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Hassey Enterprises’ Dynamite Jack Goes Universal!

Hassey Enterprises’ Dynamite Jack, released back in late June, just got an update last night, and what an awesome update it is! Instead of releasing a totally separate app for the iPhone/iPod Touch, the devs over at Hassey Enterprises decided to show some love for their fans, and made Dynamite Jack UNIVERSAL. That’s right, now all of you who already purchased the game are able to install and play it on the small screen. And those of you who don’t have an iPad can now enjoy the game as well! 
For those of you who don’t know, Dynamite Jack is a stealth-based action/adventure title that has you blowing up rocks and enemies while trying to escape an underground cave system. It’s easily one of the best stealth-based titles I’ve ever played, and has LOADS of content. Check it out;
– Single Player Campaign Mode;
Containing 28 challenging levels, each with 3 different objectives (like beating the level in a certain amount of time, collecting all of the cartridges in a level, kill all the enemies in a level, kill ZERO enemies in a level, detonate 30 bombs in a level, beat the level without using keys, and much more!) and 3 data cartridges to collect in each stage, as well as a leaderboard for each level!
– Map Builder;
Build your own maps for the game, and share them via Hassey’s server. – This is even included on the smaller iPhone+iPod Touch screen! 
-Community Maps;
Download maps made by other users! This lets you download maps from iPad and PC users as well! 
This makes for near endless replay value, and some very challenging Campaign Mode gameplay.
If you’d like to know more about the game, check out our 4.5/5 star review, take a gander at the trailer below, check out the developer’s website, or head on over to the AppStore, and pick up this fantastic game already! =oD
**NOTE** – You will also be given a free PC/MAC/Linux code to download the game for your computer through the game! GET THIS NOW!! =oD
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August 9, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Rayark’s Cytus gets it’s Version 2.0 update!

Every now and again, an update comes along that totally changes how we view a game. Aside from the usual bug fixes, Facebook+Twitter additions and little tweaks, there’s the rare occasion that you’ll wake up one day, and see an update that you didn’t expect, and that completely changes how you view, or adds to the amount of respect you have for a developer. 
Today was one of those morning. Waking up at 5AM (damn neighbors locking their dog outside), I did my usual morning routine, and then opened up the AppStore to see a couple of updates. One of which was for Cytus. Not even knowing that an update for Cytus was in the works, I clicked on the icon, and was extremely surprised to see the amount of changes and additions that have been done for the fabulous Version 2.0.0 build. 
Here’s a list of what’s new in Version 2.0.0;
>As much as people enjoy the game of Cytus, there seems to be quite a few things that remain unanswered; Often people wonder, what is the robotic icon for? Is the background story really relevant to the game? You will be finding the answers in the new release of Cytus Version 2.0.0
>Cytus Story Mode unfolds before you
>The world outlook of Cytus has always been there, through implementing the new chapter select menu, gamers will better understand & be irresistibly drawn into the world of Cytus more than ever. 
>From Version 2.0.0 onwards, Rayark Inc. has a plan that is bold & experimental; with every 100,000 paid downloads, a new chapter, including 10 new songs, will be unlocked. The complete story of Cytus consists of 10 chapters, 100 songs thereof can be played as a whole, as long as the plan goes through in terms of having all 10 chapters unlocked.
–Having attempted to execute such a plan, we intend to dodge the commonly used IAP song packs in the contemporary music genre. We are relying on each and every gamer to spontaneously promote Cytus to others for its quality content as well as friendly price. Together, we have a chance to make Cytus the one and only; a classic music game with a hundred songs to play!
>9 new songs, including a hidden track of our most popular song.
>Technical Point system for those who want more of a challenge.
>New user interface to introduce the magnificent story of Cytus, including the new chapter select menu with 3 chapters, the story will expand in the future!
>New explosion and sound effects.
>GameCenter achievements 
That’s right. The background story is being brought out more, more songs, a new Technical Point system, new sound effects, GC Achievements!!! Sensory overload! =oD
Also finding out that new chapters and songs will be unlocked if the game sells well, instead of having the song packs come out as in-app-purchases was a huge surprise. Though I’m not too optimistic that the game will hit 1,000,000 paid downloads and have all 100 songs unlocked, I am still hopeful. So get out there, check out the update, and tell EVERYONE you know about a wonderful little music game, priced at $1.99, and already including a buttload of songs, that has the potential to have 100 songs sometime in the future!
Rayark has also been kind enough to contribute some promo codes for Cytus for our first ever BIG ASS PROMO CODE GIVEAWAY! So if you don’t have Cytus yet, and are a broke… broke… like so many of us out there, make sure you check our Twitter page every day for the next week while we hand out promo codes (we’re up to 95!!!) starting tomorrow (the 8th) and lasting until next Tuesday (the 14th).
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August 7, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

TAS Newsletter back up and running!

