Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

The Witcher Battle Arena

Android Police review: The Witcher Battle Arena Review: A Surprisingly Great Free-To-Play Experience

The Witcher is a series of high-production, old-fashioned action-RPGs for PC and consoles. This pint-sized mobile entry in the series is a MOBA, basically a top-down RTS-style combat game tuned for fast-paced multiplayer matches. The layout should be familiar to fans of League of Legends or DOTA, complete with a free-to-play structure based on leveling heroes. Check out Ryan Whitwam's full (and generally positive) review for an in-depth look.

The Witcher Battle Arena is a fast, fun and easy to learn MOBA set in a rich fantasy world. In Battle Arena two three-hero teams fight against each other, trying to capture and hold conquest points in short, intense and action-packed battles. Designed with mobile devices in mind, Battle Arena combines intuitive controls with skill-based strategies and fast-paced action. Rain fire from afar as a sorceress or cleave your enemies’ knees as a dwarf – all with the flick of a finger.

Heroes of Might & Magic III HD

Android Police coverage: Heroes Of Might And Magic III Lands On The Play Store: Tablet Tactics Costs $10

Heroes of Might and Magic III is a classic of turn-based strategy. Now you can replay it on your Android tablet (and only your tablet - no phones invited) for ten bucks. This HD edition includes overhauled 2D graphics, since modern tablets have considerably more resolution than CRTs circa 1999. The tablet version also has revamped touchscreen controls and "hot potato" local multiplayer, but unfortunately there's no online option.

The most popular Heroes® title of all time is back in HD. Do you remember all those sleepless nights spent fighting Black Dragons and Archangels, Demons and Necromancers? Were you a true fan of Heroes® of Might & Magic® III? We have great news for you. Fifteen years later, rediscover the epic tale of Queen Catherine Ironfist, as she re-embarks on her critically acclaimed quest to unite her ravaged homeland and re-conquer the kingdom of Erathia.

DRAGON QUEST V

Android Police coverage: Dragon Quest V Raids The Play Store With A Party Full Of Monsters Demanding $14.99

Another week, another classic Square Enix mobile re-release, and another somewhat egregious price tag for a game that's over twenty years old. Oh well, at least now Android users have access to chapters one through five of the classic Japanese RPG series... lacking only number six and seven to get all the way up to eight. As usual Dragon Quest V has enhanced graphics and mobile controls, though Square still stubbornly refuses to support ART.

This grand adventure, unfolding over three generations, is now available to play in the palm of your hand. Take your place among a family of heroes, sharing in all the triumphs and tragedies of their storied lives. Enjoy three generations’ worth of adventure in one standalone package.

There will be a fee to download the game but download it once, and there’s nothing else to buy, and nothing else to download.

DRAGON QUEST V Developer: SQUARE ENIX Co.,Ltd.
Price: 14.99
4.5
Download

Odd Bot Out (Free)

Android Police coverage: Odd Bot Out Is An Adorable Little Platformer-Physics Puzzle Game Starring A Robot Reject

Odd Bot Out is a fairly standard physics/puzzle game, but a combination of simple mechanics and appealing design makes it more than the sum of its parts. You've got to guide a rejected robot through 100 levels of factory bowels, operating basic gadgets and sometimes building simple machines to make your way to the exit. This free edition includes the first ten levels - to get the rest you can buy the full version or upgrade via an IAP.

Odd is not like the other robots. After failing a standardized test Odd ends up in the recycling bin. Help Odd escape the robot factory using building blocks, electricity, and physics. Each level in this contraption puzzle game presents a new challenge. Build a bridge across a (small) abyss. Hot-wire a rocket launch. And ride a robotic centipede, like you always wanted to.

Odd Bot Out Developer: Martin Magni
Price: Free
4.3
Download

Naughty Kitties

Android Police coverage: Naughty Kitties Arrives On Android To Shoot Aliens, Play With Balls Of String

Naughty Kitties is neither as innocent nor as dirty as you think it is (depending on which conclusion you jump to). The basic structure revolves around placing kittens (turrets) on their giant spaceship thingy to shoot down an invasion of... aliens? If the cats have their own planet, aren't they the aliens? Anyway, the cats get tired and you have to strategically replace them, until your ship is inevitably destroyed. Free with IAP for weapon and power upgrades.

