Real-world warfare is a chaotic and stressful affair that requires stark nerve and split-second reflexes. Luckily, this isn't the real world, so we can take our sweet time and plan every little thing out in between sips of coffee. Giving a new edge to tactical combat, Mode 7's much-lauded PC strategy game Frozen Synapse has landed on iOS, bringing with it all of the beloved action along with some new and intuitive touch controls.

Frozen Synapse puts you in control of a squad of armed troops and gives you the ability to precisely map out their actions and movements. Once you have settled on a game plan, you and your enemy's commands are then played out simultaneously in real time (the game's defining feature) and hopefully the resulting encounter leaves you with more men standing than the other guy.

Each battle is broken into turns which comprise of five seconds of real-time action. During each turn, you plot out your squad's maneuvers for the upcoming five seconds, beginning by setting up a pathway for each member to follow. You can either map out each soldier's route point by point, or choose a destination and let the computer choose the optimum route, tweaking nodes where you see fit by tapping to select and dragging to move. You can add in commands at any point on a squad member's pathway, such as instructing them to focus their aim in a certain direction, engage or disengage with the enemy, stand still, duck or run. Once you feel your scheme is foolproof, hit the Prime button and the game will determine the outcome, which you can then watch, presumably while saying "Oh man, I wasn't expecting him to go there..."

You can choose between the single-player campaign, which plays out as a series of missions set in a near-future world of war and political intrigue, or a quick battle against an AI or online opponent. Your missions generally involve some variation of "kill all the bad guys" (and conveniently, all enemies appear in bright neon red) although the campaign adds a little variety with escort and protection missions and such. To note, all of the maps in Frozen Synapse — even for campaign missions — are algorithmically generated, so no two battles are ever the same.

Analysis: Frozen Synapse turns close-quarters combat into a stylish game of chess with guns. It's a great concept, and it's pulled off with a great deal of polish, giving you a high level of freedom and precision.

Take note: Gamers who are used to victory through sheer firepower may find themselves at a disadvantage here. The only way to win is to outhink your opponent — to predict their movements and stay one step ahead of them. Of course, this is all keeping in mind that your opponent has the exact same mindset, and both of you can view the entirety of the battlefield at all times. Also, the randomly-generated maps mean that you have to constantly adjust to new scenarios. Do you play defensively with precisely-placed snipers, or do you blow a hole in the wall with a rocket and go in shotguns blazing? As Olmec once said, the choices are yours and yours alone.

There's definitely a learning curve to becoming a master tactician, which may turn off some gamers with less background in strategy games. However, it's a curve worth tackling for the sake of a deep and unique gaming experience, and luckily there are plenty of tutorials. And the pulsing electronic soundtrack and slick neon visuals also make the whole learning experience very appealing. (Although some graphical variety here and there would be nice.)

All in all, this is an excellent title that really feels at home on iOS. The touch controls flow nicely and there seem to be no compromises with re-envisioning the game in tablet form. Of course, if you don't have an iPad, the desktop version is still very much available and as good as ever. And Frozen Synapse's cross-platform play also means that your account and data will transfer between tablet and desktop versions of the game, which is always a welcome feature. There are really few things that can be said against it — it's well-made, inventive and tons of fun. Frozen Synapse an exciting new take on action tactics that shouldn't be missed by fans of strategic gameplay.

Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version

Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version

Hottategoya has more of the same for escape-the-room enthusiasts, which is exactly what we want when in the mood for light, casual puzzles in a minimalist-yet-surreal-yet-photorealistic setting. As you'd expect from the series, this game is both easy and enjoyable; maybe because it's lightweight but remains engaging. You need only click to move around, view clues and work the puzzles. Patiently navigating rooms and stairs while everything looks so much the same is the hardest part. The thinky part is making observations and piecing them together to solve three codes, opening three similar doors, the last one bringing you freedom and congratulations. Well worth that dèjá vu feeling of gratification at the end.

Play Escape from the Similar Rooms 3

It's you versus floor after floor of bad guys in Combo Crew, a deliciously satisfying swipe-based brawling game from The Game Bakers, creator of the SQUIDS series. Utilizing a string of timing-based fighting moves along with ample social features, the game brings a bit of old school punching and kicking to mobile devices. While these sorts of games usually require heavy duty arcade buttons to smash, with Combo Crew, you don't need no stinking buttons.

