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. Today I have the return of Downwell (and it's currently free), the sequel to SimpleRockets, and an interesting soccer management game that sports a unique story. 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

Downwell

Android Police coverage: Downwell returns to Play Store, free for a week starting September 20

Okay, Downwell is clearly not a new game, and yet it is a new listing on the Play Store. You see, the original Downwell was removed from the Play Store by Google in July for violating some random standard. Up until this past week, the game was still missing in action, but now that a new listing is available, it would appear that dev has finally sorted the issue. It's also worth noting that the game will be free to everyone from Sept. 20th-27th, so make sure to grab the game for free while you can.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Downwell Developer: DevolverDigital
Price: 2.99
4.5
Download

SimpleRockets 2

Android Police coverage: [Update: Now available] SimpleRockets 2 is coming to Android, and you can pre-register right now

After a brief pre-registration period, SimpleRockets 2 arrived on the Play Store this week, and it's a premium release, the same as the first game in the series. Much like Kerbal Space Program, SimpleRockets 2 is primarily a rocket-launching sim, but you'll also get to build airplanes, rovers, satellites, and robotic mechs too, and then you can take each craft for a ride in a realistic setting, which is rather enjoyable.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Juno: New Origins Developer: Jundroo, LLC
Price: 6.99
4.1
Download

Football Drama

Football Drama offers a narrative-based game with a heavy emphasis on managerial gameplay that revolves around the sport of soccer. You'll get to fill the role of a new manager for the Calchester Assembled Football Club, which means it will be your job to build a deck of cards that contain new mechanics determined by life choices and game results. Each match is turn-based with live-action animations, and there's a deep story that encompasses the game and every decision you make, which really fleshes out the management sim content.

Monetization: $5.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Football Drama Developer: Open Lab Games
Price: 4.49
Download

SlipStream82 - Hyper Speed Retro Racing

SlipStream82 is a stylish auto-runner themed around the '80s revival style know as Vaporwave. You can expect bright neon colors and a bumping electronic soundtrack while you race at ever-increasing speeds to see how long your car will last. This is a game best played in short bursts, though an occasional prolonged session isn't out of the question.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Concealo

Concealo plays like a classic board game, but really it offers a completely new experience. At its core, this is a strategy game that features single-player content as well as a multiplayer mode for those who prefer to play online against real opponents. The gameplay revolves around concealing your pieces until you attack, which allows for a good bit of strategy since revealing your pieces too early could be detrimental to your success, which is what makes the game so enjoyable.

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

Smash Deep

Smash Deep is a simple arcade game where you'll bounce on highlighted squares to remove an entire line of blocks. This is how you progress, and as you advance, these blocks will start to move faster and faster, which brings a good bit of challenge when trying to line up your jumps. It's a simple game, and it excels when played casually.

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

Smash Deep Developer: ArmNomads LLC
Price: Free
Download

Avoid & Slash

Avoid & Slash is a simple arcade game where you roll around on a square board while hitting balls with your trusty sword. At first, this task is rather straightforward, but once you advance a bit, things start to get hectic as bigger and bigger balls arrive on the scene. Of course, if these balls touch your character, you run the risk of dying, so you'll need to bring quick reflexes to make it through the entire game.

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

Avoid & Slash Developer: ArmNomads LLC
Price: Free
Download

Bleached Az

Bleached Az is a branded release for the Australian public broadcast TV show Beached Az. It will be your job to save ocean coral by swiping away any trash floating down the screen. These swipes will be cataloged for a Plant-A-Tree program that will plant new saplings in accordance to your swipes, which is why the game calculates the amount of CO2 being pulled from the atmosphere that stems from your playtime. All in all, this seems like a pleasant awareness app for ocean pollution, coral bleaching, and of course, deforestation. So if you're an environmentalist or have children interested in such things, you'll probably love this release.

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

Bleached Az Developer: Chaos Theory Games
Price: Free
Download

Dragon Overseer

Dragon Overseer is a competitive RPG where you'll build a deck of maneuvers for your customizable dragon, to then take on opponents in a fight to see whose dragon reigns supreme. Unlike many competitive RPGs on the Play Store, Dragon Overseer isn't stuffed full of in-app purchases or questionable monetization. So if you're looking for a game that offers a fair fight for all players, this Dragon Overseer is a good choice.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $7.49

ZigZagged

ZigZagged is a gorgeous title that offers the same auto-runner gameplay we've seen time and time again. There isn't very much original about this title other than its pleasant art, but that doesn't mean it's not a fun game, just don't expect the gameplay to deviate from the competition. Much like many other arcade releases, this is a title best played in short bursts.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $7.99

Perchang

Perchang is an arcade puzzler that offers unique Rube Goldberg machines as the basis of its puzzles. Your job is a simple one. Move the balls from one side of the stage to the other, but in order to do this, you'll have to bend the many Rube Goldberg machines to your will. You'll get to activate things like flippers, magnets, portals, fans, anti-gravity hoops to use them to your advantage, but you'll have to do so in the correct order to make it through each stage.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $9.99

Perchang Developer: Perchang
Price: 1.99
4.6
Download

Smash Boxing

Smash Boxing is a new boxing game along the lines of Nintendo's Punch-Out series. You'll face off against opponents to punch, hook, uppercut, block, and weave your way to success. Fighters can be customized with different boots, gloves, tattoos, and hairstyles, and of course, you can also upgrade your fighter to improve their skills and learn powerful hits.

