Welcome to the roundup of the 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 release of Black Desert Mobile in the West, a new action game from PewDiePie, and a remastered RPG from Square Enix. So without further ado, here are the more notable Android games released during the week of December 9th, 2019.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

Black Desert Mobile

Android Police coverage: Black Desert Mobile is the latest MMORPG to land on Android, and it's actually pretty good

The Western Android release for Black Desert Mobile has been a long time coming, but now that it's here, you may be wondering if the MMORPG is worth playing. The core game has been streamlined for mobile play, and you can still expect to venture into a detailed world, though auto-play is indeed built-in. You can also expect to discover more than a few pay-to-win items in the in-game store, which means Black Desert Mobile offers precisely what you would expect from a mobile interpretation of what is already a questionably monetized game. At the very least, the action-based combat is a hoot if you choose to play manually, which means this game is a joy to play despite the iffy monetization. Oh, and physical controllers are supported in combat, though you'll have to use the touch controls to navigate the game's many menus.

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

Black Desert Mobile Developer: PEARL ABYSS
Price: Free
4.1
Download

Poopdie

Android Police coverage: Thanks, I hate it: PewDiePie and Bulbware team up to make 'Poopdie' dungeon crawler (Update: Out now)

Poopdie is a new action game from PewDiePie and Bulbware, and as you can see, the game is themed around poop, because, as everyone knows, kids love poop. The game itself looks a lot like The Binding of Isaac, but of course, there's a ton of cringy voiceover work that ensures you won't mistake this game for its inspiration. All in all, this is a title created for those that love potty humor, so if you're not a fan, you'll probably want to stay far away from this release.

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

Poopdie Developer: Bulbware
Price: Free
4
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THE LAST REMNANT Remastered

Android Police coverage: The Last Remnant Remastered is the latest RPG from Square Enix to arrive on Android, available today for $20

The Last Remnant Remastered was a surprise release this week, and it's a premium port of a lackluster RPG. You see, this game forgoes the conventional method of leveling characters, and instead opts for a system that works through your weapons, the only problem is, this system is never explained. So if you plan on doing a deep dive by exploring everything this port has to offer, expect to spend a lot of your time online looking up guides on user forums. While the game itself performs fine, the port is missing controller and Shield support, showing yet again that Square is fine doing the least amount of work possible while demanding a high price for its lazy ports.

Monetization: $19.99 / no ads / no IAPs

THE LAST REMNANT Remastered Developer: SQUARE ENIX Co.,Ltd.
Price: 11.99
4.1
Download

SIMULACRA 2

SIMULACRA 2 is the sequel to the hit found-phone horror game, SIMULACRA. This time around, you'll solicit the help of the police in your search to solve the death of a young influencer. Much like the last release, the story will unfold through a UI that mimics someone's phone, because as we all know, crimes are solved by regular people as they explore the contents of a dead person's phone.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs

SIMULACRA 2 Developer: Kaigan Games OÜ
Price: 4.99
4.6
Download

Very Little Nightmares

Very Little Nightmares is a gorgeous puzzler that comes from Bandai Namco. Much like a point and click adventure game, it will be your job to explore the game's beautiful surroundings to eventually escape from a hostile house that seemingly has no exit. In order to survive this adventure, you'll have to solve many different puzzles, and they can be challenging, so make sure to bring your thinking cap if you want to play through Very Little Nightmares to completion.

Monetization: $6.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Reiner Knizia Yellow & Yangtze

Reiner Knizia Yellow & Yangtze is a digital board game adaptation that arrived on the Play Store this week. The goal of this title is to expand your civilization by placing tiles that represent the five facets of a thriving kingdom, such as governors, soldiers, farmers, traders, and artisans. In the end, your legacy will be judged by your weakest category, so since you're playing the role of a wise leader, you must maintain harmony in your kingdom to achieve victory.

Monetization: $9.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Rome 2077: Space Odyssey

Rome 2077: Space Odyssey is a top-down space shooter, and unlike similar shooters, you're free to explore the expanse of space to search out better equipment. This equipment has no direct upgrade path, so you are free to experiment with the weapons that suit your playstyle best, which is what makes this game such a hoot to play, the fact that your choices are your own.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Bullet Man 3D

Bullet Man 3D is a casual arcade game where you'll line up your shots in order to kill all of the bad guys displayed in each level. The setup is simple. Just point and shoot, and if you aim correctly, you'll gun down your enemies with ease. The thing is, as you progress, you'll have to use the walls of each level to your advantage by ricocheting your shots so that you use as few bullets as possible to take down your targets.

