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.
This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.
Featured Game
Spot Goes Down Free
Today's roundup is presented by Spot Goes Down Free from White Mouse Lab. Spot Goes Down is an indie game that turns the "platform jumper" genre on its head. You are Spot, an amorphous two-dimensional thingy (technical term) which has inexplicably found itself at the top of a sheet of scratch paper. Make your way down, avoiding various bludgeons, spikes, and traps to improve your score. Control is via tilt, and you can rest on the flat platforms at any time, but falling faster gets you a higher score. The 2D graphics are interesting - kind of like the doodle you drew in fourth grade and then found in your backpack three years later. The game is offered as a free download (below) and in a $1 ad-free version.
Spot wants to go home. Destiny brought him to the top of the notebook sheet and now he has a long way down. Just tilt your device and spot will be moved. Land on the safe platform to reduce the rate of fall. Go through all the platforming elements, help him to return home and get ready to a great challenge in the new timekiller!
Games
Breach & Clear
Android Police review: Breach And Clear Review: A Thinking Man's Shooter
If you like your shooters with more thinking and less, well, shooting, Breach & Clear should be right up your theater of operations. It's a top-down, turn-based tactical game, sort of like XCOM with a coating of Modern Warfare. The graphics and presentation are spectacular, offering full 3D environments that pan and zoom around your tactical squad. Weapons and equipment are customizable, and though there's no multiplayer at the moment, the game is currently on sale for a cool two bucks.
Breach & Clear brings deep tactical strategy to mobile devices. Build your Special Operations team, plan and execute advanced missions, and own every angle. Choose your real-world squad -- US Army Rangers, US Navy Seals, Canada’s JTF2, and more -- and take on a variety of foes with different skill-sets and abilities. Learn to approach, engage, and dominate your opponent through superior tactics and training, while leveling your characters in one of the deepest progression systems created for mobile devices.
Reaper
Android Police review: Reaper Review: An RPG That Truly Understands Mobile Gaming
Originality on any platform is to be applauded, but since it's in such short supply on mobile, we'll stand up and cheer for Hexage's Reaper. This game combines a tongue-in-cheek grim fantasy story with an RPG leveling/inventory system and real-time battles that are more like Mario than Final Fantasy. The art is great, the story is unique (you play Death, 'gainst whom no lock may hold nor fastened portal bar), and MOGA, SHIELD, and generic controllers are supported. The game is free up to level 10, with in-app purchases starting at $3 to unlock the rest.
Enter the world ripe with magic and monsters. Become the Black Swordsman and slay thousands of enemies in an epic action RPG.
• Take countless quests and uncover the secrets of Wilderness
• Level up your character with skills of your choice
• Hundreds of swords, armor and accessories to equip
• Play all sides and make your own decisions
• Google Play Achievements, Leaderboards and Cloud Save
• Support for HID game controllers (MOGA, Shield, Nyko, etc.)
• Play it on NVIDIA SHIELD.
• Reaper is now MOGA Enhanced.
• Play on your Phone or Tablet.
Terraria
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Terraria Digs Down Deep, Surfaces In Google Play
Mix Minecraft and Metroid, and you'd get something like Terraria. This smash-hit indie title debuted on PC and took its sweet time getting to Android, but it's been well worth the wait. The mobile release has been completely reworked to function better with touchscreen controls. You'll mine through the environment to find ingredients, mix 'em up to make new recipes, and create your own levels if you want... or you can just rocket through the game to get to those boss fights.
DIG. FIGHT. EXPLORE. BUILD. The critically-acclaimed, best-selling indie sandbox adventure has finally arrived on Android. In Terraria, every world is unique -- from the floating islands in the sky to the deepest level of The Underworld. Adventure to the ends of the earth, and defeat villainous bosses along the way. The world is your canvas. Play on your Tablet or Phone. Buy now and receive free updates with new content and features.
