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 new board game adaptation from Asmodee Digital. We also have a fantastic 8-bit platformer where you play as a spider and an artful philosophical game from the creators of Homo Machina. So without further ado, here are the new and notable Android games released during the week of September 14th, 2020.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

Scythe: Digital Edition

Android Police coverage: Scythe: Digital Edition is an asymmetric competitive board game from Asmodee Digital

Now that Asmodee has worked through its catalog of board games casuals would be familiar with the company is still plugging away, releasing quality ports of lesser-known board games. Scythe: Digital Edition is the latest release from the studio, and it's a fantastic adaptation of the 4X board game. You can choose to play solo or with a friend through pass and play. You can even go online if your friends or family aren't near, rounding this out as a flexible strategy board game adaptation no matter your needs.

Monetization: $8.99 / no ads / no IAPs

arachnowopunk

At first blush, Arachnowopunk might not stand out thanks to its simple graphics, but don't be fooled. This is a quality 8-bit platformer that plays like a Metroidvania title. This means you'll unlock new powers and tools as you progress, which will help you reach new heights in order to eventually complete the game. While this is a premium release that you'd normally have to purchase without ever experiencing the game, there is a free demo available on itch.io that alleviates this issue.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Arachnowopunk Developer: ELSIF games
Price: Free
5
Download

Sadhana - The way back

Sadhana - The way back comes from ARTE Experience, the same group that released the well-received puzzler Homo Machina in 2018, though despite being two years old is still in beta. Luckily Sadhana - The way back appears to be a full-fledged release, and it's a colorful puzzler that offers excellent art, though I couldn't help but feel the puzzles were on the easy side. It would seem the game focuses more on its narrative, and so gameplay takes a backseat to highlight the game's artsy philosophical story. At the very least, Sadhana is pretty cheap.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

SWORDSHOT

Swordshot is the latest release from Crescent Moon Games, and it's a casual affair where your sword will shoot projectiles at revolving shields. Amazingly some skill is required, as well as a bit of patience, which means each shot counts. Of course, the game grows stale after a while since your task stays the same throughout your journey. Luckily this is a premium release, so you don't have to worry about any scummy monetization practices ruining your fun.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

SWORDSHOT Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Price: 1.99
4.2
Download

Table Trenches

Table Trenches is an augmented reality strategy game where you can transform any surface into a battlefield. Simply scan a real-world area you would like to play on with your phone's camera, and then it's off to the races. Just make sure your lighting is good. Otherwise, issues will crop up, though that's not really the game's fault. It's just a limitation of the tech in its current form. Still, if you have the lighting to get a round going, this is an enjoyable real-time strategy game where skill actually matters.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Table Trenches Developer: DB Creations, Inc.
Price: 1.99
3.9
Download

Sol 705 Complete Adventure

Sol 705 Complete Adventure is a point and click adventure game that offers plenty of old-school puzzles to solve as you work your way through the quirky story. While I don't want to give too much away, it will be your job to make contact with aliens, and then hilarity ensues. The game's music is fantastic, and the art works well with the goofy theme. So if you're an adventure fanatic like me, Sol 705 is definitely a title worth picking up this week.

Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Rowdy City Wrestling

Rowdy City Wrestling is just that, a wrestling game, and like all good wrestling games, it doesn't take itself too seriously. You'll start out as a nobody, to then work your way to the top of your field. As you would imagine, this will be accomplished by wrestling, and luckily this gameplay is pretty fun thanks to simple controls and slick animations. So if you've yet to try a game from Brad Erkkila, Rowdy City Wrestling is a wonderful introduction to the developer's catalog.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Rowdy City Wrestling Developer: Brad Erkkila
Price: Free
3.9
Download

Hex Stars

Sure, Hex Stars is a blatant Fall Guys clone, but since the game isn't available on Android, it makes sense that an enterprising dev would take advantage of a hole in the market. As far as clones go, Hex Stars is a fine release, though it is filled with ads, and there's no way to remove them. Still, if you're looking for something to scratch that Fall Guys itch, Hex Stars will do for now.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Hex Stars Developer: Eternal Studio
Price: Free
3.6
Download

Swap-Swap Panda

Swap-Swap Panda is an enjoyable puzzle-based platformer where you'll coordinate two characters in order to reach each level's goal. As you can see, the game's 2D graphics are adorable, though the game could still use some more polish thanks to a bit of lag, though for the most part, this is an enjoyable release worth the unlock price.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $3.90 apiece

