Another week, another million new games to wade through across the App Store, Netflix, and Apple Arcade. If only there was someone at iMore who could whittle all those new game releases down to just three new titles worth looking at.
Yup, we’ve scanned the new release lists and pulled out the three best iPhone games and best iPad games of the week right here. So without further ado - here’s what to play this weekend — a mix of casual puzzles, retro shooting, and action-RPG fun.
Subway Surfers Match
After a decade around the top of the App Store charts, Subway Surfers claims to be the most downloaded game of all time — even above the likes of Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon Go.
So naturally, there are more than enough players out there who’ll be curious to play this spin-off: a match-3 puzzler with a quick, snappy feel to it and bold primary colors on every screen.
Complete the gently challenging puzzles to gradually build a neat little mural on the side of the titular subway, and then move on to the next canvas. It’s easygoing stuff, and just the ticket if you’re looking for something pretty lowkey.
Skies of Chaos
This new Netflix game is a throwback to the olden times when the likes of Xevious and 1942 pioneered the top-down shooter. Skies of Chaos refines and reworks that winning formula for touchscreens, and it’s great.
The gameplay is not quite as chaotic as the title suggests, initially. As you slide your finger around the screen to move and fire, you’ll easily breeze through the first five minutes or so before things get more hectic and challenging.
The shooter stuff is pretty straightforward, with power-ups thrown into the mix to vary things up. But the presentation is what really pops. Gameplay is rendered in big, bold, colorful pixels and between stages there are interludes that feel like they’re pulled straight out of kids’ Saturday morning cartoons.
Gunnar, a rabbit with an eyepatch, quips away as he chomps on a carrot as if it were a cigar, and Amelia the mechanic cheerfully upgrades your craft while wielding a comedy oversized wrench. The music and sound effects are superb, too.
Battleheart Legacy+
New to Apple Arcade is this reworked version of an old classic from way back in 2014; clearly, the folks commissioning and curating Arcade content have long memories.
Battleheart Legacy+ looks and feels like a PSOne-era action RPG on your iPhone with easy-to-grasp, intuitive touch controls. So it’s no technical showcase, but you can see it’s been made with love by indie creators Noah and Kelli Bordner. It’s got a cozy, homemade feel that can’t help but charm you.
It’s a role-playing game without the boring turn-based battles, in short. You move around triggering a growing menu of special moves on cooldown timers to bop goblins and other fantasy staples as you rattle through a fun story with quip-heavy characters. A meatier prospect for those looking for a deeper game to dive into.
New games to play on iOS
So there you have it folks, a whistle stop tour through the three best new releases of the week. Still stuck for something to play? If you have an active Netflix or Apple Arcade subscription, why not browse through our list of the best Netflix games and best Apple Arcade games, or check out the latest headlines from the world of gaming over on our iOS games news section.
We’ll be back next week to bring you the latest and greatest new iPhone and iPad games to hit the App Store, Netflix and Apple Arcade. If we can drag ourselves away from round after round of Marvel Snap, that is.
- Neil Alexander Long
