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 week or so.
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Games
Death Coming
Android Police coverage: Harvest some souls in NEXTStudio's morbid puzzler 'Death Coming'
NEXTStudio's delightful killing simulator Death Coming may at first look like the majority of generic pixel-based games on Android, but rest assured that this is indeed a full PC port worthy of your time. The controls are dead simple, all you have to do is tap on the objects you would like to use to kill your unsuspecting prey. On top of that, the monetization is fair. You can install the game and play through the first level for free, and if you find that you enjoy the gameplay, you can unlock the rest of it for $1.99.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $1.99 a piece
'Death Coming' is a non-linear puzzle game where you take on the role of the Reaper. Your objective? Cause deaths and harvest souls while abiding by the Free Will Clause. You Died. Pure and simple, but death was not the end. You have become an agent of Death: a Reaper. You have the powers of Death, but there are rules in this supernatural afterlife.
EMMA The Story
Plug in Digital bills their latest release EMMA The Story as an "animated graphic novel," and I would say I have to agree. This is indeed a very story-driven game. Really I'm not even sure if I'd call it a game, but I guess it's close enough. At the very least the fantastic story and beautifully fitting soundtrack are worth the asking price. So if narrative-heavy games are your thing, you will definitely want to pick this one up.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Elliott is paralyzed by doubt. Tomorrow he must go to Emma, far away from here, but on the eve of his departure, a strange meeting will change his future. EMMA is a 20-minute long animated graphic novel available in French, English, and German. If, like us, you can’t wait to find out what happens next after EMMA, support us and the project by giving it to your friends.
The Vigil Files: Case 1
Lowkey Fun's text-based release The Vigil Files: Case 1 isn't your ordinary story-driven detective game. You aren't going to solve the case with ease here. You'll have to work for it. Tracking down clues and utilizing sharp reasoning skills will be required to succeed. Think of this as a release for the die-hard mystery fans out there that is also just accessible enough so that even someone with a passing interest may just find something to love about it.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece
The Vigil Files: Case 1 is an immersive, story-driven detective game that takes place in real time. Use VigilOS, the world's most advanced digital forensics platform, to send emails and text messages, make phone calls, hack into companies, and decipher codes while working to uncover the mystery surrounding a man's disappearance. Be advised: uncovering the truth won't be easy.
Stories of Bethem - Full Moon
Stories of Bethem - Full Moon started out as an Xbox One exclusive, but it has since made its way to Steam and the Microsoft Store. More importantly, it was just released on Android a couple of days ago. As you can see from the available screenshots, it was designed to look and play just like a classic action RPG, such as The Legend of Zelda or Secret of Mana. This is, of course, a good thing, as those are some best classics to pull inspiration from.
Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs
The Stories of Bethem: Full Moon pixel RPG tells the legend of Khoma, a young man who get involved on a long travel to get the Oneiric Objects of Bethem while he becomes a wizard: a real challenge to his strength and skills in a huge world to discover full of dungeons and surprises.
RPG Alvastia Chronicles
It amazes me that KEMCO is still pumping out new JRPGs on Android after so many years of creating games that look very similar to one another. You'd think people would be burnt out on the familiar gameplay format, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, people gobble these games up. The company's latest release is called RPG Alvastia Chronicles, and it plays just like every other KEMCO RPG. So I guess whether or not you pick it up depends on which side of the fence you are standing on.
Monetization: $7.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99
After encountering the man who killed their parents ten years prior, Elmia, a priestess; and Alan, her brother and protector, set out to avenge their deaths as they fight to stem the tide of monsters flooding into the upper world, and restore peace to Alvastia. However, in their quest to amass an army of diverse companions with the same goal, will they really be able to gain the strength necessary to bring their parents' killer to justice, and save the world...?
