Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android games that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the last week or so. This week I have a gorgeous platformer from the devs of Leo's Fortune, an awesome casual mountain climbing game, and a quirky pixel-based shmup that mixes in block stacking mechanics for something that feels fresh yet familiar. So without further ado, here are the most notable games released this week.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

Oddmar

Android Police coverage: Gorgeous platformer Oddmar now available on the Play Store

Oddmar may have been out on iOS for the last nine months, but that doesn't mean its arrival on Android isn't something to celebrate. It's a gorgeous platformer from the devs of Leo's Fortune, and it improves on everything about that wonderful title with a more fleshed out experience that still controls incredibly on a touchscreen. So don't miss out on this one folks.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece (full game unlock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxes09tzP2s

Oddmar Developer: Mobge Ltd.
Price: Free
4.5
Download

Hang Line: Mountain Climber

Android Police coverage: Hang Line: Mountain Climber swings its way onto the Play Store

Hang Line: Mountain Climber is an enjoyable grappling hook game. Your job is to reach the peak of a five separate mountain tops by grappling your way up their icy slopes, all while rescuing any survivors you happen across. Of course, there will be plenty of obstacles in your way, such as falling boulders, ice, and molten lava. So while the goal may sound simple enough, it's going to take a lot of practice and some very nimble fingers to reach each summit.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zS_PjkFmss

Hang Line: Mountain Climber Developer: Yodo1 Games
Price: Free
3.8
Download

Galaxy Stack

Android Police coverage: Galaxy Stack crosses shmup action with block stacking, out now on Android

Galaxy Stack mixes block stacking mechanics with the gameplay of a shmup for something unique that still feels familiar. As you shoot ever-encroaching ships, they will pile on the ground. The more ships you shoot, the higher your stack. The goal is to create the highest towers possible out of these destroyed ships. There are even a few boss fights thrown in the mix to keep things interesting, should you get tired of stacking one ship after another.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Galaxy Stack Developer: Criss Cross Games
Price: 1.99
Download

BACKFIRE

BACKFIRE is an ingenious indie title that's billed as a "reverse shooter." What this means is that you'll have to shoot from the rear of your ship, which makes juggling your ship's movement pretty challenging. You'll have to think about your movement a little differently than a typical 2D shooter since you always move in the opposite direction you are shooting. It's a simple change, but it adds much more complexity to the typical shooter gameplay that any fan of the genre should consider checking this title out.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

BACKFIRE Developer: GRYN SQYD
Price: 0.99
4.4
Download

Stellar Invictus - Space Sandbox MMO

Stellar Invictus is a sandbox MMO that's set in space. It plays similarly to the many browser-based MMOs on the web, so don't expect flashy graphics or an intuitive UI. Some have compared the game to a mobile version of EVE Online, and there are definitely similarities, so if you're looking for a deep MMO to dive into, Stellar Invictus may suffice.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Heroes and Merchants

Heroes and Merchants is an MMORPG that squarely focuses on crafting. It'll be your job to train many different artisans in order to create valuable items. These items can then be equipped on recruitable heroes that can be sent into battle to collect you more resources and some sweet loot. Team play is also included so you can form guilds, and there is even a competitive aspect that allows you to duel with other players for a few rewards.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Heroes and Merchants RPG Developer: Oliver Bohnes
Price: Free
3.9
Download

Gobs of Ghosts

Octobyte Games made a splash on the Play Store with the release of its NES-like platformer Demon Castle : Bloodstained Night, and this week the developer has released an all-new title that travels even further back in time for something a little closer to an Atari 2600 release. Gobs of Ghosts is a black and white platformer with simple graphics and solid controls. It's a challenging action game similar in style to Castlevania and Metroid, so make sure you're ready for a challenge if you plan on playing.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8g_CdHDm9M

Ludoku

Ludoku is an interesting brain teaser that reminds me of the puzzler Quell, but instead of sliding a ball across the screen you are tasked with hooking a rounded mask with the contraptions arranged on pre-defined anchor points. As you drag the mask closer to its goal, you can then snag it with a second or third hook to change its direction. What makes this so challenging is that you never know which hooks you should use to get the mask to its goal.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjMWeG39D2c

