App Watch: the best new iPhone and iPad games released this July
UPDATED: Hot off the App shelf this July...these are the games that'll keep your smartphone or tablet 'appy as Larry
GET ‘APPY
It’d be an understatement to say that the Apple App Store is a big place – there are thousands of new titles hitting its digital shelves each and every week. It’s an unprecedented situation that often results in great games being overlooked, buried under a mountain of soulless endless runners and tepid Candy Crush clones. With that in mind, we want to shine a spotlight on those games fighting the good fight. Here are this month’s most interesting new releases if iPhone and iPad (and you can get a lot of them on Android too).
I’M PING PONG KING 🙂 (FREE+IAP)
I’m the Ping Pong King, but the throne could be yours if you’re willing to fight for it. More specifically, you’ll need to defeat 16 wannabe title-holders if you want to claim the crown. Super-strong thumbs and razor-sharp reactions are a must, so grab your favourite sweatband and get training, because this one’s going down to the wire.
POKEMON QUEST (FREE+IAP)
Pokemon Quest has finally landed on mobile after making its debut on the Nintendo Switch, so if cube-shaped Pokemon that look like limited edition sugar lumps are your jam, get ready to slather ’em all over your metaphorical toast. Unlike traditional Pokemon titles, Quest will have you scouring Tumblecube Island for hidden treasure troves with a troupe of pointy pocket monsters. Of course, you’ll have to knock out some rowdy locals along the way, but hey, us Pokefreaks wouldn’t have it any other way.
UP LEFT OUT (£0.99/$0.99)
Up Left Out is another sumptuous minimalistic puzzler from Maciej Targoni, the same talented so-and-so behind Hook, Klocki, and PUSH. Like those past efforts, Up Left Out is a stripped back affair that clearly buys into the notion that more is less. And that’s a good thing, because there are plenty of brilliantly boisterous titles on the App Store, so it’s nice to have one designed to detox the mind.
DROLF (FREE+IAP)
Take the word ‘golf’ and smash it together with another word, let’s say ‘draw.’ What do you get? That’s right! GRAW! No… wait a minute, you get DROLF, a unique puzzle game with a simple premise: guide your friendly neighbourhood ball home using any means necessary. In this case, that means doodling on courses to create your own path forward. Anything goes as long as the ball ends up in that elusive hole, so get creative!
CARD QUEST (£4.99/$4.99)
As you might’ve guessed from the name, Card Quest is a dungeon crawling romp filled to the brim with finely tuned, delightfully moreish card combat. While the dungeons are interesting enough, and the foes are undoubtedly fearsome, the real star of the show are the card-centric skirmishes. Like a glorious steak pie, combat is both deep, accessible, and overflowing with gravy. Okay, we lied about that last part, but the rest is true, so go ahead and tuck in.
WESTWORLD (FREE+IAP)
The best way to describe Westworld would be ‘Fallout Shelter but it’s a robot theme part.’ The similarities between the two titles are rather striking (no, we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed) but at least that means you’re getting a solid park management sim. Of course, there are some differences between the two, and in Westworld you’ll be more concerned with upgrading hosts (your robo-workers) and keeping guests happy. That means you’ll be playing matchmaker to ensure the sparks keep on flying, and more importantly, that the customers keep on paying.
MUSE DASH (£2.99/$2.99)
Muse Dash is a unique breed; a rhythm runner mashup that’ll have you breezing through levels to the tip tap of a finger-licking beat. It’s a combination that works surprising well, with the title’s musical numbers pulling players into a melodic trance while imbuing Muse Dash’s parkour-fuelled gameplay with a sense of dynamism. It’s so good, you’ll have it on repeat — so grab your headphones and prepare to get funky.
FEIST (FREE+IAP)
A cute protagonist with more fur than Chewbacca? Check. More design awards than you can shake a stick at? Check. Dynamic gameplay, emotive visuals, and an absorbing narrative? Check, check, and check. You know, Feist is one of those games that seems to have everything going for it, and there’s a simple reason for that: it does. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call the weird and wonderful platformer one of the best efforts of 2018, partly because of all the reasons we’ve already listed, but mostly because it’s easy to see how much care and attention has gone into realising this beautifully macabre vision.
