07-28-2018, 07:56 AM
The Weekender: Heresy Edition
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/the-weekender-heresy-edition.jpg" width="820" height="1458" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>Welcome to the Weekender, your weekly look at the best new games, sales, and updates. We’ve got some great new gaming options, including two completely free and very fun titles. There’s also a smattering of sales including a rare sale on one of the best mobile games ever.</p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>Mind Cards (<a href="https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-gb/details/1411999677?country=us&mediaType=ios_apps&term=Mind+Cards&type=software" target="_blank">iPhone</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Mind Cards</em> is a new solo card game in the same vein as TinyTouchtales classic hit <em>Card Crawl</em>. In it you must work your way through a 21-card deck in order to win. Some cards are monsters you must fight, and they deal damage which reduces your life. Some are potions that heal lost life. Some cards are food and replenish another of the game’s finite resources. You use food with every card you play. Some cards are gems which allow you to deal out cards to all open spaces. You can do this without gems, but it will cost life instead. Finally, there are special attack cards that hit monsters without taking damage. The goal of the game is to use every card without losing all of your life and it’s a fair bit harder than it sounds. As you play you earn gold and can unlock more special cards for use in future games. <em>Mind Cards</em> is completely free with no ads or IAPs, so if solo card games are at all your thing, there’s no reason not to check it out!</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/the-weekender-heresy-edition.jpg" alt="Mind Cards" width="820" height="1458" /></p>
<h3>The Horus Heresy: Legions (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-horus-heresy-legions/id1398384203?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Everguild.HorusHeresy" target="_blank">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>There’s a new CCG on the block, <em>The Horus Heresy: Legions</em> is Warhammer 40K’s entrance into the crowded market. Can they take a bite out of <em>Hearthstone</em> and others? It’s hard to know for sure and certainly time will tell, but the easy answer is probably not. <em>The Horus Heresy: Legions</em> features pretty-standard gameplay for the genre. You pick a legion which dictates card choices. You take on opponents and try to reduce their life to nil for the win. The only innovation I see is a guild system, which has the potential to be cool. I’ve always wondered why CCGs didn’t implement guilds as a way to keep players invested. Having a play group to test and play with is huge. It’s free with the usual IAPs, so easy enough to check out if you dig the IP or want a new CCG to play around with.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Amethlion (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amethlion/id1078298807?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dynamiczero.amethlion" target="_blank">Android</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Amethlion</em> is an explore/craft/survive game with an open world full of quests, dungeons, and mysteries. The graphics and music are a bit basic, even for the genre, but there’s a lot to explore, build, and you know, kill. Oh, and you can get pets. There’s a big update with new items, quests, and areas of the world to explore coming next Tuesday on iOS. The update is already live on Android. It’s not perfect but the developer seems receptive to feedback and the game is just a couple bucks.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Nishan Shaman (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nishan-shaman/id1386115658?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Nishan Shaman</em> is a rhythm game where you control Nishan’s spirit travels into the void on a quest. She protects herself from the dangerous in that place through a spiritual shield maintained through drumming, which you control. As creatures hit her shield you drum them into nothingness, protecting her as she continues her journey. It’s simple yet quite engaging. I was immediately nodding along with the music and smiling broadly as I drummed the monsters away. <em>Nishan Shaman</em> has a cool mythology and cultural elements, a great story, and beautiful graphics and music. Oh, and it is completely free. You should download it right now.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Battleheart 2 (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/battleheart-2/id1232791258?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.MikaMobile.BattleheartReturns" target="_blank">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/battleheart-2/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Ok, so I may have been a little harsh a couple weeks ago when <em>Battleheart 2</em> came out for iOS. I wasn’t, and still am not, a big fan of how little the game progressed in the seven years between the original and sequel. I may have discounted how good of a game it still is, for what it is. It’s out now on Android and I’ve played about 10 hours in the intervening two weeks. A good chunk of that was the co-operative multiplayer, which while unintuitive to set up, does work pretty well and is a fun addition to the game. You and a friend just pick the same room name and it connects you. <em>Battleheart 2</em> is quite the grind fest, there’s no story to speak of, and it’s certainly not getting any awards for innovation, but, if you enjoy real-time action and slowly improving a party of adventurers you could do a lot worse.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<h3>Dungelot Shattered Lands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dungelot-shattered-lands/id1034658841?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dungelot+Shattered+Lands&c=apps" target="_blank">Android</a>): Free on iOS (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-dungelot-shattered-lands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>One of the world’s better roguelike games, <em>Dungelot: Shattered Lands</em> features fun and challenging gameplay and a lot of persistent benefits to gain as you play to make the next run even better. It’s free on iOS and you should get it if you don’t already own it. </p>
<h3>Punch Club (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/punch-club/id1024951378?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinybuildgames.punchclub" target="_blank">Android</a>): $.99 on iOS</h3>
<p>Tinybuild, the makers of the aforementioned, have their popular boxing sim on sale as well for just a buck on iOS. </p>
<h3>Crashlands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crashlands/id808296431?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands" target="_blank">Android</a>): $3.99 on iOS (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-crashlands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Now we’re talking people. <em>Crashlands</em> might be my favorite mobile game. It’s certainly my favorite explore/craft/survive game on mobile. If you love that genre as much as I do and haven’t tried it out now’s the time, it’s very rarely on sale, and $4 is a steal for this one. </p>
