Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android games 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

Party Hard Go

Android Police coverage: Dispatch unruly neighbors with pixelated ultra-violence in Party Hard Go

Party Hard mixes the neon-soaked ultraviolence of postmodern games like Hotline Miami with sneaky stealth action a la the original 2D Metal Gear. You're a psychopath who's tired of his neighbor's loud house parties, so you've decided that the solution to your problem is a liberal application of murder. Killing all the partiers without alerting the police or getting yourself killed in the process is a tall order. The game has some interesting Twitch integration as well, if you're into that sort of thing. $7 with no in-app purchases.

In Party Hard, you play as someone who is really tired of the neighbors having loud parties. Instead of calling the police, you decide it’s a better idea to kill everyone – using your faithful knife and the environment. The tactical strategy follows a series of killings at parties through-ought the USA. The developers used to work mostly on casual, family-friendly games - until they participated in a game jam, creating the first prototype for Party Hard.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinybuild.PartyHardGO[/EMBED_APP]

RunGunJumpGun

Android Police coverage: RunGunJumpGun, a fast-paced platformer with unique gameplay, is now available for Android

RunJumpGun looks a lot like an old 8-bit Metroid or Mega Man game in the screenshots: lots of enemies to kill in a side-scrolling shooter. But watch the video below and you'll see why it warrants a bit more excitement. The breathless pace of the game mixes something like Flappy Bird with shooter elements, forcing players to stay in the air and shoot alternately. Difficulty is on the insane edge of the curve, so only masochists need apply. The game is $3 with no IAP.

RunGunJumpGun is a tough as nails game that puts a gravity-defying weapon in your hands. One button lets you fly, the other blasts obstacles out of the way. With a cast of crazed characters, challenging gameplay, and a pulsing musical score, it delivers twitchy platforming goodness.

  • Beautifully Difficult: Every second counts, and the game will test your reflexes to the fullest
  • Nonstop Action: Merciful respawns let you die fast and keep you constantly in the action
  • Two button gameplay: One button lets you fly, the other blasts obstacles into heaps of rubble.
  • Three Unique Game Worlds: Each world presents its own distinct challenges which require players to change their playstyles
  • Over 120 levels of Mayhem: Each level is meticulously crafted to hone and test the player’s speed and tenacity.
[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDeepKIyrzU[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gambitious.rungunjumpgun[/EMBED_APP]

Jade Empire: Special Edition

Android Police coverage: Bioware's classic action RPG Jade Empire comes to Android for $10

Jade Empire first debuted on the original Xbox way back in 2005. It's a rare Bioware game that wasn't connected to an existing franchise and didn't go on to become one, but it's remembered fondly for its fantasy kung fu setting and action-RPG mechanics. The full Xbox game has been ported to Android for a long and satisfying experience that justifies the $10 price tag, without any need for in-app purchases.

Experience an epic story and journey with fascinating characters across a graphically beautiful, fantastic new world inspired by the myths and legends of ancient China. Sinister events upset the peaceful harmony of an isolated martial arts school, drawing you into a story that unfolds with drama, action, and adventure. Detailed followers and other non-player characters enrich the adventure by providing comic relief, rivalries, flirtations, and hostility.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZiAIPqBLlU[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspyr.jadeempire[/EMBED_APP]

Frecce Tricolori Flight Sim

Apparently the Frecce Tricolori is sort of like the Italian version of the Blue Angels: death-defying formation stunts in jet planes, but with a bit more old-world charm. The latest flight sim from Rortos (who are getting really good at them by now) focuses on the formation maneuvers that the group is famous for, tasking the player with laying out routines and planning air shows before the actual flying part of the game. $5.49 get you in, with extra IAP up to $7.49 for more missions and upgrades.

