We've got a great selection of iOS games for August: hack your way past enemies in Deus Ex GO, create your own Comic Con in Con Man: The Game or rule a nation in Reigns! We've got all this and more – read on and see for yourself.
Deus EX Go
Square Enix Inc.
£3.99
Square Enix's GO series of games have always been great: Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO received praise all round (including from myself!) and the latest is no exception. Coinciding with the release of the new game, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on PC and consoles, Deus Ex GO brings a whole lot of new features and fun to this turn-based game series.
If you've not played one of the GO games before, the premise is quite simple – think of it almost like a live-action board game. Your goal is always to get to a certain area in the level, and there are series of spaces you must pass through in order to reach it. However, you cannot simply slide across – there are many enemies and puzzles in the way that must either be outsmarted or solved.
With Deus Ex GO you take control of Adam Jensen – one of the main characters from the Deus Ex series. Compared to the previous GO games, there are considerably more gadgets and skills that can help with getting past the enemies this time around. As the game setting and theme are inspired by the high-tech Deus Ex universe, the puzzles have a lot of complexity and an intricate nature that really brings a good challenge. There are more than 50 main levels to get through, and you'll need to use a combination of hacking and combat to work your way across each level.
Enemy grunts and robots will move around the board with each turn you take, and you'll often need to replay a level several times until you get the perfect solution. This is where some of your hacking powers come in to play: there are terminals throughout the levels that let you hack turrets to take out the enemies instead of you. These aren't too easy to use, though!
Another new addition to the GO series is a story to go along with the game. Previous games simply had you solving puzzle after puzzle – whereas Deus Ex GO has an over-arching plot running throughout the game to keep you interested.
Overall, there's a lot to like here – the only real downside are some reports that the game can drain quite a bit of battery. This is normal for most games, but just be aware – as once you start playing, you may find it hard to stop!
cON mAN: The Game
Monkey Strength Productions LLC
Free
Based on the web series by internet and overall geek favourites Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk, Con Man: The Game puts you in charge of creating and running your own comic conventions! The web series centers around Wray Nerely (Tudyk) who, along with Jack Moore (Fillion), starred in a cancelled sci-fi show called Spectrum that has now become a cult favourite.
WhileJack enjoys a great celebrity life, Wray has not had quite the same success – so spends a lot of his time at conventions while also trying to avoid the crazed super-fans of the show. This is precisely where you come in!
The game works very similar to games like The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff and others like them: you are given a blank canvas to simply build your 'Con' the way you want it.
Booths, food, toilets and more will all be under your control – and you'll have to do a good job of managing them if you want to keep the fans coming back to your Con. You'll also have to employ staff to keep the place looking tidy and security to deal with some of the more... excited... fans who may turn up.
In addition, there are segments where you'll have to battle aliens from the character's cancelled show. These take you out of your Con and into an arena, where you'll participate in a turn-based battle. It's a good break from the usual build-it-and-wait gameplay, and makes the game stand out that little bit more.
Overall, for the casual gamer it has that perfect mix of questing and building – and if you have the time, you should also check out the web series too, as it's actually pretty good!
Reigns
Deveolver Digital
£2.29
How easy is it rule a kingdom? Kill the invaders and feed the people – sounds simple, right? So simple, you can just quickly say 'yes' or 'no' to any decisions that come your way without putting much thought into what might happen. Easy!
With Reigns, you get to see just how complex these little decisions can become further down the line – and whether you truly are a wise respected leader or an enemy of the people!
You are the monarch of the modern age, and with a swipe-left or swipe-right, you make simple yes-or-no decisions on questions brought to you by the Church, people, messengers or your army. In the moment, you may think you're making a good decision – but as you keep progressing through the game, you may find your choices coming back to haunt you!
The main aim of the game is to survive as long a possible, whether as a man of the people or ruler with an iron fist – both approaches may work, or could spell disaster.
Each decision you make will impact your standing in four main areas: Church, People, Military and Coin. You'll ideally want to strike a balance between all of these in order to keep the peace and keep yourself alive. You'll also want to be careful about who you trust: I foolishly told a general to "Be Strong" instead of "Be Fair" to a nation of criminals, only for him to then become the corrupt ruler of them! He then invited me to go on a 'pig hunt'with him – I was doomed.
There is a surprisingly large amount of content here for what seems like such a simple game – and you do get a good sense of how tough things could be for a ruling monarch, if Game of Thrones hasn't already convinced you!
If you're particularly good at ruling and your dynasty lasts a long time, then the developers promise you'll go through entire periods of witch-burning, scientific advancement, new kinds of politics and even more surprises!
And then, when you do get usurped, you'll have to start again – and maybe change your tactics as ruler...
Legend Of the Skyfish
Crescent Moon Games
£2.99
Legend of the Skyfish has you playing as 'Little Red Hook'– one of few survivors of the monstrous 'Skyfish'. The endless fishing of the seas by man angered the Skyfish, who rose up and destroyed many – but you were spared, and now have a chance to save yourself, your family and maybe the world.
The mechanics of the game are quite unique – you have a fishing pole rather than, say, a sword, and you use this to take down enemies as well as a grappling hook to swing between platforms and islands in the game world.
As you progress you can upgrade your pole and yourself, RPG style, to give you that extra edge in battle. Throughout all, you'll have to dodge or destroy the Skyfish, and will come across many boss battles that'll really challenge you.
The style of the game is very Zelda-esque, but with a notable nautical theme that gives it a rather unique feel. The game also supports gamepads and is available on the Apple TV, too – if you fancy taking things on to the big screen then this is definitely a game worth trying out!
Pixel Cup Soccer 16
ODT S.A.
£2.29
Pixel Cup Soccer 16 is a fast-paced football game where you take part in arcade-style gameplay that looks great on-screen and is madly addictive.
Translating football to the small screen can be tricky to do, so the controls are highly simplified, with movement of players being controlled mainly by the game, while you're directly responsible for passing, tackling and shooting.
This makes the game very easy to pick up and play, and means new players will have no trouble in learning how to play. For those looking for a bit more of an in-depth challenge, the game also supports game controllers and can be played on an Apple TV. While the game does play very well on mobile, the experience of playing on the big screen with a few mates is a fantastic addition – and perhaps an even better way to play.
The multiplayer support is pretty good here, too: you can play against the computer or another player, and there's even a party mode for when you have a lot of people round. There are a variety of competitions you can take part in, from real-world ones like the Euros and World Cup to some created just for the game, like the 'Pixel League' and 'Pixel Tournament'.
The detail in the game is also great, too: the artwork looks great and has a fantastic retro fee. The animation on-screen is also pretty cool – and you'll see players doing all kinds of crazy things like overhead kicks, diving headers and more.
It's not Fifa, but it's probably the best football game you'll find on mobile!
That's it for August's round-up of the very best iPhone and iPad games – but for more great articles from our Agents straight to your inbox each month, why not get your name down below for the Geek Squad newsletter?