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 a wonderful block-based puzzler, a gorgeous point and click adventure game, and an enjoyable puzzle-based adventure game. No kidding, the top of today's roundup is absolutely packed with quality games. So without further ado, here are the new and notable Android games released during the week of August 31, 2020.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Games
Unit 404
Unit 404 is a block-based puzzler, but not in the way you're thinking. This isn't a falling block game like Tetris, oh no, this is a 2D platformer where you'll move and rotate blocks in order to make your way to each stage's goal. The graphics are pleasant, and every puzzle is unique. So if you're looking for an enjoyable and stylish puzzle game to play through, Unit 404 is definitely a recommended choice this week.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Oraiah
Oraiah is an empire builder where you'll embolden your army and infrastructure by micromanaging your kingdom as you expand into new territories, which means this is a strategy game. Oraiah is a premium release, so it offers a complete experience, and while the UI is a little simple looking, the kingdom-building gameplay holds its own. For once, someone released a strategy game that isn't filled with horrible monetization, and while the title could use a little more polish, it's still an enjoyable game.
Monetization: $4.49 / no ads / no IAPs
Truberbrook
Truberbrook is a gorgeous point and click adventure game that's been around since 2018, but seeing that the game was ported to Android this week, it's potentially worth a revisit. Sure, it may not be the most popular adventure game out there, but it definitely looks nice thanks to its handmade scenery. The primary campaign should last most players five-and-a-half hours, though the lack of depth to the game's puzzles and story may hold a few people back. Luckily Truberbrook supports Google Play Pass, so if you're a subscriber, you can play right now at no extra cost.
Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Bright Paw
Bright Paw is a both a striking and enjoyable puzzle-based adventure game that reminds me of the mobile title CLARC. Both games are all about solving puzzles by interacting with environments, and they both offer an isometric view. So essentially, this is an escape room game, and it provides over 70 hand-crafted stages, so it should keep puzzle fans busy for a good while, ensuring this game is worth the asking price. Don't miss out, folks, this is a fun little puzzle game.
Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale
Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale is the followup to Meteorfall: Journeys, and much like the first game, this too is a card-based roguelike. Luckily the gameplay is totally different, deviating from the simplistic swipe-based play of the original while offering much more depth. You'll still get to explore dungeons, but this time around, you'll have to manage the board much more carefully, thanks to a new grid-based system. So while this is still a solo deck-building card game, it's nowhere near as casual as the original title.
Monetization: $6.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Undefeated
Undefeated is a cartoony story-driven game that was created to offer public information and training for tuberculosis patients and their families, and it was financed by the European social fund and National budget. So it would seem this game serves more as a public service announcement about the trials and tribulations people can expect to run into if they or a family member end up with tuberculosis. Luckily this is a polished title that offers a heartfelt story, so really anyone can enjoy it.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Bombr.io
Bombr.io mixes together the fun of the Bomberman series with an io game, all to create a hectic bomb-dropping title packed with explosions. There are 60 characters to collect, and plenty of powerups will be at your disposal, and of course, the goal of the game is to reach the highest score possible, which means your bomb-dropping skills will have to be up to snuff if you'd like to compete competently.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Noa Noa
Noa Noa comes from Noodlecake Studios, and it offers an odd mix of Tamagotchi-like pet raising with Pokémon-like collection aspects. So not only will you get to raise unique creatures, you'll collect their eggs to then see if you can hatch more interesting creatures to raise. This is a virtual virtual-pet-collector, and while that may be tough for some to wrap their mind around, the gameplay is simple enough for anyone to pick up this title to have a bit of fun.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs form $0.99 - $5.99
Dead Eye Deputy
Dead Eye Deputy is the latest release from Crescent Moon Games, and it's a simple wild west target shooting game. It's a level-based affair, and all you have to do is drag the crosshairs over your enemies to shoot them. The graphics are basic, and the gameplay grows stale fast. This is definitely not one of Crescent Moon's better games, so temper your expectations if you're looking for anything beyond a casual experience.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $23.99
Driving School Sim
Driving School Sim comes from Ovidiu Pop, a developer that has been pumping out mobile driving sims for more than a few years. As you would expect, this is the latest driving school sim from the dev, and it offers improved graphics and expanded content over the previous release in the series. Of course, the meat of the game consists of driving cars, which can get boring, though the new multiplayer system should allow for more fun than driving by yourself.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $94.99
Cyber Fighters: Shadow Legends in Cyberpunk City
I have no idea why developers keep pumping out fighting games with characters displayed in a solid black texture, though it's easily a money-saver thanks to the lack of detail in the foreground and fighters. Of course, this particular dev released this title at $0.99, all so they can continually list it on sale so the Play Store will list the title in more sections, providing the dev with more visibility. It's a lame tactic that's usually used by lazy devs that pump out free-to-play garbage, which goes hand in hand with lackluster clones like Cyber Fighters: Shadow Legends in Cyberpunk City.
Monetization: $0.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.00
Tintin Match
As you can see, Tintin Match is a match-3 game, which is a genre we often avoid since it's about as casual as genres get. The thing is, this game is skinned with the Tintin license, and surprisingly the title offers a fair bit of nostalgia for those that read the books. This means that the devs did their research and respected the property, at least within the game's story-based elements. Of course, like most match-3 titles, this is still a game filled with greedy in-app purchases as well as terrible gameplay balancing that pushes players towards the game's IAPs, so in the end, does little to separate itself from the cash-grab match-3 crowd.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Final Order
Final Order is an early-access release, and it's described as a real-time MMO strategy game, though really it's just a Clash of Clans clone that sports a bunch of cool-looking Kaiju. So if you're really into giant monsters, perhaps you'll get a kick out of this release, though the title's aggressive monetization and grindy gameplay ensures that this title is often annoying to play instead of fun.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Murderous Pursuits
One thing is for sure, NetEase offers some interesting clones, even if the majority are monetized heavily. Murderous Pursuits is the latest mobile release from the publisher, and it's a PvP stealth game all about murdering people. Each player will choose their roll and then set out to murder without getting caught by the other players tasked with similar roles. Basically, this is a clone of The Ship: Murder Party, and while this clone has existed on Steam for a while, it just made its way to mobile this week. At the very least, the game is currently free, so this is the best time to jump in before the game is inevitably monetized.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower
Apparently, Games Workshop will license out the Warhammer property to anyone, and so Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower is the latest mobile title to brandish the license. As you would expect, this is a free-to-play game, and it offers your typical mobile strategy game setup that requires no skill. At certain points, you are met with grind walls, gating progression while purposefully annoying the player in order to get them to spend money to alleviate the issue. So if you were expecting a game that actually respects traditional Warhammer mechanics and gameplay, you're out of luck. Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower is a cash grab through and through.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
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