acumen and conquest to thrive and win. The game is free to play, but ZarkSoft insists that the game is "play to win" not "pay to win" like other freemium apps. In our last post, we did determine that there victory conditions, three different ways to win (military, economic, exploration) so games do end with a winner. It could be you. You can check it out on the App Store where it can be downloaded for free.
LostStar Tactics Released James Pawliuk has released LostStar Tactics, the follow-up to 2011's Tactical Warrior. LostStar Tactics is a strategy RPG in which your small band of warriors have crash landed on a dangerous planet and must use tactics to explore and survive. The app featurs quick turn-based battles, card deck-building, custom party building and skill assignment and more. You can pick it up in the App Store for $1.99.
Autumn Dynasty Released Bulkypix and Touch Dimensions have released Autumn Dynasty. It is a real time strategy war game, but we wanted to mention it here because the art and style of the game really caught our eye. It is like a traditional Chinese painting come to life. And perhaps that somehow seemed "table-toppy" enough to us. Gameplay features a very elegant selection and command of troops by touch and swipe gestures that were built with the iPad in mind, therefore the app is available for iPad only. You can pick it up on the App Store for $4.99.
App Updates
Legion of the Damned Updated Offworld Games has updated Legion of the Damned to version 1.1. The update brings Retina graphics and an ingame hex inspector. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Neuroshima Hex Updated Big Daddy's Creations has updated Neuroshima Hex to version 2.0.1. The update is a quick-turnaround fix to improve push-notifications and server stability. We've learned in a recent BGG post that Big Daddy's plans to add a Game Center friend list with the next update. The update could could be completed in two week plus Apple review time. You can check it out on the App Store.
Just Say It! – Taboo like party game Updated AlterMind has updated Just Say It! – Taboo like party game to version 1.3. The update includes new settings for round times, sound toggle, a new How To Play view and more. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Draw Something by OMGPOP Updated OMGPOP has updated Draw Something to version 1.6.8. The updated includes new high resolution graphics, better password recovery, new loading screen and more. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Words With Friends Updated Zynga has updated Words With Friends to version 4.13. The update includes better notifications, opponent nudging, performance and stability improvements and more. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Guess the Person? HD Updated Richard Buckingham has updated Guess the Person? HD to version 1.1. The update includes online 2 player mode using Game Center, easy, normal and hard difficulty settings, added compatibility for older devices including iPhone 3G and iPod 2nd Gen, and other minor tweaks and improvements. Guess the Person is based on the children's mystery face board game Guess Who? You check out the full details on the App Store.
Hot Deals
Dungeon Crawlers Price Dropped to Free Ayopa games has dropped the price on their Ghostbuster-joke-cracking turn-based dungeon crawler app known simply as Dungeon Crawlers. The app is now simply free for the first time ever. You can get it on the App Store right now!
New World Colony Updated and Free Erik Asmussen was able to apply a quick fix to version 4.27 of new World Colony. The Issue with Social Zone that had been prompting for login on each app launch, and becoming non-responsive was fixed. Additionally, the app was made free as well. So go get it on the App Store now.
Interesting Links
Sentinels Sidekick Released Sentinels Sidekick has just released by Handelabra Studio. Sentinels Sidekick is a helper app for Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative fixed-deck card game in which your comic book heroes protect the multiverse. The app helps you keep track of the hitpoints of all targets in the game, including Heroes, Villains, Minions, Environment cards, and more. You can get it on the App Store for $0.99.
Neuroshima Hex Updated With Async and More By now you probably know that Big Daddy's Creations has released version 2.0, the much anticipated update to it's flagship app Neuroshima Hex!. And of course the big news is that this update features asynchronous online multiplayer or async as we like to call it. The app has been redesigned from the ground up with new game engine. Also included in the update is new iPad Retina support, chat, profiles and avatars, better tutorial, fast forwards, better undo and quite a bit more. And to celebrate the monumental release Big Daddy's has dropped prices on all BDC apps across the board.
Army of Frogs: Free Caylus: $2.99 Neuroshima Hex: $2.99 Neuroshima Hex - every army (IAP): $0.99 Neuroshima Hex Puzzle: $0.99
King of Dragon Pass Info Update David Dunham, lead developer at A Sharp, LLC working on King of Dragon Pass for iOS reported last week that there isn’t a lot of progress to report on the Universal build of King of Dragon Pass. Apparently their artist wasn’t able to complete the work and they have arranged for another artist. They are still making a Universal build for the app as a free update.
