Things are never boring in the world of iOS gaming, and that's true once again this week. The majority of my time over at TouchArcade this week has been negotiating and scheduling all sorts of upcoming news under embargo that I wish I could talk about as I hate sitting on really awesome stories. But, in the interest of keeping everyone happy, I'd just keep your eyes glued to these roundups over the next couple of weeks for some pleasant surprises in the world of mobile gaming.


Picking up where we left off last week, there have been further developments in the mystery of what in the world is actually happening with the Five Nights at Freddy's series. The game series has merchandise in both Walmart and Target stores, as well as a movie on the way, but the fate of the sixth installment is still up in the air. This week FNAF creator Scott Cawthon reiterated on Reddit that he's stepping away from the series partly due to the community negativity and how discouraging it is. It's ultra plausible, and makes a ton of sense, particularly as FNAF has grown beyond Cawthon's wildest dreams, but... I'm not quite ready to believe that there won't be a Five Nights at Freddy's 6.


As far as roguelites (A "roguelite" is not quite a "roguelike," although the internet loves arguing about the definition of both. Typically they're games with random elements and permadeath.) are concerned, 868-Hack is one of the very best on the App Store. We absolutely loved it when it hit the App Store back in 2013 as it's unbelievably clever how developer Michael Brough combined classic roguelike dungeon crawling elements with faux-hacking. The game has lingered on the App Store for years now, but this week was updated with loads of new content titled "868-HACK: Plan B" which is unlocked via a $2.99 IAP. Whether or not you spring for the IAP, at least check out our review and consider giving the base game a shot. I don't think you'll regret it.


My personal favorite hidden gem that hit the App Store this week is a lightweight 4X game titled A Planet of Mine. I get more in depth on how the game works over on TouchArcade, but the basic gist is the developers did an unbelievably fantastic job taking all of the various elements that go into a 4X game like Civilization, but streamlined into a format that can work on a touchscreen. This recommendation comes with the caveat that the game has a bit of a learning curve and not much of a tutorial, so definitely stick with it long enough to learn it. The good news is it's totally free to try, with the "full" game available as a one-time IAP unlock for $4.99.


Better late than never, Street Fighter IV: Champion Edition hit the App Store this week. We have an in-depth review, but it's basically a 2017 refresh of Street Fighter IV Volt which brought a shockingly competent port of Street Fighter IV to mobile. It has surprisingly workable virtual controls, MFi support, online multiplayer, and at a single premium purchase of $4.99 is free of gotchas and other freemium shenanigans that seem to permeate every other popular mobile fighting game.


In Hearthstone news, a patch hit this week that nerfed the Rogue quest card The Caverns Below. Completing the quest and unlocking the powerful reward of The Crystal Core now requires five of the same minion being summoned, up from four. This should slow down the deck significantly, which is a very good thing. Also, you can pre-order 50 packs from the upcoming expansion, Knights of the Frozen Throne, for $49.99. Aside from just getting them free by spending in-game gold, these pre-order offers are the cheapest way to get a bunch of new Hearthstone cards.

menuScreen4
Battleheart and Battleheart Legacy are easily among my all-time top iOS games, as both of them provide some unbelievably great RPG gameplay in a format that works incredibly well on the touchscreen. (I seriously can't recommend them enough.) The games' developer, Mika Mobile, teased some information on the upcoming sequel, and I can't wait. Battleheart 2 goes back to the core concepts originally explored in Battleheart, which is a departure from the full-featured RPG that Battleheart Legacy was. The sequel is deep in development, and Mika Mobile is famous for taking their time and not releasing something until it's 101% completed, so it might be a while until we see the game, or get another update on its progress.


Phoenix II is a favorite over on the TouchArcade Forums, and from the looks of it, it's going to be among the first games that take advantage of the new 120Hz display of the iPad Pro. Additionally, it'll support the wide color gamut of recent iOS devices, which isn't something we see often in games. We liked Phoenix II quite a bit in our review, and if you're looking for a great, totally free, entry in the bullet hell genre you really can't do much better than Phoenix II (particularly if you've got a new iPad Pro). This update will hit on July 27th.

twitch tv bot
Last, but not least, we're working on growing our presence over on Twitch, and as part of that we're on the hunt for iOS developers and publishers who also stream iOS gaming-related things on Twitch. If that describes you, please reach out to us or tweet @hodapp and we'll add your channel to our auto-host list. The dream is to turn the TouchArcade Twitch channel into somewhere you can go to always see someone playing iOS games, even when we're not actively streaming.

That's it for me this week! If you like these roundups be sure to check out TouchArcade for all this news, and way more. Alternatively, you can always swing into our Discord chat server to find people talking about iOS gaming 24/7.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...