Combo Crew utilizes a very simple swiping mechanic to handle every bit of combat there is. Swipe anywhere on the screen to have your character attack. Swipe and hold to summon a charge attack, or swipe with two fingers to start a combo. When an enemy steps up with a flashing red exclamation mark over its head, tap the screen to queue up a counter attack. Unless you're in the middle of a long combo, your character will turn around and give 'em what for. You don't actually control which enemies you attack, which is a bit awkward at first. After a few minutes you'll begin to see the simple beauty offered by the no-brains swiping technique.

And now for the fun part: upgrades. Defeating enemies and completing missions earns you coins. Coins can buy perks, which are permanent stat and ability boosters, or items that bestow temporary bonuses. Either way, you're going to need some help if you want to escape this place alive. Combo Crew is dripping with satire, but you don't have to be a big time brawling game fan in order to appreciate what it has to offer. In fact, Combo Crew is a delight for even the most casual players. Just sit, swipe, swipe a lot more, and hope you survive!

I don't have a real description for this week's Link Dump Friday because I'm both having too much fun a) playing and b) saying The Yawhg aloud. It's like I'm Arnold Schwarzenegger! Yawhg! Yawhg? YAAAAWWWWWHG!

News and Previews

Any Relation to the Grue? The Yawhg is coming! What is it? You'll have to find out for yourself, but the village it's on its way to in six weeks' time is full of people living their lives, and the actions you take with up to four of them determines whether they live or die. Due out for PC on May 30th, this choose-your-own adventure style game features a randomly generated story every single time, with over fifty endings available depending on the choices you make in the weeks leading up to the Yawhg's arrival. The game, created by Damian Sommer, Emily Carroll, Ryan Roth and Halina Heron will be available for $10.00USD on release, but from now until then you can pre-order it for $5.00USD, so be sure to check this one out. It looks both stunning and unique, which is a rare combo.

Hold Me Closer If, like me, you have a Dance Dance Revolution pad in your living room and you'd really like to do a bit more with it than resignedly tap your way through a bunch of J-Pop mixes over and over, rejoice! Crypt of the Necrodancer is coming later this year, and it's about to change the way you play your roguelike dungeoncrawlers. Instead of just moving about as usual, you'll move to the beat, either with the game's soundtrack or your own .MP3s, on either a keyboard, a controller, or, yes, a DDR dance pad. Best of all? It's by Ryan Clark, formerly of Grubby Games, so you know it's got some serious talent backing it. Pack in some lovely pixel style, and this game could be your new obsession, so stay tuned and get behind me in line for your chance to throw money at it.

Go Into the Dark... I'm Sure It's Perfectly Safe Things keep getting better with Klei's amazing indie sim game/dark action adventure Don't Starve, and now there's even more to explore. The brand new Underground update adds a brand new biome, the caves, which brings with it a host of new items and creatures! If you don't already own Don't Starve, you're seriously missing out, and there's no time like the present to jump on board.

Hooray, We Get Ghosts! Proving once again that crowd funding can make dreams (nightmares?) come true, Digital Happiness' upcoming indie horror game DreadOut has been successfully funded on IndieGoGo! The game is a dark adventure set in Indonesia and draws from the mythology and legends there to craft a story about a school trip gone wrong when a young woman named Linda finds herself seperated from her group in a deserted town and quickly realises something is very, very wrong. It looks absolutely terrifying, and we can't wait to get our hands on it when it releases for PC, Mac, and Linux!

No, Not Backwards! Well, it might not be the latest installment of the celebrated Submachine series of point-and-click adventure games, but we'll take it... especially since it means supporting its creator! Submachine 6 is now available in HD for $2.00USD. Sure you can still play the free version online, but if you're a fan, it's a great way to show your appreciation for Mateusz Skutnik, who has been delivering top-notch content to us for free for over seven years now.

