What do you think of when I mention fur underwear, lots of muscles, and a really big sword? Okay, it calls a couple of different pop-culture icons to mind but what if I include flowing blond locks and an alter-ego that wears pink tunics? Couldn’t be anyone other than He-Man, could it? Well it is. And The Most Powerful Man in the Universe is getting The Most Powerful Game in the Universe at the end of the month by way of GlitchSoft (Destructopus, Star Marines) and Chillingo.

The developers have teamed-up with Mattel in order to bring the App Store an interactive celebration of the iconic 80’s action figure’s – I mean action hero’s – 30th anniversary. Hem-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe is quite possibly the first iOS Tap n’ Slash, too. Players will tear through several different environments and over 25 levels throughout Eternia as they attempt to thwart Skeletor yet again. The game features destructible environments, un-lockable and upgradeable attacks, hidden artwork, a very tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and a surprisingly clever control scheme. I didn’t get the chance to play around with it at all but it looks pretty intuitive with the left side for the screen used exclusively for movement and the right for jumping, attacking, and a bunch of special moves.

The glorious homage to one of the manliest toys ever to have graced the 1980s – with its self-referential humor, giant boss battles, and promise of more content in the form of new playable characters and levels in the future – is due out in the App Store at the end of the month, specifically October 25th. I wasn’t able to get a solid price point but it should go for between $0.99 and $1.99. Very soon we’ll all HAAAAVE THE POWEEEEEER! Make sure to use it wisely.

Being a cute and cuddly critter must really suck. It seems like the more adorable something is, the more likely it’ll be harassed by zombies or space aliens or something. In the case of Kung Fu Rabbit it’s decidedly the latter. An entire village of fluffy bunny children has been abducted and it’s up to the lone remaining Kung Fu master to bring them all home.

Players will jump, slide, wall-jump/slide and beat the tar out of baddies throughout 70 levels. With two different difficulty modes, no less. Carrots can be earned and spent on various accouterments, lending a bit of a personal touch to each individual’s rabbit. Some will no doubt also like to know that Kung Fu Rabbit will support Airplay (720p), iCloud and the iCade.

Release details are still a bit lacking in specificity, but Kung Fu Rabbit should be making its way onto the App Store in early March. There’s also no official word on a price, but it’s going to be universal so at least we know

When I first played Terra Noctis, I came away with an incredibly positive opinion. Sure it had its share of problems. In fact, it had a ton of small ones. However it was still a cool platformer that was well worth the somewhat hefty (comparably) price of $2.99 at the time. The cost has dropped down to $0.99 since then, but even that might be “too much” some some frugal shoppers. Which is why BulkyPix has brought in Everyplay Interactive to adapt a special free-to-play edition they’re calling Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming.

Free Dreaming is more or less the exact same game, albeit with a few noticeable adjustments (and a lot that aren’t so noticeable). It is, of course, free. Players can enjoy the same level of content found in the original, purchase power-ups in the shop, unlock levels with red fairies, etc… The freemium content is there, mostly in the form of purchasable fairies, but refusing to pay doesn’t gate off content so much as evenly pace its distribution. With the exception of a “Fairy Cloner” that permanently doubles the amount of fairies earned, it can all be acquired normally with a bit of patience.

In addition to the new payment (or lack thereof) model, as well as some stylish hats, there have been a number of small improvements that add up to make this the version to own. The Pumpkin Shop is accessible from anywhere, even mid-level. The shop’s interface is much easier to navigate. Virtually all of the tiny bugs and crashes have been squashed.

This definitive edition of one of the App Store’s best (and prettiest) platformers is available right now. And as I’ve already said it’s completely free. No more excuses, people.

FREE!

Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-02 :: Category: Games

Egg Ball and BulkyPix are about to release a new platformer on the App Store. Please hold all sarcastic golf claps until I’ve finished. It’s not exactly an under-represented genre, but JAZZ: Trump’s Journey certainly looks to be a stand-out title.

It’s not just the traipsing through New Orleans circa the 1920′s. It’s also the awesomely stylized graphics, as well as the plot (inspired by the life of one Louis Armstrong no less) involving bringing jazz music to life for the first time in human history. Then there’s the way the game’s music will build, layer upon layer, as Trump begins recruiting musicians. There’s so much about this game that sounds awesome.

Of course, we’ll have to wait for it to come out before knowing if it lives up to expectations. It certainly looks like it will, though. Fortunately it won’t be an incredibly long wait. JAZZ: Trump’s Journey is scheduled for a universal January 19th release. No word yet on a price but I’m going to assume that whatever it is, it’ll be worth it.

Austin-based White Whale Games has announced their first game for iOS, God of Blades. While the game is in an early state at this point, the developers have launched a Kickstarter page to help fund continued development of the game. The page has already met its goal, though donations are still accepted, with rewards such as original artwork for those who donate funds. The game itself will be a 2.5D action-platformer, featuring weapon-based combat.

The studio claims to be drawing inspiration from 70′s fantasy themes that inspired the sword-and-sorcery (not Sworcery) stories and artwork that also had an influence on the burgeoning rock and metal of that era (which still has an influence on bands like The Sword to this day). The concept artwork shows off this influence rather clearly, as if they were plucked straight out of the 1970′s, either by way of time travel or wizard’s spell to bring them to the present. Lost artwork and books are also part of the story, as fictional fantasy novels will play a part in the game’s world-building and internal fiction. There are also some ambiguous details on the use of geolocation to tie users in to the experience, although this should become more clear as the game enters further into development.

White Whale Games is comprised of 3 primary employees, working with outside programmers and musicians to help work on the game. Of particular note is the studio’s Creative Director, Jason Rosenstock. He most recently worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic for BioWare, and some of his work designing planets in that game will be seen when the game releases.

God of Blades is still a long way out, as work continues on the gameplay and artwork to make it look as close to their vision as possible. We’ll have more on this title as it nears its completion, as White Whale offers up a general release date of pre-Summer 2012. Want to check out a very, very early taste of what the game has to offer? Try this “First stage preview build” of an “interactive environment” in the Unity Web Player.