Tag: Implosion - Never Lose Hope »

There's no escaping the fact that everyone loves Dark Souls. If you've not heard of it, it's a super tough action RPG that punished your every mistake with swift retribution. It's the sort of game where you die a lot, and it can be pretty intimidating trying to get on board with the systems it throws at you.

But you can't play it on your iPhone. Well, there's Slashy Souls, but to be honest the less said about that the better. If you're looking to get some Souls-style action on the go though, there are plenty of options waiting for you on the App Store.

Rather than leaving you to find all of them for yourself though, we thought we'd do a list and round-up what we think are the five best games like Dark Souls for iOS. If you think we're wrong, or you've got your own suggestions to chuck into the mix, let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.

And while we're at it, why not click here and check out all the other awesome lists we've created for your viewing pleasure. Right then, on with the games.

Rayark, the celebrated developers of Implosion - Never Lose Hope have another game on the horizon. In two weeks, Sdorica - Sunset, will be hitting the App Store in the US, which is a fantasy puzzle rpg of sorts. In the lead up to release, we’ve been playing Sdorica to unpack exactly what it is so you’ll know what to expect when it comes out on April 19.

It’s a unique matching game

As a game, Sdorica fits into the same mold of a bunch of puzzle rpgs. You have a cast of characters that you level up and take on missions to fight all kinds of other enemies using turn-based gameplay that involves matching blocks to unleash attacks and abilities.

That said, the matching in Sdorica is a little unlike most games we’ve seen before. Your matching field is only two rows deep and features as many colors of tiles as you have people in your party. There’s no shuffling blocks around or anything like that, either. Instead, you tap on any tile you want, and you have the option to drag to select any nearby blocks of the same color to be included in the match. Depending on the number of blocks you select, your character will perform different moves, and you have to learn how best to harness these abilities so you can beat your enemies before they beat you.

[Trying to decide if Implosion is worth buying? Check out our review.]

Fighting your way through Implosion’s many, many levels isn’t difficult to figure out - by which I mean it won’t take long to learn the ropes - but the Ark System it uses to manage your upgrades never really gets a proper explanation. So rather than trying to feel your way around, how about you let us show you the ropes?

The Basics

The Ark System is split into four sections where you can equip different systems you find or purchase - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Lambda. All systems can affect your power or endurance, along with other systems unique to their category.

• Alpha - 2 slots. Tends to focus on passive attack bonuses like critical rates and ballistics damage. Some upgrades also affect your shield power and can increase item drop rates.
  
  
• Beta - 2 slots. More defense-oriented with upgrades that increase amor, agility, and shield repair.
  
  
• Gamma - 2 slots. Emphasizes things like HP recovery, “Rage,” and restorative powers. Some upgrades can also include the Hack ability, which will be necessary to access certain locked rooms in various levels.
  
  
• Lambda - 1 slot. These upgrades grant entirely new special abilities, such as creating a temporary shield or triggering an area-effect attack.