The iTunes App Store remains frozen for the holidays, which means there haven't been new games in a few days. Nevertheless, Thursday traditionally sees a crop of cool new games to play, and while there aren't technically any "new" games in the App Store today, we've found a crop of four quality titles that deserve your attention. Up first is tilt-controlled 3-D platformer Crazy Hedgy, featuring a cartoon hedgehog. Next, Gravity Rocks has you controlling a probe, using gravity and thrusters to navigate dangerous space. Wind Up Robots is a strategy game in which you use robots to defend a young boy from his evil nightmares, and Subject 7 takes a page from the popular Portal series, putting you in the first-person role of a test subject fleeing an oppressive lab.
Cartoony Crazy Hedgy puts you in the role of a rolling hedgehog in a great-looking 3-D platforming adventure. Your goal in each level is to guide Hedgy past obstacles and enemies, gathering gems to buy new equipment. The game has been optimized for your iOS devices, making use of their internal gyroscopes to control Hedgy's movements by tilting.
Hedgy includes more than 35 levels and developer cybertime pledges better than 10 hours of playtime to keep you busy. The game also includes a survival mode, big boss fights and mini-games you can unlock. There's also Game Center and iCloud support, providing achievements and cloud saves for your convenience.
Navigating Gravity Rocks' arcade puzzle levels isn't easy – it's actually pretty difficult – and you'll be challenged to use the forces of gravity to your advantage to fling a probe from asteroid to asteroid to gather items and escape each level. You control special probes dispatched to the far reaches of space to gather crystals, but in order to do so, you'll need to carefully use your thrusters to move through gravity wells, snag the crystals and make your way to each level's exit, without getting smashed against a rock in the process.
Gravity Rocks uses simple touch controls – slide your finger in any direction to fire thrusters and direct your probe through space. You're scored by how long it takes you to complete each stage and how much fuel you expend in doing so; the point of the game is to work smart, not hard. Gravity Rocks isn't easy and some may find it frustrating, but it packs a ton of challenge across 24 levels, and looks pretty great doing it.
Evil nightmares threaten the peaceful dreams of Zach, a young boy. Protecting him is very important, and that's where you and your army of robots come in. From huge B-movie robots, the game's description states, to tiny spark plug size ones, you'll command an army of metal automatons to fight off monsters by directing them around each level, using their unique skills in a strategic battle.
Wind Up Robots features 28 levels to fight through in which your primary goal is to defend a base from attackers using your force of robots. You get seven varieties of robots to command against 12 brands of enemies, and you'll be able to upgrade your robots over time. Plus, there's Game Center support for achievements and leaderboards.
Subject 7 (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Drawing on inspirations reminiscent of Valve's popular Portal series on PC and video game consoles, Subject 7 is a 3-D first-person game with great graphics, in which you play a test subject referred to only as Seven. You'll work your way through various test chambers with only creepy disembodied voices to guide you – one which pushes you to partake in different tests, like throwing objects into holes in the wall.
Subject 7 lets you choose from using either gyroscope controls to look around, mixed with touch controls for movement, or just straight touch controls. It'll also put you through some puzzle-solving and includes some pretty solid production values. It's best enjoyed with headphones, and unfortunately only contains one "episode". It's also worth noting that you'll need an iPad 2, iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to play.
After releasing the iPhone 4S in November, Apple and its iTunes App Store saw a big jump in app downloads, rising 83 percent over the same period in 2010.