Alright. Many of you have already signed up to receive our newsletter. Unfortunately, this service has been down for quite some time. Until today. If you previously subscribed and still wish to receive The App Shack’s Newsletter, unfortunately, you’ll need to go through the process again (enter your e-mail address below, and confirm through an e-mail). We’re terribly sorry about this, but it’s the only way it could be fixed at this time. We’d like to thank you for your understanding, and are hoping that we can get back the substantial amount of subscribers that we previously had. 
We’ll start again by sending out monthly letters. Depending on how it goes, we might make it bi-weekly, but it all depends on feedback. 
Thank you for your support. You, the reader, make what we do here at The App Shack worthwhile. It means the world to us. =o)



After a quick confirmation e-mail, you’ll be able to receive The App Shack’s Newsletter containing information about new games, reviews, previews, and other iOS gaming news.
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August 5, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Rubicon’s Great Big War Game Merchandise Giveaway!

Rubicon has been fantastic with supporting Great Big War Game since it’s release a couple weeks ago. The online battles are incredibly fun, and with more and more players purchasing more of the map packs, there’s loads of different maps being played on. I’m actually finding it hard to pull myself away from GBWG so that I can get to other games and write up reviews (damn you Rubicon… hehe).
And now, Rubicon is going one step further, and having a Great Big Merchandise Giveaway!
At the end of each month, for the rest of the year, Rubicon is going to give away 1 merchandise pack to some very lucky gamers. In order to qualify, you just need to win one online match, which adds you to their leaderboard. You’ll also need to register on Rubicon’s forum (preferably with the same name you use for your GBWG online battles). That’s it!
For full details, hop on over to Rubicon’s forum page and check it out. Also, if you have some time to spare, why not spend it there? There’s some great gamers with some awesome hints, tips, and strategy help, and, of course, the awesome Rubicon devs. And who doesn’t like dialogue with awesome developers? =oD
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!!
**Don’t have Great Big War Game yet? No problem, check out our 5 star review, watch the trailer, and head on over to the AppStore to pick up one of the best games for the iOS to ever hit the virtual shelves!
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August 4, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

The App Shack’s first ever big ass promo code giveaway starts next Wednesday the 8th!

It’s been a long time since we had our last promo code giveaway. Last Christmas to be exact. And since then, we’ve gained quite a few more readers. Because of that, we figured it’d be a good idea to expose all of our new readers to one of our favorite things to do here on The App Shack (other than give you reviews of course!), giving away promo codes! 

We’ve got quite a few developers who’ve agreed to contribute this time around; Lightstorm 3D, The Quadsphere, Just Funny Games, FDG, A Small Game, Creative Heroes, Grab Games, and more have all been kind enough to give us a couple codes for some select games; Captain Antarctica HD, Hanger, Cats Away, Amoebattle, Icarus-X, Gene Effect, Gluddle and more! 

Our giveaway will start this coming Wednesday (August 8th). All you’ll need to do is follow #TheAppShack on Twitter, and Retweet our Tweets about the giveaways! We’ll be picking winners at random, and contacting them with codes for a whole week (through August 14th!). So keep a look out here on TAS for the beginning of this very special event, and let everyone you know in on the nifty giveaway we’ll have going on! You guys won’t want to miss out on it. =oD
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August 3, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Triolith’s new Metroid/Mega Man inspired platformer, Megatroid hits the AppStore!


Last June (2011) a newcomer to the iOS gaming scene, Triolith Entertainment, released their debut title, Wisp: Eira’s Tale. In it, you needed to guide a glowing orb through small maze like levels, avoiding incredibly creative hazards, collecting elements, Fire, Air, Water and Earth, and then safely make your way to the exit. Since it’s release, it’s gone through quite a few price drops, and had some updates that completed the game, making it one of the most polished games of it’s type available. 