App Releases
The Bluecoats: North vs South Released French publisher Anuman Interactive and developer released The Bluecoats: North vs South for iOS Universal a couple of weeks back and we failed to mention it. The app is a turn-based strategy title covering the the US Civil War. It is described as a "remastered version of the North & South game released in 1989 by Infogames." As you command either the North or the South you capture states, assault enemy forts, and defend ports that bring in reinforcements. As you move across the US in a strategic turn-based fashion you are then presented with one of three mini-games along the way like armed battles in real time, shoot-outs, and horseback train chases. These mini-games appear to be more "video-gamey" and action oriented, but the app does promise the presentation of strategic choices within. The app offers multiplayer locally on one iPad or online on two with matchmaking. The app is priced at $3.99 on the App Store.
Party Doodles Released Cerebral Gardens has released Party Doodles. The app attempts to bring a drawing and guessing parlor game to your iPad and Apple TV. You get rid of the chalkboards and easels and ultimately replace them with your finger, and iPad or perhaps even your big screen HD TV with its AirPlay mirroring feature. The app supports two teams with up to 10 players on each team. Answers are provided in 3 difficulty levels. You can then share your masterpieces online through Facebook and Twitter so that those drunken scrawls will be remembered and giggled about for some time to come. You can pick it up on the App Store for free.
Social Matching - Play with your favorite social networks Released The Clash Soft has released Social Matching - Play with your favorite social networks for the iPad. It is basic Memory but with photos from your social networks. The app features four modes of play: Classic, Time Attack, Offline multiplayer (up to 4 players on the same device) and Online multiplayer (Game Center account is necessary). You can pick it up for free on the App Store.
Rage of Bahamut Released Mobage has released Rage of Bahamut for iPhone. The app is a port of an Android app that has apparently grossed quite well on Google Play. The app is a two-player TCG card battler where you control of one of three parties: men, gods, and demons, drawing powers from hundreds of unique cards you collect through play. You can play single player or against purportedly "1.5 million" online opponents on the developer's multiplayer platform. We don't have many details on game play, but the app is available on the App Store right now for free.
App Updates
Conquest! Medieval Realms Updated Slitherine Software has updated Conquest! Medieval Realms to version 1.1. The update includes memory fixes, fix on save progress in Conquest mode, improved UI, victory condition adjustment and more. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
Khet and Khet 2x Updated Schogini Systems has update both Khet and Khet 2x to version 4.0. The update includes all new graphics, a brand new interface, several bug fixes, and several new features including cross compatibility across Android, iPad, and iPhone. You can check out the details on the App Store for both Khet for iPhone and Khet 2x for iOS Universal.
Siegecraft Updated Crescent Moon Games has updated its Crossbows and Catapults-inspired Siegecraft to version 1.1.0. The update includes iPad Retina update rendering 3D at full native Retina resolution for the new iPad, bug fixes, memory tweak, and more. You can check out the details on the App Store.
New World Colony Updated But Perhaps Hold Off Erik Asmussen has updated New World Colony to version 4.26. The update includes the addition of Viximo Social Zone, allowing players to invite friends from existing social networks and send messages to each other, rule updates, and bug fixes. But Erik says users may want to hold off on this update due to a bug in the social zone login screen. A fix has been submitted. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Gobang Social Updated Kwalee has updated their five-in-row abstract strategy app to version 1.6. The update includes Facebook improvements, in-game score display, bug fixes, and usability tweaks. You can check out all the details on the App Store.
Hot Deals
Ticket To Ride Pocket Goes Free As of this writing Ticket to Ride Pocket is free in the App Store. The occasion for the price drop is that Ticket to Ride appeared on the latest episode of TableTop. TableTop is a board game playing show hosted by celebrity geek Wil Wheaton on the Youtube Geek & Sundry channel. We recommend at least scanning through the video, especially to see what happens at 23:08. You can pick up Ticket to Ride Pocket for free right now on the App Store.
