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. This week I'm changing things up a little. I have removed the Play Store descriptions that used to appear underneath my body of text explaining each game. This should provide a cleaner look with less clutter, not to mention less formatting on my end. This will also shorten the length of the page by a large margin, which should make things easier for all of you to scroll through. It's admittedly a small change, but please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments at the bottom of the article.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Games
Old School RuneScape
Android Police coverage: Retro MMORPG 'Old School Runescape' begins members-only beta
Since July of last year it has been known that Old School Runescape was coming to Android, but like many rumored mobile MMORPGs, people were starting to get a little uneasy about the pending release. That's why I'm glad to report that Old School Runescape is finally available on the Play Store as a beta release, though you will have to pay an $11 monthly subscription to play. Performance is excellent, and the tap controls work great. Thanks to how small the in-game menus are you'll probably want to play on a tablet or Chromebook, but a phone with a 6" screen can definitely work in a pinch.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Dead Island: Survivors
Android Police coverage: Deep Silver finally gets around to releasing 'Dead Island: Survivors' on Android
Deep Silver was apparently testing this game for the last two years, as it has been available as a soft launch title in a few regions since 2016. Now that Dead Island: Survivors is finally out you may be wondering if the wait was worth it. Well, that all depends on how much you enjoy free-to-play hero collection games. The tower defense gameplay works well, and the action RPG mechanics are enjoyable. So if that sounds like enough of a reason to check this out, then I say go for it.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
The Quest - Hero of Lukomorye III
The Quest - Hero of Lukomorye III is the latest standalone expansion from Redshift Games for their "The Quest" series of RPGs. You can expect a new story to work your way through and new locations to explore. Just keep in mind that if you have a saved character from a previous game, it is recommended that you reach at least level 50 before jumping in.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Summer Camps Island AR
Summer Camps Island AR is a new augmented reality game from Cartoon Network. It stars the characters from the animated TV series of the same name. The simulation gameplay allows you to feel what it's like to attend the summer camp. Not only can you explore the cartoony campgrounds in a realistic setting, but you can also use the AR functionality to slap funny faces onto any object you like.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Forged Fantasy
Hothead Games definitely has a handle on producing titles with fantastic graphics. Forged Fantasy does not deviate in this regard. It looks great in action, and the cover-based gameplay actually works very well thanks to the many different options available for your team selection. Usually, most cover-based shooters feel stale after a while, but thanks to the hero collection aspects in Forged Fantasy you'll be able to explore a bunch of different combat strategies. Just keep in mind that this title is still in testing. In-app purchases may be added at a later date.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Fliplomacy
Shobhit Samaria offers an enjoyable logic puzzler with the release of its newest game Fliplomacy. Now, it's not difficult to imagine a world where the politics of any state can be flipped, which is why the premise of this game makes so much sense. Your job is to play the middleman, a politician. Ultimately you will want to flip each state to your side, but you will have to go about this carefully since any wrong move can mean more states going with the other side. There are over 150 levels to explore as you work your way up the public leaderboard.
Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $1.99
Please! No more bags
Ivanovich Games' Please! No more bags is a breath of fresh air in the clone-filled world of mobile gaming. The concept of sorting suitcases at a busy airport is actually an interesting and enjoyable gameplay mechanic. As baggage comes out on a conveyor belt, it is your job to move the bags to their proper destination conveyor. The one-finger controls are dead simple, and as you advance you'll unlock new locations that add plenty of new and interesting rules to the mix.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $24.99
DERE EVIL EXE
DERE EVIL EXE is a twisted platformer that shirks the standard trends of the genre. This means you will want to avoid collecting coins, just as you will want to avoid pouncing on any enemies. You can also expect a few horror aspects to be mixed in, which adds an element of surprise to the gameplay since you'll never quite know what is next as you make your way through the pixelated world.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $0.99 a peice
Merge Cakes!