Tired of traditional tower defense and endless running game? What about mingling them together? Naughty Kitties is the best answer, developed by Coconut Island, creators of Finger Balance and One Tap Hero. The Cat’s Planet is in danger.! Aliens attacked the homeland of cats. All the adults on the planet lie in the dust. Only some kittens are trying to flee away with spaceship. Your mission is to lead them to fight and break through the encirclement of the enemies and.

Anime Studio Story

Alright, Toriyama wannabes, this one's for you. Kairosoft has returned to its familiar business manager style, but this time you're assigned to manage a Japanese animation studio. Your primary creation is a single show, and the variables that you select (centered around the weird culture of anime and manga) determine how profitable and successful your show is. Like most Kairosoft games, this one is five bucks with no in-app purchases.

Produce your own hit anime starring a character of your making. Select a face, body, and presto. Your completed hero can then explode onto the scene of your show, wowing watchers to rule the rankings. Categories include "Dateability," "Popular with Kids," and more. As the animaestro, only you can bring status to your studio. Speaking of your studio, equip it with a library, motion capture room, and even a theater. Educate your staff in the anime way to craft a classic that will echo through the generations.

Anime Studio Story Developer: Kairosoft
Price: 5.99
4.3
Download

Ambition of the Slimes

If you've played a Dragon Quest game sometime in the last 20 years, you've probably slaughtered hundreds of tiny, weak slimes - they're the Goombas of the RPG world. But what happens when the slimes rise up and bring the fight to their fleshy oppressors? Half Final Fantasy Tactics and half Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this game has you taking over fantasy heroes with your party of slimes and conquering the world. It's the best game in the world for members of the Brain Slug Party. This one is free with a few in-app purchases for extra characters. Note: You'll need to set the language to English manually.

The world was on the brink of destruction. An evil race known as humans had appeared from out of nowhere, and had the world in the palm of their hand. Forests were burned, the skies and seas were polluted, and tyranny reigned supreme. At this rate, the end of days is not far off. And then, despite us having done nothing to earn their malice, they came to make war upon us. As we did not possess any significant fighting force, it was just a matter of time before we were annihilated.

Helicopter Sim

Rortos is basically the only developer pumping out quality simulation games for Android on a regular basis. This is their first take on helicopters, so if you've gotten tired of jets and battleships, give it a shot. This free version features the free flight mode and six missions, with in-app purchases available for about five times that much content. Want to get it all at once? The paid version has all the same content for $5. Dear Rortos: thank you for implementing in-app purchases the right way.

Join HELLFIRE SQUADRON and launch the attack on the most modern deadly threats. Guide with precision your multi-role helicopter, demolish the enemy defenses and let the raiders disembark in enemy bases. Tactics, flying skills and the right amount of ruthlessness in the attacks are critical to complete the long and engaging campaign against the mysterious secret organization. You are in command of the helicopter and in real time you will have to govern with care the powerful machine gun available on board, take the right countermeasures against enemy attacks and launch the devastating missiles on targets.

Helicopter Sim Developer: RORTOS
Price: Free
3.7
Download

Son of Light

Son of Light is a fairly typical shoot-em-up in the old style: shoot everything that moves, avoid all the bullets, and generally pretend to be a tiny, two-dimensional Flash Gordon. (AAA-AAAH!) Son of Light is notable not just because of decent sprite-based graphics or an interesting 4-way customization engine, but because the developer is a model of restraint when it comes to in-app purchases. The game is free, one dollar removes the ads and gives you more money for upgrades, and the maximum IAP level is $3. Not bad.

Shoot the enemies and travel at the speed of light. Son of Light is an arcade video game of the Uncommon Games studios inspired by the great retro type "Shoot Them Up" and the mechanics of games such as "Runner". This « Shoot'em up » (shmup or STG) offers you to cross the universe at the speed of light. Your mission is to overcome in a row the 10 levels that will come to you while eradicating sneaky enemies and colossal bosses.

