One of the more interesting bits of development drama to come out of last year was when Mobile1Up went rogue and decided to port Lemmings to iOS. Sure, it was undoubtedly doomed from the start but it was still incredibly entertaining watching them liveblog the whole process as they ported over their entirely remade Palm OS version of the game. The liveblog mentioned is still online, and still worth reading (start from the bottom) if you're even vaguely interested in what's involved in porting an old game to iOS.

It wasn't much of a surprise that the Lemmings project was served with a cease and desist order from Sony, who is sitting on a number of forgotten retro IP's similar to Lemmings. Regardless, there are two universal constants in the world of gaming: Haters are gonna hate and lawyers are gonna... lawyer? So with the unofficial Lemmings port officially shut down, the developers decided to turn their existing completely rebuilt version of Lemmings into something that's just barely different enough to legally be in the clear.

Enter Caveman [$1.99] and its associated Caveman HD [$3.99]. It's Lemmings right down to its core, except without the actual Lemmings themselves. Given the circumstances, I would have opted for something a little more funny than cavemen, like lawyers, but I suppose it's in Mobile1Up's best interest to not push the issue much further.

It's great to see the whole Lemmings port project reaching a conclusion. If you've been looking for an authentic Lemmings experience but don't mind a bit of a reskin, make sure to give Cavemen a try.

Last month, indie developer Ryan Mitchell and his studio Banshee Soft released Mission Europa into the App Store. Combining a deep RPG experience with a first-person shooter, Mission Europa is really unlike anything currently available for a mobile platform like the iPhone. Now you can get a taste of this with the recently released lite version of Mission Europa.

The complete game is spread across 5 episodes and 170 missions, with 50 different levels to explore and at least 50 hours of gameplay. There are a ton of different armor types, equipment, combat skills, and weapons to customize your character with, not to mention an item and equipment creation system that expands that even further. Beyond the impressive single player offering is an online battle arena where you can take your created character into battle against players from all over the world, adding what amounts to endless replay value to the title.

Strictly speaking in terms of content and depth, Mission Europa is unmatched, and the fact that the entire game was built from scratch by one person over the course of 2 years is an insane accomplishment to say the least.

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Revolutionary Concepts is running a sale on its iOS port of the classic '80s laserdisc title Road Blaster. Road Blaster for iPhone [App Store], normally $1.99, and Road Blaster HD for iPad [App Store], normally $3.99, are both available for $0.99 for one week only.

Road Blaster follows a campy story of revenge (not totally unlike many action movies from the '80s) where you are out to get justice against an evil biker gang who murdered your wife. You'll hop into your modified sports car and go after these heartless thugs across 9 different levels, with the option of three difficulty settings. Operate your vehicle using a virtual steering wheel or the brand new tilt controls.

The iOS version features remastered FMV sequences that are optimized for Retina displays (on iPhone), a choice of two different redrawn in-game dashboard consoles, a new soundtrack and plenty of new sound effects, and numerous optimizations over the original.

Today also marks the return of the studio's Karate Champ FREE [iPhone, iPad] to the App Store, which gives a nice taste of the full iOS conversion of the classic '80s arcade fighter.

The iOS equivalent of video game crack, Game Dev Story [$3.99/Lite], unexpectedly took the App Store world by storm last fall when it released. This quirky simulation game let you build your very own video game company, releasing titles of your choosing for a wide selection of consoles along a timeline that is strikingly similar to the actual history of video games for the past few decades. Chances are you know all this already, as Game Dev Story has earned accolades from seemingly every corner of the internet, including our own glowing review from last October.

Today Game Dev Story received a new update that adds Game Center leaderboards and achievements to the game. There are now online leaderboards for total game sales, total console sales, total capital for the 20 year span of the normal game, and additional leaderboards that track game sales for every single console in the game. The leaderboards are already chock full of some absolutely insane scores, but it’s still pretty fun to see where you stack up in the various areas of the game.

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All the way back in January of 2010, Ryan Mitchell Games released Necromancer Rising [Free], an RPG of impressive scale. Utilizing their own in-house developed "Soul Engine", the game comes packed with tons of content and customization while still being capable of running well on ancient iOS devices. The graphics look a little dated, but if you can get beyond that you'll be in for 60 hours of gameplay across 50 in-game dungeons with 49 different bosses.

