Today’s games all happen to have a common theme: survival. Mow down zombies in an apocalyptic world, stay one step ahead of the shady government of a dystopian metropolis, guard your community from destructive dragons, save some bugs from being flattened and help The Dark Knight fight evil while protecting Gotham.
Click through to take a look if you’re up to the challenge.
The Dark Knight Rises
Gameloft’s DKR incarnation for the iPad includes bad guy Bane and badgirl (or is she?) Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, both of whom you get to battle in the story-based missions and side quests.
Skulk around a beautifully rendered (in all its dark and gloomy glory) 3-D Gotham, and use Batman’s gadgets to deal with hostage situations, bomb squads, jailbreaks, car chases and other situations or crimes in progress. Also in your bag of tricks? The BatPod, natch.
You may recall Gameloft also just pushed out the official Spider-Man tie-in movie. If you’re worried this game is going to be a re-skin of that one, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the games are totally unique to each other.
Jump Out! HD
Try to save some pretty likable bugs from an otherwise unpleasant fate by freeing them from each level’s maze and employing varying levels of acrobatics.
Jump, slide and bounce your bug’s way through each course, avoiding things like nails and using other objects, such as rolling marbles, to your advantage. The greatest thing about this game is the variety — levels are very different and present unique challenges that increase appropriately in difficulty.
The sound effects are fun, the graphics are simple yet not rudimentary, and gameplay is challenging but not overcomplicated, making this a go-to game when you need to unwind.
Price: Free
Developer: Big Fish Games
Download: iTunes
Mutant Roadkill
Apocalyptic wasteland? Check. Mutants? Check. Carnage? Check, check. This endless runner game has you racing through the devastated landscape while trying to obliterate certain hazards and avoid others, all in the name of survival.
You don’t play a character, you play a car instead, and the name of the game seems to be “run over as many zombies as you can.” Controls used include tilting for driving and swiping for shooting, and you earn coins/points for killing zombies, which you can then use to buy a better car, or trade in for a power-up. The more you kill, the more combos you earn and the more points you score. Watch out for the mutants that latch onto the side of your car; get rid of them by sideswiping something.
The game is free, although you have the option of paying for some unnecessary extras if you just really feel like spending some cash.
Pocket Minions
Save your community of minions from the fire-breathing dragons that inhabit the same valley by building, maintaining and defending your castle. But you’ll also have to keep the minions in check, lest they decide to turn bad and start stealing supplies from the castle.
Keeping the minions happy and productive means keeping the furnaces and toilets in working order, plus building towers, exercising ghosts from the castle corridors and collecting loot to fund the growing community’s activities.
Enjoy ten levels of play, the ability to flick and toss your minions around during gameplay, and of course, lots of battling dragons.
Price: $0.99
Developer: SiuYiu Limited
Download: iTunes
Electric City The Revolt
This is the official game tie-in to Tom Hanks’ multidimensional graphic novel Electric City. Yes, you read that right: Tom Hanks. Yes, Forrest Gump. So maybe this game needs a little backstory first?
The Electric City relates the story of a dystopian metropolis that has been built (both literally and figuratively it seems) upon a bed of secrets and mysteries, as told through the adventures of main characters Frank Deetleman, Hope Chatsworth, Cleaveland Carr and Mikaela. In the game The Revolt, you play Frank, who is a key figure in the uprising against Wire Central. Undertake missions, unfold mysteries and keep the Allied Municipal Patrol (AMP) off your back.
The original Electric City app is free by the way, and includes 20 episodes. Starting there before playing the game isn’t a requirement, but knowing the story behind a game is always more fun, isn’t it?
Price: $0.99
Developer: Jump Games
Download: iTunes
What Are You Playing?
Which games are you hooked on right now? Let your fellow gamers and iPad enthusiasts know in the comments section below!