Fly like a real pilot on the Italian aerobatic team FRECCE TRICOLORI. Try the aerobatic simulator of the officially licensed ITALIAN AIR FORCE AEROBATIC TEAM. Thanks to an innovative piloting system, you can try all the stunts that made the FRECCE TRICOLORI famous around the world. With three game modes, you can experience the thrill of a real military pilot according to your skill. You think you're really an expert? Try the simulation mode and push your reflexes to the maximum.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veaqzo45cK4[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.rortos.pan[/EMBED_APP]

Toon Shooters 2: Freelancers

This fairly standard side-scrolling shooter has two things going for it: one, an art style that looks like someone made the entire Star Wars universe out of Duplo blocks. Two, a co-op mode that allows you to shoot everything on the screen with the help of up to three friends. The mechanics are all out of relatively ancient examples of the genre, but the bright graphics and multiplayer setup are definitely worth a look. Free with IAP that tops out at just $5.

Sequel to the hit game 'Toon Shooters: Rise of the Fleet' featured in the US & Canada. Five years after the fall of the Fleet, the Toons are back in action to wreck threats old and new... it was a massacre, on both sides. Toon Shooters 2 is an arcade side-scrolling shooter 'shmup' inspired by the golden era of Gradius/R-Type and more... Co-Op play available (Lifeforce/Salamander), different characters with various roles and abilities.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLHYEnOrAyg[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mooffgames.toonshooter2[/EMBED_APP]

Caveman HD ( Lemmings way )

Caveman is a clone of Lemmings, the classic game about guiding a bunch of dumb units around a perilous stage with some basic tools. The shift to a prehistoric perspective is appealingly done on the same basic style as the original, though the old-fashioned button controls might not be the best idea for a touchscreen. If you'd like a perilous walk down memory lane, this one is free with no in-app purchases.

LETS GO. ... OH NO. (or.. YIPEE.) Just like the original classic Lemmings game, cavemen enter the level through an open hatch and walk aimlessly to their death or around in circles following the path outlined - specific skills can be assigned to Cavemen to create a new path and help guide the others to the designated exit. The following skill sets are available.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM4FztVscWU[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samebits.caveman.hd[/EMBED_APP]

Carbon Warfare

Carbon Warfare is an educational environmental game in the most mean-spirited and cynical way possible... so it's right up my alley. The core gameplay is sort of pseudo-strategy, but instead of trying to manage environment and industry you're simply trying to release as much waste into the atmosphere as possible. Basically, it's the perfect escapist video game for a Captain Planet villain. The game is $3 with IAP that goes up to five bucks.

Can you drive mankind to destroy the Earth? Spread carbon emissions throughout the world in this shockingly realistic simulation and discover the terrible price of global warming. Push humanity to generate massive amounts of carbon emissions. Raise global temperatures. Unleash disasters. Turn the Earth into a burning hell-scape. Don’t let anything stand in your way. Plan your strategy carefully, invest in carbon heavy industries, use propaganda and adapt to political and environmental changes until destruction reigns.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gamesourcestudio.carbonwarfare[/EMBED_APP]

Cubed Rally World

Here's a minimalistic auto-runner/racing game that takes the rare isometric view. It's more intuitive than it sounds: the stages wind and twist around whimsical environments, and the only real progression is unlocking new themed vehicles. A track builder mode unlocks at the same time, allowing for some Hot Wheels-style construction gameplay when you tire of drifting through the curves. Cubed Rally World is free with $10 of in-app purchases.

Push it to the limit in this sequel to the micro hit game Cubed Rally Redline. Unique combo gameplay gives you a new section of track for every vehicle. Build a super track by unlocking all 33 vehicles. Just how far can you make it down before smashing into an obstacle? Get on the leaderboard today.

  • 33 vehicles
  • 12 unique environments
  • 5 music tracks by 8 Bit Weapon & Computeher.
  • unique vehicle/track combo gameplay
  • randomly generated tracks
  • high score leaderboard
  • drifting.!.
[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkIWdMT0oc[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nocanwin.world[/EMBED_APP]

Super Cat Bros

Super Cat Bros is... well, it's Super Mario with cats. The game isn't trying at all to hide its inspiration, but that's okay - it's not as if Nintendo is hurrying to bring its properties to mobile, right? Big stages, tight controls, and pixelated graphics should be familiar territory for any fan of 16-bit-style platformers, even if the $5 in-app purchases (for things like coin doublers and ad removal) are a little jarring.