Check out the trailer which shows a bunch of bosses, dungeons, and gameplay:

Anyway, the whole reason that this game is free is because of the launch of Mission Europa, a Sci-Fi themed title based on the same engine which has an additional year of development under its belt. Again, the graphics in Mission Europa are definitely rough around the edges compared to modern video games, but the amount of content and customization is crazy. The 50 hours of gameplay is comprised of 50 different levels over 5 episodes and 170 missions. Also included are 180 different enemies, 50 bosses, and 30 unique armor sets.

Give the trailer a look:

One odd thing about Mission Europa is that it comes in two different editions. First off, there's Mission Europa Collector's Edition HD [$9.99] and Mission Europa Standard Edition HD [$3.99] they seem to be the same game, but the Collector's Edition comes with all of the content while the Standard Edition has it for sale in-game via IAP.

It sounds weird, but people on our forums are absolutely in love with the game. It had a ridiculously huge thread in our upcoming games forum, and now that it's out there's an equally massive thread in our games forum. In addition, there's even a FAQ thread filled with forum members helping others with the game.

I'd definitely give Necromancer Rising a try first, as the game mechanics are similar enough that you'll easily be able to get a feel for whether or not you can deal with how the game feels before getting involved in Mission Europa. Either way, it's impressive seeing indie developers like this releasing games of this scope and scale, so swing by the forums and see what others are saying about the games.

Living more than 5000 miles away, it’s hard for me to imagine the tragedy that struck Japan this past week. A devastating earthquake rocked the country from top to bottom, followed by a tsunami that reached practically every Pacific Ocean coastline. Many different organizations have set up channels to offer relief to Japan, and even in our tiny iOS corner of the world two Japan-based developers are doing their part as well.

Sega has dropped the price of every Sonic the Hedgehog game from now until March 20th, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross Disaster Relief in Japan. 3 of these 4 Sonic titles are emulated Genesis games, with Sonic Spinball being the one that works the best with virtual controls. Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 don’t fare as well, as they require the precision of physical controls, but honestly they work good enough to give you a quick nostalgia fix if you were a fan of the original titles. Sonic 4, on the other hand, is a brand new Sonic game which has been tailored for the touch screen. It’s a bit short overall, but we really liked Sonic 4 a lot in our review.

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Capcom has also lowered the price of one of their flagship titles, Street Fighter IV. From now until March 22nd Street Fighter IV for iPhone will be just 99¢ with all sales going to charity. This version of Street Fighter impressed everybody when it released a year ago with how well it translated to the touch screen for a game that has traditionally relied on physical button controls. Our original glowing review doesn’t even tell the whole story, as the game has been updated many times since then adding new characters, modes, and functionality. It’s practically twice the game it originally was, and if you’re even remotely a Street Fighter fan, this needs to be in your collection.

It’s not always easy to offer support to tragedies like this, especially when many iOS gamers are too young to have a reasonable means of donating to a relief fund. This special promotion gives an easy way to do a small part towards helping, even if all you have is a spare few dollars of iTunes credit to spend. In fact, last month Street Fighter IV dropped to 99¢ for the first time ever and claimed the #1 spot in the App Store charts, so there is definitely potential to rack up a good amount of donation money for Japan. And it’s not such a bad deal for yourself, either, as all of these games are worth owning anyway. If you happen to already have them for yourself, now would also be a great time to gift them to family or friends with iOS devices.

A mega-huge update is coming to Zombie Smash and Zombie Smash HD [$1.99 / HD] a little later this April. Like the developers, I hesitate to call this a standard “update.” It’s more like a total overhaul with an added second campaign.

For you iPhone 4 owners out there, Game Doctors is adding in new, high-resolution visuals for device’s beefier screen. Also, look forward to some new technical wizardry via parallax scrolling effects and even a new soundtrack. Also, if you rock enough, you’ll earn some Game Center achievements along the way.

