Major Mayhem Review – An iOS Arcade Gem Goes Free For iPhone & iPad

Major Mayhem (universal) was already a monster hit for adultswim, and then a big 2.0 update hit, which brought along a permanent price drop to free. In other words, one of the great App Store arcade games just got a whole lot better – and now that it’s free, its as accessible as ever.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Major Mayhem is an fixed-position arcade shooter, where ducking behind covers and spraying bullets across the screen using the touch controls is the name of the game. The goal is to rack up huge score multipliers, taking out enemies and earning bonus points by shooting down special foes and hidden chickens.

The most noticeable effect of the 2.0 update, is the incredible amount of replayability added to an already-entertaining high score game. The one thing Mayhem lacked previously was a lack of secondary modes, and a thin sense of achievement, something the update addresses in a big way.

First of all, there are three brand new game modes introduced – all of which are genre standards, but still welcome additions. Timebomb mode puts players in a random scenario to score as many points as possible in a minute. The Arcade and Survival modes are pretty self-explanatory, letting players work through the 45 in-game missions to compete for high scores on both leaderboards.

The second big addition to Major Mayhem 2.0 is the amazing amount of unlockable content added in the vastly expanded game store. There are now over 40 different costumes and characters players can use throughout the game, as well as 13 brand-new weapons, bringing the total up to 20. 

If that’s not enough, the game rounds out its magnificent update with some serious Game Center integration, including 100 – that’s right, 100 – achievements for players to obsessively collect throughout the game. Add in 150 mini-objectives that increase a player’s in-game witty military rank – I’m currently at ‘New Bourne’ – and nine new online leaderboards, and Major Mayhem 2.0 can certainly be considered a major update for the game.

In other words, if fast-paced, beautifully-animated shooters with tons of content are the kind of game you’re looking for, Major Mayhem isn’t going to disappoint. Considering it is now free to play, this is one of the best hands-down values gamers will be able to find in the App Store.