One Deck Dungeon
Handelabra Games' digital interpretation of the One Deck Dungeon board game isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean the asking price isn't worth it. At its core, it is a dice-based roguelike that also contains quite a few cards that you will have to actively collect and defeat. This is a single-player experience, so don't expect any multiplayer modes, and it was also designed for tablets only. So if you were planning to enjoy it on your phone, you're going to have to forget that.
Monetization: $8.99 / no ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece
Adventure calls... but you don't always have time to spend hours optimizing your character sheet or managing your inventory. One Deck Dungeon lets you jump right in to bashing down doors, rolling dice, and squashing baddies with style. Get a full roguelike game experience, boiled down to its essence, and captured in a single deck of cards and a handful of dice.
The Lockdown
The Lockdown is an ingenious augmented reality game that takes the basic escape room concept and applies it to one of your actual rooms. You get to play the part of an Interpol cybercrime division agent who is tasked with cracking an unsolvable case. What's crazy about this is that it was published by a Dutch bank that has up to this point only released banking apps. So while the game is actually quite enjoyable, I have to give more props to a bank willing to create something that's simultaneously fitting to their industry that also doesn't suck. This is how every company should do brand tie-in releases.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Turn your room into an escape room. In this experience, you’re an expert contracted by Interpol’s cybercrime division to crack a seemingly unsolvable case. Use the AR objects around you, your holodesk and your brain to prevent a worldwide financial meltdown.
Talion
One thing Gamevil is known for is their constant stream of gorgeous looking games. Sadly you quickly realize that they often aren't all that great once you spend a few hours playing them. More often than not the company simply clones better games. In this case, their latest MMORPG Talion offers exactly that. It basically clones what the upcoming mobile Black Desert Online MMO will offer, such as auto-battles and an in-depth character creation menu. Like most mobile MMOs the majority of your time will be spent managing your inventory and watching the game play itself, that is until you reach the endgame. Just keep in mind that this is a title still in testing, so after June 5th you may no longer have access to it until the official release.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece
The Talion are at war. Answer the call and choose your side in this exhilarating MMORPG. Utilize your speed and strength to claim victory. The fate of your people is at stake. Are you the Talion to put an end to the endless war between realms? Forge the perfect hero. Explore the open field as you defend your Alliance. Only the swift will emerge victorious.
Tap Roller
Tap Roller may at first look like a simple game, but don't let the graphics fool you. It's more challenging than you would think. The way it works is you can rotate a cylinder to the left or the right depending on which side of the screen you hold your finger down on. Inside of this cylinder, you will find a few balls that need to find their way to an escape portal. The problem is there are always a couple of random objects in your path that you will have to avoid while rotating the cylinder skillfully. How you do this is up to you, but you better believe it gets more and more challenging the further you progress.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $2.99
Tap the screen to change room rotation and guide the balls to the exit. But watch out for lasers, buzzsaws and spikes. GAME FEATURES:
- Simple one finger controls
- Funny, bouncy physics
- Awesome, colorful graphics
- Over 50 balls to unlock
- Share your score to friends
- Leaderboards and achievements
- Languages: English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Peck It Up
Yodo1 Games' Peck It Up is a fun little time waster all about incrementally moving a bird forward as the stage slowly advances forward behind it. If you are too slow, then you will die. If you can't jump far enough to land on the next platform, you will die. Basically, don't do these things and you will succeed. Just keep in mind that it's not as easy as it sounds.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece
Fling your bird Up the tree. Use boosts along the way to climb up higher. Can you leave the atmosphere and make it to space?! Peck It Up now.
- Free to Play
- Simple Flick Controls
TerraGenesis - Space Colony
Tilting Point's TerraGenesis offers a very science-friendly terraforming game that actually uses data from NASA. You will be able to join one of four interstellar factions, colonize entire worlds one step at a time, terraform your planet to support human life, and track your civilization’s progress. You'll even be able to colonize planets in our solar system such as Mars, Venus, and Mercury.
Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Engage in space exploration and terraform new worlds in this fun and exciting planet building simulator rooted in real science. TerraGenesis dynamically animates entire planets with changing biospheres, all based on real data from NASA. The universe is your playground in TerraGenesis. Colonize real planets in our solar system, planets created just for TerraGenesis and even alien worlds.
Kindergarten Math: Kids Games - Zapzapmath Home
Visual Math Interactive just unloaded a full catalog of educational math games on the Play Store. They range from kindergarten to grade 6, though the main title linked here is specifically for kindergarten-age todlers. If you would like to check out the other titles for more advanced ages, you can view them here. This release focuses on counting to 20, using numbers correctly to represent many objects, addition and subtraction, measurable attributes, and shapes. But if you would like something more challenging, the rest of the releases in this collection should cover your needs.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $19.99
Learning math is easy and fun with Kindergarten Math: Fun Kids Games. Enjoy hours of educational games and videos designed to change the way your kindergartener thinks about learning common core math. In Zapzapmath Home Kindergarten, kids learn counting to 20, use numbers to represent number of objects, addition and subtraction, measurable attributes, and shapes.
WeaponGo
111% is a frequent developer listed in our weekly game roundups, so it's not too surprising to see a new game from the company. WeaponGo plays a lot like a game of Breakout, but sped up to a breakneck pace that's a lot more satisfying to play. Numerous shurikens will bounce around on the screen as they ram into blocks with numbers on them. Your goal is to get those numbers down to zero before all of your projectiles stick to the ground and you are left with nothing to remove those pesky numbered bricks.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.09 - $29.99
Get the job done in 30 seconds. Tic Toc. Ready to Go? Fun Facts:
- Every play is limited for 30 seconds
- Every weapon has its own fantasticness
- Collect over 30 weapons ; blades, ninja-stars, arrows
- Various stages & bosses
- Rank on leaderboard
Chef Wars Journeys
Mindcake Games' Chef Wars Journeys is a simplified version of the company's hit Chef Wars role-playing game. All of the food-based cooking gameplay of the original has been turned into simple food trivia guessing games. You still get to mix and match ingredients to invent over 900 recipes, and you can also collect hundreds of chefs, ingredients, furniture, dishes, and postcards.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99
Chef Wars Journeys is the lite version of the hit food discovery game, Chef Wars. For the first time, see what’s really happening inside Sylvie’s kitchen. Solve fun guessing games and food trivia to unlock chefs and ingredients. Fill up your kitchen with a thousand recipes, send your chefs on travel adventures, and collect secret postcards from around the world.
Deploy and Destroy: Ash vs ED
AppsMinistry's first-person shooter Deploy and Destroy: Ash vs ED is undoubtedly releasing at an odd time. After all, Starz has canceled its Ash vs. Evil Dead TV show. What's even weirder is that the Evil Dead characters featured in this game aren't the only Lionsgate properties that are planned to make an appearance. So this is a bit of a crossover event. Some may even say the most ambitious crossover event in history, but then people would probably make a meme out of that ridiculous statement and laugh at it.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Welcome to Deploy and Destroy ft. Ash vs. Evil Dead and Divergent. Dive into the terrifying fun of Ash vs. Evil Dead and the post-apocalyptic locations of Divergent. With its awesome graphics quality, cinematic arenas, PC-quality visual effects, and Hollywood action characters in addition to customizable original characters...
BattleHand Heroes
Kongregate's BattleHand Heroes mixes the turn-based strategy of Marvel Strike Force with the card-based combat of Tekken Mobile. Of course, there is also some sort of tower climbing aspect, so it seems pretty clear this is yet another clone of a clone of a clone that mashes up a bunch of free-to-play mechanics to create this mess. Worst of all the energy system is so egregious that you'll be lucky if you can ever get an acceptable amount of playtime in before you have to pay up or wait.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Calling all Super Heroes. The interdimensional being Omega has settled in Silver City to bring chaos and destruction. Crime is through the roof. Take Mr. Sunshine and his incredible powers and build a team of Heroes known as The Sentinels to take back the city from evil. From Kitty Karma to Cloud-9, rally a team of Heroes and save the world in this hero-based collectible card game.