Ludoku Developer: Ludomo Gamestudio
Price: Free
Download

Equilibrium

Equilibrium is a beautiful puzzler that will challenge your mind. The rules are simple. All you have to do is draw lines on the screen so that you mirror the brightly colored shapes in each level. The goal is to light up each side of the displayed shapes. There are over 200 puzzles to solve that are scattered across 20 different worlds. If you get stuck, there is a help option, though it can be annoying since the button is continuously blinking on the screen.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $20.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj5CrOlCSGE

Hotel Mania

Hotel Mania is a casual simulation game that's all about building your dream hotel by decorating its rooms and collecting plenty of quirky customers. There are over thirty separate room designs to choose from, and each customer can potentially contain a superpower that may indeed make you pull out your hair in frustration, which should keep the player on their toes as they go about their routine of managing their hotel.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99

Hotel Mania Developer: Criss Cross Games
Price: Free
2.8
Download

Football Unleashed 19

Distinctive Games is a studio that focuses on sports titles, and its latest release is a 5-on-5 Football game for 2019. You can expect to find a draft system, a training mode, daily missions, swipe controls, and a season mode. It takes everything you love about American Football and streamlines it into something that's intuitive and easy to pick up any time of the day.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $49.99

Word Ink

Word Ink is an anagram word game similar in style to common crossword puzzles. It contains 10,000 unique puzzles and supports multiple languages. Sadly there is a subscription fee attached to the game after the three-day free trial, so unless you want to pay a weekly fee for access to a crossword puzzle game, you're probably not going to like this release.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $59.99

Word Ink Developer: Happymagenta UAB
Price: Free
Download

UNO!™

Over the years there have been more than a few UNO releases on the Play Store. It would seem each take on the title finds an entirely new way to monetize the game, and Mattel163 Limited's version looks to be almost as bad as Gameloft's recently delisted offering UNO & Friends. For some reason, the UNO license has been passed around more than a football, which is odd for such a simple card game. Do people really want to spend money endlessly for a shallow color-matching card game?

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lh37od00Qc

UNO!™ Developer: Mattel163 Limited
Price: Free
4.5
Download

Space Justice – Galaxy Shoot 'em up Shooter

Space Justice is a level-based shoot 'em up that takes place in outer space in the 23rd century. It's a free-to-play release, which means you can expect loot boxes and a subscription system. The graphics are pretty good, though the majority of the game plays like a reskin of a previous release from the developer. The most significant additions to this title are the PvP aspects and the co-op gameplay.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $89.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9zS-GqpWI

Galaga Revenge

Bandai Namco still owns the rights to the Galaga franchise, and it would appear that the company is willing to cash in on the shooter with an in-app purchase infested mobile release on the Play Store. Right off the bat, you'll notice long loading times, which is probably due to the location of the game's server. If you can ignore the long wait times, then you may enjoy the brightly colored shooter that's buried beneath the greedy monetization.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $94.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX9sO5YL9Fk

Rangers of Oblivion

Rangers of Oblivion is the latest free-to-play Monster hunter clone to land on the Play Store. Much like its inspiration, you'll spend the majority of your time hunting down monsters in scenarios that play out like long boss fights. There are over ten different game modes to explore, so you're never stuck grinding the same content over and over, though the monetization does leave a lot to be desired.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJyMwI3vTjk

Mobile Royale

Mobile Royale is the latest Game of War clone to land on the Play Store. What sets this apart from similar releases is that it's highly polished and the entire player-base is located on one server. If you've played the developer's older Lords Mobile release, then all you need to know is that this title is essentially an upgraded version with flashier graphics.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8n1W289S04

Wasteland Ninja

Shooting while moving in reverse must be a new trendy game mechanic because this is the second game in this week's roundup to take advantage of it. Wasteland Ninja is a futuristic shooter that will have you jumping around multiple stages as you shoot aliens. It's a bit like a platformer in that regard, though the majority of your time will be spent chasing down enemies to kill as you repeatedly jump in the opposite direction.

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

Forged Fantasy

Hothead Games definitely has a handle on producing titles with fantastic graphics, and its latest release 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.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr5cWFjOqT8

Forged Fantasy Developer: Hothead Games
Price: Free
4.4
Download

Tap! Captain Star

Tap! Captain Star is an idle tapping game that takes place in outer space. It's your job to defeat the game's dark lifeforms by furiously tapping on the screen. You can expect to find plenty of upgrades and special skills to ensure your crew is the strongest in the galaxy.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99

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

Tap! Captain Star Developer: NANOO COMPANY Inc.
Price: Free
4.2
Download

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