Spring into action with these hot new iOS games [Reviews]

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New iOS games April 2016
We have a little bit of everything this time.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

April has arrived, which means that the cold and snowy weather is ostensibly behind us. In my case, I’ve traded it in for cold and rainy weather. But it’s still an improvement, so I’ll take it.

And if you’re looking for a way to celebrate the slightly improved temperatures, what better way than taking some cool, new iOS games for a spin outside? Just go to a park, sit in the sun, and jam your nose into your iPhone or iPad and ignore all of the beauty and wonder that surrounds you. Because we live in the future now, and that’s what we do.

Plus, these games are really good. Check them out.

Break this Safe

Break-this-Safe
A simple idea can be surprisingly fun.
Photo: Rafael Conde

We’re starting out really simply here — Break this Safe is a free game for Apple Watch that has you spinning your Digital Crown to dial in the three numbers that will open a virtual vault.

And that’s it.

You have 30 seconds to crack the code, and you know you’ve hit a right number based on the strength of haptic feedback. The developer recommends you play in Silent Mode, and that’s a good idea once you get going because otherwise, you get a tone when you’ve hit the right digit, and that kind of feels like cheating. This is a dead-simple but surprisingly tense title that is great for just fiddling around for a few minutes. —Evan Killham

Download Break this Safe for free.

Love You to Bits

Love You to Bits is much more than a puzzle game. Although it absolutely scratches the need to figure out every last puzzly level and find every collectible, it’s the adorable story of a robot and her devoted boyfriend. Each puzzle is themed with sly references to other indie games and pop culture (don’t be surprised to run into Chewbacca in a disco). These motifs are often hints as to how to go about solving the particular environmental puzzle at the heart of each level. At this point, Love You to Bits has 24 separate levels, with a a cute comic-book-style cut scene every three levels or so.

Excitingly, the story of Cosmo and his robot girlfriend isn’t over, as the devs leave off the current version of the game with a “Coming Soon” level that teases additional, free episodes down the line. If you love endearing artwork, subtle meta-humor, a sweet love story, and a good dose of brain work, Love You to Bits is a fantastic choice. —Rob LeFebvre

Download Love You To Bits for $3.99

Radiant Grid

Radiant Grid
Harder than it looks, but not infuriatingly so.
Photo: Open Planet Software

Prettier and less explosive than Minesweeper, Radiant Grid takes the same basic idea of marking squares based on numbers and wraps it in a soft, warm, entrancing blanket. This is more or less that earlier title’s Bizarro twin because it’s all about keeping things calm, cool, and even, man.

Your job is to trace a continuous path — or paths — through a grid from a starting square. The numbers at certain junctions tell you how many of the surrounding cells are part of the solution. It’s tough but fair, and even when you find yourself staring at the same screen for what seems like forever, you just can’t stay mad at that soundtrack. —Evan Killham

Download Radiant Grid for $1.99.

Hammer Bomb

If you like a good dose of electronic dance music with your rogue-like, voxel-based dungeon crawling adventure, you’ll love Hammer Bomb, a fantastic little iOS title from the geniuses at Crescent Moon Games. You’ll swipe through dozens of gorgeous, 3D maps with twists and turns, trying to find the various treasure chests, weapons, power-ups and enemies to beat down, all the while building a map of the dungeon and looking for the exit to the next level. The music, art style, and engaging gameplay make Hammer Bomb a permanent entry on my home screen, and I’m betting you’ll love it, too. It has a zen-like flow state that I get into whenever I start playing on my iPhone at home or on the go that keeps me coming back.

It’s a free-to-play game, but don’t let that throw you off; you have plenty to do and see, and you’ll earn in-game currency throughout each level. You’ll spend it at the intercostal shop, adding power-ups to your gameplay like finding extra gold in chests or getting more experience points when you find a crystal. The whole thing is a blast to play and won’t cost you too much, though you should drop a couple of bucks on a bag of gold if you love the game as much as I do. —Rob LeFebvre

Download Hammer Bomb for free

Cult of Mac occasionally receives free download codes for our game reviews, but they do not affect our editorial decisions. Read our Reviews Policy.

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