Paradigm Shift is a point and click adventure created by Ben Aprigliano. The game follows the basic principles of a point and click game, while incorporating zombie elements into it. However, is this free game worth a place on your iOS device?

“A dangerous biochemical has been released into the ecosystem, turning every living thing into a bloodthirsty killer, you are the sole survivor” the games description reads, sounding cliche as ever. As I have stated in past reviews (see Into the Dead) adding a ‘zombie twist’ to spice up a genre is becoming overused. Whilst some times it comes off well, it is often the wrong choice. Paradigm shift is an example of that latter point. After a cliche zombie apocalypse introduction talked through by a cliche monotone zombie-apocalypse announcer, the game begins in very familiar territory. Trapped in an apartment, with your cliche aim to find objects aid in your escape,  to do this, you can touch anywhere on the screen to either look at an object, or move to the next location, all with a cliche atmospheric zombie score playing in the background.

Make a wrong move, and you will find the cliche consequence of being killed by one of ‘the infected’ which ends the game. Make a right move, and you’ll progress through the ‘story’, which is also a cliche zombie tale of finding other survivors.

Did I also mention the game was very cliche? The game ticks all the boxes of what we expect from a zombies game, however, what the app does not do is try to incorporate anything innovative into the mix. The game was boring at best, and the visuals were far from impressive  with pre-rendered backgrounds and still images, The game also took to long to load in unthinkable places, such as noticing you had clicked on an important item and opening it up for you to examine. Whilst the game doesn’t  do anything wrong in the point and click aspect, it also does not do anything right. The initial excitement you may receive when you watch through the games intro is quickly killed when you load the game up. I suggest you go elsewhere in search for a zombie game, as the apocalypse here is just to dull.

Into the Dead is an endless runner that plays with zombie survival aspect’s in a 1st person prespective. The developers - PikPok have crafted these three aspect together to create a very different experience, however does this trio allow the app to stand out in a genre with mega competition?  

Zombies, we have heard it all before, slap them into a project thats about to enter its last legs and it makes everything fresh again, however, with more zombies titles pouring out each year, the genre is at its peak. What may have seemed fun and unique a few years ago is starting to become a common element in this modern age. Do not let this idea restrain you from playing this title though, as this is no ordinary zombie game.

The main game mode Into the Dead offers is survival – there are others, but I wont spoil them for you, unlocking them is are one of the rewards that the application carries, but more on that later. It starts with the player waking up after an apparent (it isent made clear to the user) plane crash, with the horde of the undead lurking toward you from every angle, it becomes clear that simple fighting them off wont be an intelligent thought, so the game sets you off running in the opposite direction.

You’ll be seeing this view a lot on your in game travels

And that is just what you will be doing for most of this experience, running. The automated action never takes a break, and you as a player has the job of moving yourself to the sides to swerve past zombies. Sounds easy, correct? Well thats where you would be wrong. With a forever increasing amount of on screen brain chompers, and visual impairments such as corn fields and tree, an up close appointment with the nasty blights are where you will most likely spend your early hours with the game. That is not a bad thing though, as after each run you will be able to rake together your in game coins to buy things such as perks that will enable you to do things such as start at a certain distance or begin with a weapon.

The games learning curve is also very quick. It sets you missions for you to do on each attempt at besting your own personal high score’s, which the game records each time. From these, you will gain more of those coins i spoke of earlier, and unlock new game modes and weapons. A zombie cut you off early in the game just before you broke your record? Now you can make a meal of him with that new chainsaw you unlocked. The visuals are also a stand out feature, with flawless graphics and only a minor frame rate dip here and there. This is not one of the many poor zombie bandwagon games we see day in day out. This is a must have.

Punch Quest is an endless runner arcade fighting game. The developers of this free app (RoketCat Games)  have pummeled perfection into what at first seems to be a simple button masher, however consistent players will be rewarded with a unique experience with vast depth that you will not find anywhere else on the android or apple store.

After a simple tap on the glaring start button, the game throws you straight into the deep end, with little information offered other then a tap of your right thumb will throw your dash punch and a tap of your left will offer up an uppercut. Simple right? I found myself just battering the controls aimlessly on my first ‘Punch Quest’. So much happened in such a small space of time,  that of which I was unaware how. Riding a top a lazer spitting dinosaur? The game had me doing this little over the 30 second mark. I did not know how, but it was engaging, it was fun. 

After some unfortunate run ins with the games antagonists, which ranged from zombies, skeletons, bats, gnomes and many more, I ran out of ‘heart’s’ (the games life system – you get five of them.) I was thrown back to the games menu, with an option to try again and embark on another fist swinging adventure, or browse through the in game shop. Intrigued on what could be possibly added to enhance a game that revolved around punching enemy’s to a pulp, over and over as if they were insignificant, I chose the shop.

I was instantly stunned when an unthinkable amount of content opened up before me. This fluctuated between simply editing your characters appearance to getting access to new abilities. It quickly hit me that the game was much more then a time passer, and after playing through several times, unlocking different content along the way, it dawned just how well made this game was. It was a collection of many different things that made a game good, a graphic style that fit’s the game like a custom made glove, unique game play, a deep system to spend your in game credits, and most of all, a fun experience throughout.

Temple Run 2 is the direct successor to the free smash hit game Temple Run by Imangi Studios. The game carries over the same principles of its predecessor whilst still creating a new, compelling experience, that will last countless hours and bring you back time and time again for more.

The game begins on familiar territory to the original, with prompts to the player to steal the on screen ‘idol’. Upon a swift tap of the finger, the game starts almost instantly, allowing the user to dust off their Temple Run skills again. People who have played Temple Run before will feel at home. However, for these who are new to the Temple Run craze will find a useful tutorial waiting for them once the game is in flow. Various on screen stimulus will teach new users the very basic controls that Temple run 2 utilizes to create its addictive experience.

After a few play through’s, these will be automatically turned off to stop them from becoming less of a reminder and more of a hindrance to the user. Still, if you are one of those people who take their time adjusting to the learning curve of games, the tutorial can be very easily turned on in the settings menu.

Temple Run 2 does a fantastic job at teaching its users the controls

The actually gameplay is very smooth and simple, swiping at the screen will cause your player to either jump or duck, the app also continues to make use of the iOS’s gyroscope features, where tilting your device will shift your on screen character into safety, failure is forever present in Temple Run 2, however, this is no problem, as the load times alone are very quick, which allows you to restart your experience over again and again, developing your progress on the games muched loved reward and upgrade system of collecting and spending the in game coins that the first game carried, whilst still managing to introduce new features.

The games clever leveling system give’s players something to aspire for

Whilst the game stands firm on its old ground in terms of play style, the graphics of the game have been knocked up to be more eye friendly then the original, and the scenery bears no similarities to its predecessor to make it a more fresh experience, the game also supports the new screen size the IPhone 5 bestows.

The sounds to the game also spring new life to the series. The familiar ‘tip tap’ of the protagonists feet brings incomparable tension to the player, and the musical score for the app seems more polished and concentrated then that of the original.

Overall, the game takes what went well with its predecessor and builds upon that, shaping the experience to one of the best available on the iPhone. This is a must have app, and provides endless hours off fun for the user, and the best part, the app still remains faithful, and stays free for all users.

What’s your opinion on Temple Run 2? Why not share with us in the comment section below?