Triolith has also been hard at work on their sophomore title, Megatroid, a platformer/run-n-gun title with randomly generated levels, and loads of equipment. Judging by the game’s name, it’s pretty easy to tell what the influences are; Metroid and Mega Man. These happen to be two of my favorite old-school games, and I’m sure many of you are also pretty big fans of the two series, so when I heard about Megatroid, I just about did a backflip in excitement. 

Megatroid not only has endless replayablity, but also a story to go along with it, which was a pretty big surprise. You’ll control Hali, a member of GRiN (Galactic Rebel Information Network), as she fights her way through the Imperium army one station at a time. You’re accompanied by a mechanical pet orb, named S.P.A.K.K. (Self Propelled Aerial Kinematic Kitten – that’s right – kitten), who gives you various information, and helps guide you on your journey. Now, once you complete the first couple of levels, and collect the Imperial Warp Gate, you’re able to jump from station to station. This is where the randomly generated level system comes into play. 
With a little help from the developers, here’s how it works; 

Because computers are pretty bad at figuring out random stuff, the level generation is seed based. This means that a string of characters – “FN/#NS¤’MDFH” – is fixed, while any word you can think of is typed in, say “The App Shack”, and then combined with “FN/#NS¤’MDFH” in order to create the stage. Since every copy of the game uses the same seed, every copy of the game produces the same level when the same word is typed in. So if I type “Goobel-e-gla” in my copy of the game, and so do you, we will both play the same level. 


This works out for the best, as Triolith has hidden some levels within the game, and if you happen to type in a certain word, you’ll unlock the Hidden Game Mode. Hopefully more things like this will be added in future updates. It’s a really neat feature. 

If you haven’t yet got Megatroid, make sure you check it out! It’s available for FREE (that’s right, folks! FREE!!!!) in the AppStore. This does, however, mean that IAPs are included as well, but they are very non-intrusive, and basically there for players to donate some cash to the developers. There are two markets, the Premium and Black Market. Both contain weapons and armor, but the Premium Market has items which you can only purchase with Space Bucks, while the Black Market’s currency is with Coins, which you earn in-game by destroying enemies and completing levels. There’s two options for picking up Space Bucks; One – purchase them through IAP with $$, Two – check out and install free apps, or watch trailers, though this only gives you a couple at a time, it’s there if you’re determined to get Space Bucks. The weapons in the Premium Market are not much stronger than the items in the Black Market, so it’s definitely not required at all to progress through the game. Also, new items are added every day, so you never really know what’s going to be available to you! Very cool!

Fans of Mega Man and Metroid (there are branching paths in the levels, but not much exploration, and no upgrades required to reach new areas, but you can still see the influence) as well as platformers and run-n-gun titles should definitely check out Megatroid. It’s on par with Wisp: Eira’s Tale, and could possibly become an iOS classic very soon. Check it out!


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August 3, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Neoteria’s soundtrack is now available via Bandcamp!

Orange Pixel’s fabulous retro shoot-em-up, Neoteria, has just had its soundtrack released through Bandcamp. Gavin Harrison has been chosen to work with OP on more than one occasion, so if you’ve enjoyed the music from Chrono & Cash and INC, you’ll be able to check out those soundtracks on the site as well.

For $0.99, you’ll get the 3 tracks included in the game, as well as one extra bonus track. Feel free to take a listen below, and then head on over to Gavin’s site and check out more of his music!

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July 31, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Ravenmark OST now available for FREE!

I know we aren’t a music site or anything, but I know there’s plenty of you out there that are hooked on video game music, and I’ve been wanting to start posting about iOS soundtracks for some time now. Anyway, Josh Whelchel’s music for Ravenmark – Scourge of Estellion is fantastic. I’ve been completely blown away by the music ever since I got the game. And now the OST is available for free via bandcamp! Though, if you feel like donating, I’m sure they won’t throw your money back at you. =o)
Make sure to check it out! There’s some AMAZING tracks included, as well as a reprise of the main theme that isn’t included in the game. You can go ahead and listen to it before you download it if you’re so inclined. 46 tracks of RPG-Adventure-TBS style greatness!

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July 27, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Witching Hour Studios TBS Title, Ravenmark gets a new campaign!