If you are familiar with how the puzzle game Threes! works, then the core gameplay found in Merge Cakes! should be somewhat familiar. Each piece of cake can be combined to create an entirely new piece, and then that piece can then be further consolidated, and on it goes. Each new piece of cake can be sold in your store for in-game currency. The rarer the cake, the more money you can make. Naturally, this incentivizes discovering the 81 variations of cake you can create.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $1.99 a piece
DROLF
DROLF is an ingenious game that takes the gameplay of golf and adds in a drawing mechanic similar to Line Rider. You'll have to find some very creative ways to draw the infrastructure necessary to get the ball in the hole. The graphics are simple, but they get the point across, and the gameplay can be quite challenging, especially once you get to the later levels.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $2.49 a peice
Ball's Journey
VOODOO's latest offering is a simple game all about shooting a ball as far as you can for the highest score possible. Just like every other old-school arcade game, in Ball's Journey points are the only thing that matters, so you better be prepared to grind and grind so that you can upgrade your ball to reach the furthest distances possible.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $2.49
Clumsy Climber
Ketchapp's Clumsy Climber is a simplistic climbing game with purposefully tricky tap controls. Because of this you will die a lot, but it's also the reason the gameplay can be so much fun. A solid challenge is always welcome in my book. Oh, and if you find the numerous advertisements to be annoying, you do have the ability to remove them with a single in-app purchase.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $2.99 a peice
BTS craft - Boxer, Tower, Spell
BTS craft - Boxer, Tower, Spell is the latest release from 111%. It's a quirky tower defense game with simple graphics. There are timers that count down for your weapon cards, and as you earn new cards you'll find that duplicates can be combined. This combo mechanic allows for a good bit of strategy as you get to choose when you would like to send your weapon cards to the board. Should you wait until you have two of the specific boxers or towers you'd like to use, or do circumstances demand immediate action that will result in a less powerful attack?
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $5.99
The Creeps! 2
The Creeps! 2 is the sequel to the popular tower defense game The Creeps!, though you may have never heard of it since it was only released on the Amazon Appstore for Android. This sequel takes the core tower defense gameplay of the original and tweaks it just a bit to improve on the mechanics and straighten out some rough edges. There are 40 levels to explore, and there is even an augmented reality feature that will allow you to play as if the game is displayed in the real world.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $39.99
Royal Strike
111% keeps the hits rolling with the release of Royal Strike. Like many of 111%'s games, this has simple graphics and enjoyable gameplay. By pulling back on your character, you can fling them into the many enemies scattered across each stage. After your turn is over, any enemies you missed will be coming your way. So it's best to try and take out as many as possible during each turn.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $49.99
Franchise Baseball 2018
CBS Interactive's Franchise Baseball 2018 is a mobile baseball management game. You can earn rewards and draft card packs through daily gameplay as you manage your lineups and build your team into a championship contender. By collecting digital cards, you'll earn new players and maybe even unlock some of your favorite players from MLB history.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99
Squadd.io
Playdigious has already built a solid library of games with releases such as Puddle+, White Night, Evoland, and OK Golf. The publisher's latest release is called Squadd.io, and like most io games you'll have to compete with other payers on a set board as you try to shoot as many of them as possible. Since this is an early access release, you can expect some feature to be missing when compared to playing the game on the official website.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99
Tower Power
LemonChili Games only has two titles available on the Play Store, but I have to give the company credit as both games contain a very original look. This week we saw the release of that second game, and it's called Tower Power. It's still early days as it is in testing, but rest assured it's very playable. Your job is to flick projectiles from the top of a tower towards the many enemies swooping down on your roof. As you advance, you'll unlock new characters and new skills that will help you on your journey.
Monetization: $0.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $114.99
Zombie Battleground
Zombie Battleground plays a lot like an arena combat game. Whether you play as the zombies or survivors, your goal is to take out the other team by strategically sending out your units into the arena. It's a familiar gameplay loop for sure, especially on mobile, but it can be fun if you enjoy multiplayer-focused gameplay.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $5.99 - $114.99
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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