The game’s new campaign, Camp Nowhere as its called, adds in 30 additional days to survive against the zombie hordes. I got to see this during a demo session at GDC and came away quite impressed with what it added. That is to say, I dug the new zombies, the new special attacks, and the backgrounds. Here’s a shot of the muscle zombie, which was shown to me late yesterday. He’s my kind of undead dude:

Of course, the game will also support IAP, so get ready for that money drain. I’m not privy to the balance, so I can’t really speak to how much of a necessity micro-DLC will become, but, hey, I’ll keep my eyes out for this update when it hits later this April and report back to you.

About a month ago, we were somewhat surprised by the announcement that the arcade classic Double Dragon would be getting an enhanced iOS remake. I’m a huge fan of the Double Dragon series, both in the arcade and at home with the many console ports and sequels, and to be perfectly honest I wasn’t that excited by the news. I didn’t really dig the new graphics, and I was definitely not a fan of the virtual controller that took up the bottom third of the screen. I’m all for big name titles coming to iOS, but in this case it seemed that my nostalgia for Double Dragon was poised to get dragged through the mud.

Then last week, Double Dragon [$3.99] quietly snuck into the App Store, and with the madness of GDC coming to an end I’ve finally had a chance to spend some quality time with the game. Not only was I pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this new Double Dragon, but I’ll even go as far as saying that it’s easily my favorite beat-em-up in the App Store. It just goes to show that you really can’t ever judge a book by its cover.

Double Dragon on iOS is developed  Brizo Interactive, who are also responsible for the somewhat obscure version of Double Dragon on the Zeebo. The iOS version is loosely based on the Zeebo one, meaning that it has 4 levels that somewhat resemble the arcade originals plus 2 completely new levels unique to the remake. Also, there is a huge assortment of bosses and enemies to unlock in addition to the main characters Billy and Jimmy Lee, making for a whopping total of 26 playable characters.

The gameplay remains true to the Double Dragon series as you travel from left to right through the 6 levels section by section, taking on countless waves of thugs and squaring up against a boss at the end of each level. You can choose to take on the game solo or with a buddy in local Bluetooth co-op multiplayer, which is insanely fun and works like a dream in my experience. There’s also a Time Attack mode where you can play any of the 6 levels individually for the highest score and fastest time. All of these modes have associated leaderboards through Game Center, but unfortunately something seems to be screwy with that function as I’m not able to access any of them.

Despite the additional 2 levels over the original Double Dragon, the iOS version won’t take long to complete. Brizo compensates for this nicely by adding incentive to play through the game multiple times. There’s the 24 extra characters to unlock, and even though their move sets aren’t as robust as what Billy and Jimmy have, it’s still really fun to play through the game as one of the various henchmen or boss characters. There are also a ton of achievements to earn by completing all sorts of different tasks in the game. Even though the Game Center integration is currently broken, the achievements are also accessible in-game and I’ve been having a great time trying to get them all.

Given that Double Dragon is a button masher by nature, there have been concerns on how well this will translate to the touch screen. Thankfully the controls here are as good as virtual d-pads and buttons can be, which is to say that there is the occasional misfire but nothing earth-shattering. There's even the option for either a 4 button control scheme or a simplified 3 button setup, which makes the game considerably easier to play but also limits which moves you're able to do. Some players in our forums have complained that the controls are too small, but I personally haven’t felt that this is a problem.

What is a problem, however, is the awful looking overlay where the buttons are placed. This overlay takes up a good portion of the screen and can even block enemy positions or pits that lead to instant death. For the most part it stays out of the way, but when the overlay does block the action it can be an incredibly frustrating experience. An alternate overlay or even the option to increase the transparency would be a really welcome addition.

I am firmly a fan of this new Double Dragon and stand corrected by my initial judgment from our first preview. The redone graphics actually look fantastic, giving the game an almost comic book style that retains a retro feel. The controls are more than adequate and the fighting system is fairly deep, with experience earned from playing going towards unlocking an assortment of new moves. Coupled with unlocking new characters and achievements, there’s actually quite a bit to do in Double Dragon for such a fundamentally short game.

