Wild Needle puts a fork in Shoptown, available for free on iPhone, iPad

Start-up mobile game developer Wild Needle's first game is done, finished, finito completo. Shoptown is now available for iPhone and iPad in the U.S. App Store for absolutely free. And if players download the game today, they can score $1.99 worth of extra in-game gems for free through App-o-Day, Iddiction's game discovery app for iOS devices.

Shoptown is a location-based mobile game that tasks players with saving an idyllic town's strip of stores from evil, admittedly ugly tycoon Fat Ralph. Players will have to stock their shops with items that are sourced from the shops and stores around them. However, that's only half of the game's hook: Players will also have to negotiate prices with customers in order to turn profits.

When players earn enough coins, they can both upgrade their existing shops or buy the next one back from Fat Ralph the old-fashioned way. The ultimate goal here in Shoptown to buy back all of the shops that Fat Ralph got a hold of in town through clever pricing and negotiation skills. The game also features both Facebook Connect and Game Center achievements for some admittedly light social features, though we're told those will be expanded upon in the future. Again, the game is free, so give it a go to see if you can master the shop keeper trade.

Click here to download Shoptown for iPhone or iPad for Free Now >

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