Six cats are the new Jump'n'Fur stars. Reunite Alex the Cat with his siblings and explore a mysterious island. Control 24 paws with just 2 thumbs tapping the left or right side of the screen. You'll be surprised how easy it is to climb, swim, jump and run. Just don't forget to bring the right cat for the job. Super Cat Bros is tailor made for the touch screen. It has never been so easy and satisfying to play platformers on your phone.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jwPGup1Bjg[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.FDGEntertainment.SuperCatBros.gp[/EMBED_APP]

Bowmasters

Bowmasters takes the parabolic multiplayer gameplay of titles like Scorched Earth and Worms and whittles it down to the simplest possible elements. It's just you and the computer (or a pass-the-tablet opponent) with a selection of suitably whimsical avatars and weapons. The levels are rapid and a few extra modes allow players to hone their skills. It's free with in-app purchases that top out at $7.

A hotsy-totsy aim and shoot game, Bowmasters has lots in store for you:

• 30 INSANE CHARACTERS from all dimensions absolutely for free.
• 31 DIFFERENT WEAPONS for total mayhem, awesome fatalities with rag-doll physics.
• EPIC DUELS WITH YOUR FRIENDS. Grab your mates and show them what you’re worth.
• MULTIPLE GAME MODES. Shoоt birds or fruits down, defeat the enemies in duels and get money for that.
• ENDLESS REWARDS FOR YOUR SKILLS.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5aKCXmK36I[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miniclip.bowmasters[/EMBED_APP]

Tennis Champs Returns

Here's a mobile port of a tennis game that had some legs on the original Commodore Amiga. The description says that the game has been remade from the ground up for mobile... which isn't saying much, considering that games back then were about the size of a JPG wallpaper. Still, the two-button interface works well for basic play, and there are new extras like daily challenges and leaderboards, all for just a dollar.

An Amiga classic reborn, Tennis Champs Returns. 20 years after the original Tennis Champs and Super Tennis Champs hit the Amiga, this is the "King of Tennis Games" brought nicely up to date. Remade completely by the original Amiga version programmer, using the original characters and retouched animation, combined with all new physics, AI, new controls, Daily Challenges, and a great new Career mode.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnvCh-U3NRY[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jakyl.tcr[/EMBED_APP]

Cubecat

This maddeningly quirky game is about cats of both cubical and spheroid varieties. If you can get past the demented aesthetics, you'll discover something between Breakout and Space Invaders: players bounce a cat around the stage at differing vectors to take down static bad guys. The mechanics are pretty simple, but get spiced up with moving enemies, special ammunition, and a "fever mode" with extra damage. Free with $10 in-app purchases.

Build your army of CubeCats and join the fight against an intergalactic fleet of evil alien cats to save the world. Use your CatBalls to smash your enemies, bounce off walls, and block bullets. Develop and hone your CatSkills to strategically defeat your feline foes. They will offer a wide range of tactics from Pyro Strikes and Absolute Zero Attacks to an Electromagnetic Vortex in your pinball brawls. Switch between different CatBalls mid-play, but be careful how you use these powerful skills as they can and will backfire if not used correctly.

RPG Astral Frontier

Kemco still isn't stretching far from its familiar stomping grounds, but at least the setting in Astral Frontier is a bit novel: it's a spacefaring sci-fi RPG, a la Phantasy Star. The story is still fairly close to the anime inspiration of previous entries, and graphics are still stylistically pixelated (though a portrait layout for more comfy extended play sessions is nice). The game is free-to-play, but the premium version offers extra goodies at the start of the story. Most previous Kemco games have in-app purchases, but this one isn't showing them on the Play Store - I'm betting it's some sort of formatting error.

The tiny village of Japina is one of the last human settlements in a world where environmental degradation has pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Our fifteen year old hero who lives there has already lost his parents, siblings, and childhood friend, Leneria. Consumed by sadness, he agrees to an arranged marriage to save his village on the very same day that a chance encounter will alter the fates of him, his village, and all of humanity...

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_l59h9nNu8[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kemco.wws.afa[/EMBED_APP]

YANKAI'S TRIANGLE

If a Rubik's cube was a triangle, and also two dimensional instead of physical, then it would look a lot like this puzzle game. The point is to spin the kaleidoscope stages around until the corresponding edges fit. There's not a lot of complexity to be had, but if you like to compulsively spin stuff around until it fits, have a ball. The game is $3 with no in-app purchases.

