Make cities, form words, dance like a giant plushie, and more besides
Games remain a core part of the iPhone and iPad experience, and we review a couple of titles every issue. But we don’t have enough space for everything. Here, then, are eight new-for-2021 games for your thumbs to tackle, across a range of genres.
See also: the best apps we missed this year
Letter Rooms (free + $0.99/89p)
This vibrant, tactile word game has you drag letter columns around to answer a clue at the top of the screen. You get 40 puzzles for free and a tiny IAP unlocks the rest. There’s also a specific mode for kids.
Railroad Ink Challenge ($3.99/£3.49)
Roads, rail and randomness are the core of this quick-fire board game centered on transport. Roll dice to get route pieces. Then use them optimally to improve your network and minimize errors.
Super Mombo Quest (free)
A civilization needs rescuing from evil – but their ‘savior’ is a strange purple tyke with a massive tongue. Have Mombo jump on enemies, grab gems and combo his way to victory in this console-like plaformer.
Impossible Isles (free)
The rabbits and ducks hate each other. Even mountains and trees are fussy about who they sit near. Your job in this intriguing daily puzzle is to place drawn tiles to maximize points and curtail disharmony.
Giant Dancing Plushies ($3.99/£3.49)
In this jaunty take on kaiju, colossal cuddly toys dance their way down city streets. You have them move to the beat to avoid tanks – and use combos akin to those found in fighting games to unleash special powers.
Pureya ($3.99/£3.49)
Got a low attention span? Pureya is the game for you – or, rather, games. Each two-thumb treat lasts ten seconds before it switches. New games are unlocked in a pachinko machine into which you throw collected marbles.
Salvagette (free)
Bullet-hell shooters are frenetic affairs. Not here. Devoid of weapons, you move about a single screen of projectiles in turn-based fashion, ramming the opposition into oblivion. It’s tense, brain-smashing stuff.
Super Arcade Football (free)
Time was soccer games were about fun, not trying to look like matches on the TV. Super Arcade Football recalls such halcyon days, with fast-paced overhead matches akin to pinball, featuring ludicrously OTT shots.