LAYTON BROTHERS MYSTERY ROOM
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Layton Brothers Mystery Room Brings Whodunnit Investigations To The Google Play Store
Layton Brothers Mystery Room is technically a spin-off of the mega-popular Professor Layton series. But this game is more about investigation than puzzles - it's all about finding the evidence, grilling suspects, and fingering the crook. In terms of gameplay it's a lot like Capcom's Ace Attorney series. The presentation is triple-A all the way, and the first two chapters are free. The other seven will run you five dollars all together, and that's more than fair for a title with this much polish.
The latest game from the PROFESSOR LAYTON adventure game series that has shipped over 15 million units worldwide. LAYTON BROTHERS MYSTERY ROOM is a new crime-solving mystery game featuring none other than the son of the great Professor Layton. The free download includes the prologue and the first two cases. Additional case files are available as separate in-app purchases (Case File Pack 1 includes Files No. 003-006 and Case File Pack 2 includes Files No. 007-009). Please confirm that the game is operating properly before purchasing additional cases.
Heroes of Loot
Android Police coverage: [New Game] OrangePixel's Heroes Of Loot Hits The Play Store With Endless Dungeon Crawling (And Oh Yeah, Lots Of Loot)
OrangePixel has carved out the retro niche like a gardener trimming roses with a hacksaw. Their latest entry, Heroes of Loot, combines the developer's trademark humor with the roguelike genre. That means semi-permanent player death, procedurally-generated dungeons, and lots and lots of loot. The game is a top-down dungeon crawler, but like other OrangePixel games, it's also lightning fast and high on 8-bit flair. Both paid and free ad-supported versions are available.
A dungeon full of skulls, imps, cyclops, minotaurs, flameheads, spikes, secrets and much, much more is now ready for you.. the Hero. From the guys behind Gunslugs and Meganoid comes a brand new adventure: Heroes of Loot is a dungeon-game like no other. Every time you play the dungeon will be different, every time you become better, the dungeon will also grow and become more dangerous.. this game will never end. unless you die of course..
Totem Runner
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Chillingo Releases Totem Runner For Android, Pits Players As A Shapeshifter Who Must Restore The World
No one can say that Chillingo's Totem Runner doesn't deliver on its titular promise: it's got lots of totems (i.e. animalistic representations of broad concepts, with or without the pole) and lots of running. This game mixes up the endless runner formula with alternate beast forms, though in practice it's not that different from, say, the vehicles in Jetpack Joyride. At least Totem Runner offers a rich, dark visual style. International readers, click here for your version of the game.
When the world is threatened by a malevolent darkness a brave warrior rises, fearless and ready to run into the thick of battle. His confidence is steeled by his mystical ability to transform at-will into noble creatures including a rampaging rhino, capable of spearing enemies on his horn, a mighty eagle that can soar over deadly hazards, and a fearsome dragon able to vanquish all who stand in it's path.
Super Psycho Cycle
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Super Psycho Cycle Is A Game Where You Shoot Bullets At Things And Then They Die
Remember, kids: winners drive recklessly, shoot random motorists, and drink heavily while doing so, but they don't do drugs. That's the message behind Super Psycho Cycle, a game with its roots firmly in 80s top-down space shooters but with a 90s Carmageddon setting. The game is free, but upgrading your kickin' motorcycle will take either a ton of time or a few in-game dollars. But don't let that deter you: it's worth it for a nostalgia trip of an FBI anti-drug warning.
Bikes, Babes, and BLASTING THINGS TO BITS. Super Psycho Cycle puts you on the back of the three most gnarly, hardcore HOGS to ever hit the road. Each of the bikes have different firing modes, which help you face the waves of enemies standing in the way of you saving your girl. Three EXTREME boss enemies stand between you and the GLORY OF THE ROAD. Blast your way through increasingly difficult waves of enemies as work your way to the top of the LEADERBOARD.