Interesting Links
Autumn Dynasty Coming Soon Okay, this is real time strategy, but it looks damn interesting! Feast your eyes on Touch Dimension's upcoming Autumn Dynasty with its beautiful oriental ink-on-paper graphics and the elegant "brush stroke" paradigm of commanding thousands of soldiers at once to bravely face death. We thought it was pretty visually striking with intriguing game play. This one is set to release soon. As of Friday it was awaiting approval by Apple, so it could be out this week. You can read more about Autumn Dynasty at Touch Dimension's site.
PocketTactics Interviews Slitherine Over at PocketTactics Owen interviews Slitherine's JD McNeil as he easily defends Battle Academy's quality-inspired premium price point.
Scotland Yard Released Hot off of winning the Deutscher Computerspielpreis for The aMAZEing Labyrinth, Ravensburger Digital isn't slowing down. They have just released none other than 1983's Spiel Des Jahres winner, Scotland Yard, for iOS Universal. This release marks another family-friendly modern classic board game app for Ravensburger which now has a total of five modern board game adaptations to iOS in the App Store. Early looks at the app are so far showing a quality filled approach, with this one ticking a lot of iOS board game feature boxes like good tutorial, slick and intuitive UI, various multiplayer modes including Game Center and bluetooth/WiFI, AI, chat, and even some rarely used premium features like voice chat. The app is launch priced at $4.99. You can pick it up on the App Store.
Master of Maya Released Kaasa solution has released Master of Maya, a free to play head-to-head real time card battler CCG for iOS. Of course we're not sure about this one. Apparently it has a predecessor which back in 2007 claimed to be the world's first mobile TCG and was clearly designed for mass market appeal. You can download it for free on the App Store.
The Latest News
Cities and Knights Info Update USM says that the upcoming Cities and Knights Update to Catan is in the final phase of beta. There is a lot of fine tuning of the AI going on. USM wants to make sure the AI makes use of all the new rules that C&K brings to Catan. They are also tuning the AI difficulty levels to please beginners and advanced Catan players alike. They say they will let everyone know when the testing is complete.
Empire of the Eclipse Coming Soon Empire of the Eclipse is an upcoming MMO 4X space game app being developed by Zarksoft. We'll admit that we initially looked past this for our audience. It was the first M in MMO, which stands for "massively", that scared us off. Maybe it's the board gamer in us, but we're not too keen on games without endings. My early impressions, however, were wrong. Recently, we've been in contact with Lee from Zarksoft and seen the overview video. It's at 1:56 in the video where the narrator utters some magic words:
Quote:
Your empire may achieve victory through military conquest, economic superiority, or by harnessing advanced technologies.
The music of "multiple paths to victory" chimed out for us at that point and we were ready to take EotE back in as a title we'll anticipate. Who cares if you'll be competing against 1,369 other players? Multiple games will be occurring simultaneously and games will take months to complete. We know this scares some gamers, but it sounds very intriguing and strategically rich. Take heart in the fact that the app has been three whole years in the making. You will only have to wait until May 24th to see for yourself what it is all about. Check out the overview video:
App Updates
Fealty Updated Asmadi Games has updated Fealty to version 1.1. The update includes background music, UI enhancements, and bug fixes. Asmadi says they are continuing to work on enhancing multiplayer GameCenter support, and are planning to bring a Fealty expansion pack with new pieces in the coming months. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Rune Raiders Updated Retro64 has updated their quick-playing tactical dungeon crawler to version 1.03. The update includes a new character: Idaho Smith; five new missions, three new monsters, a new boss, survival mode improvements and scoring changes, and more. It appears they even updated the app icon. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Hot Deals
Codito Drops Prices Chris dropped by to let us know that all Codito apps (except Puerto Rico) will go on sale from Thursday trough Sunday and priced at just $0.99. Check out Medici, Ra, Tikal, and Tigris & Euphrates on the App Store.
Return of the Fallen Price Drop Playdek wants you all to know that in celebration of the success of the in-app expansion, Ascension: Return of the Fallen, they are is temporarily dropping the price to $1.99. They also want you to know if Ascension is running in the background, the observed price will not get updated. They recommend players end the background process and re-launch the game. Playdek is currently working on a fix this issue. You can get Ascension on the App Store, if you haven't already.
Time of Heroes Now Free smuttlewerk interactive has dropped the price of their turn-based strategy app, Time of Heroes. For a limited time it is now free. You can pick it up on the App Store.
