The iPod Touch/iPhone has become a huge surprise hit as a gaming console, much to the shock of the more mainstream gaming industry. In contrast to the shiny corporate image of Apple, most of the best iPhone games are from indie developers and small startups, and can cost as little as 59p. This means that there's no familiar developer names attached, and no way of judging if it's going to be your cup of tea. On buying my iPod touch last week, the first toe dip into the app store was more than a little overwhelming! With over 80,000 apps to buy (not all games, mind), where do you start?
These are some of the best indie games I've bought, and why I think they should make it onto your purchase list for your shiny new device!
Tap Tap Revenge 2.6
Price: FREE
Tap Tap Revenge plays out like Guitar Hero lite with only 3 tracks instead of 5, making it easily manageable for 2 thumbs. As a free app, you'd expect it to be a little rough around the edges, but developer Tapulous has polished the game to a mirror shine and added free downloads for around 30 songs. Some of these even come with custom skins or "themes" that change the usual glowing lines to a themed background. The songs available are a reasonably good selection of genres, and for free, who can argue? For fun, this game wins hands down against some of the paid apps, and comes with a hilariously self aware track called "Tap Tap Domination" that will stick in your head for days. (N.B: The 3rd edition now requires a 59p payment, so I'd try out 2.6 first).
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
Price: £1.79
This game is based on the seemingly barmy idea that crawling around a deserted house eating flies makes for a fun game. Surprisingly, it does. The gameplay involves guiding a touch controlled spider around the 2D landscape of a mysteriously deserted manor house, making webs and eating insects in order to open up the next room. While the puzzle gameplay of figuring out how to catch as many insects as possible with limited web (and later on, surfaces that can't be stood on and insects that need to be herded into webs) is great fun and works beautifully, the real magic in this game comes from figuring out what happened to the missing Bryce family. Where did they go, and what happened to them? This game will make you hungry to find out.
Ragdoll Blaster
Price: 59p
Like many free physics puzzlers for the PC, ragdoll blaster involves firing a projectile past several obstacles in order to hit a target. The little ragdolls fired from your cannon waggle their limbs humorously on impact, and pile up nicely when you frustratedly try to beat a level by throwing dolls at it. Helpfully, you can use as many as you like, but only about 10 show up on screen at once. The targets themselves are fiendishly placed in mazes of springboards, movable blocks, boulders, and spinners, and with over a hundred levels of puzzley goodness and a skip function in case you get stuck, it's hard to say no.
Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid
Price: £3.49
This little gem is pure, bonkers, quality. The little rolandos exude weapons-grade levels of charm as they roll around in what appears at first to be a straight rip-off of LocoRoco. But this is a slightly different animal, with it's charmingly English little characters, such as Sir Richard and the Spiky Commando, shepherding around wayward royal rolandos who refuse to be controlled by you (who they refer to as "Finger"). The game is controlled by tilting the iPhone, and rolandos will jump at the swipe of a finger. With a cute storyline, nice 2.5D graphics, and crystal collecting and time trial challenges for each level Rolando 2 is the complete package.
Glyder
Price: 59p
This game reminds me a lot of the old Spyro the Dragon flying sections from the PSone era, controlled through the iPhone's tilt sensor. The game is extremely chilled and new-agey, with a lot of relaxing music and peaceful flying. In order to get all of the hundreds of cystals scattered throughout the seamless world, many death defying swoops and dives will be needed, but crashes are not punished so it never feels stressful. Great for spending a few minutes relaxing and marvelling at the lovely (if low polygon) world at your disposal for just 59p.
Dungeon Hunter
Price: £3.99
Counting Gameloft - who've been banging out phone games for years now - as an indie developer may be pushing it a little, but I struggle to think of any games of theirs that have been huge hits before. It'd be a crime not to include Dungeon Hunter in this list anyway, because it's one of the finest games for the iPhone full stop. With amazingly smooth and high quality graphics, accomplished Baldur's gate/Diablo combat, and an accomplished storyline, it's my favourite purchase so far. If you like a good half hour of hack-and-slash gaming look no further.
Of course, this list has omitted major releases like The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, and Crash Nitro Karts, but that's the point. You know and love these series already, so give the little guy a chance as well (and buy his weird game about spiders).