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

Bullet Man 3D Developer: CrazyLabs LTD
Price: Free
4.2
Download

Old School Musical - Pocket Edition

Old School Musical - Pocket Edition is an extremely odd game. Its rhythm-based gameplay is definitely on point, and there's a total of 55 songs to play through, which should keep players busy for a good while. Of course, it's difficult not to notice that the entire game is themed around a quirky atmosphere where you'll venture through a chicken republic (so random, I know), so make sure you're prepared for something that's a little stranger than the rest of the games in today's list.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $3.49 a piece

ALTER EGO

Alter Ego has been available for Japanese players for some time, but just this week, the adventure game was updated with an English patch, which means those in the West can now get in on the fun. Primarily this game plays like a stylish choose your own adventure themed around literature, philosophy, and psychology, and there are multiple endings, which adds a good bit of replayability to the title.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $9.49

ALTER EGO Developer: Caramel Column Inc.
Price: Free
4.8
Download

Word Woid

Word Woid is an interesting word-based puzzle game. It offers minimal graphics and enjoyable gameplay, where the goal is to create words out of the letter blocks on your screen. This means it will be your job to rotate and solve each puzzle, much like a Rubik’s cube, and there are over 500 levels to explore. The game also includes a hint system, just in case you get stuck on one the more challenging puzzles.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $19.99

Dumb Ways to Dash!

Dumb Ways to Dash is a spinoff title from Metro Trains, the creators of the Dumb Ways to Die series. As you would expect, Dumb Ways to Dash is a free-to-play auto-runner, and of course, there will be many horrific ways you can die as you run, which fits within the theme of series. While I can't say the release of yet another auto-runner piques my interest, I'm sure fans of the series will get a kick out of this release.

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

Dumb Ways to Dash! Developer: PlaySide Studios Ltd
Price: Free
3.7
Download

Iron Saga - Battle Mecha

Iron Saga - Battle Mecha is a gacha game through and through, and it contains an anime theme. This theme has been censored for the release in the West for some reason, which is a shame, because the core reason to play this title is to collect waifus, and now some of those waifus are censored. Of course, it's not like this is a great game, to begin with, as it is gacha release after all, so expect heavy monetization as you collect the title's censored waifus.

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

Last Kings

Last Kings is a strategy game where you'll pit large groups of your troops against your enemies to eventually rule over a world that had previously fallen into ruin. These battles will be large-scale, which appears to be a current trend in mobile games, so it's not like this title brings anything new to the table. It's also worth noting that the game currently suffers from a few bugs despite its official release on the Play Store this week.

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

Archery Club: PvP Multiplayer

Archery Club is a slightly older release, but since I've never covered the title in a roundup, I figured it was about time. This is a competitive multiplayer game, which means you'll have to put your archery skills to the test in order to see if you can defeat the competition. Each match consists of multiple game types, and there's an extensive upgrade system for your bow, which means you'll have to grind a bit to unlock some of the more useful equipment. Considering that this is a competitive game, those that pay into the title will have an easier time, but I suppose that's par for the course for a F2P release on the Play Store.

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

Phoenix Rangers: Puzzle RPG

Rovio is known for creating the Angry Birds series, and yet in the last few years, the studio has pumped out one match-3 game after another. While I'm sure there is money to be made by reskinning match-3 gameplay over and over again, you'd think the studio that came up with the Angry Birds series would have a little more dignity than to release one shallow mobile title after another. I mean seriously, what's next for Rovio, idle games? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

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

Hotel Empire Tycoon - Idle Game Manager Simulator

Hotel Empire Tycoon is the latest idle management game to arrive on the Play Store. Much like every other free-to-play game of this nature, you'll spend the majority of your time in menus micromanaging your upgrades, which I guess can be fun for a while. Still, for me, the gameplay wears thin quickly, especially since the game is monetized to the hilt.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $109.99

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