If the developer can sort out the Game Center and control overlay problems, I really wouldn’t have anything to complain about with Double Dragon. If you like beat-em-up arcade games and can deal with the changes from the original Double Dragon, you’ll likely find this version a highly enjoyable title. It’s currently on an introductory sale of $3.99 but will increase to $7.99 before long, so if you have any interest in the new Double Dragon for iOS then now might be the best time to pick it up.

TouchArcade Rating:

It’s not often that I hear about a game and feel the insatiable urge to play it that very second. Even the most heavily hyped games can be put aside for things like food and sleep, but Kairosoft isn’t your average app developer. Their first app, Game Dev Story [$3.99 / Lite], not only sucked the life out of me, but caused me to lose three pounds after not eating for a good day/ day and a half. I lived Game Dev Story. I breathed the fiery air of creativity. It was a taste of something wonderful. (Read our review if you don't believe me.)

Instead of pumping out a sequel using their tried and true formula though, Kairosoft felt that a little change was in order. They decided that instead of creating a new game development sim, they would jump way across the zen garden and create Hot Springs Story [$3.99], a full on sim in the realm of Sim City. Gone are the zany people that you could hire and fire; the people are now just customers that come and go at will.

My road down nostalgia lane isn’t precluding a bad game though, as Hot Springs Story is quite possibly the most soul sucking game (in the best way possible) that I’ve played since... Game Dev Story. Like a typical building sim, Hot Springs Story lets you build “rooms” in a new, up in coming spa. You build rooms to sleep in, spas to steam in, little restaurants to eat in, Panchinko rooms to gamble away all your money, etc. Being a Japanese style spa though, the challenge of the game comes with creating a zen-like environment for your customers. Certain items will get boosts when placed next to certain items, while others items need to be placed next to natural rocks and pretty plants to succeed. Try to get cutesy and western with blocks of this and globs of that though and you’ll create yourself a hot springs disaster. Don’t you dare ruin it for the locals.

What makes a Kairosoft game really great, aside from consistently solid game mechanics, is their ability to make a gluttony of options seem accessible. In addition to just building your zen paradise, it’s up to you to buy add on booster items for different rooms, buy new rooms altogether, invest in different companies around the city for various reasons, advertise to different target groups, and submit to different magazines for spa rankings. Winning first place in the hot springs magazine isn’t quite as awesome as having the creepy bear mascot from the trade show in Game Dev Story, but the larger than life trophy you get is a nice prize indeed.

While fans (and superfans... there are plenty in our forum) of Game Dev Story will undoubtedly be thrilled with Hot Springs Story, newbies to the land of Kairosoft will probably cringe a bit at the less than perfect graphics and the initial chaotic nature of the action. There’s a lot going on at once, and until you really get the hang of what everything does it can seem daunting. Stick with it though and you’ll definitely be rewarded with some of the best gameplay in the App Store. Just think of Kairosoft as that band that was tough to grasp but eventually rewarded you with some kind of religious experience. You’ll thank me later.

TouchArcade Rating:

One of the surprise hits from last year was Game Dev Story [$3.99/Lite] from Kairosoft. This quirky simulation game allowed you to create your own game development company and release a series of titles across multiple platforms. Game Dev Story was littered with all kinds of references to the real history of video games, making it especially appealing to long time gamers like myself. We loved the game when we reviewed it last October, and Game Dev Story went on to suck countless hours from iOS gamers ever since.

Coming off the huge success of Game Dev Story, Kairosoft has talked about their plans to bring a sequel to iOS in the distant future. Then earlier this year, they launched an interesting looking title called The Game Dealer in the Japanese App Store. Similar to Game Dev Story, The Game Dealer has you heading up a brick and mortar video game store and dealing with all the simulation elements that go along with it.

We speculated that The Game Dealer would be the next to get a localized US release, but earlier today we were surprised to see that Kairosoft’s US follow-up to Game Dev Story is instead a game called Hot Springs Story [$3.99]. In Hot Springs Story, you (unsurprisingly) manage a Japanese hot springs inn, building it out to your liking and attracting customers to patronize your establishment. AppBank has a gameplay video of the Japanese version of Hot Springs Story to give you an idea of what it plays like:

Hot Springs Story has been available in the Japanese App Store since December, and seeing as how it was their follow-up release to Game Dev Story in Japan I still think we’ll end up seeing The Game Dealer localized as well in due time. For now, though, you’ll be able to live out your fantasy of running a relaxing hot springs resort, just as you’ve always dreamed... right? Early impressions in our forums are positive, noting that the interface and mechanics are nearly identical to Game Dev Story but with a few welcome enhancements like zooming and landscape display.