Wit Gomoku HD Price Drop After the iPhone version went on sale a couple of days ago, ZASoft has now dropped the price of their five-in-a-row abstract strategy iPad app to $0.99. You can pick up Wit Gomoku on the App Store.
Neuroshima Hex Online Multiplayer Update Submitted Big Daddy's Creations has finally submitted their update that will add asynchronous online multiplayer to Neuroshima Hex. The new update will also include new ipad Retina support, chat, a better tutorial, a new game engine, and much more. We estimate that the update will probably be available early next week. You can read all about it on Big Daddy's Creation's Neuroshima Hex site.
Here are some screen shots:
Scotland Yard to Release Soon Scotland Yard will soon be released by Ravensburger Digital...and by soon we mean by this Thursday! Scotland Yard is the 1983 Spield Des Jahres winning game of cat and mouse, where players try to find the elusive Mr. X by traveling around London via taxi, bus, and tube. The iOS Universal app will feature support from 1-6 players, AI, multiplayer through pass and play, WiFi/bluetooth, and online through Game Center, a tutorial, Retina support and more. Somebody from Ravensburger posted quite a bit of details on it in the Press Releases forum and you can read more there.
Here are some screen shots:
Legion of the Damned Update Submitted This past weekend Offworld Games submitted version 1.1 of their hex turn based strategy game Legion of the Damned. The update will include support for retina display graphics. Look for it in the App Store soon.
App Releases
BattleCON Released Brad Talton and Level 99 Games has released BattleCON. It's an iOS adaption of the head-to-head fighting card game BattleCON: War of Indines by the same designer and publisher. You can read all about it in our review or just download for free directly on the App Store.
Elf Ludo Released Artex Studios has released an elf-themed Ludo app appropriately called Elf Ludo. You can check it out on the App Store.
App Updates
Forbidden Island Updated Button Mash Games have updated Matt Leacock's Forbidden Island to version 1.1. The update includes a plethora of improvements including one new island shape and 10 more available through in-app-purchase, new achievements, better Facebook and Twitter integration, improved launch time to start games and more. On Monday, we did learn that there was a temporary problem with the in-app-purchase, but were assured by the developer that it should be enabled anytime now. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
Imperial Updated Javelin just keeps working at this app, with the promise of online multiplayer coming some day, but not quite yet. In the meantime the app has been updated to version 1.3. The update includes Tweeting your score, ownership change popup, funding countries from your treasury, a feedback button, and various other improvements. The app is playable at present, but the $9.99 price tag may have some waiting still for online multiplayer which is promised for the next update along with enhancements to the AI. You can check out the details of the present update on the App Store.
Hero Academy Updated Robot Entertainment has updated Hero Academy to version 1.2.2. The update includes faster initial game loading, a fix to memory crashes on the iPad and Touch, and various fixes. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
StoryLines Updated Root-One has updated StoryLines, its Eat Poop You Cat-like app, to version 4.0. The update includes in-app-purchases of colors and brush sizes. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Jungle War (Dark Chess) Updated Brisk Ideas has updated Jungle War (Dark Chess) to version 1.1. The update includes new leaderboards, new achievements, bug fixes and minor UI and graphics improvements. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
Wit Gomoku Updated ZASoft has updated their Wit Gomoku app for iPhone to version 2.0.1. The update includes the addition of Game Center. You can check it out on the App Store.
Gobang Social by Kwalee Updated Another five-in-a-row app is Kwalee's Gobang Social. This app has been updated to version 1.5. The update includes new direct feedback, better Facebook integration, and bug fixes. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Pwnz! Updated Pwnz! is another Ludo-type app. This one has online multiplayer features like async and chat. Developer Captain IT has updated it to version 1.02. The update includes new add friend by name, rematch option, new sound notifications, and minor bug fixed and improvements. You can check it out on the App Store.
Interesting Links
NECA/WizKids, Icarus Studios Announce Heroclix TabApp™ For iPad Today National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) and WizKids announced the HeroClix TabApp™, an upcoming action-based iPad game, and the first in the TabApp™ series, integrating physical miniature toys with digital arenas. HeroClix TabApp™ is set for release this fall.
The gist is that physical miniatures are placed on the iPad device, the “digital game board.” Utilizing Icarus Studio’s xScape Platform figure recognition technology, exclusive content and game maps are unlocked based on the miniature selected. Players then move along the virtual board and take part in battle. Features will reportedly include a dozen physical super hero miniatures, 50+ virtual enemy figures, over two dozen digital maps, real-time combat.