Son of Light Developer: Uncommon Games
Price: Free
4.2
Download

Skyward

Skyward looks a lot like Monument Valley, and it's clear that the latter game is a huge inspiration on the former. But instead of slow-paced puzzles, this game focuses on twitch timing: one of the player's dots rotates around the other, and a single tap makes it "land," forcing the opposite dot to rotate. It's a simple premise that will be enjoyable for fans of Flappy Bird and similar games, with much better visuals and atmosphere. Free with no in-app purchases.

A great journey to the sky starts with a single step. Through dynamic escher-style labyrinths you will reach your inner peace in this endless one-tap-one-step game. Get higher scores to unlock new patterns and beat everyone in the leaderboard.

Skyward Developer: Ketchapp
Price: Free
4.1
Download

Blockadillo

Mix the ancient gameplay of Breakout or Pong with the slightly less ancient gameplay of 16-bit platformers, and you'll get something like Blockadillo. Each level has fixed blocks that you'll have to smash with just some basic steering, but some include puzzles and physics elements to keep things interesting. Blockadillo is free with advertising, but a cheap $2 in-app purchase will grant access to extra levels.

Blockadillo is an arcade game where you smash colored blocks with a furious, color changing Armadillo. The catch: The Armadillo moves the whole time up and down by itself and you can only steer it left and right. Within the beautiful levels you will find deadly traps and lots of blocks with different abilities. Discover the remains of an ancient culture and use their old machines to cleverly solve the levels.

Steampunker - Tablet Edition

Steampunker is a fairly simple adventure game with an unhealthy fascination for Jules Verne. It has everything an insufferable steampunk fan could want: old-timey bicycles, improbable robots, anachronistic zeppelins, steam-powered rockets. The visuals are fantastic, but underneath is a typical adventure game with the usual inventory puzzles and mini-games. If you're looking for a visually-striking adventure game, this is it. Take note: this game is ONLY for tablets.

the Earth. The game contains a series of puzzles linked together into a traditional "point and click" adventure story. We meet Vincent in a harbor, then he boards a submarine, travels to an island, flies to the Moon in a rocket and finally fights the robots in their spaceship. In order to complete the mission Vincent has to explore the world and find objects needed to fix the vehicles and move in his unique steampunk style world. The brain teasers include fighting a steam leakage, solving maths puzzles and many more.

Chesslike: Adventures in Chess

Roguelikes are pretty easy to find these days, but this one uses the movement principles of chess as an interesting twist. You start out as a pawn - move one block at a time, attack diagonally - then find equipment and power-ups to transform into more powerful pieces, eventually getting all the way up to a queen. It's a novel take on a somewhat tired genre, and the level editor is a nice bonus. It doesn't hurt that the game has no ads or in-app purchases.

Chesslike takes the familiarity of chess and puts it into a fantastic new world of possibilities. This game is NOT chess. The rules have changed, and even a pawn can take up arms to become the new king. Dive into fun puzzle levels, or take some time and conquer an entire castle by assassinating the king. When you've had your fill, create your own levels to challenge your friends with the Level Editor.

RPG Clicker

I can't say that I've ever understood the appeal of "clicker" games. But if you want a new level of complexity in, uh, an incredibly simple premise, this one takes after 8-bit RPGs. Like most similar games it's almost entirely randomized, but successive clicking can get you new weapons, armor, and spells. It's got all the standard RPG tropes: dungeons, bosses, even a bit of leveling for your equipment. And clicking. Lots of clicking.

RPG Clicker is a fantasy RPG simplified to one finger touch. No more getting lost in boring dungeon, just tap your way through diverse terrain and menacing monsters. Find loot and rack up gold to buy the ultimate weapon. Research powerful spells and set the pixels on fire. Then, when your hero is ready, engage in epic boss fights where your hero’s strength and skill will be put to the test.