Kickstarter/IndieGoGo Projects

Dungeon, Meet... Tetris? Hmmm! Frogdice has an idea for a game, and you might want to bottle up any free time you can't do without right now, because it has the potential, if done right, to be seriously addictive. Dungeon of Elements wants to create a dungeon crawling RPG that combines multiple gameplay elements, appropriately enough, for a truly unique experience. The game will combine elements of classics like Tetris and Dr Mario to make its battles more fun and engaging, while still providing all the gear, crafting, and powers dungeon crawlers crave. Most promising, though, is that building up to the release the developers are looking to build a community from their backers to allow their input to help make the game the best it can be. Now that's development I can get behind!

Horror. Horror Always Changes How do you keep horror fresh? By having it never be the same twice. Machines in Motion wants to make procedurally generated survival horror adventures that make your skin crawl in The Kingsport Cases for PC, Mac, and Linux. Set in the 19th century, you're called into a tiny town to take over after its previous detective dies trafically, only to discover the Lovecraftian mysteries that make up the town means the job will be anything but ordinary... or safe. Sporting procedurally generated maps and NPCs and storylines, it sounds like this one has the potential for infinite replay value... but can procedural generation make a story and characters anywhere near as compelling as a more linear plot fully fleshed out? We're going to find out.

Miscellaneous

Rock Out With Your... Uh... Wait... So, you can't have a female character in games, huh? We'll see about that! Inspired by Gamasutra's quote, which was referring to the publishing problems upcoming game Remember Me encountered for its female protagonist, iamagamer is getting ready to host their very first game jam in July... all centered around female characters! It's always nice to see people creating more diversity in games, and I personally am especially interested to see what sorts of ways people choose to represent a "strong female", since obviously that means something different to a lot of people and can be showcased in a variety of different ways. Stay tuned!

"Indie? What's that?" Earlier this week, Microsoft had their big reveal of their next generation console, the XBox One. There are a lot of problems people have with it, such as the unclear "fee" for used games, the required and never really "off" Kinect integration and more, but perhaps for some of us the worst news is that XBox One won't allow indies to self-publish. This is a fairly big blow, since it means any indie developer unable to get a publisher willing to take a chance on them is out of luck, even if they themselves were willing and able to pay. While there are still plenty of opportunities elsewhere for indie developers to get their work out there, it's still a little disappointing to see one effectively close itself off to many of them.

Do you know an upcoming indie project or some community gaming related news you think deserves some attention? Send me an e-mail with LINK DUMP FRIDAY in the subject line at dora AT jayisgames DOT com with the info, and we'll judge it with the all-seeing glare of our own self-importance for inclusion in a future Link Dump Friday article!

There's no story, no plot and no motive involved, unless you count the ongoing human narrative, the trials and tribulations of the workplace and the simple desire to get on the elevator and go home. Who needs a better reason to Escape the Office? Explore your surroundings, collect requisite tools for escaping and reach the best payday of all: that deep satisfaction earned when, your brain versus office equipment, you triumph. So forget about taking the copy machine out to an empty lot for a date with a sledgehammer.

Created by Afro-Ninja, known for logical puzzles and intuitive designs, Escape the Office is quick, fun and easy to play as long as you keep a couple things in mind when you begin. First, after collecting a usable object by tapping it on screen, drag it from the inventory and release when your finger is over the area you want to use the object (not where the object is since it hovers above your finger like a memo). Next, when played on a mobile device, there is no changing cursor to help you find interactive areas. So give attention to small details and tap everywhere that might yield a good result (there's no penalty in trying, unless you're trying to beat the clock or tap timer). Speaking of that, while the game is free, if you're stuck or need extra focus to play, an in-app purchase will provide some hints as well as a list of challenges to meet.

The game's brevity, with only a handful of basic dilemmas and a couple codes to ponder out, leads to disappointment for only one reason: it's too enjoyable to want to end it so soon. Only the most incurable of workaholics would want to linger in the office longer than necessary, yet these neatly rendered visuals and perfectly casual puzzles make for a relaxing getaway. It's fair to hope that the elevator ride would open to a new room, with more hidden keys and even harder to hack passwords. Meanwhile, though, Escape the Office is a great way to momentarily avoid other, less fun duties cluttering your inbox.