YANKAI'S TRIANGLE is a love letter to TRIANGLES. A puzzling puzzle game about the beauty and joy of infinitely tapping on TRIANGLES for some reason. With an elegant innovative revolutionary TRIANGLE-first approach to interface, YANKAI'S TRIANGLE lets you tap on TRIANGLES to spin them and stuff. Colors play a part in gameplay too I think. Bring TRIANGLES to a forgotten TRIANGLE, and uncover a TRIANGLE hidden deep beneath the YANKAI.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0RQHteaEQs[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sun.yankaistriangle[/EMBED_APP]

Football Manager Mobile 2017

Another year, another interchangeable set of Football Manager games. The 2017 entry has the usual crop of new teams and interface adjustments, but I can't imagine that even the most ardent fans of the series are lining up to pay nine bucks plus up to $13 in in-app purchases for the latest round of tiny changes to the formula. Or maybe they are - SEGA keeps making these games after all, so what do I know?

Football Manager Mobile 2017 is the quickest way to manage your chosen club to glory. With compatibility across the majority of smartphones and tablets, FM Mobile 2017 is designed to be played on the go. Take charge of any club from 15 countries across the world, including all the big European leagues. You decide on transfers, tactics, who plays and who sits on the bench. It’s down to you to keep the players, the board and the fans happy and lead your club to victory.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sigames.fmm2017&hl=en[/EMBED_APP]

Time Bomb Race

Time Bomb Race uses the standard Trials model of physics-based, rotation-focused 2D racing, but with a different motivation. See, there's a bomb on your car that will explode if you 1) run out of time or 2) make a bad landing. There isn't much of a progress system except for new stages and cars, though some of the more wacky obstacles and car upgrades might hold your attention. IAP for currency goes up to $55, which seems pretty steep for such a simple title.

Help Tiny Wheels and its friends to survive as long as they can. Imagine waking up with a bomb on your head and knowing only you have to run as fast as they can. Put the wings to your wheels. Travel through many landscapes: from the nice calm country, to bumpy canyons, slippery icebergs and many more.

  • HAND-DRAWN GRAPHICS: immerse yourself in a colored and beautiful world, playing with many funny and unique cars, each one with different strenghts and weak points.
  • AROUND THE WORLD: race on many beautiful tracks, travel around different world locations and give your best to reach the end of the circuit.
  • REALISTIC PHYSICS: power up your cars by upgrading components and have fun jumping between hills and doing flips.
[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.tinygames.timebombrace[/EMBED_APP]

Legends TD - None Shall Pass!

Legends TD is, naturally, a tower defense game. It does offer a few heroes to sprinkle around the battlefield, but most of the fantasy-themed ground has been trod before, years ago. The art style has a whimsical quality to it, but it can't make up for the tired gameplay elements and (wait for it) $100 in-app purchases.

Finally, the tower defense game fans have been waiting for. Rapid-fire archers, magic beams that slice up the board, cannons that roar as they blast enemies to bits -- Legends TD is packed with fantasy fire-power. Command a powerful team of heroes, all with unique abilities. Overcome incredible challenges with strategy and wit. Rescue helpless villagers and rid the kingdom of foul creatures. Build the ultimate defense against evil.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4nMzs58E6Y[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.babeltimeus.legendstd[/EMBED_APP]

Battlestar Galactica:Squadrons

How nice would it have been to get a decent Battlestar Galactica game back when the SyFy series was actually running? Or indeed, how nice would that be now? Fans of the series might hope for an action-packed space shooter or a tense adventure game focusing on spacefaring drama. But no, this is the same tired RPG you've seen assigned to a ton of pop culture properties, with themed units hitting each other in unconvincing turn-based battles. It's all a grind for $105 in-app purchases - what a waste. So say we all.

