APC_Australia_Issue_442_June_2017

superguide » 2-in-1 apps & games
CRAFT THE WORLD
www.dekovir.com
A 2D side-on sandbox strategy game,
Craft the World can provide loads of
entertainment. You command a tribe
of dwarves in a randomly generated
world full of resources and dangers,
you guide your clan, built a dwarf
fortress, craft item and weapons and
battle enemies. As a divine being, you
have access to magic spells that can be
used to help your dwarves survive, and
eventually thrive in their world. Craft
The World works well on touchscreens,
and its modest hardware requirements
allows it to run on just about any 2-in1.
Grab it on Steam for about $25.
PLANTS VS ZOMBIES
www.popcap.com
One of the classic game types for touchscreen use, tower defence games abound
and most work well on 2-in-1s. One of our favourites is Plants VS Zombies, where
you defend your home from the undead with a nursery full of crazy plants. The
game costs ~ $7.50 on Steam, though there is a free demo available. For a fantasyfocused
tower defence, Kingdom Rush and Kingdom Rush Frontiers (www.
kingdomrush.com) pits you against endless hordes of orcs, trolls and evil wizards.
Both games are available through Steam, for about $15 each.
HEARTHSTONE
www.battle.net/hearthstone
There are loads of fun recreations of
existing card and board games that all
work fairly well with touch. But one of
the most fun, yet totally unique games
available is Hearthstone, by Blizzard.
Built around the Warcraft series lore,
the game is turn-based, with the end
goal to use spells and minions to reduce
the opposing player’s health to zero.
You can earn new cards by playing
(or buying them) and compete with
other players across multiple
platforms. It’s free to play, simple
yet addictive (like all good games)
and a great choice for 2-in-1s.
CONTRAPTION MAKER
www.contraptionmaker.com
Physics-based games are a great match
for touchscreen-based play on a 2-in-1,
and there are loads of great options
available. From the makers of
Incredibles Machines, Contraption
Maker (Steam, ~$15) has you solving
puzzles with Rube Goldberg machines
built around hamster motors,
trampolines, alligators and other
wacky fun. Crayon Physics (Steam,
~$30, www.crayonphysics.com) allows
you to create machines and solve
puzzles with your own drawings, and is
ideal for use with a stylus. Another
great physics-based game is World of
Goo (Steam, ~$15, www.worldofgoo.com),
where you solve puzzles with
structures built from Goo Balls.
BALDUR’S GATE: ENHANCED EDITION
www.baldursgate.com
Turn-based RPGs often work quite
well with touchscreen, and especially
older titles run just fine on 2-in-1
devices. The Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced
Edition (via Steam, ~$30) is a good place
to start and includes the entire
Baldur’s Gate adventure, as well as
new content. Likewise, the Planescape:
Torment: Enhanced Edition (Steam,
~ $30) updates a classic Dungeons and
Dragons multiverse game with a rich
story and loads of gameplay. For a fun
retro pixel art take on the turn-based
RPG game that’s very touch friendly,
check out Knights of Pen and Paper
(Steam, ~$15).
56 www.apcmag.com