Stickman Soccer 2018
Djinnworks appears to be perfectly happy pumping out new Stickman games. Its latest release is called Stickman Soccer 2018, and it would appear that it contains quite a few improvements over last year's edition. You can expect yellow/red cards, sprints, fouls, free kicks, penalty kicks, long passes, overhead kicks, headers, corners, plus many more enhancements. If you are looking for the most polished Stickman Soccer game to date, this 2018 version is definitely it.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Stickman Soccer 2018 is the brand new and better than ever sequel to the award winning Stickman Soccer with more than 75 million players. Experience pure soccer fun with fast paced arcade gameplay and free control, an astonishing atmosphere, stunning smooth animations, simple controls, insane action and tons of replay value in this from the ground up redesigned Soccer.
CrossFire: Legends
Tencent is probably best known for its PUBG port to mobile, though you can undoubtedly expect to see plenty more Android releases from the company in the future. After all, Tencent basically has a monopoly on the majority of game releases in China, which is how it was able to secure a deal with Nintendo. This is also why you will see more and more mobile versions of highly coveted Western properties from the company in the future. CrossFire: Legends is the latest release from Tencent, and it definitely looks and plays a lot like PUBG, which is hardly surprising.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
As one of the most successful FPS games in the world, CrossFire's mobile version has been drawing considerable attention from the gaming industry. From managing the most popular FPS game on PC in China, the CrossFire team has gained years of experience understanding players' needs and preferences.
Legend: Rising Empire
Is it just me, or has NetEase been pumping out a heck of a lot of releases lately? It's like a weekly occurrence that it has some new title out on the Play Store. Legend: Rising Empire is the company's latest release, and it is billed as "the first mobile game that combines strategy elements with city-building simulation," which I find highly preposterous. Honestly, who in the heck is fooled by such a ridiculous statement as that? Almost every game on Android combines strategic gameplay with city-building.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Legend: Rising Empire is the first mobile game that combines the elements of Strategy and City-building Simulation. In the splendid continent of Favilla, you, as a lord, will lead your people and develop your land from village to empire. Make smart choices to efficiently manage your land. Raise and command your army to battle against bandits and enemies.
Blade Reborn - Forge Your Destiny
Snail Games appears to be perfectly content to release the same game over and over again with a slightly different skin. I suppose throwing everything you have at a wall just to see if it sticks is an actual strategy that works when developing mobile games, so it really shouldn't be a surprise. As you can already guess, its latest game Blade Reborn is indeed an action RPG. I suppose if I were to pick any one thing that sets this apart from every other free-to-play action RPG on Android it would be the fact that there isn't an auto-battle option when leveling. You'll actually have to use your gaming skills to move around and successfully attack your enemies.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
To my fellow warriors, The illusion of peace has deceived us for far too long. As we speak, the Demon race is plotting a large-scale invasion of our realm to pilfer our blessed iron ore. Darkness is rising, it’s inevitable - we must band together and prepare for it. But don’t despair, my warriors, you mustn’t forget how we prevailed over this same threat several centuries ago.
Art of War 3: PvP RTS modern warfare strategy game
Gear Games' real-time strategy game Art of War 3 has existed as a beta release for the last two years on the Play Store. In that time it has garnered more than a million downloads, so it's safe to say this was actually ready for mass consumption many months ago. And while it's a welcome sight to see an RTS that looks just like the games many of us grew up playing on PC, the numerous loot boxes and expensive in-app purchases point to a game more concerned about fleecing its users over something that provides a fair and balanced experience.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
А unique classic real-time strategy game with direct control for true commanders who are not afraid to face the enemy in real-time PvP battles. For those who want to feel the thrill of victory over a live opponent. For those who can think like a strategist and act decisively in any battlefield situation. It’s no place for the timid.
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