Tag: Appvent Calender »

Well, I decided to call this column the "Daily Double" because of EA's 25 Days Til Xmas Sale and Blacksmith Games' Appvent Calender, but EA has decided to mess me up by having two games on sale today: Auditorium and Surviving High School are both on sale for $0.99. Meanwhile, the Appvent Calender is featuring Totemo, a casual puzzle game with some nice graphics.

I actually played Auditorium for the first time last night, and let me say that this game is fantastic. It has all the polish of an EA app with the inventiveness of an indie game. It's hard to describe how the game works, but once you play it, everything is intuitive. It's a soothing puzzle game in which you divert beams of light into containers to create sound. The level designs are elegant, and there are multiple solutions to each stage. Once you complete a level, you're left with a "symphony of light and sound." It's beautiful and quirky, even if it is lacking a bit on content. (You can buy additional level packs via in-app purchase.)

Surviving High School is an app-store success in which you take on the role of a high-school student. There are the usual tribulations—fights, girl drama, and so on—that you'd expect of high school life. The App Store reviews are mostly positive, though many have complained about not being able to play as a girl; you can shape your character into jock or nerd, popular guy or hated outsider. Plus, each week brings a new "episode," introducing new content that replaces the old. It seems to have garnered quite the following.

The Appvent Calender is clearly working as a developer promotional tool; according to Blacksmith Games, the previous apps have all managed to surge into the Top 100 Free list. Today's offering is Totemo, a puzzle game with good graphics and a totem-pole theme, even if the gameplay isn't overly original (it's a twist on the math-3 formula). Totemo includes both a Story mode and a frenetic Survival mode, and should be worth a download for puzzle fans.

Daily deals are apparently popular this Christmas season. Between Blacksmith Games' daily free app from the Appvent Calender and EA Games' 25 Days Til Xmas Sale, there are a lot of one-day-only specials to keep track of. While EA Games isn't offering any free games, they'll be offering up to 80% off on one game per day 'til Christmas, with some games as low as 99 cents. As for the Appvent Calender...well, you'd be crazy to pass up on free games. So, from now on, we're going to try and update you daily on these awesome deals.

Today's freebie is Snorkeling, a game from Alfonso Bonzzelli. I'm still trying to figure out why there's a fishing bear, but it certainly looks worth a download. Here's what the developer has to say:

"Snorkeling is a funny, simple and intuitive game. You have to swipe your finger on the screen to move the bear cub and catch as many fish as possible (the good ones!). There are different types of fish, each one worth a certain number of points. Be careful to stay away from the bad fish or you will die and remember that you can’t stay underwater for long without recharging your oxygen."

Meanwhile, EA Games has Boggle on sale for $0.99 today. While Billy suggested that fans of the game wait, it's not going to get any cheaper than this, and Boggle is one of the classic games that all word fans need. The latest update added Pass 'n' Play multiplayer, and the game's wrapped with all the graphical polish you'd expect from EA. An Advanced mode adds some extra strategy to the mix. Make sure to read our detailed review!

And for today, one bonus deal: Ramp Champ is also free. It's a playful take on skee ball from Iconfactory that should provide some simple fun. It includes four different games, each with points and goals; trophies and prizes can be collected as well.

We'll be posting our "Daily Double" feature tomorrow, too. Be sure to check back!

Remember the good old days, when holiday promotions didn't start until after Thanksgiving? If you're like me, your inbox is already flooded with promotional emails. Enough, already!

Blacksmith Games, thankfully, isn't starting this promotion until December 1st—that sounds reasonable, doesn't it?—but what they're offering is sure to delight any and all App Store junkies. Their new program is an "Appvent Calender," and if all goes as planned, customers will be able to get a different free game every day, from December 1st to the 24th.

Jo from Blacksmith Games writes:

While finishing Plushed I got the idea to make an advent calendar with free games. It is called appvent calendar :-) Developers can apply for providing their game for free for one day. Then 24 games will be chosen.

It looks like they need more developers to join the program before it takes off, though, so any developers interested in participating should apply here. Jo is quick to point out that this benefits developers and much as customers; switching an app to free for one day, combined with the Appvent Calender, should generate a nice promotional boost.

Meanwhile, customers should check appventcalender.com once December hits. Let's cross our fingers and hope that the free games are good ones...Talk about a sweet treat!