Witching Hour Studios fantastic Turn-Based Strategy game, Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, has just gotten a new update, and what an update it is! Check out what’s new in Version 1.08;
>The Deepwood Dragoons campaign is now available as an In-App Purchase! Players can purchase this campaign from the Campaign Menu for $1.99
>An option that increases the speed at which the Battle Phase plays out is now available via the Options Menu. A 3X Speed Option is available as an In-App Purchase.
>The first missions of the Ravenhood and Suneaters campaigns will now be accessible by default. Players no longer need to complete preceding campaigns to ‘unlock’ these campaigns. 
>A button to Restore past transactions has been added to the Options menu. This allows users who reinstall the game to verify and unlock previously purchased items from the AppStore.
WHS Account (Witching Hour Studios Account)
>Players may now create a WHS Account which synchronizes mission progress across multiple devices. This will not interfere with iCloud sync.
>Players who complete Ravenmakr missions while logged in on their WHS account will be eligible for future benefits. This will be elaborated at a future time.
>Facebook Connect is now available and supported, but it optional.
>While connected to the WHS Account, the game may prompt the player to post his success to his Facebook wall.
Gameplay Changes
>The difficulty of Ravenhood Mission 9 (the ‘Sunsoul Mission’) has been reduced.
>Reduced the amount of time it takes for the World Map to fade in and out at the start of missions and dialogues. 
>After completing the last mission of each campaign, the ending dialogue will now lead the player to the Campaign Menu.
>Dwight has grown stronger. His Pit Fighter ability now also gives him (his parent Element) 4 additional health (on top of the original 20 bonus armor). He also gains a new Active Ability called Low Blow. This change is retroactive and is applied to all Ravenhood missions he appears in.
Yup, HUGE update! But aside from the gameplay changes and the addition of the WHS Account, the new campaign is a big deal! For those of you who have had Ravenmark from the beginning, you know how great the developers are with content updates, though none of them have previously included a new campaign through IAP. However, the previous 2 campaigns that were added could very well have been introduced to the game through IAP, especially with how large they are, and how much content they added to the game. So seeing Witching Hour Studios finally charge for additional content is a great thing. Hopefully this will result in them getting some more money so that they can keep developing games for the iOS. 
With as great as Ravenmark is, I can only imagine what the developers over at WHS have learned since it was released. Ravenmark completely blew me away when it came out, and is still easily one of my favorite Turn-Based Strategy games on any platform. If you’re interested in reading more about it, feel free to check out our review, or visit the Official WHS/Ravenmark site. You can also watch the trailer below, it shows some great gameplay, and gives you an idea of what this amazing game delivers. I’d love to see more releases come out of WHS in the future, and this update is definitely a step in that direction. Let’s just hope it works out for the best. If you don’t yet have Ravenmark, be sure and head on over to the AppStore and pick it up! Priced at $4.99, and being Universal, containing some HUGE campaigns that offer up some incredible challenge, you won’t regret it.
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July 25, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >

Mr. Dreamer – Strapped To A Meteor’s new Endless Runner, coming the 31st!

Last August, the iOS world was shown the second release from the development studio, Strapped To A Meteor; DEO. Mixing platforming elements with fairly strict timing to get around rotating levels set in a gloomy universe, the game received some very positive reviews and great player feedback. Since then, the STAM team has had their work cut out for themselves, trying to come up with something new that would match the uniqueness of the 7-person team’s previous releases (Go Go Giraffe being the other, and first iOS title); Enter Mr. Dreamer. 
Mr. Dreamer is a score-chasing, endless runner, of sorts. On the main menu, you’re shown a strange little guy who’s stuck in an office’s cubicle with a stuffed animal by his side, pictures of his family on the walls, and the sounds of a keyboard clicking and phones ringing in the background, set to a pensive background musical loop. Looking bored and staring off into space, once you hit the ‘Play’ button, you’re off into a dream world, running up a two sided pathway in a dream world ripe with candy and sweets. 

What makes the game interesting, and adds to the challenge, is that while you’re running up this pathway, you need to stay up-right. There’s a gauge at the top of the screen, which is kind of like your life bar. Every time you’re up-side-down, this bar goes down, and once it’s empty, it’s Game Over, but to keep it from being a fairly short game, collecting candies will re-fill this gauge. 
We’re pretty psyched about Mr. Dreamer, as Strapped To A Meteor’s previous titles definitely added something new to the AppStore, and had us stuck on em for quite a while. We’ll be able to find out more and will have a review for you once the game is officially released on July 31st. If you’re a fan of endless runners, be sure to keep an eye out for this one. 
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July 21, 2012 Uncategorized 0 Read more >