iPhone Qi Weekly Round-Up

21st April 2012

Popular 2.5D platformer Paper Monsters free on the App Store for 24 hours

Cutesy platformer Paper Monsters has torn off its price tag for a limited time, meaning iOS users can download it from the App Store now for absolutely nothing. With its 16 levels of side-scrolling fun, Game Center leaderboards, and heaps of power-ups, achievements, and hidden areas, there's every reason to pluck this freebie off the App Store shelves.

Gameloft movie tie-in Ice Age Village attracts 5 million downloads in a week

It looks like Gameloft's new free-to-play strategy is paying off, with new release Ice Age Village attracting over 5 million downloads on iOS and Android within a week of its launch. Since the launch of Ice Age Village on April 5th, it has been the #1 free game in over 50 countries on the iPhone, and over 90 countries on iPad.

TomTom sat nav app receives new maps, plus Facebook and Twitter integration

The TomTom app for iOS has received an update that should not only keep you heading in the right direction, but will also connect you with various social networks. In an effort to get you where you're going as quickly as possible, the latest upgrade to this Qi Top 5 sat nav app delivers the most up-to-date TomTom maps to your iOS device. Also, you can now link the app to Facebook, meaning that you can automatically plot routes to events in a flash.

Smartphone sensation Draw Something receives Facebook and Twitter integration

The latest update to OMGPOP’s Draw Something brings Twitter and Facebook integration to the multi-million-selling app, allowing you to share your artistic triumphs with your friends and followers with ease. Continuing with the communication theme, a messaging system has been added to Draw Something, too, which lets you attach 100 characters of text to your drawings.

Follow the Quality Index on Twitter

If you don't already know, Qi trawls the print and online media for game and app reviews from respected sources like Macworld, TiPb, 148Apps, and GameSpot. A unique Qi formula is then applied to each site and publication to establish a definitive Qi score for the app or game. Top 5 recommendation lists, news round-ups, and regular industry analysis complement the dynamic Qi charts. Qi has its own Twitter feed, too, @qualityindex.

Notable changes to the iPhone Quality Index charts

Slotting its way into this week's iPhone Qi Top 10 comes orally fixated match-three puzzler Cubis Creatures.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to awaken a menagerie of sleeping creatures by matching coloured blocks in their open mouths.

Hey, I never said it would make any sense.

To make things a little more exciting, FreshGames has added an extra dimension to the standard genre formula - this allows you to slide wedges underneath the cubes and stack vertically as well as horizontally.

The game's cute characters, daily tournaments, and solid single-player campaign caught Gamezebo's attention, with the site calling it "a fun puzzler with plenty of personality and polish".

Spinning its spurs further down the charts, meanwhile, is the mechanical multiplayer madness of Bounty Bots.

Set in the historically inaccurate "Welded West", this title invites you to assemble your very own geared-up gunslinger, before heading online and letting the lead fly.

Though iOS third-person shooters are notoriously tricky to control, MunkyFun has focused on accessibility, ensuring everyone will be able to find their way around the town of Deadbolt, no matter what their skill set.

In fact, collecting coins is the name of the game here, making the smiting of one's enemies a side-quest rather than a priority.

148Apps's reviewer believes iOS owners will "appreciate its whimsical style", and that Bounty Bots is "well worth the free download".

The best things in life may, indeed, be free.