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 second title in the Danganronpa visual novel series, the spiritual successor to Soul Knight, and a delightful indie puzzler called The Machine's Garden. So without further ado, here are the new and notable Android games released during the week of August 17, 2020.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Games
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition
Android Police coverage: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition comes to Android
We've known that all three Danganronpa titles from the original trilogy would be coming to Android in celebration of its 10th anniversary, though release dates were never offered. This is why the launch for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition came as such a surprise. Now that the game is here, you can jump in to start solving murders, all so you can escape an island where your classmates are meeting their end one by one. Thankfully this is a solid port, and it's cheaper than the Steam version, which is really nice to see.
Monetization: $15.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Otherworld Legends
Android Police coverage: Otherworld Legends is the followup roguelike from the dev behind Soul Knight
Otherworld Legends is something of a sequel to Soul Knight, or at least a spiritual successor. The two games play very similarly, almost as if Otherworld Legends is just a reskin of Soul Knight with a few changes here and there. One such change is the title's horrible monetization system, blocking content behind in-app purchases. It would seem the dev got a little greedy, though upon release, there was a ton of fan blowback, so now the dev will change the monetization to make it easier for people to play for free.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $3.99
The Machine's Garden
The Machine's Garden is a delightful indie puzzler that just made its way from PC to Android. Luckily this is a solid port, and thanks to the new touch controls, it's an easy game to interact with. As you can see, the game's puzzles offer an interesting pixel-based theme, which is why this title leans so hard on its atmosphere, so expect a quality story as well. Sure, this is a short game, but the experience is well worth the asking price.
Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Ord.
Ord. is a new release from Crescent Moon Games, and it's basically a stylish text-based adventure. You can set out on a quest to defeat an evil warlock, or perhaps you'll create your own world as a god. The choice is entirely yours. This means player choice plays a big part in this game, and since this is a title that offers fast narratives that suit mobile-based play, it's an enjoyable bite-sized text adventure game worth the asking price.
Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Package Inc.
Package Inc. comes from InfinityGames, a quality publisher that already offers some of the best minimal puzzlers on the platform. As you would expect, Package Inc. offers a similar feel to may of the studio's games, so much so in fact that this release fills a unique niche of package delivery, just like Traffix and Railways, two recent releases from this publisher. More or less, it will be your job to build the delivery systems for an ever-growing city, which may not be an original theme, but it's still a fun one.
Monetization: $4.49 / no ads / IAPs $1.99 apiece
Star Way: Deadly Atmosphere
Star Way: Deadly Atmosphere is a slightly older release from earlier in the year, but thanks to a recent viral post on 9GAG, I took the title for a spin. It plays a lot like the majority of action gravity games, where you'll try to reach the end of each level by jumping you ship from orbit to orbit until you reach your destination. There's even an endless mode for those who want to see just how far they can get without dying.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Save the Date
Save the Date is a dating sim, which I normally wouldn't cover in a game roundup since these types of games tend to be filled with low-quality garbage. Luckily Save the Date stands on its own as a humorous take on the genre where you'll be presented with choices after a catastrophe, and so it will be your job to literally save the date. Essentially this is a puzzle game with a dating sim skin, so don't let the dating theme fool you. There's some fun to be had here.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs ?
Monster Dash
The last we saw of Monster Dash was when it was removed from the Play Store in 2017 after the dev had given up on the title. Well, it would appear that sunsetting your most successful games isn't the best idea, and so Monster Dash is back. Of course, it comes complete with a bunch of new tweaks, refreshes, and updates, which means the game now plays like a modern release. Sadly this also means if you were still playing the 2017 version, all of your data will be wiped if you choose to update the game.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $8.99
Outbreak Chamber
Outbreak Chamber is an early access release, and it's also an enjoyable sorting game. It will be your job to sort germs by color, and since these germs are continually dropping on the screen, you'll have your work cut out for you. A sense of advancement is provided by the powerups you earn as you play, but for the most part, this is a rather simple release that plays best in short bursts.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $11.99
iMonster Classic - Hero Adventure
iMonster Classic - Hero Adventure is an early access release, and it's basically a roguelike RPG, so the game's dungeons are randomly generated, ensuring tons of replayability. Sadly the title is monetized aggressively, which means advancing through the game will become more and more difficult, essentially pushing the player towards in-app purchases to alleviate the game's roadblocks. Still, playing for free is viable, you'll simply spend the majority of your time grinding.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $69.99
Kingdom of Heroes :Tactics war
Kingdom of Heroes :Tactics war comes from NEOWIZ, a developer that clearly loves gambling games. Surprise surprise, this RPG mainly plays like any other gambling game, seeing that this is a gacha title filled with collection aspects and in-app purchases. Funny how a dev's publishing history tells the full story. After all, who doesn't want to play through yet another generic waifu collector, and apparently, it's one that's stingy with its drops? Doesn't NEOWIZ know you release gacha games with exceptional drop rates to build a user base before you drop the hammer? Talk about amateur hour.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $89.99
Bangbang Rabbit!
Bangbang Rabbit! is an early access release (does anyone actually release finished titles anymore?), and it plays like a brawler, and so you'll work your way through the game's stages as you slice and dice your enemies. As you progress, you'll unlock new skills that will help you through the game's tougher levels, and with so many skills on offer, you can create your own custom combos, which really elevates the gameplay. So for once, there's a brawler on mobile that actually offers some depth, though the game's IAPs definitely saddle what could have been a great game.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Shadow Knight Premium: Stickman & Fighting Game
Shadow Knight Premium was released this week as a $0.99 app, and then it was placed immediately on sale, which is how developers take advantage of Google's inability to create worthwhile discovery on the Play Store. This way, the game shows up on sales lists while also getting listed in the typical gaming sections. The game itself is a standard stickman fighting title that uses black textures because it's cheaper than hiring an artist for the game's artwork. All around, this is a lazy affair cynically listed as a premium version in order to gain more sales through Google's lazy store design.
Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99
Archer: Danger Phone
Oh boy, someone has created yet another horrible Archer game for mobile. How can I hold my excitement back? I didn't even know the show was still on the air at this point, but I guess the 11th season is launching soon, so some jerk decided to skin an idle game with Archer art. As expected, the title is filled with greedy monetization, all for a gaming genre designed not to be played. This, this is what's wrong with mobile gaming, crap like Archer: Danger Phone.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99
Supremacy 1: The Great War Strategy Game
Supremacy 1: The Great War Strategy Game is described in its promotional art as "one of the best strategy games ever made," and it's shown in quotes as if someone actually said this, but of course, there's no name attached to this fake quote. I also find it odd that both the game's trailer and screenshots don't actually show the game in action, whatsoever, almost as if the developer for this release is hiding how horrible the game actually plays. Of course, a quick look at the title's in-app purchases seals this release's fate. It's a cash grab, though and through.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $189.99
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