RPG Clicker Developer: Epic Pixel, LLC
Price: Free
4.6
Download

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Day of the Viking

Your average marauding Viking has just two things on his mind: one is pillaging, and the other is, um, even less nice than pillaging. In this literal take on tower defense it's your job to deploy archers and siege weapons against a surprising variety of Norsemen, protecting home, hearth, and the honor of your women-folk. The unique 2D art is attractive, and while it does use the typical currency-based IAP model, it's not as bad as it might be.

Tap on waves of marauding vikings, commanding your archers to rain pointy death upon them. Or for a bigger punch use the slingshot to send boulders, exploding barrels, and even pigs to fend off their advances. As the days and seasons go by, the vikings get smarter, building shields, slides, and moving war machines to get past your defenses. That’s where you use coins gathered in play to upgrade your fortifications and ammunition. It’s gonna be a heckuva fight.

Logic Dots

Imagine a more relaxing version of Minesweeper crossed with Sudoku, and you'd get pretty close to Logic Dots. The core element of the game is identifying the places where dots can't be hiding and where they can be, using the hints on the side of the board and a simple process of elimination. It's easy enough at the beginning, but of course the larger boards create more complications. The game is free with "hints" available via in-app purchases.

If you like solving ingenious puzzles, you need Logic Dots. It's easy to play: place dots on the grid and solve the puzzle. Beautifully simple, unavoidably addictive and devilishly difficult as you progress; Logic Dots is a uniquely fantastic combination of Sudoku and Battleship. Each brain-twisting Logic Dots puzzle consists of a blank grid surrounded by numbers. Players need to find hidden dot shapes on the grid, making sure each row and column contains the required number of dots.

Logic Dots Developer: ingames
Price: Free
4.1
Download

Unium

Remember those little pen-and-paper puzzles from elementary school where you had to draw a certain shape without lifting your pen? Unium feels a lot like that. All you have to do is fill in the assigned shape by dragging your finger across the board without ever lifting it. Things get interesting when you have to create shapes with lines inside, forcing you to cross over your progress and strategically flip tiles from black back to white.

Your task is to draw a line. A single line. How complex can that be? Start with one tile and trace a line to the next, then the next. Each tile you pass over flips from black to white, or back again. Using only a single line, can you flip all the black tiles? The simplest puzzle can have hundreds of solutions, and Unium features over 100 levels to solve your way through. Unlock harder puzzles by solving easier ones, learn what works and what doesn't, and solve puzzles in multiple ways to earn achievements.

Satellina

Satellina tasks the player with simply tapping all the dots in a given color on a moving puzzle. Once you clear all of them, another block of colors will be accessible, followed by another, et cetera. The interesting part is the animation: as the dots move in formation around the blank board, it becomes harder to keep track of everything. It might just be better to let the movement follow you rather than the other way around. Watch the video if this isn't making any sense.

Satellina: a simple and elegant "puzzle in motion" that can be understood within 10 seconds by a five-year-old, but has also driven adults to obsessive lengths. It has a clean, minimalistic look, a catchy original synthpop soundtrack, a challenging but rewarding (and never punitive) difficulty curve, and a timed structure that's perfect for speedrunning.

Give It Up!

Give It Up is basically a playable version of the Bouncing Ball in the old Disney Sing-Along videos. Just try to match the uns-uns-uns rhythm of the background music and tap at the right moment to climb towers or avoid obstacles, sort of like a single-button Guitar Hero. It's much harder than it seems - the margin for error on the jumps is less than a quarter of a second, and multiple obstacles in sequence make for a frustrating time... which might be a good thing for some players.

GIVE IT UP is a rather hard game where you have to assist this cheerful, singing Blob in jumping through 9 different tracks. So far it sounds easy. You have to feel the rhythm of our friends' frantic bounces with the help of the similarly crazy music. In case you don't tap at the right time, poor Blob smears. Tracks can be unlocked in sequence or by in-app purchase.

Hypher

Tap the screen to move the platform to one side or the other. Watch out, because you'll have less than half a second for most of the trickier shifts, some of which move around on you. Fans of Super Hexagon will love this... if they can stomach the annoying ads.

This game is fast. And hard. Avoid the walls and survive as long as you can in this hi-speed one-tap reflex game.

 

Button Up!