FINAL FANTASY ALL THE BRAVEST
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Final Fantasy All The Bravest Is A Dumbed-Down JRPG With An All-Star Cast Of Squaresoft Characters
All The Bravest reads like a Final Fantasy fan's dream come true: all the biggest stars from the series combined in a game with mobile-friendly controls and 8-bit style! What's not to love? Well first of all, it's free to play: you can access the typical FF jobs/classes in the free game, but to get the stars like pretty boy Cloud you have to pay up. And the IAP is randomized - there's no way to know which of the 35 characters you'll get after you pay. Throw in some poor compatibility and launch-day stability issues, and maybe it would be better to shell out for one of the earlier Final Fantasy ports instead.
Take part in intense combat with the largest parties in FINAL FANTASY history. FINAL FANTASY ALL THE BRAVEST is a casual and light-hearted game in which you continuously battle enemies to advance through the many available stages. Defeat foes to level up, which in turn grants you character slots to add more and more members to your party. Simply tap or drag your finger over a character to unleash an attack. Touch multiple characters in quick succession to experience exhilarating and fast-paced battle unlike anything you’ve ever played before.
Brave Guardians
Do you want your tower defense to have a little more story than the genre standard? Then Brave Guardians might be for you. This high-end, high-concept game includes the usual variety of towers and upgrades, but the four main characters in the fantasy world also function as hero units, complete with beefed-up stats and special abilities. It's almost like they tried to make League of Legends into a tower defense game.
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Brave Guardians is an epic 3D action fantasy defense game that narrates the story of four heroes (Pepo, Tiko, Zagi & Rapu) -- each with extraordinary abilities. Be prepared for an epic journey to defend your world against nasty fiends. This time you will take control of the brave guardians to lead them to the victory. Because Brave Guardians is not just another Tower Defense game!
SimpleRockets
Dear Jundroo, LLC, thank you for forcing me to face a personal problem: I spend entirely too much time on Steam. Because the moment I opened the video for SimpleRockets I thought to myself, "didn't I see an indies game exactly like this one hyped up a few months ago?" Indeed, SimpleRockets takes a lot of queues from Kerbal Space Program (minus the adorable yellow Minion-type characters) but that doesn't change the fact that building, customizing, and launching your own wacky space doodads all the way to Smaturn is a lot of fun.
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Design your own rocket ships. Blast off into space. Explore the solar system. See if you have what it takes to be a rocket scientist. Choose and connect parts together to build rocket ships. You can choose from a variety of rocket engines, fuel tanks, and other gizmos. You can even build rovers with powered wheels. You are only limited by your imagination. Blast off from any planet you want. You can fly through the intense atmosphere of Venus, or you can take advantage of the low gravity of Mercury.
Hell, The Dungeon Again!
I think this game is named after the phrase you say aloud when yet another soul-crushing RPG dungeon is thrown at you in a console game. But the dungeons are the meat and drink (and dessert, and appetizer, and side salad) of Hell, The Dungeon Again! This tactical RPG tasks you with clearing out monsters and finding randomly-generated loot in roguelike fashion. The free version is limited to one class and the first nine levels.
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Make the way through the dungeons full of terrible monsters and fight with the chief demon, gave birth to hordes of evil creeps. In this turn-based RPG you will find:
- 3 character classes with its own characteristics and skills.
- Randomly-generated dungeons.
- 15 Levels divided into 3 locations.
- Tons of loot with random properties.
- Achievements for defeating special monsters.*
- Two game modes.
- Colorful pixel graphics in 8-bit style.
Unlike many other representatives of the genre Roguelike, this game is more casual and has a lower barrier to entry.
Storm Lords
Mobile developers finally seem to have gotten a handle on the real-time strategy genre. Storm Lords looks like a fine example, though it focuses more on the base-building aspect of RTS than the actual combat. Lots of fantasy-themed buildings and upgrades serve the function of creating and equipping your hero units, which go out to do epic battle with monsters, demons, villains, and anything else in the immediate vicinity, up to and including the local geography.
