ToG #212 – Ski Safari 2 and Demon’s Rise

Jared and Todd recapped news and some older games and then talked about the following new games:

Todd
Ski Safari 2 ($1.99 w/IAP, iOS, Sleepy Z Studios) – Todd loved the first one and thinks this one is just as good while also ramping up the fun to even higher levels. It is a bit “more of the same”, so if you played the first and want something different, then this might not be for you. Otherwise, you owe it to yourself to check out this endless runner with lots of depth, whimsy and charm.

Jared
Demon’s Rise ($2.99, Rajpreet Dhillon) – a nice take on the turn based strategy formula. Tons of characters to chose from, some decently deep mechanics, and good, solid gameplay all add up to a winner…but Jared felt is was missing that “special something”, and that was keeping it from greatness. Worth a shot but you might want to wait a bit to see what the updates bring to the game.

Todd
Sage Solitaire (Free, iOS, Zach Gage) – a nice take on a card based solitaire game with a poker mechanic at its core. Todd digs the game and finds it fun in short bursts. Overall, a nice little time waster but nothing too amazing. As with so many solitaire games, winning can come down to luck as much as to skill. Worth trying for sure, though!

Jared
Swipey Rogue (Free, First Order Games iOS and Android) – Jared really, really loves this quick, auto-running swipe/rogue game. A few different modes, ease of play, and a lot of charm all combine to make this a “must try”.

Todd
Galactic Keep ($3.99, iOS, Gilded Skull Games) – so much love and attention to detail obviously got poured into this game and it oozes with atmosphere. The art style is very unique and the game play hearkens back to table top RPGs of yore. But, the combat mechanic lacks diversity and quickly bogs down the game. Todd decided to stop playing after a few hours, although others might not feel quite the same way. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Jared
Pocket God vs. Desert Ashes ($4.99, Bolt Creatvie) – what do you get when you take characters from the classic Pocket God series and thrown them into a turn based strategy game with characters and elements from the Mecha Wars game? You get this. But this turns out to be only so-so. The game plays well and has its moments, but it does not completely gel together. It might be another “wait for an update and see”, but Jared cannot recommend it now at its current price point.