The gameplay appears to be just as engaging as well, and chances are if you liked Game Dev Story then you’ll get similar enjoyment out of Hot Springs Story. Just don’t start playing too close to your bed time if you value sleep. We’ll have more on Hot Springs Story once we’re able to break away from our GDC shenanigans long enough to engulf ourselves in the world of hot springs management, but you can grab the game right now for an introductory sale price of $3.99.

Back in October we reported that the classic Bitmap Brothers Atari ST / Amiga / DOS Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe would be making its way to iOS in the form of Speedball 2: Evolution. Moments ago, the game went live in the App Store as a Universal application for both iPhone and iPad [link] and we've taken a close look over the past few days.

Speedball 2 is a futuristic cybersport that's something of a mix between handball and ice hockey. The game takes place between two opposing teams -- nine players to a team -- in an enclosed, metal arena littered with power-ups and arrayed in warp portals and various score-enhancing mechanisms. Points are scored by getting the metallic ball past the opposing defense and into the goal, but brutality and violence are rewarded along the way. The overall feel is something akin to Atari's earlier, football-inspired arcade cybersport Cyberball, I've always felt. It's nicely visceral.

The first thing to say about the iOS version of Speedball 2 is that it's an enhanced version of the classic Atari ST original. I note that right off, due to the fact that a remake of the game was released on the Xbox Live Arcade, featuring "enhanced" 3D graphics...which were anything but. They were 3D, but they were awkward and poorly animated and did not compare to the "classic" mode's top-down, 2D graphics of the original. Speedball 2: Evolution for iOS takes the original's 2D graphics and enhances them while leaving them in their original orientation, making the iOS release the best looking version of Speedball 2 to date.

The list of things Speedball 2: Evolution brings to the table is vast. There are 336 individual players, 20 in-field power-ups, 16 classic Speedball teams along with 12 new intergalactic teams, a 10-season career mode, 10 single-player modes, a multiplayer mode (Bluetooth & WiFi), six arenas on four different planets, and 22 achievements in all. It's an impressive list. The various play modes allow for long-term team-building or just a quick detached match -- whatever suits you.

I, personally, spent more time with the original Speedball back in the day, than with the sequel, and so certain enhancements over said original stand out to me. Among them are the arrays of stars for each team on the arena walls that add points when illuminated by a tag from the ball, sets of spiral ramps situated on the sidelines that alter point-multipliers, and the electrobounce chargers that turn the ball into a weapon. That's not to mention the many power-ups that can be collected during the game, such as those that provide faster movement, body armour, or even freeze the opposing team in place.

Speedball 2 offers tilt controls as well as an optional onscreen D-Pad. I found that I like the tilt controls better than those of most iOS games, but more precision is offered by the onscreen D-pad, which is centered where you touch, adding a nice bit of flexibility. It's a tap anywhere to pass the ball, and a tap-and-hold to perform a high, long-distance pass or to jump to catch such a pass.

In evaluating the game for this review I spent notable time with the Atari ST original to see how it compares to the iOS release -- and had fun in the doing. After playing both titles side-to-side, I have to say that the iOS version is a bit steeper in the difficulty department than the ST original. Also, graphically the iOS version is notably superior to the ST version. I'd call the two pretty well matched on the fun scale, though I was a little more successful on the field on the ST due to its somewhat lower level of difficulty. And, I don't think it was about the controls -- of course the Atari version with a physical stick controlled better, but it was more about the game as presented.

Speedball 2, and its classic predecessor Speedball, brought the excellent Cyberball mechanic to the home, and Speedball 2: Evolution does likewise to the App Store. This is a classic arcade-style sports game that is more about fun than about simulation and accuracy. And, if you're the kind of gamer that takes sports on a pretty casual level like I do, that's a win.

