latest
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night lands on Android for $10, but it's a sloppy port
Surprise, a platformer known for poor performance underperforms on Android
Back in October (2020), NetEase caught everyone by surprise by announcing that it would bring ArtPlay's indie Metroidvania title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to Android and iOS. In the following week, the game landed on the Play Store for pre-registration, with an iOS listing hinting at a December 4th release. Well, it would appear the game has arrived a little early, which means you can already grab Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from the Play Store for .99. Of course, I've taken the game for a spin to offer my thoughts, which you can read in full after the break. But for now, let's just say the game performs just about as well as expected.
MO: Astray is a gorgeous indie platformer that just arrived on Android
After landing on the Nintendo Switch, this well-reviewed Metroidvania is now available for $4.99
Read update
You may have never heard of it, but MO: Astray is a positively-reviewed action-platformer that landed on PC in 2019 and has amassed many emphatic reviews thanks to its quality Metroidvania-like gameplay. The title comes from Archpray Inc. and appears to have been published on PC and the Nintendo Switch by Rayark International, the same company that's publishing the title on Android, probably best known for its rhythm games. So we already know the mobile port for MO: Astray is in good hands, and now you can get it on the Play Store.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is coming to Android, now available for pre-registration
It will be released worldwide as a premium game
In cooperation with ArtPlay Games, NetEase just announced that it will bring the popular Metroidvania title Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to Android and iOS, and the game will be released worldwide as a premium title, just like on consoles and PC. Bloodstained was created by Koji Igarashi, the producer behind some of the more popular Castlevania titles such as Harmony of Dissonance. This is why the 2019 release for Bloodstained was hotly anticipated, which is why I'm sure more than a few people will be excited to see how the game stacks up on mobile.
Dead Cells Legacy Update brings tons of content to the hit roguelike, now available on Android
This means you can expect new difficulty settings, biomes, enemies, bosses, weapons, skills, and mutations
Dead Cells is an extremely popular roguelike that was ported to Android back in June (2020), though the mobile version is on a different upgrade path compared to the console or PC versions. This is why the Legacy Update landed on PC back in 2019 and is only now arriving on mobile. Luckily it would appear the wait was worth it since today's update brings with it a plethora of new features and content to the Android version that's all available for free if you already own the game.
In October of last year, I broke the news that Dead Cells had popped up on the Play Store as a pre-registration listing, but the title was soon delisted. Sadly there was no way to know if that listing was a mistake, or if someone had simply pulled the trigger a little early. Well, there is no more need to guess. Motion Twin has announced a partnership with Playdigious to bring Dead Cells to mobile. The title is scheduled to be released on iOS sometime this summer, and an Android version "will come later."
Metroidvania Dandara gets Trials of Fear update, brings significant enhancements
Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition comes to Android as an extensive update to the 2018 release
Raw Fury has announced that its Metroidvania title Dandara has received a large content update today, and it's live on the Play Store. This update comes to the game free of charge, so if you already own the title, all you have to do is update it through the Play Store to see what's new. We already know that today's update brings with it new content to explore that's part of The Hidden Realms (which consists of three new areas), as well as a new boss fight, new powers, mechanics, and a new secret ending. New in-game descriptions, dialogues, and cutscenes have also been added to flesh out the game's story. So as you can see, the newly released Trials of Fear Edition offers some significant enhancements.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of the best Metroidvania games ever made, now available on Android
Out of nowhere, Konami releases Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Play Store
Talk about a welcome surprise. Konami has silently released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Google Play Store, and you can grab it today for $2.99. More importantly, this is a quality release that brings controller support, a new continue feature, content from the Sega Saturn version, and is displayed in the original 4:3 aspect ratio, so it's most likely a port of the PSP version. Really, the only thing that is missing from today's release is Nvidia Shield support.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a delightful 2D Metroidvania title, a unique chatroom adventure game, a gorgeous puzzle game that the entire family can enjoy, a unique sensory deprivation game, a casual arcade game where you get to put your wrestling skills to the test, and a new pinball collection game from Zen Studios. Without further ado:
Teslagrad was announced for Android back in September. At the time it was only available on the Play Store for pre-registration, and a release date was unknown. As of today the indie 2D Metroidvania is available for purchase. You can snag a copy right now for $4.89, which is a 30% discount off the planned retail price.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a randomly generated Metroidvania, the latest standalone expansion for The Quest series of RPGs, a premium collection-based RPG, a twist on the classic falling block arcade gameplay, a motorbike team management game, and a math-based brain teaser. Without further ado:
Hey, look at this, the Metroidvania indie hit Dead Cells is coming to Android. The listing just popped up on the Play Store a few minutes ago, and it's currently available for pre-registration. I can't promise that the publisher Playdigious didn't jump the gun a little early, so make sure to check this out while you can.
Teslagrad is one of those indie games I always heard about, but never actually took the time to play. It initially launched on Steam in 2013, and then it hit consoles in 2014. It's a Metroidvania-style 2D platformer with a steampunk setting, and you get to use your electromagnetic powers to help solve puzzles as you make your way up the long abandoned Tesla Tower. It's already listed on the Play Store if you'd like to pre-register right now, and you really should, since it will be available at a discounted price for those that do.
The beauty of Long Hat House's Dandara lies in its controls. Since it exists as a metroidvania title that includes plenty of platforming gameplay, the use of a unique shooting mechanic for its movement makes it that much more palatable on touchscreen devices. It's refreshing how well this mechanic lends itself to mobile-centric gaming thanks to how precise your movements can be. And honestly, it allows Dandara's level design and gameplay to shine just as much as they would on any other platform.