The HeroClix TabApp™ is expected to release this October and will be free for iPad. Physical miniatures will be available at participating hobby and comic shop retailers. There's more info at the HeroClix TabApp site.
The Latest News Storm of Souls Released We put this in the update section below too. Playdek's release time caught us by surprise (again). The Ascension: Storm of Souls expansion to Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer is out now and available as an in app purchase for $3.99. Here are some screen shots:
Summoner Wars Trailer Released Playdek released the first trailer for the upcoming release of Summoner Wars. Not many details, but a nice look at the factions to further whet your appetite.
Le Havre Goes to Beta Testers Chris from Codito posted that Le Havre went out to beta testers on Tuesday. Chris says the release is a matter of weeks now and he's guessing at mid-June. Even if he's wrong, we love Chris because he's always quick with a date, ever springing hope eternal!
BDC explains position on Android In a thread right here on the 'Geek, Łukasz of Big Daddy's Creations minces no words as he addresses user questions about an Android version of Eclipse and his experiences with the soon to be released Android version of Neuroshima Hex. If Neuroshima Hex for Android is profitable, then they will port other games to Android. Simple as that.
Pocket Tactics Interviews One Man Left and Discusses Outwitters Owen Faraday of Pocket Tactics sits down with Alex Okafor and Adam Stewart of One Man Left to discuss their upcoming multiplayer async hex strategy board game app, Outwitters. According to OneManLeft, the app is due out "precisely in approximately a month". You can read the interview over at pockettactics.com
Interview with Gilded Skull Games and Galactic Keep Slide to Play's Chris Reed chats with developer Gilded Skull's CEO Rob Lemon about the renewed push to develop Galactic Keep, a tabletop RPG game for your iPhone. You can read the interview at Slidetoplay.com.
Battle Chess on KickStarter Here is another project in the continuing trend of old nostalgic favorites seeing new life or sequels through the wondrous bounty of Kickstarter pledges. A planned sequel to the video game favorite from 1988 known as Battle Chess has recently shown up as a project on Kickstarter. Developer Subdued Software has been working on the project for two years now and claims they were told by the man that "board games don't sell." They pushed on undeterred until the money ran out, then they discovered Kickstarter. The rest...they now say in this topsy turvy new Kickstarter world...is the future. You can check it out on kickstarter.com. I list it here because if they get enough funding, they'll go iOS and Android as well.
App Releases Splut Released At long last, Tommy De Coninck and developer Christophe Todts have released Splut (without the exclamation point). Splut! is an abstract strategy board game for 2-4 players where you move your Sorcerer, Dwarf, and Troll to kill the Sorcerers of your opponents by throwing a Rock on their heads. You can get it for free on the App Store.
Z!Checkers Released Nevonix has released Z! Checkers for iOS Universal. This is a Checkers app in 3d with fully animated pieces. It's got three levels of AI or you can play a human face to face or over bluetooth. You can get it in the App Store for $0.99.
Pegcasso Released A developer named Shnap has released Pegcasso. This turn-based multiplayer app is kind of like a drawing game. You and up to 3 friends take turns placing pegs on a Lite-Brite-like board, but nobody really knows what the other person is trying to draw. The game ends after 4 turns, and everyone gets to laugh at what each person drew and what they thought they were drawing at the time. If you are not convinced, don't let the app's price stop you. It can be had for free on the App Store.
Pyramid Wars - the card game Released MammutApps has released Pyramid Wars - the card game for iOS Universal. This app is a card-driven game in which you are a Pharaoh trying to build a pyramid faster than your computer opponent. The game appears to have euro-game influences of building with limited resources and using cards for actions like build, attack, and conjure. You can get it for $1.99 on the App Store.
Casino By Zeniz Released The US Playing Card Company, who is probably the biggest manufacturer of playing cards in the world, has released a mobile casino game app called Casino by Zeniz. This free app features poker and slots and promises more games coming soon. Both games of the app are highly socially connected with tournaments, reward systems, and co-op play. Perhaps there's something here that developers of strategy game apps can apply to our player communities. The app is free on the App Store.