<h3>Kingdom: New Lands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kingdom-new-lands/id1118513354?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.noio.kingdom" target="_blank">Android</a>): $4.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-kingdom-new-lands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Have you played the side-scrolling, genre-mashing <em>Kingdom: New Lands</em>? It’s part tower-defense, part city builder, part simulation, part puzzle, and all kinds of challenging. It’s also on sale for $5, half off.</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/the-weekender-heresy-edition.jpg" width="820" height="1458" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>Welcome to the Weekender, your weekly look at the best new games, sales, and updates. We’ve got some great new gaming options, including two completely free and very fun titles. There’s also a smattering of sales including a rare sale on one of the best mobile games ever.</p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>Mind Cards (<a href="https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-gb/details/1411999677?country=us&mediaType=ios_apps&term=Mind+Cards&type=software" target="_blank">iPhone</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Mind Cards</em> is a new solo card game in the same vein as TinyTouchtales classic hit <em>Card Crawl</em>. In it you must work your way through a 21-card deck in order to win. Some cards are monsters you must fight, and they deal damage which reduces your life. Some are potions that heal lost life. Some cards are food and replenish another of the game’s finite resources. You use food with every card you play. Some cards are gems which allow you to deal out cards to all open spaces. You can do this without gems, but it will cost life instead. Finally, there are special attack cards that hit monsters without taking damage. The goal of the game is to use every card without losing all of your life and it’s a fair bit harder than it sounds. As you play you earn gold and can unlock more special cards for use in future games. <em>Mind Cards</em> is completely free with no ads or IAPs, so if solo card games are at all your thing, there’s no reason not to check it out!</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/the-weekender-heresy-edition.jpg" alt="Mind Cards" width="820" height="1458" /></p>
<h3>The Horus Heresy: Legions (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-horus-heresy-legions/id1398384203?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Everguild.HorusHeresy" target="_blank">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>There’s a new CCG on the block, <em>The Horus Heresy: Legions</em> is Warhammer 40K’s entrance into the crowded market. Can they take a bite out of <em>Hearthstone</em> and others? It’s hard to know for sure and certainly time will tell, but the easy answer is probably not. <em>The Horus Heresy: Legions</em> features pretty-standard gameplay for the genre. You pick a legion which dictates card choices. You take on opponents and try to reduce their life to nil for the win. The only innovation I see is a guild system, which has the potential to be cool. I’ve always wondered why CCGs didn’t implement guilds as a way to keep players invested. Having a play group to test and play with is huge. It’s free with the usual IAPs, so easy enough to check out if you dig the IP or want a new CCG to play around with.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Amethlion (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amethlion/id1078298807?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dynamiczero.amethlion" target="_blank">Android</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Amethlion</em> is an explore/craft/survive game with an open world full of quests, dungeons, and mysteries. The graphics and music are a bit basic, even for the genre, but there’s a lot to explore, build, and you know, kill. Oh, and you can get pets. There’s a big update with new items, quests, and areas of the world to explore coming next Tuesday on iOS. The update is already live on Android. It’s not perfect but the developer seems receptive to feedback and the game is just a couple bucks.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Nishan Shaman (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nishan-shaman/id1386115658?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Nishan Shaman</em> is a rhythm game where you control Nishan’s spirit travels into the void on a quest. She protects herself from the dangerous in that place through a spiritual shield maintained through drumming, which you control. As creatures hit her shield you drum them into nothingness, protecting her as she continues her journey. It’s simple yet quite engaging. I was immediately nodding along with the music and smiling broadly as I drummed the monsters away. <em>Nishan Shaman</em> has a cool mythology and cultural elements, a great story, and beautiful graphics and music. Oh, and it is completely free. You should download it right now.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<h3>Battleheart 2 (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/battleheart-2/id1232791258?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.MikaMobile.BattleheartReturns" target="_blank">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/battleheart-2/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Ok, so I may have been a little harsh a couple weeks ago when <em>Battleheart 2</em> came out for iOS. I wasn’t, and still am not, a big fan of how little the game progressed in the seven years between the original and sequel. I may have discounted how good of a game it still is, for what it is. It’s out now on Android and I’ve played about 10 hours in the intervening two weeks. A good chunk of that was the co-operative multiplayer, which while unintuitive to set up, does work pretty well and is a fun addition to the game. You and a friend just pick the same room name and it connects you. <em>Battleheart 2</em> is quite the grind fest, there’s no story to speak of, and it’s certainly not getting any awards for innovation, but, if you enjoy real-time action and slowly improving a party of adventurers you could do a lot worse.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<h3>Dungelot Shattered Lands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dungelot-shattered-lands/id1034658841?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dungelot+Shattered+Lands&c=apps" target="_blank">Android</a>): Free on iOS (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-dungelot-shattered-lands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>One of the world’s better roguelike games, <em>Dungelot: Shattered Lands</em> features fun and challenging gameplay and a lot of persistent benefits to gain as you play to make the next run even better. It’s free on iOS and you should get it if you don’t already own it. </p>
<h3>Punch Club (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/punch-club/id1024951378?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinybuildgames.punchclub" target="_blank">Android</a>): $.99 on iOS</h3>
<p>Tinybuild, the makers of the aforementioned, have their popular boxing sim on sale as well for just a buck on iOS. </p>
<h3>Crashlands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crashlands/id808296431?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands" target="_blank">Android</a>): $3.99 on iOS (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-crashlands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Now we’re talking people. <em>Crashlands</em> might be my favorite mobile game. It’s certainly my favorite explore/craft/survive game on mobile. If you love that genre as much as I do and haven’t tried it out now’s the time, it’s very rarely on sale, and $4 is a steal for this one. </p>
<h3>Kingdom: New Lands (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kingdom-new-lands/id1118513354?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.noio.kingdom" target="_blank">Android</a>): $4.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-kingdom-new-lands/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Have you played the side-scrolling, genre-mashing <em>Kingdom: New Lands</em>? It’s part tower-defense, part city builder, part simulation, part puzzle, and all kinds of challenging. It’s also on sale for $5, half off.</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>