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Build a mighty base, harness powerful magic and battle your rivals in this brand new empire game from flaregames. High on an ancient mountain top, the mystical forces lay dormant. Now is the time for you to harness the elements and join the ranks of the mighty Storm Lords! Control powerful heroes and enchanted spells in epic battles. Acquire wealth and power as you defend your shrine from attack. Unlock long lost knowledge to master the supernatural forces. Challenge your rivals to gain a fearsome reputation and glorious honor.
Don't Fall in the Hole
Don't Fall In The Hole is a marble game. Not a marble game where you roll a ball around a maze as is usually seen, a marble game that actually emulates the game Marbles, wherein multiple players toss marbles at other marbles to knock them out of a ring. This one uses some Worms-style multiplayer, some interesting powerups, and a lot of unconventional stages, but the principle is the same. Don't Fall Down The Hole is perfect for local multiplayer on tablets, which is good, because online multiplayer is nowhere to be seen.
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Your mission is simple: just don’t fall in the hole! Face off against friends in this fast-paced action/strategy game. Draw back on your cannon to aim, release to fire, and tap to detonate. Use explosions to push your opponents off ledges and into holes. But be careful, every detonation can send you sliding! Watch for the plane that drops fun power-ups – and a few nasty surprises. Last one standing wins!
Zebuloids
Zebuloids looks like it's got a lot of inspiration from Nintendo's Pikmin, but with a more standard single-player puzzle focus. You traipse around the 3D environment, finding parts for your spaceship and solving a few puzzles along the way. It's more of a conventional puzzle game than the recent crop of mobile titles, which seem to feel the need to throw physics into everything. Different characters (or at least multicolored Gumby-like globules with faces) can perform different actions in the sci-fi environment.
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Vogelz has crashed on the wonderful and verdant planet Zebs, Zebuloids’ land, bursting it into pieces, and looting it to fix their spaceship. Relax yourself in this isometric 3D puzzle and reflexion game occuring in a colourful universe. Help the Zebuloids to counter this threat with a virtual pad. You will need logic to guide them to the end of each level, thwarting the traps and the enemies. Take control of 3 different Zebuloids with unique characteristics or fuse them to obtain the super black Zebuloid, and solve the enigmas.
Loco Motors
This game isn't the first we've seen to combine the physics puzzle genre with do-it-yourself vehicles (see the Rovio games that aren't Angry Birds or The Croods). But it is the first to do so with swanky 3D graphics, albeit on a 2D gaming plane. You'll have to mix engines, wheels, boosters, rails, and some good old-fashioned timing to get through the levels. There's a story there, if you really must have one, but it's just window dressing for the LEGO/Hot Wheels fun.
Tricky cars for tricky racing. Design wacky vehicles to navigate through Loco Motors' unique challenges. Only your ability to think outside the box can get you out of these sticky situations. Compete with your friends in the most physics-defying races you’ve ever seen. So, go ahead. Unleash your creative genius and challenge your friends to crazy stunt races and vehicle designs. Play Loco Motors now and have a blast defying physics...on wheels.
Joining Hands 2
Puzzle games are a dime a dozen on the Play Store, but the original Joining Hands had an interesting, kid-friendly premise: drop down some critters that look like starter Digimon so that all of them are holding hands. That gets trickier in the sequel thanks to new critters, new obstacles, and 140 new stages. The graphics stray pretty close to the "sickeningly cute" line, but it should be good for kids and anyone who can handle an hour of Cut The Rope in one sitting.
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A charming sequel to the handtastic puzzle game hit Joining Hands! On a starry night, the adorable little Peablins are woken up by a blazing ball of fire crashing into the far corner of Whispering Woods. What could it be? Join the Peablins, solve cuddly puzzles and find out! Joining Hands 2 is intuitive and easy to play; drag and drop the Peablins so that everyone is holding hands. The level of challenge increases as the Peablins get more hands and new types of Peablins are introduced.
