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 have an odd puzzler that takes advantage of a unique design, a puzzle game about an anthropomorphic marching band, and the sequel to Age of Civilizations. So without further ado, here are the most notable games released in the last week.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

Hydropuzzle

Hydropuzzle is a game that is difficult to explain. Sure, I could go into the strange story concerning a heatwave affecting a city, but that won't clue you in with what you should expect of the gameplay. Really, it's a release that has to be experienced to understand how you decipher its puzzles, which makes it a tough sell since there is no demo. But hey, if you are looking for something that's unique and not like everything else on the Play Store, you should definitely check this out.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Hydropuzzle Developer: SOBSTEL
Price: Free
Download

Moshpit - Heavy Metal is war

SinSquid Games has found its niche with heavy metal themed mobile games. Its latest release is called Moshpit, and it's a hyper-realistic mosh pit simulator. The physics-based gameplay makes for a heck of a lot of fun as you watch your enemies fly about like ragdolls. There's a total of 32 levels to explore, plus plenty of boss fights to take on. There are also three bonus levels to play through when you finish the main storyline.

Monetization: $1.49 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX2FZ5i_678

the Sequence 2

The Sequence 2 is a challenging logic-based puzzler with a simple design, great music, and enjoyable gameplay. The difficulty ramps up nicely, and you never feel like you don't know what is going on thanks to the very helpful tutorial. The gameplay revolves around creating/designing specific sequences in order to reach a destination point, but finding the shortest sequence isn't always going to be easy. This makes design thankfully makes for a good bit of replayability if you are the type to hunt down the highest of scores.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r6vqqVQeH4

the Sequence [2] Developer: One Man Band
Price: 1.99
4.4
Download

Marching Order

Marching Order is an adorable logic-based puzzler from SFB Games. You get to take charge of an anthropomorphic marching band, and it's your job to organize its members in the correct sequence. As you can imagine, this is much tougher than you would at first suspect. Each animal has a condition that has to be met before they cooperate, so get ready to peruse their in-game social media accounts to figure out exactly what it is they require.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huxrkq_yt3M

Marching Order Developer: SFB Games
Price: 1.99
4.5
Download

Absolute Drift

Absolute Drift was initially released on PC, Mac, and Linux back in 2015. It was recently ported to Android and published by Noodlecake Studios. If you couldn't tell by the title, it's a racing game that's all about skillfully drifting around corners. There are five different customizable cars, three game modes, five free-roaming areas, and a kicking drum and bass soundtrack. The touchscreen controls work well, and there is even bluetooth controller support, should you prefer a physical controller.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Uu4LstMF4

Absolute Drift Developer: Noodlecake
Price: 2.99
3.7
Download

Twinfold

Kenny Sun is a developer with a consistent track record. Twinfold is the newest release from the dev, and it's a mind-bending strategic puzzler with a roguelike bend. The primary goal is to merge tiles with one another, kind of like the puzzle game Threes, but with the added twist of enemies on the board and unique power-ups that can be used to your advantage. Everything is procedurally generated, which means you'll have infinite replayability.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MV6hmWWwm4

Twinfold Developer: Kenny Sun
Price: 3.99
4.5
Download

7Days - Decide your story

Buff Studio's 7Days is a choose your own adventure game. It's presented to the player as a series of text messages in a fictional messaging app, and you'll have the option to be the hero of the story or the villain, which makes for a solid amount of replayability. Oh, and if you'd like to try the game before spending any money, there is a free demo available.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5TYxnsOIA

Age of Civilizations II

Grand strategy games are few and far between on the Play Store, which is why it's such an event when something like Age of Civilizations II is released. This particular title is the sequel to Łukasz Jakowski's Age of Civilizations, and it improves on the original with a broader diplomatic system, terrain types, a more detailed population, and a scenario editor. This is a deep and expansive game, that's for sure, and it'll take a lot of patience to learn its ins and outs, but it's worth the effort for anyone who has the free time to invest.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MunEbg9vWMY

Age of History II Developer: Łukasz Jakowski
Price: 4.89
4.4
Download

Morels

Morels is the official digital adaptation of the physical card game that goes by the same name. You can play solo against an enemy AI, choose pass and play with friends locally, hop online to play using asynchronous multiplayer, or go all out and play in real time. One thing is for sure; there's no shortage of methods to experience this digital adaptation.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8T0bb_kspI

Morels Developer: Mossbark Games LLC
Price: 4.99
4.5
Download

Sacrifices must be made, but...

Sacrifices must be made is a goofy game all about sacrificing saints. A wheel of people are displayed on your screen that encircles a devil. It will be comprised of ordinary people and saints. You have to spin the wheel in such a way that the arrows on the screen only ever point at the saints, but you have to do this under a time limit, which means you'll need fast fingers to advance to the later stages.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Stick Fight: The Game

No, Stick Fight: The Game is not a Djinnworks release, it actually comes from NetEase, which isn't all that surprising once you understand what type of game this is. It's a competitive online brawler similar to Smash Bros, and it can support up to four players at one time. There are over 100 maps to play on, and the simple graphics allow the game to perform admirably, even on lower-end devices.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2iUrpBNyDc

Sweet Racer - Draw & Slide in Candyworld!

