Minecraft type games for ios.

Minecraft has become a phenomenon on PCs, Macs, and more recently on ios devices (iPad, iPod, iPhone).  Minecraft comes under the heading of ‘Sandbox Games’.  Basically, Sandbox Games are games where the game is a world that you can interact with.  Most of them are 3D and the world is made of blocks.  These blocks can be altered, removed, or new ones can be placed.  You can create anything that you want.  Giant buildings, entire cities, space ships, or whatever you want.  The only limit is your imagination.

With the popularity of minecraft, similar sandbox type games have started to appear in the app store in itunes.  Each one has it’s own personality and unique characteristics.  The games demonstrated in this video are:  block fortress, eden, block earth, survival craft.

Block Fortress is unique in the fact that it is actually a hybrid game.  It is a cross between a sandbox game an another type of game called a tower defense game.  In tower defense games, the gameplay involves building defenses to a fortress that is then attacked by an enemy.  Whether or not you win is dependent on how well you have designed your defenses.  In block fortress, you build a fortress out of blocks.  Some of these blocks have defensive capabilities (missile launchers, canons, that kind of thing).  There is some ‘crafting’ involved.  There are mineral deposits in the landscape that you need to utilize to build your defenses.  You pick the difficulty level of the game.  After you have built your fortress, you start the attack and see how you do.  Your character is also involved in the defense and you can have a variety of hand held weapons to aid in the defense of your fortress.

Eden is a classic sandbox game.  Your world is made of blocks that you can interact with and build things.  There is no ‘crafting’ in Eden, but they give you a variety of blocks to work with.  The world is populated with a bunch of cute, bouncy creatures.  They leave you alone as long as you leave them alone.  You have the option to change the colors of blocks or the creatures themselves.  You do have the ability to set fires, and of course, there is TNT for blowing stuff up.  Eden is a cute game that would be an appropriate game to introduce younger players to sandbox type games.

Block Earth is a very pretty sandbox game.  There is no crafting involved, but the blocks they supply you with have a more photo realistic texture to them than most sandbox games.  The sky has very realistic looking clouds and the sun and moon.  There are also flying dragons in the sky and floating islands of land.  You have a jetpack that allows you to fly for short distances.  A unique aspect of Block Earth is you have missiles.  These missiles can be used to either remove blocks or to place blocks.  Underground they are really helpful in clearing out a cavern and above ground you can shoot them into the sky to build sky islands.

Survival Craft is similar to Minecraft in many respects.  At the start of gameplay, you find yourself stranded on a shoreline after being abandoned by your ship.  It looks peaceful enough, but you learn soon enough why the game is called Survival Craft.  There are lots of creatures on land and in the sea that would like to have you for a snack.  In one of my first games, I was chased into the ocean by wolves where I was promptly eaten by a shark.  You do craft tools that you need to use.  There are a variety of animals you interact with and each one has it’s own characteristics.  For example, at night, the wolves can turn into werewolves.  The horses can be ridden.  You can pick the difficulty level and at the easiest level you have the power of flight, so you can get away from danger.

All of these games are fun for kids or adults.  They are the types of games that are fun to play with your kids.  I find them to be very good in stimulating creativity.  Check them out and have fun!