Toast Time
You've seen plenty of 8-bit retro games on Android, but how's about a 1-bit title, harkening back to the good old Game And Watch days? Toast Time is a relatively simple platformer/shooter with an interesting sense of humor. It won't blow you away graphically, but the developers haven't used their inspiration as a limitation: you'll see more pixelated action than was ever possible on those good old handhelds.
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An appetising arena shoot-em-up garnished with tower-defence elements and served warm with awesome-sauce (probably syrup). A throwback to the golden age of video games where old-school homebrew titles fused arcade action with a distinctly British sense of humour. Inter-dimensional time-blob beasties have sailed the cosmos in pursuit of spare time, and now they've found it, tasted it, on an idyllic Monday morning.
Combat Cats
If there's one thing the internet likes, it's cats. Well no, that's not true: if there's one thing the internet likes, it's something that rhymes with "corn." But the second thing is definitely cats, as demonstrated by the massive amount of referential memes on display in Combat Cats. The core gameplay is a pretty typical block-swapping puzzle affair, but while you play, the screen on the top animates cats doing all sorts of unlikely things, like pooping rainbows.
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The catnip has been stolen, can you bring peace and harmony back to Kitty Island? --- Puzzle, gem matching, RPG, adventure for all ages! Match bricks/gems to set off devastating combos while fighting off enemies, as you collect coins and catnip to upgrade and advance through the game. Combat Cats is unlike any other brick matching game!
FlowDoku
Sudoku uses numbers and numbers are hard. So this game replaces them with shapes and links, throws on a touch-friendly interface, and calls it something new. I can see how having 89 squares with 9 possible numbers might be a little tedious on a touchscreen, but the idea behind FlowDoku seems a wee bit condescending. On the other hand, it includes puzzles that are both smaller and larger than a standard Sudoku board, and each one has a single, solitary solution, which fixes one of the bigger problems I have with the original game.
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FlowDoku - a puzzle of beautiful shapes, brilliantly arranged. Imagine Sudoku re-invented as a game of colorful shapes, where you use two simple rules and logic to uncover the linked groups of squares, triangles and diamonds. This brand-new, totally original puzzle will keep you endlessly entertained with its simplicity and challenge. Input is a breeze on any size screen with just a few shapes to enter. FlowDoku doesn't require any typing, so you can relax and focus on solving puzzles.
Infectonator
...and the streak of Game Roundups with zombies continues. At least this former Flash game has a unique premise: you're not killing zombies, you're actually spreading the virus to new hosts in an attempt to create an undead world. Upgrade your zombies with stat boosts and new abilities and they'll be that much more efficient as a ravenous, brain-gobbling hoard. It's always fun to play the bad guy, so give this one a try if you're tired of the unfair representation of the undead in the gaming medium.
Infectonator is infecting mobile devices. From the popular Flash game hit, The Infectonator series is now mobile. New characters, awesome pixel-art graphics, and more. Best of all, it still has the same addictive chain reaction gameplay. Infectonator gives you all the awesomeness of Infecting people, turn them into zombies, and dominate the World once again from the palm of your hands.
Star Wars Force Collection
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Star Wars Force Collection Available Now, Because There Aren't Enough Card Games In The Play Store Already
Please don't download Star Wars Force Collection. We need a new, soulless Star Wars licensed property even less than we need a new money-grubbing collectible card game. And that's exactly what this is: a Magic The Gathering clone plus a few dozen still images from the three good Star Wars movies and the three other Star Wars movies. It's a free download, but of course it's going to push you towards parting with your Imperial Credits at every turn. Crashing issues at launch don't help.
Star Wars fans rejoice. Take the Force with you wherever you go with the OFFICIAL Star Wars card game, STAR WARS FORCE COLLECTION. Build a team of formidable heroes and use treasured blueprints to create squads of starfighters as you fight for control of the galaxy. Create the ultimate formation and challenge your rivals in highly strategic battles. Gain fame and climb the ranks in the Jedi Order. Just be careful in choosing your enemies and opponents. The Dark Side of the Force is strong...
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.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.