Sweet Racer reminds me of the gameplay found in the iOS release Tiny Wings, but instead of using the game's environment to keep in motion, users are tasked with drawing the surfaces necessary to slide upon. This new mechanic adds a lot more depth since you'll have to figure when it's best to draw curved lines for launching the protagonist into the air. The sickeningly sweet graphics may be a bit much, but the gameplay is actually solid if you enjoy endless runners.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZM45jGu_fo

Basket Wall - Bounce Ball & Dunk Hoop

Basket Wall is a simple arcade game with a very enjoyable basketball shooting mechanic. The main goal is to bounce basketballs off of a wall so that you can score a slam dunk on the opposite side of that wall where the basket is. This can be tricky and takes impeccable timing, and once you get the hang it, things will start to really ramp up.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $1.99  a piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daMxRTjlgns

Break the Hoops

Break the Hoops is a new release from Ketchapp. It's a simple game with a simple design. All you have to do is rotate the tower of rings so that a bouncing ball touches every single piece. Your goal is to clear the entire board. If you miss your bounce, then you'll have to start over. This means the gameplay is endless, though it can feel repetitive.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $2.99 a piece

Slam IO

LeftRight's Slam IO doesn't play like your typical io game. Matches still consist of numerous players vying for the #1 spot, but the layout of each level and the quirky bouncing mechanics for controls make for a hectic game of everyone slamming into each other as they try to push everyone into the spiked floor.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $2.99 a piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtF8-VLrW0

Slint

Slint is a gorgeous point and click adventure game where you are tasked with solving environmental puzzles. It shows a lot of promise, though it can be tough to figure out what to do when there is no text in the game. There's absolutely no hand-holding here, which may turn off more than a few people. There's also no story to be found, means it's up to you to create your own fun.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $2.99

Wind Rider!

Wind Rider is a new VOODOO release, and it's also a casual wingsuit flight game with a simple goal. All you have to do is glide as far as you can before you eventually smash into something. The gameplay can be a little buggy, but it's nothing a few updates won't fix. The many advertisements can also be annoying, but at least they can be removed with a single in-app purchase.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $3.99 a piece

Wind Rider! Developer: VOODOO
Price: Free
3.6
Download

Tap Skaters - Downhill Skateboard Racing

Tap Skaters is a casual downhill skateboard racing game that looks and plays a heck of a lot like the original Donkey Kong, but in reverse. As you make your way down a hill, you'll have to avoid enemies and obstacles. The one-touch design of the controls makes this easy at first, but as you progress things get more and more challenging.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $5.49

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4jOEOlrrKY

Coal Burnout - Race the steam!

Coal Burnout is a pixel-based release with a train theme. It plays a lot like a rhythm game. As coal flies towards the stoker, you'll want to tap on the screen to ensure his shovel strikes every piece so that they land in the furnace. The PvP design of the gameplay is what makes this rhythm mechanic enjoyable, especially since you'll have to race against another player who's also stoking their fire. Whoever reaches the end of the stage first wins.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $9.99

Redneck Rush

Redneck Rush is a stereotypical endless runner, both in design and theme. Like the majority of games of this nature, there are a few different vehicles to collect, plenty of power-ups to take advantage of, and a nice selection of playable characters. The goal is to gain the high score by advancing as far as possible.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $19.99

Pixel Tap: Color by Number

Pixel Tap is a pleasant color-by-numbers app that contains more than a few family-friendly artworks that need to be colored in. You can even design your own pictures to color by scanning in your personal photos or using any image you happen to find online. This way you'll never run out of content.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $39.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYdEPbctSw

Destiny Child

Destiny Child is a mature game with an anime theme, so it may not be to everyone's tastes. But for those that don't mind such things, there is actually a lot of polish to be found in this turn-based RPG. It's a narrative-driven title, and the English translation actually turned out pretty good, though some things have been censored from the original Korean release. Of course, the real star of the show is the flashy graphics, so if you dig bright and colorful gacha games with auto-battle mechanics, this may be the game for you.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $89.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsB-fgwa3E

Destiny Child Developer: SHIFTUP
Price: Free
4.6
Download

Fast & Furious Takedown

Fast & Furious Takedown is a brand new arcade racer that takes advantage of Universal Studios' The Fast and the Furious license. There are 60+ licensed vehicles included in the game, and you'll even get to race against some of the more interesting cars from the movies, such as Dom’s Dodge Charger, Hobbs’ Gurkha and Shaw’s infamous Flip Car.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Don-Ay: Pet Rescue

Don-Ay: Pet Rescue is a new virtual pet sim that also contains an endless runner game. What's unique about this release is that the money spent in-game will generate donations outside of the title to help homeless animals through the Best Friends Animal Society. So if you enjoy pet sims, endless runners, and helping homeless animals, then you should give Don-Ay: Pet Rescue a try.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdLCfjg3hhQ

Last Resident

Last Resident is billed as a zombie survival game, but really it's a standard Game of War clone. This means you can expect loot boxes, wait timers, and plenty of in-app purchases. And if that isn't enough to sway your opinion, just check out the literal slot machine mechanic for drawing new heroes. This is a dev that isn't even worried about disguising its gambling mechanics with loot boxes, and instead actually chose to use a slot machine to draw your loot. That takes guts to be so blatant as to advertise the abuse you can expect from the game.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Brave Frontier: The Last Summoner

Brave Frontier: The Last Summoner is the sequel to Gumi inc's Brave Frontier, and even though it's been in beta for a while, this week is the official release. It takes the original hero collection gameplay and turns it up a notch. You can now have up to 25 heroes on your team at once. As you can imagine, battles get pretty hectic. The art has also been improved, though it now has a slight chibi style to it, which may not be to everyone's taste. But if you love free-to-play hero collection games, you'll probably want to give this a try.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $299.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d88p7fZC4UY

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