I don't think I give�Chair enough credit. Not only did it make a good game in Infinity Blade [$5.99], but it also created an entire mobile game structure and set of mechanics that has caught fire with both developers and mobile game fans. There are good reasons, too: the instance-based conflicts, progression, repetition are perfectly bite-sized for mobile and tablet play and visuals, while the over-the-shoulder slide, tap, and swipe controls are undeniably touch intuitive.

This didn't hit me in a vacuum, by the way. I just spent a couple of hours with Uppercut Game's Epoch and describing the way Infinity Blade gets down is the easiest way�to start a conversation about Epoch.�Sure Epoch is cover-based shooter based in a broken-down sci-fi world populated by robots, but on a finer level it takes and adapts a lot of what made Infinity Blade so great and applies it to its own action model and structure.

The proof of what this does for Epoch is in its pudding: the game's�top-notch�visuals are allowed to look great all the time, while the core play consistently stays fun and intuitive. It doesn't hurt to mention that it has the breeziness to make it possible to play on-the-go, but I don't think many of us will be able to put it down as quickly as our loved ones would like.

Epoch is a "guided experience," meaning exploration is a no-no. Actually, you'll never be allowed to leave its bread-and-butter, the cover you'll need to sit behind to take out foes. That's because the entire game's action model, and the fun you can have, hinges solely around sliding, jumping, and shooting, and positioning around cover objects.

It sounds like a bummer on the surface, but�Epoch doesn't suffer from this decision. Swiping to move from piece of cover to piece of cover is a fairly smooth and excitingly kinetic experience. You move fast with flair and there's some variety to it. Different enemies with different kinds of guns are constantly challenging your choice of barrier. Some enemies, for example, can shoot timed grenades, while others a steady stream that can clip through a barricade as if it didn't exist, forcing you to jump over the wide beam. It's really fun to play with the cover system, which is an unusual sentiment since guns are involved.

But while shooting takes a little bit of a back seat due to the more action-oriented style of the cover part of the equation, shoot you will. Epoch is seperated into insance-based fights, all of which are gated by kills. Swipe to move from cover, tap to target. Shooting is automatic once you target an enemy, but you never feel out of control. Your robot dude only shoots when you put it in a position to do so. If he's shooting like a moron, it's always because you are making stupid tactical approaches.

Speaking of robots, Epoch takes place in some bizarro future where machines may or may not have had an uprising of some sort. Every area I've seen in the game so far has been ultra-bombed out, while every robotic enemy has seemed to have been made purely to kill any opposition that swings its way. To be fair, the robot protagonist you play as seems to have been tuned in the same fashion, but your dude has a mission: find a princess -- at least, I think that's the mission.

The story-telling in particular in Epoch may not be the greatest thing ever, but I love the approach. Uppercut Game's isn't telling you much. Your robot doesn't talk and you're just exploring a world in which, obviously, something has gone horribly awry. To piece events together, the game dishes out optional diaries and messages from important people to the game world's civilization.

The lack of story cut-scenes keeps action clippy, and it's obvious that this is the kind of game that wants you to keep re-doing missions before going to the new ones. Your robot can upgrade its gun through an in-game store with credits earned after battle. There's also a basic level-up system and a host of upgradeable special moves you can deploy in battle, including armor, missile, and grenade abilities. These in particular are cool, as they operate as crowd-clearing mechanisms and factor into the overall strategy. And, as I've discovered, you get pretty wrapped up in upgrading everything you possibly can.

Epoch does enough via its weapon systems and cover-based action to make it play and feel like a different game. And that game part, taken outside of the structure, seems to be pretty good. There's a lot of Infinity Blade mixed into it, too. The controls, the game's focus on�repetition for better loot, its entire presentation, and a lot of its systems are undoubtedly influenced directly by Chair's work.�I'm not sure if this formula and structure are wearing on you yet, but if it's not, you'll probably want to check this one out when it launches. According to Uppercut, expect it soon.

We've been asked a couple of times about what's up with the iOS version of Super Crate Box. It's been in the oven for awhile and people are starting to wonder if it's going to come out or not. Good news: it's still a thing Vlambeer plans to release.

Convienently, a new post on Vlambeer's official blog is giving us all a glance behind the curtain. The studio is currently continuing work on Super Crate Box's controls, and while the overall project is taking "longer than expected," Vlambeer believes it'll make it out of the door by the end of this year. It also admitted that this version is harder to get into, but people are putting up high enough scores for that to not be a concern.

In other Vlambeer iOS-related news, Ridiculous Fishing is still happening, too. In the same blog post, the studio notes that the focus "is on getting everything nice for IGF," while adding that it has been "ridding the design of useless junk." To Vlambeer, it seems as if "everything is falling in place" with the project.

So, there you go. Super Crate Box is still coming and, hey, it'll be better for its long-ish cycle. As an aside here, Vlambeer just released its Serious Sam project, Serious Sam: The Random Encounter, on PC and I'd imagine that took some time away from its iOS projects.

Mark Jacobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Mythic Entertainment recently unveiled a new development studio, City State Entertainment. They've apparently been building up a team since March, and are anticipating the release of their first game later this year. City State Entertainment will be focusing on "mobile, tablet, and social networking spaces," which generally seems to be a noncommittal way to say "iOS and potentially Facebook."

Mark Jacobs and the rest of his team have some seriously fantastic games under their belt. Most notably in my eyes would be Dark Age of Camelot, a PvP-centric MMO that featured massive realtime battles that were basically unheard of in the MMORPG space at the time. Mythic was also responsible for Warhammer Online, which seemed to have tons of potential but basically floundered in the shadow of the World of Warcraft juggernaut. Other titles Jacobs and his team have dabbled in include Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Neverwinter Nights 3, Knights of the Old Republic II, and more. We're talking some serious talent here.

We're cautiously optimistic about whatever game City State Entertainment is planning on releasing this year. It's fantastic to see Jacobs working in the mobile space, and hopefully his team can make a good transition from AAA to the often lower budgets and tighter development cycles of iOS games.

Contre Jour [$.99 / UHD: now with more. Courtesy a new update, Mokus' beautiful puzzle game boasts a fourth world called "Moonlight" that contains 20 additional stages to play in and a few new mechanics including "moving pulleys and tentacles." Interestingly, Moonlight also features a slightly off-kilter visual style that sets it apart from the rest of the its content. Everything in it looks rendered in negative, as if the art dude(s) at Mokus hit the wrong button on Photoshop or something.

The results are pretty cool. Check out these screens publisher Chillingo blasted us this morning:

Smaller device woes aside, Contre Jour holds up. It's a beautiful game with some really challenging puzzles that'll keep you testing and delaying that endorphin-pumping "a-ha" moment whenever you figure out how to reach the exit of a level.