TouchArcade Rating:

Back in January of last year, developer Gaia released a unique game into the App Store called Sword & Poker [$2.99/Lite]. Similar to how games like Puzzle Quest 2 [$4.99] or Dungeon Raid [$2.99] wrapped a simple match 3 mechanic around an engaging RPG system, Sword & Poker is build around making poker hands from a 5x5 grid of cards and fleshes out the experience with all the usual RPG trappings of leveling up and upgrading equipment. It’s a formula that we really enjoyed when we reviewed the game upon release, and the sequel Sword & Poker 2 [$3.99/Lite] offered even more of this satisfying gameplay when it released several months later.

Then, for whatever reason, both Sword & Poker games and accompanying lite versions disappeared from the App Store late last year. Even more puzzling is that the titles still appeared in the App Store but if you actually tried to download any of them you were met with a message that they were no longer available. I had since emailed Gaia, as did many members in our forums, to see if I could find out what the deal was. Unfortunately none of us ever received a response.

While we still don’t know the reason for their absence, Sword & Poker, Sword & Poker 2, and both lite versions have since become available for download once again. I can’t say for sure if something like this will ever happen again, so I would suggest that if you’ve had interest in any of these titles you should waste no time picking them up just in case. At the very least give the lite versions a try, as both Sword & Poker titles offer a fun and unique experience that shouldn’t be missed, and it's great to see them finally return to the App Store.

Zach Gage, who earlier brought us Unify and Bit Pilot, has recently released an iPad-specific musical action puzzler called Halcyon [App Store], a game with a lovely aesthetic and a powerful dose of addictiveness.

In Halcyon, the playfield consists of a number of parallel strings. Along these strings numerous, triangular "currents" of varying color travel towards each other, entering from both sides of the screen. Uninterrupted, these currents will shortly collide with one another. A collision of two like-colored currents will cause them to eliminate each other, while a collision between currents of differing colors means Game Over. The task at hand is to draw a line from one string to another, in such a way as to bridge a current to another of like color, causing an elimination. The play mechanic is somewhat reminiscent of Voxel Agents' Train Conductor.

Accompanying the gameplay is an ethereal, generative soundtrack that you are a part of, thanks to the "strums" you perform while bridging one current to another. It's a scenario that brings to mind Rez and the various musical action titles that have come since.

The game starts off easy enough, but in short order the difficulty really ramps up. But then so, too, does your understanding of the gameplay. The brief tutorial shows you the very basics, but after a bit of time with the game, you'll come to realize that there's more flexibility to the how's and where's of what you can do than you likely assumed initially, allowing for more complex strategies to be employed. I enjoyed the process of discovery, there.

The core playmode features 36 levels of play through four different environments (basically, differing color schemes, audio tracks, and string arrangements). There are two additional, endless playmodes -- Aggression and Harmony -- that add some variation to the formula. Game Center and OpenFeint integration drive your competition.

Halcyon is one of those games that's something of a Zen experience to play, but is also downright maddening, both due to the difficulty in the latter levels as well as the "Ok, just one more time!" spell it casts upon you. I've spent a fair amount of time with Halcyon so far, and I haven't yet made it all the way through. But I can promise you I won't stop playing until I do.

TouchArcade Rating:

Indie sandbox building game Minecraft has become something of a phenomenon since the Mac / Windows / Linux release of Minecraft Alpha back in June. And, for a rather brief moment, iOS gamers had the chance to get in on the Minecraft experience as well, thanks to Trevor Wilkin's Minecrafted, basically an iPhone Minecraft client (which could connect to Minecraft servers) that was pulled shortly after landing in the App Store.

Those bereft Minecraft fans out there who lament the iOS Minecraft experience having been but a brief flirtation may be pleased to see Kingly Games' new release, Eden - World Builder [App Store]. The game, according to the developer, was inspired by various members of the block building genre, including Minecraft, Infiniminer, and Blockland. And it's apparent.

The game features "a vast pristine world of infinite possibility," dozens of block types, integrated community tools for sharing and, perhaps most important of all, fire and explosives. To the eye, it's pretty much Minecraft, with gameplay more akin to the earlier Classic version than the current favorite and more complex, Alpha release.