The scores have been tabulated and the results are in: the overall winner of the minimalism-themed Ludum Dare 26 72-hour Game Jam is Leaf Me Alone, a retro Metroidvania-style platformer by Mark Foster and David Fenn. Now, "minimalism" and "Metroidvania" aren't two words that usually go together (except, you know... alliteratively), but Foster and Fenn have put together a wonderful little world for a pixelated-blob-type-thing to explore. You'll be moving said pixelated-blog-type-thing with the [arrow] keys, using [Z] to jump. Exploration is when much of the game's charm lies, but suffice to say, throughout you'll be discovering new areas and abilities, all the while trying to unlock that strange gate near where you started the game.

Works like Fez, Melodisle and Proteus have shown that the thrill of uncovering new vistas is no less intriguing even if said vistas are low-rez, and Leaf Me Alone continues that tradition. Leaf Me Alone is a relaxed, quiet kind of experience, more about the journey than the destination, with an almost-poetic feel. Some parts of the game are a little aimless from its lack of explicit direction, and it could use a few more visual cues to distinguish platforms "pass-through-able from below" from the "ones-you'll-clonk-into" variety. Still, Leaf Me Alone is a solid winner, and going on the trip it offers won't leave players too... sigh "bushed".

Play Leaf Me Alone

Snaaaake! is the latest action-packed arcade game from Fernando Ramallo and Miguel Pérez Martinez, and it's absolutely gonzo in the best possible way. Use [WASD] to control a monstrous snake as it rampages its way across the country, hitting [spacebar] to constrict, and causes as much damage as it possibly can within a time limit to unlock the next level. Each stage is full of people and things to destroy simply by ramming into them, and hitting a red "P" barrel will net you a temporary random power-up. Meet certain conditions on each stage to complete "tragedies". Does that make you feel like a bad person? Of course not, you're a giant snake! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

From its toe-tapping menu screen soundtrack to the monster-movie-tastic tune that plays during levels and its fantastic visual design, Snaaaake! is one of those games you really love to look at and listen to. There's a great "The horror... the horror!" vibe to everything, and watching people flee in terror before you while the news-ticker at the bottom of the screen is more amusing than it should be. That said, with little variation beyond new scenery to wreck, it does wind up feeling a bit repetitive, and being unable to discern exactly what power-up you're about to grab is frustrating since not all of them are that useful. Still, Snaaaake! is the sort of giddily over-the-top crazy arcade game that captures all the simple joy of being a giant monster Rampage-fashion, and with one fantastic presentation and easy to pick up gameplay, makes for good clean fun. Provided your definition of clean is massive property damage and untold human carnage.

Play Snaaaake!

It's a common enough problem for a cute little alien: you promised to meet your sweetie in the park, but there's candy. So why not collect the candies and bring them to her? In Flip and Go, a game from Lampogolovii, making the date perfect is not as simple as it looks.

As with most puzzle platformers, use the [arrows] or [WASD] to move. You can use [Z], [X], or [C] to pause everything for a second and flip your environment. Your shadow helps you figure out where you'll end up after the flip, though there's a wide enough variety of challenges that sometimes it's deceptive. Dark blocks don't flip, for instance, and neither do you, but the girlfriend does when you get to control her. Add pulleys and locked doors and a host of other elements, and you have quite a mindbending diversion. There aren't a lot of levels, but what Flip and Go lacks in length, it gains back in originality, challenge, and sheer adorableness.

Play Flip and Go

Logistics is a physics puzzle game from Robb Akerson. Using only the most basic features from building games such as The Incredible Machine or Crazy Machines, it's your job to move objects around the screen, one piece of candy or one block of ice at a time. It takes a bit of fiddling to make sure everything is in the right place, but Logistics is built with casual players in mind, providing a good logical challenge but never making you feel frustrated.

Your mission is to get the stuff from the red dispenser into the green dispenser. You do this by placing simple structures like conveyor belts, fans and springboards, then adjusting their angle until everything's just right. When the path is prepped, tap the red dispenser to plop out an object (what that object is varies between levels) and watch gravity do its thing. On the way to the exit you'll want to try nabbing special icons to go for that perfect score, but otherwise just get everything in the green dispenser and move on!

