WWDC 2019: ‘Ordia,’ ‘Asphalt 9: Legends,’ ‘Thumper’ Among 2019 Apple Design Awards Winners

TouchArcade

iPhone Gaming
iPhone Gaming
Man, what a big day it was on Monday for Apple, what with the 2019 Apple Design Awards being handed out and all. Okay, so there was actually some other news to start off WWDC, including
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
and
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
that seemed to dominate headlines and social media. That’s somewhat understandable in retrospect.

However, the 2019 Apple Design Awards were indeed given out, honoring a total of nine iOS apps and games that stood out for bringing enough innovation to stand out in an almost literal sea of new apps released over the past year. In addition to a trophy, one can only hope that each winner receives their own custom hype video with voice over by Jony Ive, because that would be the real prize.

In any case, since Touch Arcade is about the games, let’s give some props to the five recognized among this year’s winners.

Ordia



A very cool one-finger flinger where you play as “a new life form taking its first leaps into a strange and hazardous world," Ordia
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
only released in May but has already garnered praise with a perfect 100 score on Metacritic. Granted, that’s on the basis of just one review as I type this, but it really does have that combination of simple mechanics and unique vibe that is so rewarding when it comes along.

The Gardens Between



Messing with time as the core of a game can sometimes yield some very nice results, which is the case for The Gardens Between
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
. Our own Lindsay Mayhew was
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
, intuitive controls and suitability for playing in bite-sized chunks if desired. It also was released fairly close to the awards, so maybe that was an aid in winning? I kid, I kid.

Asphalt 9: Legends



Look, Gameloft could really just rest on its laurels with this series by now, but Asphalt 9: Legends
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
mashes the gas instead and serves up ridiculously gorgeous graphics and honest to goodness multiplayer racing. It’s also more accessible for beginners than ever before, which is no easy feat.

ELOH



It can’t be easy to come up with new wrinkles to throw at people in puzzle games at this point, but ELOH
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
does it by using sound to guide you. It’s challenging but not frenzied, to the point where it’s actually relaxing to play, according to our
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
.

Thumper: Pocket Edition



On the other hand, if you’d rather get your pulse racing instead of chill out, Thumper: Pocket Edition
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
isn’t a bad way to do it. With an art style that can politely be described as one of the ’70s rock posters your uncle has on the wall of his garage come to life, this game definitely has its own thing going on, plus it coined the genre “rhythm violence" and probably deserves a trophy just for that.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top