This morning someone on twitter reminded me that today is Super Hexagon’s 2nd birthday! Gosh 😀
It’s probably a coincidence, but Apple got in touch recently to say they’d like to put Super Hexagon in one of their App Store indie game showcase features that they’ve been doing recently, which is very nice of them and very good timing.
Part of the feature meant that I get to put together a list of iOS games to tell the world about. Here’s the ones I chose:
4NR
An elegant, fun little platform game that I love the structure of. Still find myself replaying it occasionally, long after finishing it with a perfect score. |
80 Days
Probably the most recent game on my list – it’s a great boardgamey interactive fiction take on Around the World in 80 Days. It nails this feel of being on a long trip and getting a fleeting sense of this world you’re passing through. |
868-Hack
A brilliantly designed roguelike-like with a smart take on character progression. I’ve probably played more of this than anything else on my iPad. |
Boson-X
One of the best endless runners I’ve come across – moreso than usual, I got really competitive with this one! |
Ending
A drod-like of sorts, with a wonderful roguelike mode. Have played this pretty compulsively since it came out. |
English Country Tune
It’s by my flatmate, so, you know, nepotism – but I’m far from the only person to love this one. There’s an astonishing, mindblowing idea in the middle of the game that not enough people have seen. |
GameDog
GAMEDOG! I love Gamedog! It’s this weird broken fake-LCD bootleg game emulator for a machine that doesn’t exist, with lots of weird bootleg takes on pacman and things like that. Charming and really funny. |
Hoplite
Another roguelike-like! I love games that challenge you to purposefully make things harder for yourself as a show of swagger, something this game does very well with its achievement system. |
I am Level
Like somebody looked at an iPad and said “RIGHT, how can I make a Spectrum platformer work on this?”. The solution they came up with is unlikely and really clever. Hits right at the things I get nostalgic about. Plus the ending’s pretty funny. |
Kairo
A mystlike – walk around giant environments and interact with mysterious machines. I originally played this with two friends, passing the controller around and taking turns at the puzzles, which worked great because it’s beautiful both to watch and explore. |
Kero Blaster
Pixel’s low key follow up to Cave Story, a humble little platform shooter bursting with character and charm. I get a bit fanboyish about Pixel’s work! |
McPixel
A fantastic take on point-and-click adventure games, and a GREAT fit for touchscreens. |
Rebuild
A really great board-game-like zombie survival game about rebuilding society. When it came out I played all the way through in one sitting. |
Realistic Summer Sports Simulator
My favourite multiplayer game on iPad – hilarious and really fun. Watch the trailer! |
Skullpogo
Does tilt controls *really really* well. You play as a skeleton on a pogo stick, hence, Skullpogo. I like Skeletons. |
Super Spike Dislike
Aaaa I love Super Spike Dislike. It’s a really simple one-jump action game. Like Hoplite, has that wonderful quality of being hard mostly because you’re making it hard on yourself. One of the first games I recommend to people who get an iOS device. |
Thicket
Thicket’s a music toy that’s so spongy and great, you touch it and it makes sounds and you can mess with it with all your fingers at once. Ah it’s so lovely. |
Tumbledrop
Beautiful and cute and charming and such a perfect fit for a touchscreen device. A thing I often show to people who aren’t sure if they really like games. |
There’s a bunch of other stuff I love on the App Store too of course, but hard choices need to made for things like this. Hope it helps people find some stuff they like!
i’m curious, what’s the mindblowing idea you refer to in the middle of english country tune? i love that game, but i stopped playing it around the middle because oh my god it’s so hard and i’m so dumb
You know, there should be a Super Octagon! 😀 I loved Super Hexagon so much, it would be awesome if there were more stages to conquer. “Ultra Hexagon, Ultra Hexagoner, Ultra Hexagonest”
raffa: i think he’s referring to the level half-sided. that was *the* level for me, at least.
Speaking of lists of awesome games, Metacritic currently has “The Best iPhone and iPad Games of 2014” on the games home page, alongside which a picture of VVVVVV 🙂
https://www.metacritic.com/game
Also, Gauge should be on this list!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gauge-game/id512206751?mt=8
It’s one of those incredible experiences that reminds you how little your conscious mind is needed, once things start moving too fast and your subconscious takes over…