Rampart is just one of those games that every retro enthusiast remembers. I was first introduced to it on the SNES, but it was ported to nearly every platform imaginable due to its immense popularity. Its angle of marrying shooting elements with light strategy and building components is still unique nearly 30 years later, and it's amazing that so few projects have attempted to emulate its formula directly. Castleparts [$2.99] is one such imitation, and although I had a few technical issues with it, it's a project worth playing if you're into the Rampart concept.

If you've never played that classic before, the gist carries over into the mobile arena flawlessly. Players square off against an opponent with their own kingdoms, centrally powered by a cannon that can destroy castle bits and other distractions like neutral creeps and buildings. All the while you can build Tetris-esque walls to expand your castle, allowing you to "capture" piles of gold to grant you access to faster cannon shots (or spells). Capturing more territory grants you more points, and whoever has the most when the timer is out wins. Doing all of this to the sound of a catchy chiptune soundtrack is glorious. You can do all of this simultaneously, eschewing the whole turn-based "rounds" of Rampart. To attack any part of the screen (even your own quadrant) you just tap. To cast spells (which are mainly just larger cannon shots with specific patterns and vary slightly between all four pla...