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

RPG Ambition Record

It seems like every week Kemco has a new RPG to announce that was recently translated to English, and while it's nice to see these translations, I can't help but feel that the studio has been floundering for a few years now. I don't see how flooding the market with IAP-infested RPGs is helping anyone other than the dev to line its pockets. For a time Kemco was known for quality RPGs at a fair price, it would seem that the new priority is cash and shallow gameplay.

Monetization: $8.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99

RPG Ambition Record Developer: KEMCO
Price: 8.99
4.6
Download

Merge Stories

Merge Stories is a new release that just entered into early access this week. Much like 2048 or Threes!, your task is to merge objects, but instead of combining numbers, you're combining characters. As you combine them you'll eventually build up an army, and then it will be time to take on your foes, and as you win these battles, you'll unlock new rewards that will help you in your quest to merge the most powerful army in the land.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $49.99

Survivor Mr.Who

Survivor Mr.Who comes from 111%, a developer known for quirky releases. This title is a survival game at its core, which means you'll spend your time building, crafting, hunting, all while dreaming of escape. This also means you'll have to protect your base to ensure that your time isn't wasted when creatures come to attack. The game might not be as deep as Don't Starve or Crashlands, but it's still enjoyable.

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

Attack on Titan TACTICS

Attack on Titan must be a hugely popular anime to warrant three separate branded mobile games. This particular release is centered around strategic gameplay that basically plays like a tower defense game, and of course, gacha mechanics are included, so expect to collect over 50 characters to build your team. Why a team is necessary for tower defense, well, it isn't, but it sure will keep people paying to ensure they have the strongest team.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99

Endless Abyss

Endless Abyss is a single-player role-playing card battle game that entered into early access this week. You'll start out with the default deck, and as you advance, you'll be able to upgrade and acquire cards to build a powerful team. Roguelike gameplay is expected, and there are fifty separate random events sprinkled throughout to keep things interesting. Just make sure to watch out for excessive in-app purchases.

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

Endless Abyss Developer: Guangzhou Xiyou Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Price: Free
3.4
Download

Saint Seiya Awakening: Knights of the Zodiac

Saint Seiya Awakening is a collection-based strategy RPG themed around Masami Kurumada's renowned Saint Seiya series. Like most free-to-play RPGs of this nature, you'll spend your time collecting heroes to create a customized strategy of attack with your chosen team. Of course, the graphics are exceptional, but the collection-based RPG gameplay is as stale as ever.

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

Mythgard

Mythgard is another collectible card game to arrive on the Play Store this week, which means you can expect deep lore, tactical gameplay, and strategic deck building. You can choose to play solo in 1v1 matches against the AI, and you can also group up for 2v2 matches with a friend. There are over 400 cards to collect, and so far, reviews are rather positive. Just watch out for the game's many in-app purchases, and you'll probably come out the other end unscathed.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $99.99

Mythgard CCG Developer: Monumental, LLC
Price: Free
4.1
Download

Cosmos Quest

Cosmos Quest is a slick-looking idle game from Kongregate, a publisher known for leaning into the many predatory practices familiar to all mobile gamers. Much like every other title from the company, this release is all glitz with no depth, all wrapped up in a heavily monetized title. So while the release may look nice, there's plenty of other idle game options on the play store that won't break the bank just to watch a game play itself.

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

Rugby Nations 19

Distinctive Games is clearly a publisher that's gone all-in on sports games, so it's no surprise to see Rugby Nations 19 arrive on the Play Store this week. Like most sports games, this is a yearly series that includes an updated roster for 2019. Players will get to create their own All-Star teams through customizations and upgrades, and of course, many different game modes are available, which should keep players busy until 2020.

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

Rugby Nations 19 Developer: Distinctive Games
Price: Free
4
Download

Merge Magic!

Merge Magic comes from Gram Games Limited and Zynga, and much like Gram Games' Merge Dragons, you can expect to spend your time merging magical creatures in order to evolve them into more powerful forms. Just like its inspiration, Merge Magic contains a fantasy setting, but this time around it will be your job to lift the curse from a bewitched land as you combine eggs, trees, treasures, stars, magical flowers, and even mythical creatures.

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

Merge Magic! Developer: Zynga
Price: Free
4.3
Download

Harbingers - Last Survival

If you love broken English in your bland collection-based strategy games, then Harbingers - Last Survival should be right up your alley. You'll get to collect public domain characters like Jeanne d'Arc, Solomon, Oda Nobunaga, and Arthur, to then fight them against your opponents. Of course, it's not like the dev wants you to see how lackluster the game actually is, so the company has opted for a trailer that shows nothing other than 2D animations. So if you were wondering if this game was built around gambling to earn the best players, just take a peek at the IAPs listed below.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $299.99

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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