Swap-Swap Panda Developer: NEUTRONIZED
Price: Free
4.4
Download

Dreamland Solitaire: Dark Prophecy Freemium

While solitaire games are a dime a dozen on the Play Store, I couldn't help but notice that Dreamland Solitaire is a pleasant looking release that actually offers a twist on the familiar gameplay. It will be your job to rebuild a fantasy world by playing solitaire, and since this is a level-based game, you'll play your way through an assortment of obstacles in order to complete your task. All in all, the game is pretty enjoyable, even though it deviates from the typical solitaire setup.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $3.99 apiece

Tiny Robots Recharged

Tiny Robots Recharged is an early access release, and it's basically an escape room game. This means you'll work your way from room to room as you solve puzzles, all while revealing more and more of the mysterious sci-fi story. There are more than 40 levels to complete, and the entire game can be played for free with ads. Of course, if you prefer an ad-free experience, you can pay to remove them.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $4.49

Tiny Robots Recharged Developer: Snapbreak
Price: Free
4.5
Download

Soccer Manager 2021 - Football Management Game

What with Sega's success with the Football Manager franchise, it would seem everyone and their mother wants to jump on the bandwagon. Soccer Manager 2021 comes from one of these devs, appropriately named Soccer Manager, because why leave any confusion as to whether your outfit deals in generic clones. Sadly despite the game's arrival on the Play Store, it's only in early access, and apparently, the queue is full, so it looks like this clone is popular for some reason.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $54.99

Icarus M: Riders of Icarus

Not only is Icarus M: Riders of Icarus a ridiculous name that uses the same word twice in the title, it's an auto-play grindfest that's no better than the worst idle game. Sure, this MMORPG looks nice, but that's usually how these cash grabs go. They often sport flashy graphics to pull people in, but once you dig past the surface, it's easy to see that this plays just like a shallow idle game, where you'll sit and watch your numbers grow as you micromanage a constant assault of notifications.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $94.99

Idola Phantasy Star Saga

Idola Phantasy Star Saga is a waifu collection game that takes place in the Phantasy Star Universe. It offers tons of fanservice as well as greedy monetization, so I suppose this is why Sega has little to do with the title. Even as a gacha game, this release fails, thanks to difficult rerolls and multiple currencies that make it tricky for free players to keep up. Worse yet, the combat isn't any fun, and the entire thing is filled with bugs. But don't worry, all of its in-app purchases are already working wonderfully, showing exactly where this dev's priorities lay. Surprise surprise, this branded gacha game is a cash grab. Who could have guessed?

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

Final Fate TD

If you couldn't tell by the name, Final Fate TD is a tower defense game. As you can see, this title contains an anime theme and even boasts that you'll spend your time collecting waifus, so it's a gacha game at its core. Sadly the strategy-based gameplay is extremely lackluster, where skill doesn't matter, but the size of your wallet does. Yep, just like Idola Phantasy Star Saga, this waifu collector is a cash grab through and through.

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

TMNT: Mutant Madness

Every week I keep telling myself that we simply don't have enough shallow card-based RPGs on the Play Store. And every week, I'm delighted to see that more and more children's brands are being cynically used to sell what is a played out and tired formula of mobile gaming that's always monetized to the hilt. As you would expect, TMNT: Mutant Madness is one such game, and of course, there's a collection aspect included, because why come up with anything original to actually keep people playing a neverending treadmill.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $99.99

TMNT: Mutant Madness Developer: Kongregate
Price: Free
4.5
Download

CYBER

Cyber is an indie first-person shooter built in Unity, so it looks nice, but the design is still lacking thanks to zero explanations of what anything does. On top of that, like all shooters, a player base is required for online play, and since there is no player base, you'll only get to face off against bots. Clearly, this game needs a lot more polish to get off the ground, and even then, there's no guarantee people will play, which means this title has quite the uphill struggle. Of course, these issues didn't stop the dev from stuffing the title with in-app purchases.

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

CYBER Developer: Maksym Botviniev
Price: Free
Download

WTF Game Of The Week

Foil Turning 3D

Out of all of the themes to create a mobile game around, someone decided that foil turning was totally appropriate. If you've never heard of foil turning, apparently it's some newfangled trend from 2018 where you make a ball out of tin foil, to then smooth it out to create a shiny round object. Well, now there's a game that will allow you to do this virtually, though I'm not so sure why anyone would want to, which is what makes this a perfect WTF release. A word of warning, this game is filled with ads, so don't actually install it. Just point and make fun like me, as that's more enjoyable than playing this garbage.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Foil Turning 3D Developer: Gismart
Price: Free
4.4
Download

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