Movement through the game world is controlled via an onscreen D-pad with swipe-based view controls. Along the right edge of the screen are buttons for digging, selecting building blocks, lighting fires, jumping, and the like. Happily, the onscreen action is very smooth and fluid, moreso than the Java-based Minecraft on some Mac and PC setups. Eden is optimized for the iPhone 3GS / 3G iPod touch and newer, with iOS 3.2 or better required.

And while there's much similarity to Mojang's indie smash, Eden - World Builder is indeed it's own game and does not connect in any way to the world of Minecraft. I've enjoyed the brief time I've spent with the title so far and expect fans of the block-based world building genre would do likewise.

UPDATE:  Developer Ari Ronen contacted us early this morning to give us a heads-up on a price drop for Eden - World Builder. "Just a heads up -- I've decided to lower the price for Eden to 99c so that everyone can check it out."

Character can be a dangerous thing. All the narrative, charm, or wit in the world can be churned into mush if the foundation it sits on is unsound. Games that are able to inject doses of character into their tried-and-true fundamentals are special. They're hard to put down, even harder to forget, and inarguably solid.

Corpse Craft [Free] manages to be this type of game. It's no-nonsense approach and mixture of two different genres works spectacularly well, while its clever veneer adds a delectable flavor to the play.

But let's start at the beginning, shall we? Corpse Craft is a castle vs castle title with a matching twist. The UI itself has a built-in matching-game puzzle board. Each color within this board represents a different kind of material that you can use to build your soldiers, which are represented in the game just above the UI. The more dramatic the match, the more materials you'll receive as a result.

Materials aren't figurative and the soldiers are people… sort of. The game draws its name its peculiar choice of castle vs castle troops: cobbled together, reanimated flesh. In a way, this is castle battle "Frankenstein" minus all that stupid "What is it to be human?" crap. Also, there's no stalking.

Once material is gathered, you can build a butcher knife-equipped attacker or even a mix-and-match consisting of a female's head held up by multiple hands. Later, you'll be able to build a disgusting rolling sphere of interconnected parts or defensive creatures with multiple arms.

What's important to get here is that each soldier has its own specialization, as well as a flaw. And while these guys are all separate, they do share one thing in common: a quirky, yet dark and original character.

The weird, but whimsical aesthetic is present throughout the title, soaking the atmosphere in its quirk. You'll notice that Corpse Craft has a delightful pen-and-ink approach reminiscent of Graham Annable's "Grickle." It's an approach that keeps the gruesome in the forefront, but doesn't dish out copious gore. The narrative follows the art's lead, presenting the macabre substance via grim singsong poems.

Since we're dealing with monsters here, it's only natural that there's a day and night mechanic. At night, your abominations can attack and defend at will. But during the day, the entire board is wiped clean of the reanimated, leaving you to gather resources until the next night falls.

Depending on how good you are, you may only see more than a dozen nights, as there appears to be around 16 levels in the game. I wish I could confirm this, but there's a sharp difficulty spike just beyond this "free" title's pay wall. (Yes, Corpse Craft is one of those "Buy the full game" games.) The AI in these later stages turns into corpse grinders, able to blast out many more soldiers than you can within short spurts. A good deal of strategy is required and, unfortunately, luck. I'll note though that nothing seems impossible to beat.

In addition to a campaign, there's a Survival Mode and an online component, which presents 1 vs. 1 or 2 vs. 2 play via Game Center. The online sounds cooler in theory than what it actually is. The simplicity of the matching component lends itself to spamming blocks for massive amounts of soldiers, which turns out not to be so grand when you, and not the AI, is on the receiving end of the punishment. Again, this is where luck rears its head. If you get a bad board, you'll probably lose since there's not much complexity to Corpse Craft.

Regardless, it's hard not to love Corpse Craft for solely for its slick character, so it's really nice that it sits on such a solid foundation. I've enjoyed my time with the game immensely and I expect many others will as well. Go ahead and give the game a download -- you'll easily get a good enough indication of how much you'll dig the game before you hit its pay wall.

TouchArcade Rating: