Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a frustratingly good twitch game, an adorable physics puzzler, an indie endless runner, an odd typing shooter, a sequel to a classic adventure game, and a LEGO-branded racer. Without further ado:
oO
No, "oO" isn't some kind of emoticon for a disbelieving cartoon. It's a radial twitch game powered by a single button: tap the screen to move your circular avatar from the outside of a loop to the inside. Things get very hard very fast as you're tasked with jumping from circle to circle, avoiding an ever-growing array of moving, running, and spinning spikes. This is one of those super-simple games that will have you begging (and screaming, and possibly cursing) for more.
oO is a minimalist "dodge-em-up" arcade game.
Inspired by Pivvot and Super Hexagon.
Made by @targaciej
Music by @WasiakWojciech
Save the Furries
Let me save you some worry: Save the Furries has nothing to do with the mildly creepy anthro subculture. Your job is to protect tiny green creatures as they bumble across levels full of Acme-branded danger, using various physics-based tools and environmental elements to move hazards out of their paths. If that's not enough, there are plenty of indigenous creatures ready to make a snack out of your little green wards.
Help Save the Furries across 50 levels in this puzzle-adventure. Furries are cute green aliens that love to visit strange planets and then stroll about oblivious to the dangers around them. Tap and swipe pinballs, ropes, logs, crates, carts, switches, fans and all sorts of other items to help create a safe path to the exit. Make sure you keep the Furries safe from strange galactic creatures, spikey pits, huge explosions, giant drops and the evil Furax.
Pénombre
Blacked-out foreground on a brooding background, stylish character design, minimal story. Yup, Pénombre has all the elements of a modern indie platformer, though its gameplay makes it an endless runner. When you get hurt, your vision is occluded as the shadows close in, making it harder and harder to avoid other obstacles. A creepy world and music combined with some atmospheric elements make this one worth a look if you're a fan of horror aesthetics. Spell attacks and creature transformations round things out.
Journey into the enchanted land of Pénombre where witches, ghosts and other creatures meet in this endless runner game. When our heroine Umbra stepped out of her house to find new spells, she never thought she'll get lost in the Petit Woods. Now, all creatures she had befriended have turned on each other as Pénombre descends onto the land. Umbra must travel across 7 kingdoms filled with treacherous traps and dangerous creatures to find her way back home.
Pulser Free
Pulser isn't quite like anything else I've seen. On first glance it looks like another Tron-inspired minimal shooter, but the weapon (or at least the sole means of interaction) is a tiny keyboard. Your job is to "type" out nonsense words, or perhaps syllables, reducing their complexity. You'll have to quickly and correctly zap them, sometimes from multiple directions, to advance through the stages. The full game is $1.99 via in-app purchase.
Are you tired of running through the same old temples or tapping idly at your enemies? Pulser offers a new and intuitive way to play. Use our custom six character keyboard to zap the invading shapes into oblivion. Swipe or tap to type and let the laser do the rest. Pulser caters for the casual gamer, but achieving the S rank in all 60 levels will test your reactions to the limit. Simple to grasp, hard to master.
Dracula 4 (Full)
Fans of PC adventure games will be happy to know that the Dracula series is getting another resurrection (sorry, sorry) on Android. The original 2000 pseudo-sequel to Bram Stoker's novel is on the Play Store, as are two direct sequels to that game, and now the fourth installment is upon us. You play an investigator searching for lost paintings who stumbles upon, well, you can probably guess who. Competent graphics and some surprisingly engaging puzzles are found within. Want more old-school adventure games? Check out the Anuman developer page.
The Museum sends the art restorer Ellen Cross to authenticate the painting. She would never have guessed that this mission would take her all across Europe, on the trail of the portrait of the famous prince of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes. The young woman is afflicted with a serious illness. From Budapest to Istanbul, she follows the trail of the painting and plunges into a conflict between the first vampire and the "Shadow of the Dragon"—a secret order which dreams of producing a new lineage of creatures, free from Dracula's grasp.
LEGO® Technic Race
Technic Race seems to be an updated version of LEGO's Pullback Racers, which came to the Play Store six months ago. This one is more of a conventional racer, though you're still limited to lane steering only. Hit the speed boosts to sail past your opponents. You've got a choice between three "real" LEGO race cars, and like most other LEGO games on the Play Store, there are no in-app purchases.
Pull back, release and shoot forwards with ultimate speed in this fast paced, action packed lane changer, combining super sleek racing with obstacle smashing mayhem. Experience the smooth lines of the LEGO® Technic Black Champion Racer and the rugged power of the Desert Racer. Combine them for an even more action-packed play experience with the awesome double motored Race Truck, an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Be sure to check out our gaming coverage from earlier this week: