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's list is broken up into several segments, ranging from best, average, to mediocre. So whether you're looking for the best games of quality or are simply looking for the latest free-to-play gacha titles, you're covered. This week I have the newest release in the Drawn to Life action-adventure series, a gorgeous adventure game themed around Orwell's Animal Farm novella, and an enjoyable survival game published by Humble Bundle. So without further ado, here are the new and notable Android games released during the week of December 7th, 2020.
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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Best Games
Titles that offer fair pricing, enjoyable gameplay, polished interfaces, or are intriguing
Drawn To Life: Two Realms
Android Police coverage: Drawn to Life: Two Realms is the latest game in the action platforming series, out now on Android
Drawn To Life: Two Realms is the latest release in the action-adventure series, and much like previous games, you can design your own levels, which is a primary game mechanic. Controllers are supported, though there is no Shield TV support. All in all, this is an enjoyable platformer that should offer hours and hours of fun. So if you're sick of casual mobile games, why not give this solid console port a try.
Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Orwell's Animal Farm
Android Police coverage: Orwell's Animal Farm is a gorgeous adventure game that explores power and corruption, out now
Orwell's Animal Farm takes the famous novella and turns it into an adventure game that stays true to Orwell's work. Heck, the game is even fully endorsed by the Orwell estate. For the most part, the title plays like any text-based adventure game, but of course, you have a fascinating theme to dive into, and the game's art is quite striking too. All in all, this is a solid release that's worth checking out, especially if you enjoy old-school adventure games.
Monetization: $5.49 / no ads / no IAPs
Forager
Forager is the latest release from Humble Bundle, and it's an open-world survival game that offers a boatload of crafting. The game saw a release on iOS last month, so it would seem the Android port arrived a little late. Thankfully the game is well-reviewed on Steam, and the Android port easily holds its own, so if you enjoy spending your time exploring open worlds as you forage for items that can be used to craft better items, this is the game for you.
Monetization: $7.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Moon Raider
Moon Raider is a new release from Crescent Moon games, and it's a 2D platformer where you'll explore treacherous caves underneath the moon's surface. Think Mega Man, and you're getting close to what kind of platformer this game is. It's hectic, difficult, and totally a joy to play. So if you're looking for a fun yet challenging platformer to spend some time with, you should definitely check out Moon Raider.
Monetization: $5.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron
Well, what do you know, there's yet another Warhammer 40,000 game on the Play Store. It would seem the rights holder will license this property out to anyone, which is why there are so many Warhammer games on Android. Luckily Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron brings something new to the table since it's an aerial shooter. That's right. If you've ever wanted to fly around in Warhammer-themed aircraft while shooting down your foes, Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron is the game you're looking for. Best of all, this is a premium release, so what you see is what you get, an enjoyable shooter.
Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Giant Dancing Plushies
Giant Dancing Plushies is an odd release. It's a rhythm game that stars giant plushies that dance through an assortment of environments. The goal is to dance over as many objects as possible, destroying them so that you can earn in-game currency. This currency can then be used to upgrade your plushie's skills to then wreak even more havoc in the game's environments. Best of all, this is a premium release, so if you love rhythm games or are simply intrigued by the giant dancing plushies, I definitely recommend this title.
Monetization: $5.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Not Chess
Not Chess is another beautiful game from Tepes Ovidiu, the developer behind such hits as Cessabit: a memory game. This time around, you'll play a game of chess, but it's not like a standard game since this release is actually a puzzler. Chess rules apply, but you're tasked with collecting a coin in each stage by taking over the chess pieces on the board. You see, once you capture a piece, you turn into that piece and will have to abide by its movement ruleset. This creates a unique challenge where you have to think out your moves while also considering how your movement will change as you capture the pieces on the board.
Monetization: $2.49 / no ads / no IAPs
The Procession to Calvary
The Procession to Calvary comes from Joe Richardson, the same person behind the adventure game Four Last Things. Much like its predecessor, The Procession to Calvary is an adventure game that offers excellent art, and since it serves as a spiritual successor, thanks to the way both games take advantage of renaissance-era paintings as the basis of their theme, you can expect a familiar and thoughtfully-designed adventure game experience.
Monetization: $4.49 / no ads / no IAPs
Sleepy Squares
Sleepy Squares is a puzzle-based matching game that offers a pleasant theme and enjoyable casual gameplay. The title's mechanics are easy to learn, which is why this is a great game to pick up and put down throughout the day. You can try Sleepy Squares for free, and if you like what you see, you can unlock a few extra modes to keep yourself busy.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $3.99
Hey Duggee: The Christmas Badge
Hey Duggee is an educational TV show that's popular in the UK, and the BBC has been busy releasing games themed around this show for some time now. Luckily these are all solid children's games, and Hey Duggee: The Christmas Badge is easily another excellent title from the studio. Not only is the game's theme fitting for the holiday season, but this is also a mini-game collection, so there are six different games to play through, which should keep your kid busy for a good while.
Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs
Average Games
Titles that may not be the best-of-the-best, but still offer fun and interesting mechanics
Kids vs Zombies: Brawl for Donuts
Kids vs Zombies: Brawl for Donuts combines a twin-stick shooter with MOBA mechanics. You'll spend your time shooting zombies in order to collect donuts that can be used to upgrade your gear. The better your gear, the longer you'll survive. As you would expect, there's tons of gear to collect, and best of all, the game offers fair monetization. So unlike many titles on the Play store, you won't be pressured in this release to spend all of your money.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $4.99
Hyper Shooter 3D
Hyper Shooter 3D plays like an arcade light gun game. You'll aim and shoot your gun at each level's enemies, which is a fairly simple setup that's driven by flashy graphics. So if you're big into arcade shooters or are simply looking for an arcade game that easily passes the time, Hyper Shooter 3D is an enjoyable release worth looking into, though it's a little generic.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Kawaii Mansion: Cute Hidden Object Game
Kawaii Mansion: Cute Hidden Object Game offers exactly that. As you can see, the graphics are indeed adorable, so yes, this is definitely a hidden object game. While these types of games are typically pretty casual, it's the pleasant graphics that really sell this title. So if you're looking for a casual timewaster where you hunt down items to advance through a game's story, then you might want to check out Kawaii Mansion. At the very least, it's an ad-supported release, so you won't have to go out of pocket just to check it out.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Baby Shark Run Away
Baby Shark Run Away is a typical endless runner, though it does offer a cute them. Like most endless runners, you'll collect in-game currency that can be used to unlock new characters and powerups. These powerups can then be used to help you advance just a bit further than last time, all in a bid to reach to highest score possible.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $10.99
Kotodama Diary: weird words for comical creatures
Kotodama Diary is some sort of odd Tamagotchi-type game where you feed weird little creatures words so that they'll grow. This is the first time the title has been released in English, and it's definitely a strange release, but that's what makes it so interesting. So if you're looking for a game where you can raise pets but are tired of the usual stuff, why not check out Kotodama Diary.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Dire Wolf Game Room
Dire Wolf Game Room isn't a game perse. It's actually an app where you'll collect all of the companion apps for Dire Wolf's physical board games. That's right, Dire Wolf offers a bunch of physical games on the market, and it also offers a bunch of tie-in apps for those games, which will show up within this app once you have any of them installed on your Android device. This way, fans of Dire Wolf's games can keep all of their content in one place.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Mediocre Games
Titles that are buggy, unpolished, or offer aggressive monetization
Bio Inc. Redemption
DryGin Studios has been pumping out virus-themed games for the last year, most likely to capitalize on COVID. So far, user reviews for Bio Inc. Redemption aren't great, pointing out that the strategy game is overly complicated, but really the whole thing boils down to being a simple clicker with a medical theme, which is fitting for mobile, but rather boring. Plus, you can't play offline, probably because the title is filled with in-app purchases, which is odd since the PC release doesn't contain any.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.49 - $99.99
Wasteland Lords
Wasteland Lords is something of a survival game. You'll fill the role of a newly-appointed leader of a shelter, and so it will be your job to collect resources to build out your shelter. The thing is, there's also a roguelike bend to this release as you explore caverns in your trusty mecha. So it would seem this release offers a mashup of many different genres in an approach to see what sticks. It's like Clash of Clans meets a roguelike Final Fantasy Tactics, and of course, the dev threw in a boatload of monetization because why develop games for fun when you can ensure they are designed to suck up money.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Throne of the Chosen
Throne of the Chosen is an early access release, and it's basically a kingdom builder. The thing is, this isn't your typical kingdom builder since the game relies more on personal relationships as the drive for its content. Sadly this is still an AFK game, which means it's filled with in-app purchases, and since it's designed to play itself as you do other things, it's pretty much pointless.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Rush Royale - Random PVP Tower Defense
Rush Royale - Random PVP Tower Defense is clearly a tower defense game, and like most free-to-play titles, skill isn't a prerequisite. The game is entirely luck-based, and since it's also filled with in-app purchases, guess how your luck is going to go. That's right, the entire game is designed around pushing you towards spending money, and since it's such a simple game, I don't see why anyone would waste their time on this, let alone their money.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
Giblins: Fantasy Builder
Giblins: Fantasy Builder is a casual game where you're tasked with building a castle, but really the game works like a business sim. In order to make money, you'll have to ensure your castle is stocked with necessary items, and these items will be purchased with the money you earn from your visitor's trust. The more you're trusted, the more money you'll earn, which will allow you to buy more items to keep that trust up, which is how you advance through the title.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99
Looters
Looters is an early access release where you'll platform through stages in an effort to steal items that will be useful for creating traps to keep thieves away from your castle. It's a simple setup that has little bearing on the core gameplay as you traverse stages in search of loot. Of course, like most lazy free-to-play games, this title is filled with in-app purchases despite the fact it's unfinished.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
I Am Archer - Legend Of Arrows
I Am Archer - Legend Of Arrows looks a lot like Archero, a name that's coincidentally in this release's ID on the Play Store. Heck, it's pretty clear that both games offer similar content, so it would seem I Am Archer is a clone that's using its ID to capitalize on search terms. What's worse is that this is an early access release, so it's admittedly still in development, and yet the game is already monetized heavily. Clones released as cash-grabs, a typical day on the Play Store.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99
NBA SuperCard: Basketball card battle
Apparently, 2K has been dabbling with mobile card games, and since it found success with WWE SuperCard, the company has reskinned the title with an NBA theme. So if you enjoyed WWE Supercard but prefer sports themes, then you'll probably dig NBA SuperCard: Basketball card battle. Sadly, just like its inspiration, the game is monetized aggressively. After all, how is 2K going to continue to pay for the NBA license if the company doesn't constantly rip off its customers with low-effort junk?
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99
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