Back in 2008, we wrote about Rolando, a platform-style puzzle game that was one of the first games back when the iPhone and the App Store were both new. At the time, our sister site TouchArcade said it was among "the best games the App Store has to offer."
The original Rolando game is no longer on the App Store because of the 2017 crackdown on 32-bit apps, but Rolando developer HandCircus today announced that a remastered version of the game is coming on April 3rd, which will be good news to fans of the Rolando series.
Rolando: Royal Edition is an overhauled version of the original Rolando game from 2008, with updated graphics, redesigned levels, and new mechanics. HandCircus says that the entire game has been updated with new content.
The award-winning iPhone classic is back and better than ever! This brand-new 'Royal Edition' is a completely remastered Rolando - every interaction, every course, flower, trampoline, bomb, catapult and squirrel has been given a thorough scrub, buff and shine, making this the most gorgeous version yet!
In Rolando, the goal of the game is to guide a gang of Rolandos through traps and puzzles on a quest to save the sages from the Shadow Creatures. With the exception of new mechanics and updates to the design, the original Rolando gameplay appears to be intact.
Rolando: Royal Edition can be pre-ordered from the App Store for $1.99, a 1/3 discount off of the planned launch price. [Direct Link]
OMG, you’re sad about paying $2-3 again?! How many hours of enjoyment did you get from the original?
The problem is that developers tend to do this type of thing. The app was removed from my purchases after I paid for it and due to licensing issues and a few mergers, the app ended up being pulled from the store, which means I couldn’t download the app again when moving phones. The app was fairly expensive at the time (around 6-7 bucks if I recall correctly) and when it was no longer available, I was extremely sad. This goes back to the idea of ownership. Is the app mine, or am I just paying a licensing fee?
This is the current situation that we are in. I don’t have a firm answer on that, but if a developer chooses to not renew their developer account, and I have purchased their $9.99 app, I should be able to continue to own and install that app on a new device. As it stands, the only way to do that is through... an iTunes backup. Ironically enough, they even removed the ability to manage apps within iTunes.
I have spent thousands of dollars on apps, some of which have gone kaput, such as Rolando. I know it’s a foreign concept in these times, but I remember a time where you bought a piece of software and it was yours forever, and it would likely keep running on a new computer, and even a new operating system.
I was just thinking about this game the other day, so happy for it to get a relaunch! Maybe they'll do the same for the sequel "Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid ('https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolando_2:_Quest_for_the_Golden_Orchid')," and perhaps the cancelled third in the series will see a release.
This brings me so much joy!!! A bit sad about having to pay again, but this was such an awesome game!!!
Probably THE best platformer on iOS.
OMG, you’re sad about paying $2-3 again?! How many hours of enjoyment did you get from the original? I’m sure was pennies per hour. It’s so sad that this is the new normal, people complain about paying a couple bucks for a top quality game/app.
I get it.... I have some fond memories of this game, back when it was new, too. One of our kids absolutely loved it at the time, and we all thought it was a well done game.
But yeah, it's not so much about the argument that it's not worth giving the author a few more dollars for it again. It's about the "state of things" with software in general. It used to be, you'd buy a program and could basically just count on being able to use it as much as you liked, for as long as you owned some kind of hardware capable of running it. The proliferation of broadband Internet meant developers could experiment with all of these alternative payment models .... whether it's your game requiring a monthly fee to keep using it, or giving you a false sense of complacency that it's "tied to your login" on some kind of online service -- until it gets removed (for whatever reason) and you find you can't restore it to your machine again. Plenty of games cost what you'd assume is the "full price of ownership", until you discover they keep tempting you to spend more and more as you play, for add-ons and other perks that keep it "fun".
I dunno? All of it's perfectly legal and I see how it came about. But it really does drive home the reality that NO, you DON'T own any of these programs that you "buy". You only pay to use them subject to pages of legalese that nobody wants to read through. At least when you paid for a boxed program on a piece of physical media though, the licensing terms seemed a lot more abstract and unrealistic. (EG. Sure, it SAYS this is only allowed on one computer .... but if my Mac or PC dies and I feel like loading it on a new one, they can't do squat about it. So I'm gonna treat this like I paid to OWN it anyway!) Now, all the the stuff people find kind of unacceptable is actually forced onto you, in many situations.
Probably THE best platformer on iOS.
OMG, you’re sad about paying $2-3 again?! How many hours of enjoyment did you get from the original? I’m sure was pennies per hour. It’s so sad that this is the new normal, people complain about paying a couple bucks for a top quality game/app.
The problem is that developers tend to do this type of thing. The app was removed from my purchases after I paid for it and due to licensing issues and a few mergers, the app ended up being pulled from the store, which means I couldn’t download the app again when moving phones. The app was fairly expensive at the time (around 6-7 bucks if I recall correctly) and when it was no longer available, I was extremely sad. This goes back to the idea of ownership. Is the app mine, or am I just paying a licensing fee?
This is the current situation that we are in. I don’t have a firm answer on that, but if a developer chooses to not renew their developer account, and I have purchased their $9.99 app, I should be able to continue to own and install that app on a new device. As it stands, the only way to do that is through... an iTunes backup. Ironically enough, they even removed the ability to manage apps within iTunes.
I have spent thousands of dollars on apps, some of which have gone kaput, such as Rolando. I know it’s a foreign concept in these times, but I remember a time where you bought a piece of software and it was yours forever, and it would likely keep running on a new computer, and even a new operating system.
It’s two bucks dude. You could probably make more than that during the time it took to write those paragraphs. Two whole dollars for a game that supports new device sizes and has some new mechanics and level design. Would you rather they fill it full of ads and in-app purchases? Maybe put some timers that you can bypass with the option to purchase 5000 Rolando Coins for $19.99?
It costs money to do this stuff and $2 is practically nothing. Developers on console charge anywhere from $30-60 for special edition remasters of old games. I’m buying the crap out of this and looking forward to my kids trying it for the first time since they were years away from being born when it launched. Good wholesome simple fun.
Tuesday September 1, 2026 4:50 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today informed developers that universal Mac App Store apps that require macOS 13 or later can remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.
We're reaching out to let you know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.
By removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, you can simplify your...
Monday September 7, 2026 3:19 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is looking at further ways to monetize the App Store and increase the company's recurring revenue from the platform, according to a new report.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that newly appointed Apple CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue are behind the effort to raise margins from the App Store, which already generates Apple an estimated ...
Monday September 14, 2026 3:25 pm PDT by Juli Clover
X's XChat app is no longer available from the App Store. The app does not come up when searching for it in the App Store, and clicking a link to it on the web returns an unavailable error.
XChat allows X users to communicate with one another using end-to-end encryption and disappearing messages. The app's description says it is a "private, focused space built for conversation." XChat launched...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
Top Rated Comments
This is the current situation that we are in. I don’t have a firm answer on that, but if a developer chooses to not renew their developer account, and I have purchased their $9.99 app, I should be able to continue to own and install that app on a new device. As it stands, the only way to do that is through... an iTunes backup. Ironically enough, they even removed the ability to manage apps within iTunes.
I have spent thousands of dollars on apps, some of which have gone kaput, such as Rolando. I know it’s a foreign concept in these times, but I remember a time where you bought a piece of software and it was yours forever, and it would likely keep running on a new computer, and even a new operating system.
OMG, you’re sad about paying $2-3 again?! How many hours of enjoyment did you get from the original? I’m sure was pennies per hour. It’s so sad that this is the new normal, people complain about paying a couple bucks for a top quality game/app.
But yeah, it's not so much about the argument that it's not worth giving the author a few more dollars for it again. It's about the "state of things" with software in general. It used to be, you'd buy a program and could basically just count on being able to use it as much as you liked, for as long as you owned some kind of hardware capable of running it. The proliferation of broadband Internet meant developers could experiment with all of these alternative payment models .... whether it's your game requiring a monthly fee to keep using it, or giving you a false sense of complacency that it's "tied to your login" on some kind of online service -- until it gets removed (for whatever reason) and you find you can't restore it to your machine again. Plenty of games cost what you'd assume is the "full price of ownership", until you discover they keep tempting you to spend more and more as you play, for add-ons and other perks that keep it "fun".
I dunno? All of it's perfectly legal and I see how it came about. But it really does drive home the reality that NO, you DON'T own any of these programs that you "buy". You only pay to use them subject to pages of legalese that nobody wants to read through. At least when you paid for a boxed program on a piece of physical media though, the licensing terms seemed a lot more abstract and unrealistic. (EG. Sure, it SAYS this is only allowed on one computer .... but if my Mac or PC dies and I feel like loading it on a new one, they can't do squat about it. So I'm gonna treat this like I paid to OWN it anyway!) Now, all the the stuff people find kind of unacceptable is actually forced onto you, in many situations.
It costs money to do this stuff and $2 is practically nothing. Developers on console charge anywhere from $30-60 for special edition remasters of old games. I’m buying the crap out of this and looking forward to my kids trying it for the first time since they were years away from being born when it launched. Good wholesome simple fun.