Button Up is an interesting little puzzle game that forces you to think in straight lines. It's a mixture of Tetris and, well, sewing, where you sew thread between various buttons to clear the stage. Some buttons can take more stitches (paths) than others, so you'll have to be careful and deliberate about where you place your thread. The game is free with a few reasonable in-app purchases for permanent upgrades.

Puzzle your way through the tiny world of Button Up. A fun game that sees you bond, bust, blast, swap, smash and shuffle over hundreds of levels. Button Up. is a new and taxing puzzle game unlike anything you've seen before. Designed to sit in the puzzles section of your newspaper and now available as a mobile game. Can you drop the yarn in time? ...or create the perfect pattern? With 23 unique puzzle types and hundreds of levels, this free game will take you to a different world.

Mutation Mash

Mutation Mash is what Bejeweled might look like if it were made by Doctor Moreau. You combine the various critters in the field into radioactive crimes against nature, creating a wider variety of insane mutations as you progress. The various modifiers keep things interesting, and an ever-advancing stream of creatures keeps them fast-paced. It's just too bad that the game relies on the frustrating dual currency IAP model.

Mutation Mash is a Crazy Hilarious Puzzle Game. Match radioactive animals to combine them into fun, new mutants. Heal them in your farm to earn coins and level-up. :) Attention. The game requires fast reflexes and a sharp mind. Following a terrible accident in the famous Radioactive Mutations Rehabilitation factory, mutated animals have taken over the enchanted forest. YOU must save the forest and the world before it's too late. Too many mutants will turn the forest into one big puzzled mess.

Trivia Crack

This game has proven popular on Facebook and iOS, and why shouldn't it - it's essentially Trivial Pursuit for your phone. Just answer one question from each of the six categories correctly to win the game. It's set up with the usual deep hooks to social networks, but if you like, you can ignore them and just play random opponents. In-app purchases let you cheat (well, sort of) so the online multiplayer mode might get old fast.

Trivia Crack is the international smash hit game that pits friend against friend in different categories to determine who has the most trivia knowledge. And it’s FREE. Each of the six categories (Science, Entertainment, Art, Geography, Sports and History) has a corresponding character, and the game is won by being the first to obtain all six. Give Willy the Wheel a spin and let chance decide which category you get.

Trivia Crack Developer: etermax
Price: Free
4.4
Download

Spinner: The Game

Spinner is what Wheel of Fortune might be if it used notes instead of letters. And also if it was really, really frustrating. The control system is a fairly basic tap-and-hold affair, with taps on different sides of the screen allowing you to switch direction. Timing is key: tap on the outside of a filled space by even a tenth of a second and the level ends. Free with a single in-app purchase to remove advertising.

Spinner: The Game is a techno arcade experience that will test your skills and overwhelm you with weeks of procrastination.

  • Three endless levels with progressive difficulty.
  • A vibrant soundtrack that imprints each of the levels with a unique atmosphere.
  • Complete statistics of the progress
  • More than 40 achievements
  • Hours of entertainment

RPG Valkyria Soul

Kemco's latest action-RPG takes inspiration from ancient Norse mythology, AKA "that stuff they talk about in the Marvel movies." But as I recall, Valkyries were supposed to ferry the honored fallen to Valhalla, not collect monsters Pokemon-style to save the world. In any case, Kemco's usual top-notch 2D art and old-fashioned RPG mechanics are on full display... as are some hefty in-app purchases, despite this being a paid game.

Fight as the Valkyrie Reginleiv in a fantasy RPG where you can collect, train, and transform a fully customizable army of powerful monsters.In a world devastated by the events of Ragnarok, two unlikely champions will rise to oppose the forces of evil. Huginn, familiar to the fallen god Odin, seeks to resurrect his master. To do so he frees Reginleiv, an infamous and powerful Valkyrie imprisoned for heinous crimes against Asgard.

Tail Drift

Show of hands: who can hear the TaleSpin theme song in their head right now? Tail Drift is less of a lighthearted flight simulator and more of a slightly reworked interpretation of Mario Kart or Hydro Thunder: the simple touch controls don't actually allow for up and down movement. All the kart racing standards are here, including power-ups and weapons. Too bad the game uses a completely unselfconscious "gas" power system to boost IAP.

