It’s spring so it’s time to review a new fresh crop of games!

Here at Itavio, we love games. We used to make games, we’re here to help game makers connect with their players and we remain ourselves fairly dare we say it hardcore.

Here are a few things we’ve been playing lately that made our inner children gleefully that we think are worth mentioning.

 

 

1. Everrun: The Horse Guardians by Budge Studio

Shout out to local Montreal studio for their amazingly fun game, Everrun: The Horse Guardians. A game for all ages, it’s fun, easy and addictive. Thanks to the seamlessly easy interface, bright-eyed characters and straight-forward gameplay, this game are perfect for kids of all ages (and adults too!). As you run endlessly through the fields to recover and return all the petals to the Everbloom, ads don’t pop up and you’re encountered with in-app purchases in order to move through the levels quicker or upgrade your horses. It was a like a more mystical Temple Run.

Available on the App Store and Google Play.

 

 

2. Llama Llama Spit Spit

To call Llama Llama Spit Spit hilariously bombastic is an understatement. It has this old arcade feel which brings you straight back to your childhood if you’re over 20 and if you’re a kid you, it has this old vintage feel. You endlessly run through space and encounter different bosses and collect coins to upgrade to weapons. The ridiculousness of the villains and the characters are really what make the game come to life. Want to battle a massive chicken throwing eggs at you? It’s happening. There are no in-app purchases, so the only currency you have to worry about are the ones in the game. It’s wacky, original and I audibly laughed many times.

Available on the App Store and Google Play.

 

 

3. Hopscotch

For someone who doesn’t know how to code but has always wanted to learn, this game is awesome. Guided by a calming voice and kid-friendly interface, you are taught how to build very basic games (think: chicken crossing). Suitable for ages 9 and above Not only is it fun, you get to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end. You can sign up for the subscription which is $9.99/mo to $99.99/yr which will allow you to save your progress to the cloud. Turns out it’s never too late to start to learn how to code.

Available on the App Store.

 

 

4. Smash Hit

Wow. Visually stunning, this physic-laden game looks like a sleek surreal demo. The concept of the game is very simple – smash the most about of glass objects with the balls provided. Kids may want to ask their parents to buy the premium versions ($1.99 which will allow you to restart from checkpoints) so they don’t have to start the game over again. The sci-fi feel never gets old as this truly a…smash hit.

Available on the App Store and Google Play.

 

 

5. Jetpack Joyride

I’ll be honest, this game is harder than it looks. It might be due to my personal lack of hand-eye coordination, but my little jetpack flying buddy did fall flat on his face more than once. Brought to you by the creators of the very popular Fruit Ninja, the object of this side-scrolling game is to get as far as you can without dying. I literally was mouthing under my breath “one more time” as I collapsed to my fiery death. Coins let you upgrade your jetpack, appearance and you can buy advantages and enhancements in the game via in-app purchases, ranging from $2 to $30.

Available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.

Itavio makes game economics look easy. We work with gaming, licensing, and media companies to allow parents to set spending limits for in-app game purchases.