Titanic Released SmartGames, a maker of many one-player print logic and puzzle games, has released Titanic by SmartGames. The aim of this one player game is to move lifeboats to catch drowning passengers in an orderly and strategic way, because after all everyone must remain calm and act orderly when the ship goes down, right? For $0.99, see how many passengers you can save by picking this up on the App Store.
App Updates
Ascension: Chronicle of the God Slayer 1.2 Released (Storm of Souls and Promo Bundle) The latest update for Ascension has been released. The major updates include Storm of Souls and Promo Pack 1 added as in app purchases, iPad Retina graphics, an in app purchase manager, and a next game button. You can read the full text of the update here.
Titan HD Updated Valley Games has updated Titan HD to version 1.1.1. The update includes fixes to persistence, AI, game state sync, and artwork. See the details on the App Store.
Dungeon Crawlers Update Ayopa Games has updated Dungeon Crawlers for iOS Universal to version 1.1.3. The update includes various fixes and even a hint. See the details on the App Store.
Dice Soccer Updated LambadMu Games has updated their soccer-themed dice rolling game to version 1.2.4. The update includes better loading performance, user interface improvements, adjustments to gameplay and balance, bug fixes and more. You can check out the full details on the App Store.
Wit Gomoku HD Updated ZASoft has updated their five-in-a-row app to version 2.0.1. The update includes a new user interface and performance optimization. Check out the details on the App Store.
Hot Deals
Dice with Buddies Updated and Free Stofle Designs has made its async dice app free for a limited time. They have also updated the app to version 2.0. The update includes various UI improvements, Tweeting, bug fixes and better stability. Check out the details and get it free now on the App Store.
Interesting Links
Study Shows Big Growth in Paying Mobile Gamers Newzoo, the international market research and consulting firm completely focused on the games industry, revealed key insights into mobile gaming in the US market as part of a broader study. They found that the number of mobile gamers in the US has grown from 75 million to 101 million, of which 69% plays on smartphones and 21% on tablets, with the largest growth in the conversion to paying players. The number of paying players has grown 35% to 37 million Americans, or 36% of all mobile gamers. From this Newzoo projects that mobile gaming is set for another year of double-digit revenue growth in the US. Newzoo finds that American players spend five times more on iOS games than on Android games. You can read more of this study at the Newzoo site.
TouchArcade App Released The site dedicated to all things iOS gaming has released their very own app. Features include News and Reviews, Top Reviews, Hot New Games, Watch List, and Forums. We will certainly be making use of it. You can get it on the App Store for free.
Gamezebo App Wanna Play Released Gamezebo casts its video game net a bit wider than TouchArcade, but in our experience they have been very good about covering board and card game apps. Therefore we mention that they too have fairly recently launched their own app called Wanna Play. The app features game previews of upcoming games, a wish list for being notified of releases and sharing with friends. You can get it from the App Store for free.
The Latest News Dominion Developer Revealed By Rio Grande Games Saturday nights are pretty slow on BGG. Perhaps that's why Jay Tummelson of Rio Grande Games decided to drop some important news about the grandaddy of deck building games, Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino. The news is that Jay finally revealed the developer of the official digital version of Dominion. FunSockets is the name of the developer. They are a publisher of HTML5 games. We have actually been in contact with them for quite some time and were not at liberty to disclose their identity until now. We have laid eyes on a working game. We will actually be meeting with them (and participating in their company monthly board game night) in couple of weeks to learn more about what they've got in store for Dominion.
Battle of the Bulge Reaches Kickstarter Goal Shenandoah Studiotweeted over the weekend that their upcoming true war game app had reached its Kickstarter goal of $20,000 with about 600 backers on Saturday night. This means that the app will now have features and production values that, as a startup on a shoestring, Shenandoah couldn't otherwise afford and will deliver the most value and best possible play experience as communicated to Shenandoah by its backers. All signs point to this war simulation app clearly going in the right direction. The app is scheduled for launch in late summer. You can read more about it at their Kickstarter campaign page or on the Shenandoah Studio site.
[Click each to enlarge.]
Happy Meeple Launches HappyMeeple.com is a new digital board gaming web site that just launched. It is not an iOS app. We mention it because you can play it on your iOS device quite easily, as we have, but also on your desktop browser and Android. The site has launched with four games including Lost Cities, Finito!, Level X, Keltis Card. It also features Multi-language support, tutorials, multiple AIs, online human opponents, user experience earning and a meta-game construct. The site was developed by Nicolas Guibert. It does not currently use any HTML 5 features. Animations are done with traditional HMTL/Javascript techniques, though the press pack indicates that it could benefit from HTML 5 new features "as soon as they are widely available". You can check it out directly at HappyMeeple.com.
Big Daddy's Creations Nearing Neuroshima Hex Update Submission It's getting ever closer. Łukasz says Big Daddy's Creations plans to test the latest update, the one with async, for Neuroshima Hex this week and after that send it to Apple.
App Updates
RAMPage Soccer Updated and Price Drop We've got a weak spot for dexterity games that you two people can play face to face on the iPad. RAMPage soccer is such an app, kind of like Foosball, where you shoot marbles at the soccer ball. Ruma Studios has updated the app to version 1.2.0. The update includes new field skins, new music, iCloud support and various bug fixes. Additionally, they've dropped the price from $2.99 to just $0.99. You can check it out on the App Store.
Glitch Tank Updated Michael Brough has updated Glitch Tank, the born digital board game, from version 3 to version 4. The update is only mysteriously called "BOUNDARY MALFUNCTION". You can check it out on the App Store.
Big Win Soccer Updated Hothead Games has updated its soccer team management CCG, Big Win Soccer to version 1.3. The update includes Friends Trophy, Fountain o Youth Energy Drink, and various new card packs. You check out the details on the App Store.
Hot Deals
Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land Price Drop Red Wasp Design has dropped the price from $4.99 to $2.99 on Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land, their turn-based strategy/role-playing game based on the award winning Call of Cthulhu RPG. The app is iOS Universal. You can get it on the App Store.
We are Seeking Testers For Our Voice Server and "Virtual Game Nights" iOS Board Games wants to experiment with a Ventrilo server. The idea is that we would like to provide a place where interested people can go and use their headsets to engage in push-to-talk voice chat in a virtual "game room" and at size-limited semi-private "tables" while playing iOS board games online in realtime. The idea would cover both organized events as well as more loose usage 24/7.
After testing, we plan to gradually open this up more widely to you all. If you are a reader of this blog and are interested in voice chatting with other interested iOS board game players online you will get to try it out relatively soon. For now however, we're just looking for testers who can put up with a rough testing environment and give us feedback on how we set up and manage what users see when they connect to our Ventrilo server.
If you are interested in helping out with the testing, please GeekMail me.
App Releases Yggdrasil Released Ludonaute has finally released their iPad implementation of Cédric Lefebvre and Fabrice Rabellino's Yggdrasil. The app is a co-operative game in which you play the role of a Norse god and must join forces and co-ordinate your efforts to repel the relentless invasion of your enemies in Asgard. The app offers a choice of difficulty levels, unlockable content, and support for 1-6 players. You can get it on the App Store for the launch price of $5.99.
Reiner Knizia's City of Secrets Pipes Released And the Knizia puzzle app train rolls on. This time Aidem Media has released Reiner Knizia's City of Secrets Pipes. The good doctor's latest release has you reconstructing a system of pipes in a steam powered flying machine from the underground kingdom in an effort to save somebody named Moles and the whole ship from an epic distaster. Heh...and they say Knizia starts with the theme first. This iOS Universal puzzle app selling for $1.99 supposedly has some connection to celebrating the upcoming release of a board game, but we can't figure out the fragmented sentences about it in the description. Maybe you can on the App Store.
Conquest! Medieval Realms Released Slitherine, one of the more established video game developers but a newer serious player in the strategy/board game app space has just released a turn-based strategy app for iOS Universal called Conquest! Medieval Realms. Some are calling Conquest! a step up from Slay in both gameplay and presentation. The gist is that you unite territory, build up an economy, raise armies, defend your homeland, conquer your opponents by defeating their armies and capturing their lands. The app features 5 levels of AI, campaign and skirmish modes, randomly generated maps that give billions of potential battlefields, 9 different units and more. You can check it out on the App Store for the launch price of $1.99.