Jump into the pilot seat and take to the skies in this 360 degree arcade racer. Zoom through fantastic environments including floating islands, ancient temples and desert canyons. Compete with friends to win the Crown for each event and dominate the Leaderboards.

• 2 tours featuring 18 unique events to compete in

• 7 beautifully hand-crafted tracks to compete on

• 3 different event types including Classic Race, Time Trial, and Time Extension

• 4 unique planes to purchase and upgrade

• Upgrade each plane's speed, handling, acceleration and boost

• 3 unique power ups to give you the competitive edge including turbo boost, deadly mines and stun cannons

• Supports Google Play with 18 leaderboards and 13 achievements

Little Alchemist

In the latest mobile game from notable publisher Kongregate, you search for a way to cure the philosopher's stone over decades of wasted life, eventually dying bitter and disillusioned after a prolonged battle with mercury poisoning. Oh sorry, no, that's Alchemist Simulator 2015. In Little Alchemist, you play turn-based battles with collectible cards that combine to create more powerful versions. The game is free with tons of in-app purchases to make sure that the multiplayer mode is nice and unbalanced.

Little Alchemist is an addictive combination of spell crafting and strategic combat. Save Little Town by collecting spells and discovering tons of cute and clever combos to overpower your enemies.

• FREE-to-PLAY RPG

• Explore Little Town and become a Master Alchemist

• Use clever spell combinations to defeat evil villains

• Over 300 spells to collect

• Over 350 powerful combinations

• Battle your friends and rivals in the Arena

• Unlock the event portal and earn new spells

• Customize your spell book and your avatar

SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run

It's an endless runner. It has Spongebob Squarepants. Unlike most movie tie-in games it costs $4, but that didn't stop the developers from cramming in a bunch of in-app purchases too. Unless you really, really need to see a 3D version of Spongebob wearing a superhero costume, I'd stay away from this one.

Play the brand-new SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run based on the new SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water. SpongeBob and Plankton are in a race to find the lost Krabby Patty formula somewhere in Bikini Bottom, Apocalyptic Bikini Bottom and a real-world beach. When he’s not running, SpongeBob is flying, floating in a bubble, or has Plankton jumping around his surreal imagination. And when the running gets tough, the tough get heroic. SpongeBob becomes Super SpongeBob to knock through any obstacle in his way.

RoboBliteration (Free Version)

RoboBliteration is a free "avoider" game that requires the Google Cardboard VR system in order to play. The gameplay itself is fairly basic: just use the motion tracking feature to avoid running into things while an automated gun shoots at stuff for you. The free version has a single level included, but the paid version adds a few more.

‘BLITERATE a mass of Evil Robots bent on your destruction. Test your skills against the unstoppable horde as you attempt to get the high score. Intense VR arcade action with intuitive controls. Dodge enemies as the auto-turret defends your ship. Collect power-ups to boost your weapon’s destructive capabilities. Robobliteration was built from the ground up for VR to be comfortable and immersive. Works with Google Cardboard.

WTF Game(s) Of The Week

Fisherman - Monsters & Stuff

In Fisherman - Monsters & Stuff, you are the slave of a Lovecraftian undersea horror. You must catch fish at a breakneck speed, avoiding mines and picking up bonus items. Pick up the wrong thing and you explode. Slacken your pace and you're devoured. It's pretty freakin' odd, really. A collection of weird and collectible characters gives Fisherman some replay value, but I'll be honest, the WTF trailer is what got this game on the list.

The Fisherman is the only arcade game which let you wear Bavarian socks and go fishing for terrified fishes smashing them with a little help of a berry pie. Carving a raft from a piece of wood? Pumping an inflatable toy crocodile? It’s all possible swimming between unpredictable naval mines and dreadful monsters from “B” movies. Gain your fish fortune as Al Fish, Ron Kowalski or any other pixel bastard and spend everything on the most useless stuff.

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

  • the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
  • it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.

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