‘AFK Arena’, ‘Warped Kart Racers’, ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘Homescapes’, and More – TouchArcade

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. Some big names this time around, from some of the oldest to some of the new kids. I’ve grabbed an assortment for you to pick through while you get started on your week. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it!

World of Tanks Blitz – 3D War, Free

Some interesting stuff going on in this latest update. The app is celebrating its ninth anniversary with some free gifts, for starters. There are five new heavies in the Czechoslovakian vehicle line, a new map called the Lagoon, and a series of events lined up with lots of fun stuff to do. Plus, three new modes: Big Boss, Uprising, and Realistic. Sure, that sounds good.

Homescapes, Free

Okay, let’s get the obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update out of the way fast this week. Shenanigans are afoot in Homescapes, with a pirate expedition to Tortuga highlighting this month’s events. If that isn’t enough for Austin, he’ll also be joining in on a sports competition and renovating the Island Hotel’s spa and fitness center. The new puzzle element this time is the Lantern, and it sounds like a really troublesome thing to get rid of. Good luck, brave Austin.

AFK Arena, Free

Can the best RPG for busy me continue to be the best RPG for busy me when the “busy” I am busy with is playing too much Zelda? The world may never know. This update has a new hero, the Lightbearer Ginneas – Heart of Moltenflow. There’s a new feature called Judgment Chronicles, some new adventures to play, and a whole mess of tweaks and fixes. Frankly, the developers of this game need to play this game because they seem to be even busier than busy me. Keep up the good work, folks.

Genshin Impact, Free

We just narrowly missed having this one in last week’s article, which means it’s about as old as it can be while still being within the week. But I don’t want to miss a Genshin update, so here we are. It has a new character named Kirara, which is a sparkling name if I’ve ever heard one, and a new event called Duel! The Summoners’ Summit!. Two exclamation points? That’s how you know there’s a party afoot. There have been some updates to the Genius Invokation TCG, and both a new Story Quest and Hangout Event. That sounds like plenty to chew on for the next little bit.

Angry Birds Reloaded,

Now that this is technically a SEGA game, I can more openly cape for it. Go, courageous SEGA heroes! All joking aside, I’m giving this the UMMSotW award for the week for one simple reason: it’s bringing Angry Birds Space into the game, with thirty new levels and all the appropriate physics and power-ups. I really like Angry Birds Space, and I think it may well have been the peak for this series before it all started to feel a little tired. I’m thrilled to see it live on via this app, because it’s been Pluto’d from the App Store for a while. Hooray, time to pop some pigs in space!

Warped Kart Racers,

Far be it for me to editorialize in these blurbs, but I sometimes feel like this game was a missed opportunity. I’m not sure what licenses they have to work with, but I wish there was more new stuff coming at a regular clip. Well, I must at least grant that this update is substantial. It adds a new mode, Arcade Mode, where you can take on missions and win some cool rewards for doing so. This update also brings in new cosmetic items you can equip to alter your drift and boost properties, and a League Mode where you have to try to climb the ranks and come out on top of the pile. Certainly worth firing it up again to see what’s what.

Gear.Club Stradale,

Another update for this game and another new mode. New modes, people. They’re all the rage right now. This one is getting a Grand Prix mode, which strikes me as a thing most sim racers start with, but better late than never. The idea is that you do three races in a row, and your points across those three are totaled to crown the winner. Complete all the Grand Prix challenges and you’ll get some sweet customizations for your profile. Oh, and be sure to roll over to the Super Carta Stradale to score a new car this month. New cars: it’s what’s for dinner.

Disney SpellStruck,

This game only came out a few weeks ago but already has some new content? Well, okay. Can’t complain about that. There’s a new map in Adventure Mode called Frosty Fjords and I’m pretty sure I can guess which brand that will be associated with. Yes, here it is. You can unlock Elsa and make use of her Swirling Snowstorm power. And while Elsa might be all about letting it go, the developers of this game aren’t. They’ve gone and fixed a bunch of bugs and made some improvements based on player feedback since launch. That will do.

SpongeBob SolitairePants,

Surprisingly “Just the facts, ma’am” update notes on this one for a SpongeBob game. But I suppose there are only so many ways to dress up updates for a game like this. So about those facts, ma’am: twenty-five new quest levels to play, seven new decks to collect, two new ranks, and a couple of new achievements to shoot for. And of course, the battle events will continue throughout the month as usual. Not going to lie, I kind of want to try on some SolitairePants. They sound comfy and easy to wear.

Asphalt 9: Legends, Free

It’s time for some German Motorsports, people. You can get some sweet German cars like the BMW M4 GT3 and the Apollo EVO. Also, Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary and you know Asphalt isn’t going to let that pass without an event. Participate and you can win some special livery for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S. It’s also Asphalt 9‘s anniversary, its fifth to be precise, so there are some goodies connected with that as well. Best to load the game up and see all the things going on, as there’s a fair bit here.

That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!