The iFriday Roundup, No. 20

Updated “Eco Racer” Spreads Word About Colony Collapse Disorder

Earlier this week the bee experts at Honey Tribe Studios were in touch to let us know about the Version 1.3 update to their first game, Honey Tribe: Colony Collapse. New features in this educational “eco racer” include a new chain scoring system for its endless mode, predators that are a little more forgiving in-game than in the wild, and more apparent “ninja skills!” The developer has made a devoted set of screencaps and video for the update; check out a gallery here, and we’ll roll that beautiful bee footage as our video of the week at the end of this news roundup. Don’t forget Honey Tribe: Colony Collapse is being featured along with DRWAPS and Infinity Blade II in this week’s blowout giveaway contest!

Arcade Jumper to Go Free on December 5

Black Hive Media were just in touch to let us know that their retro platformer Arcade Jumper is scheduled to be OpenFeint’s Free Game of the Day this Monday! If you love nostalgia and miss the old arcade experience – or maybe if you just think it’d be cool to play as Mr. Destructoid – be sure to keep an eye on the game’s App Store page until the sale hits!

Katana Jack Slashes Price to Free

We’ll have a review of Ivanovich Games’ Katana Jack up next week, but you can grab it for free right now! This one is particularly interesting for being developed mostly with iPad apps like Brushes, GarageBand, and Voices2. The preview video has already got us salivating like a samurai fox ourselves!

Empire War to Entertain RTS Fans Free of Charge

After a bit of a hiatus from the App Store, Bicore’s Empire War returns absolutely free! Its tutorial may not be much to write home about, but Sean still recommended it to seasoned Castle Defense and Tower Defense fans looking for a clean interface and a worthy challenge.

Super Ball Escape Escapes its Price Tag

Metal Gear meets Super Monkey Ball” is how Ruan described Playthium’s Super Ball Escape, and if you like your ball rollers a little darker than average this looks like an excellent title to pick up for free! Playthium’s King of Frogs is also going for free right now if you’re looking for a cute ‘n’ casual puzzle game.

The SpyCorp Overhaul Begins!

Nothing is Mission Impossible for Wicked Games, who have gone on the warpath determined to take care of seemingly every imperfection Sean noted in his review, and then some! Among the bevy of improvements in the current update are more in-game cash pickups, which should nip that In-App Purchase question right in the bud. We have a feeling we’ll be back with more great news about SpyCorp later this month, so if you’re a stealth fan and a platformer fan, this is one you need to keep an eye on.

Squids Goes Universal

That coveted little “plus” sign now adorns The Game Bakers’ expertly crafted Strategy RPG. Additional features include more translations, external music support, and even a 3D anaglyph version of the game’s Halloween map for those of you who just happen to have 3D glasses lying around!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

It’s hard to imagine getting tired of being the hero in Liv Games’ Legendary Wars, what with all the new content being stirred in, but nevertheless, Liv Games’ upcoming Monster Wars will give Castle Defense fans a chance at villainy for a change. Keep an eye on the developer’s Facebook page for the game if you’re a fan and haven’t seen it already! And save the date: January 23, 2012, is the announced release.

Strategic Robot Madness to Continue in Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes

Composer Sean Beeson was in touch this week to let us know that game designer and artist Luc Bernard (Mecho Wars, Steam Pirates, Reaper) has reeled him in once again for the sequel to Mecho Wars! Info on this one is tight, but for now you can take in some of Luc Bernard’s surreal biomechanical art and listen to one of Sean Beeson’s tracks for the game on its Tumblr page!

Ashley Ao Going Full Throttle

If the name “Honey Tribe Studios” in the first news bite rang a bell but you couldn’t quite place it, let’s refresh your memory with our interview regarding their next game, Ashley Ao! Since this is one of our most anticipated indie titles of 2012, you know we couldn’t let them get away without giving us a project update: developer Shaz Yousaf tells us that the game is likely to include three gameplay types rather than the two originally predicted. Hmm, maybe this has to do with the “epic boss battles” that he and collaborator Ryan Jackson have in mind? We’ll have to wait and see! For now you can check out the earliest Ashley Ao teaser footage at the end of the interview, and here’s that video of Honey Tribe: Colony Collapse with the latest update in place:

Are you an iOS videogame developer or publisher with a cool update, video, or other news that you want to get out to the masses? iFanzine probably has an eye on you already, but don’t hesitate to get in touch via our Twitter feed or Contact page. We want to fill our iFriday Roundups with all your beautiful stuff!