Probably the most appealing thing about Logistics is the artwork. Everything looks like it was ripped straight out of an I Love Lucy episode, right down to the icons and menu screens. It sets a fantastic mood for the game, keeping it lighthearted while you fuss over the perfect placement for a conveyor belt. There are currently three themed stages to play, each with a dozen levels. Three more are listed as "coming soon", and we can't wait to see what Santa's Workshop or Clockwork Apple brings us!

There is always room for one more puzzle platformer. Especially when the protagonist is a smiley, and even more when the game takes a well-known format and gives it a little twist. In Kolobok by Trinbox, the twist is that... wait for it... there is absolutely no jumping whatsoever. Gravity can be so cruel. Once you figure out that there's no point in pressing what you think the jump key should be, the rest is easy.

Use the [arrow] keys or [A] and [D] to move left or right, and down [arrow] or [S] to eat a magic mushroom. No, not that kind of magic mushroom, you hippie. These give you special powers. For example, you can only stay underwater for three seconds in your normal state, but if you eat a frosty mushroom, you can freeze water and then waltz across it. There are a number of obstacles, from spikes to spiders – some can be eliminated, while others have to be avoided. With twenty quick levels and just enough of a challenge, Kolobok won't take up a lot of your time. Having said that, sometimes it's quite difficult to beat the time limit and get all three stars, so the achievement addicts among you might stick with the game a bit longer. In any case, Kolobok is good fun and a proof that a little innovation goes a long way.

Play Kolobok

When you look for a good room escape game, what do you look for? Logical puzzles, to be sure. Interesting scenery is also nice. A decent control structure makes everything better as well. But do you also look for a ninja protecting himself with bubble wrap? A strange line of leaping dancers? Some dude with a green face peering at you through a hole in the wall? Small blue men doing...something to a vase? Anyone familiar with the preceding will recognize those particular tropes, Yep, Detarou is back in town with yet another bizarro fantasy-land madhouse in Hitonchi.

Detarou's escapes are always filled with an equal mixture of logic and madness, and Hitonchi is no exception. The amusing and bizarre elements of the game, however, would be nothing without the logical underpinnings of the puzzles. As usual, Detarou hands us a fantastic mix of visual clues that, only when combined in the right ways, will help us point and click our way out of yet another madhouse filled with stunningly strange sights. One of the more interesting characters appears to be some sort of shout-out to the escape men from No. 1 games, but in a...well, let's just say a more adult version, shall we? Hitonchi delivers yet another fantastic Detarou three ending escape along with visuals that will definitely linger longer than the game. Not for young kids or those easily offended, Hitonchi is still a fantastic addition to the genre and a great mid-week break.

Play Hitonchi

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CastleMine from Mugshot Games combines tower defense with a little bit of old fashioned digging. Instead of mapping out mazes for creeps to crawl through or building balloon things on green green grass, you get to dig underground one block at a time. Uncover extra gold deposits, additional resources, or even nests of enemies as you attempt to defend your castle from the threat from below.

CastleMine very neatly divides gameplay into two general phases: digging and maintenance. Your first task is to tap a shovel icon to dig through a block of soil. You can only dig sideways or down, not up, so when those shovel icons appear, choose with care, as you're creating the very path your foes can use to attack you. If you dig out blocks of gold or crystal you'll add to your resources pool. If you dig out a relic you'll gain some additional XP. If you hit a skull, enemies become more difficult but you'll be one step closer to a perfect score in that stage.

When you're not digging you'll be placing towers in the dirt or upgrading them once they've gained enough experience. There are nine defense towers ranging from fire balls to lightning, stingers and shock towers. You also have a few support towers that increase adjacent tower abilities, adding another layer of strategy that becomes very important later in the game.

The lure of delicious resources is tough to resist in CastleMine, but you can't just go digging all crazy like if you want to keep your castle safe. That slight tension between gathering gold and keeping defenses strong will keep you glued to this game for a very long time. Later levels get difficult without much notice, and you have to experiment with upgrades vs. new towers, just like most defense games of this nature. But with 150 levels and an entire array of tech trees to fill out, there's no shortage of strategy in this delightfully unique tower defense game!

Play CastleMine (browser demo)