Futbol Fury Released Developer Paul Lind had released a turn-based peg-style table top soccer game app named Futbol Fury. The app is two-player only affair and the developer implores you to grab someone you don't like and play it. You can find it on the App Store for $0.99
The Latest News Gilded Skull Games Picks Up Again With Galactic Keep: Dice Battles Nearly three years ago developer Gilded School posted on TouchArcade about Galactic Keep: Dice Battles. At the time the vision for the app was described as one that
Gilded Skull wrote:
"takes core elements of classic dice and paper role playing games (like dungeon crawling for loot and experience on paper maps, a ‘DM’ style of telling a story and rolling dice to create characters, move and to battle) and translates them into an iPhone experience."
After that Gilded Skull was last heard from at the beginning of last Summer, discussing the app's delay. Then on Tuesday they surfaced once again on TouchArcade, this time announcing that they've learned a lot as a developer of four other apps and were starting over with an all new Galactic Keep. Sometimes that's what it takes. Color us interested.
Frozen Synapse Approaches iPad Release The guys at Mode 7 tweet a lot, but rarely about the iPad version of Frozen Synapse. Recently they've tweeted a little about the iPad version saying that there is still no official ETA but they are probably three weeks or so away from starting a small closed beta. They also mentioned Android, saying they are getting a little bit closer to figuring out the possibility of getting FS on Android devices.
Tikal Update in Next Few Weeks Codito has posted that we should be seeing a Tikal update in the next few weeks.
Puerto Rico Submitted to Ravensburger Codito has also posted that they have sent off version 1.1 to Ravensburger for their approval before submitting the app to Apple. The update is meant to finally include the long awaited asynchronous online play. Additionally an iPhone version has been mentioned as well.
App Updates UFO Hotseat Updated Hippo Games has updated UFO Hotseat to version 1.1.3. The update to this turn-based tactical app includes new iPad support, viewing of enemy's turn, interface improvements, AI improvements and more. Check out the details on the App Store.
Pwnz! Updated The game itself isn't much more than a kind of Ludo/Parcheesi, but we love the app name and it's interface approach. Floor Rietveld has updated Pwnz! to version 1.01. The update includes on/off toggle for turn notifications, a show friends status, time limit adjustments and various improvements and bug fixes. You check out the details on the App Store.
Time of Heroes Updated and Price Drop Smuttlewerk has updated Time of Heroes to version 1.3. The update includes Chapter 2 content now available as In App purchase, new maps, and new heroes. Additionally Smuttlewerk has dropped the price on the app from $2.99 to $0.99. You can check it out on the App Store.
Carcassonne Updated Code Monkeys have updated Carcassonne to version 2.51. This update includes fixes for user with new iPads, ads some missing retina graphics, and fixes an issue that could cause negative total points in local highscores. You can get all the details on the App Store.
Lead Wars Updated Demon Studios has updated Lead Wars to version 1.5. The update includes Staff Sergeant campaign missions, a new map, minor graphical improvement and bug fixes. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Wit Gomoku Updated Zasoft has updated its 5 in a row/Gobang app Wit Gomoku HD to version 1.2. The updated includes the addition of Game Center support and 50 battles to study and exercise. You can check out the details on the App Store.
Interesting Links
Labyrinth HD Wins German Computer Game Prize for Best Mobile Game The German Computer Game Prize or Deutscher Computerspielpreis for Best Mobile Game was awarded to none other than Ravensburger's THE aMAZEing Labyrinth HD. The award apparently includes a €50,000 prize if our German translation was correct. You can read more about this prize and its history at the Deutscher Computerspielpreis site.
Days of Wonder Interview on Pocket Gamer Will Wilson at Pocket Gamer sits down with Eric Hautemont and Mark Kaufmann of Days of Wonder to talk about their past, their successful apps, Android, and what might or might not be planned for their future. You can read the interview at the Pocket Gamer Site.
Summoner Wars Launch Window Announced Perhaps no single app has been more highly anticipated round these parts than this one, so we thought we'd post without delay. Playdek contacted us with a simple message today to let you know that Playdek and Plaid Hat’s Summoner Wars for iOS is nearing launch and will be coming in June. In the coming weeks we will be posting screen shots, trailers and other information here that Playdek will have to share. You can also keep visiting the Summoner Wars page on Playdek's site. Stay tuned!
Heh...and they say Knizia starts with the theme first. This iOS Universal puzzle app selling for $1.99 supposedly has some connection to celebrating the upcoming release of a board game, but we can't figure out the fragmented sentences about it in the description. Maybe you can on the 