If the world as you knew it was destroyed, how far would you go to get it back? The Cylons have returned to the Twelve Colonies after a forty-year absence. Bent on revenge, they unleash nuclear weapons powerful enough to destroy human civilization... and nearly succeed. The only survivors of the Cylon assault are a ragtag fleet of civilian ships and the last remaining Colonial Battlestar: Galactica.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8cItMQvBY[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ludia.bsg[/EMBED_APP]

Thief Princess Free

Here's a free, ad-supported version of a pixelated roguelike we've already covered in a previous roundup. To be clear, it's a top-down action game about a princess who is also a thief, not a thief who specializes in stealing princesses. That would be kind of weird.

You are a damsel in distress, but there is no hero coming for you. It is up to you to save yourself . Steal enough treasure for your hag master and she will set you free, or will she go back on her word? In this cutthroat stealth rogue-like. Warning this game is impossible to be beaten. If you die you lose all of your items and talents.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1TL00SaBRc[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.KintoGames.ThiefPrincessad[/EMBED_APP]

Daydream Games

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

Android Police coverage: Steam multiplayer favorite Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes comes to Daydream VR

Remember the tense bomb diffusing scene from every action movie? Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is that scene made into a video game. One player wears a VR headset and tries to follow the instructions of the other players who have the manual for diffusing the bomb. Things get insanely complex and stressful in later levels. It's a shame that this one is only for Daydream, since the Steam version works fine in 2D. The game is $10 with no in-app purchases.

Requires Daydream to play. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, one player is trapped in a virtual room with a ticking time bomb they must defuse. The other players are the “Experts” who must give the instructions to defuse the bomb by deciphering the information found in the bomb defusal manual. But there’s a catch: the experts can’t see the bomb, so everyone will need to talk it out – fast.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.steelcrategames.keeptalkingandnobodyexplodes[/EMBED_APP]

Mekorama VR

The standard version of Mekorama came out for Android in May, but here's a Daydream-enabled VR version. The game owes a lot to stylish puzzlers like Monument Valley, but the 3D interface allows for some more interesting perspective tricks and a stage building mode with an online gallery. The latter should be especially interesting on Daydream, thanks to the virtual tools and controller. The game is $4 with no in-app purchases.

Meet an endearing little robot, named B for its bumbling movements and yellow black paint job. A mechanical failure leaves B stranded in a world of puzzling dioramas. Can you help the tiny robot find its way home? In addition to the game's 50 levels, there are thousands more online. Use Mekorama's built-in QR code scanner to collect new levels made by other players. Their creativity is simply amazing.

[EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinmagni.mekorama.vr[/EMBED_APP]

Hunters Gate

Hunters Gate (not Hunter's Gate, apparently) is an interesting entry for Daydream, if only because it's the rare VR game that plays out in third person. The gameplay is somewhere between a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler with a gothic theme and a bullet hell shooter. It also has local co-op play, assuming you have two Pixel phones and two Daydream headsets handy. $6 with no in-app purchases.

The classic shooter has been reinvented for a completely new arcade Daydream View VR experience. Blast your way through the town of Hunters Gate as either Forge (a lucky gunslinger) or Payne (a revenge driven mage) as you defend it from demon invasion - then take the fight to the demons by invading their home world. Unlock and upgrade powerful weaponry, spells and Hunter Skills as you invade the demon world to destroy its overlord, Cephalos.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0zVekGwknY[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ClimaxStudios.HuntersGate[/EMBED_APP]

EarthShape

Initially it isn't really clear why EarthShape needs to be in virtual reality. The mechanics are somewhere between puzzle and twitch, with a cross-stitch motion that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the space horticulture theme (and would probably work better on a touchscreen anyway). The graphics and zen atmosphere look nice, but this $5 title is more confusing than anything else.

Sow the stars. EarthShape is a point-and-bounce VR game of universal puzzle gardening. Using the latest technology, bounce your way around obstacles or maneuver for extra points, all to grow the brightest flowers for better worlds. Dig into the game’s 25 levels of campaign challenges or bounce around in free play mode to hone your green thumb. Discover millions of gene combinations (with more to come) and shape strange new worlds, your way.

[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPBER_Z2jU[/EMBED_YT][EMBED_APP]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bithellgames.earthshape[/EMBED_APP]

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  • 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

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