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 a striking minimal puzzle game that tells the story of a person suffering from a cognitive disorder, an anime-themed Clash Royale clone from Sega, and a challenging twin-stick shooter from Radiangames. So without further ado, here are the most notable games released this week.
Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.
Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Games
G30 - A Memory Maze
Android Police coverage: G30 - A Memory Maze is an award-winning minimal puzzle game that's finally available on the Play Store
G30 - A Memory Maze is a minimal puzzle game that tells a unique story about a person suffering from a cognitive disorder. It's your job to piece together their memory by solving two-part puzzles made up of scattered text and random visual images. You'll spend the majority of your time rotating these images to form larger pictures. The secondary puzzle element comes into play as you cycle through these pics by way of words displayed at the top of the screen. These words ultimately tell a story, but you'll first have to solve each puzzle before you can piece together the entirety of the tale.
Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ruTGDP1iNE
Revolve8
Android Police coverage: Revolve8 is Sega's take on Clash Royale, and it's globally available today
Revolve8 is a new release from Sega, and it offers the same gameplay you would find in the strategic PvP game Clash Royale. This is a clear clone with an anime skin slapped on top. While it's nice to have new choices when it comes to the theme of a Clash Royale clone, it would be nice if Sega actually made an effort to come up with something original instead of copying successful games to make a quick buck.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdk7aLaxP8Q
Devastator
Radiangames was listed in last week's gaming roundup for a unique puzzle game called Slydris 2, and this week I'm happy to present Devastator, a hectic twin-stick shooter that exudes Radiangames familiar minimal art style. The touchscreen controls work very well for this type of game, and physical controller support is also included if you prefer something more tactile than a glass screen. The gameplay is entertaining, though it's also very challenging, so make sure you're ready for intense battles filled with fast-paced shooting action before you jump into this release.
Monetization: $1.99 / contains ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peADSx9nBt4
Calm Cards - Freecell
Calm Cards is a relaxing Solitaire Freecell game with a pleasant theme and calming music. You can choose from two different sizes for your card's illustrations, which is great for older players that may not be able to read small text on a small screen. Calm Cards is a premium release, which means you won't have to worry about any in-app purchases or advertisements muddying up its peaceful experience.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk_07W06gBc
Johnny Bonasera 3
Johnny Bonasera 3 is a point and click adventure game that continues the story from Rafael García's Johnny Bonasera 2. The 2D graphics are similar to a low-budget Saturday morning cartoon, and the gameplay contains a story-driven adventure full of hilarious dialogues and puzzles.
Monetization: $2.49 / no ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXMDwY_sjKA
Spellsword Cards: Origins
Spellsword Cards: Origins is a roguelike deck-builder set in the developer's Spellsword Cards universe. Like most free-to-play collectible card games you can expect to find card fusions as well as upgrade mechanics for the 200+ cards available in the game. There are five classes, six races, and five different paths you can follow, not to mention hundreds of unique battles that will put your deck to the test.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Sachin Saga VR
Sachin Saga VR s the latest title from JetSynthesys Inc, a studio that focuses on Cricket games. This particular release ties into the Sachin Saga VR headset and the Sachin Saga Pro Gaming controller, two physical items that are necessary to play this VR release. These items are going to be difficult to pick up outside of India, which means potential players in the West probably won't ever get to play through this release.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Generals War : RTS PVP Online
Real-time strategy games are a dime a dozen on the Play Store, but sadly there are very few titles that offer the familiar old-school gameplay of the genre with a fair price point. The developer of Generals War bucks that trend by excluding in-app purchases and balancing the game so that it does not contain any pay-to-win elements. So if you are looking for a fair RTS to play through on mobile, make sure to check this title out.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah6vt3oVSdA
BunnyBuns
Oddly enough BunnyBuns is the first of two titles in this week's roundup that revolves around running a restaurant. In this particular release, you're tasked with running a pastry shop counter by fulfilling your customer's pâtisserie needs. As you advance, you'll unlock new recipes that can then be sold to your customers for even more money.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Game of Gods
Game of Gods plays a lot like a tower defense game, but instead of strategically placing towers on a battlefield you're tasked with dragging and dropping attack cards onto your enemies. You do this to keep them away from your base, and since each card will draw from your limited pool of power points, you're going to have to strategically plan your moves before you take action.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJy_BP_EwCA
HistoHunters
HistoHunters is a brand-new release from Mindcake Games, and it's still in testing. The Play Store listing lacks screenshots and a detailed description, but luckily the game installs fine and runs without too many issues. Much like Chef Wars (a previous title from the developer), you're tasked with collecting and cataloging items, but instead of doing this for food items, you'll focus on historical artifacts and the records related to those artifacts.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
BitLife - Life Simulator
BitLife - Life Simulator is a popular title on iOS that's been out for more than a few months, and just this week it has finally launched on the Google Play Store. The game is basically a life sim where you get to make all kinds of choices that can affect your in-game life in many different ways. What's nice about this setup is that your choices are yours, so if you'd like to delve into a life of crime, you can, or maybe you'd rather follow a path of normalcy and get married and have kids. It's all up to you.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $1.99 a piece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnJ21DFKCM0
Top Run: Retro Pixel Adventure
Top Run: Retro Pixel Adventure is a new game from a first-time husband and wife development team. It's an endless runner with a delightful '80s theme. If you love bright neon lights, catchy synthwave music, and decorating in-game bedrooms in an engaging '80s style, Top Run: Retro Pixel Adventure is the game for you.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $9.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LePX_C0Lmss
Bear's Restaurant
Daigo Studio has consistently published quality indie games on Android, and each one manages to tell a unique story while also offering beautiful pixel-based graphics. Bear's Restaurant is the latest release from the developer, and it tells the tale of a bear who runs a restaurant for the dead. It's a unique game without puzzles or battles or anything else of the sort, which means the quirky story takes center stage in this release.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $10.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUumlNrrjo
Idle Wasteland
Idle Wasteland is the latest release from Iron Horse Games, a studio that generally concentrates on creating idle-tapping games. This release does not stray from that trend as it's clearly an idle game. The story revolves around fighting and crafting for survival in a nuclear wasteland, and once you get going with a couple of taps, you can let the game idle so that it can play itself.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $4.99 - $48.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upDXg2mfsqY
Fancade
Fancade is a mini-game collection app that contains many different genres of games. You can jump from a simple card game to then try your hand at a driving game or a 3D puzzle. You can also build your own games to then share them with the player base. Some of the listed mini-games will charge you a small amount of in-game currency to unlock them. You can purchase this currency through a few different in-app purchases, but you can also earn it by watching advertisements.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $59.99
Ship Sim 2019
Ovidiu Pop is a developer that publishes a lot of simulation games on the Play Store, and Ship Sim 2019 is a new release from the developer that holds true to this observation. As you would expect, Ship Sim 2019 is a game that revolves around what it would be like to pilot many different ships at sea including cruise ships, cargo ships, and oil tankers.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $59.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1YLzeOpB_U
Hockey All Stars
Distinctive Games is a publisher that has definitely cut out their own niche for mobile. This is a dev that clearly loves creating sports games, and Hockey All Stars is its latest release. It's obviously a hockey game, but what sets it apart from many of the arcade-like offerings on the Play Store is the fact that you can build and train your very own all-star team.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $3.99 - $99.99
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqrgEmXfXLQ
Ball Mayhem!
VOODOO pumps out casual games each and every week, and Ball Mayhem! is the latest release from the company. The game sadly does an abysmal job of explaining what it is you're supposed to be doing. From what I can tell you have to sack as many players on the opposing team as possible to clear the path for your offense while also keeping a watchful eye on the ball and the opposing team that's always trying to take it away from your side. The gameplay can be fun once you figure it out, but the lack of polish in the explanation department brings the title down a peg or two.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.49 - $129.99
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.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.