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Sometimes, a simple mechanic is all you need to wind down, and match-3 games offer this better than any genre available for the best Android gaming phones. The gameplay loop of matching colored blocks is popular enough that creative innovation is required to keep things interesting, not to mention it's a malleable genre that can fit with literally any context or art style. So, the sky is the limit.
After testing Paper Trail's challenging and clever puzzles, I can't wait for this game to launch
This indie game is as beautiful as it is innovative
Game development is a unique journey for every studio, but few approach a title like Newfangled Games has done with Paper Trail. The first game from the indie studio, Paper Trail, offers players the opportunity to explore a foldable paper world filled with unique mechanics.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home Netflix Games guide — How to become a WWI war hero
An impressive title most befitting for Netflix Games
Netflix Games delivers another gem on its premium gaming platform: a sequel to the stellar Ubisoft hit Valiant Hearts: The Great War. In Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, you're thrown into an emotionally turbulent split narrative that re-tells the events of World War I. Playing through this sequel puts you in the shoes of wartime heroes and what it means to survive difficult times. However, even if Coming Home is a work of fiction, it doesn't fail to tug at your heartstrings while making significant historical callbacks. So if this is your first time playing a game like Valiant Hearts: Coming Home on your trusty Android phone, we've put together a handy beginner's guide to run down the title's primary mechanics, as it's easily one of Android's best games.
World of Goo relaunches on Android and it's just as great as you remember
Remastered visuals bring this award-winning puzzle game into the modern day
World of Goo has been kicking around on the Play Store since its 2011 release, but Netflix Games has snapped up the abandoned game and remastered it for the modern day. Fans of the original will be happy to note that not much has changed here, barring a few improvements we doubt anyone will complain about, like cleaner graphics.
Indie puzzler Papers, Please brings its thought-provoking border control gameplay to Android
As an immigration inspector, you'll get to choose if you're loyal to the state or willing to use your position of power for your own means
Papers, Please started as a PC release in 2013, coming from Lucas Pope, the same indie dev behind Return of the Obra Dinn. Eventually, the dystopian puzzle game found its way to the iPad and PlayStation Vita, but a smartphone version was always missing from the lineup. Thankfully the developer recently revealed he would be bringing the game to Android and iOS on August 5th, which is today, so just as promised, Papers, Please is finally available on the Google Play Store.
Puzzle Quest goes free-to-play, ruining what made the original match-3 RPGs great
Puzzle Quest 3 is finally here, too bad it stinks
The Puzzle Quest match-3 series started strong on the Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable in 2007. It's an enjoyable match-3 game that combines casual matching gameplay with RPG mechanics, with the game eventually finding its way to a multitude of platforms in the years following. With that success, a sequel was released on Android as well as consoles in 2010, but that Android version is now long gone, leaving fans hungry for a new title in the series.
Clever perspective puzzler Moncage is now available on Android
Indie dev Optillusion's promising debut, now pocket-size
Optillusion is a new indie developer that just released its first game today, and it's a doozy. This game is called Moncage, and it's a drop-dead gorgeous puzzler that offers a uniquely interesting mechanic. You see, the whole game takes place in a cube that you can rotate, and each side offers unique imagery. In order to solve the game's puzzles, you'll rotate this cube to line up the perspective of the cube's imagery. The goal? To collect photos of your perfectly aligned imagery, which reveals the story of the game. Moncage is an interactive optical illusion puzzle game, and not only is the presentation superb, but the gameplay is also a hoot that's perfect for play on a touchscreen.
Dr. Mario's about to lose his medical license
Nintendo will shut down Dr. Mario World on November 1st
It looks like all those pills Dr. Mario was prescribing willy-nilly have ended his career. Nintendo has announced that Dr. Mario World isn't long for this world, and so the game will be shut down on November 1st. Starting today, the title's in-game currency (Diamonds) are no longer being sold. Oddly enough, your play history will remain available after Dr. Mario World is shut down, which will be moved to an accessible web page once the servers are offline.
Play video: Baba Is You is one of the best ways to spend $7 on Android
If you're looking for an Android-specific gameplay video, you're in the right place
Baba Is You is considered one of the best indie games from 2019, and since it recently landed on Android, I figured I'd take it for a spin while recording my findings. This is an indie puzzle game that has found tons of success on every platform it's been released on to date, and so the arrival on Android is welcome indeed. The thing is, everyone might not be familiar with this mind-bending puzzler, and even if they are, they might want to know precisely how the Android port performs and plays. This is why I've recorded the first 20 minutes of the game. So if you've been holding out to see what the mobile version of Baba Is You is all about, here's a fresh gameplay video that should answer all of your questions.
Baba is You was one of the best games of 2019, but if you have yet to play it, it's finally coming to Android and iOS. A clever puzzle game where you win by changing the rules, it's a perfect fit for smartphones, and it's out on the Play Store right now.
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505 Games recently purchased the developer Infinity Plus Two, a studio that owned the rights to the Puzzle Quest match-3 series. This series started out in 2007 and is fondly remembered thanks to the fact it popularized RPG mechanics in match-3 games, adding depth to the genre, all while offering a fair price point. Of course, things have changed over the last 14 years, and now the match-3 genre is pretty much synonymous with awful monetization, especially on mobile. Well, 505 Games has just announced that it will bring Puzzle Quest 3 to mobile and PC later this year. Sadly we already know the developer plans to launch the title as a free-to-play release, so I wouldn't get my hopes up for this long-awaited follow-up since its stated direction is worrying.
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead now available on Android as a premium release
If you enjoyed the previous Bridge Constructor games, you're going to love this
After the success of Bridge Constructor Portal, it would appear Headup Games has been working on a new branded release for the franchise that's themed around The Walking Dead TV show. Well, the studio recently teamed up with the YouTuber Drae to show off the game in action, and while the commentary is often cringeworthy, the 20-minute video still offers a solid look at how Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead plays. So if you'd like to take an early look, Drae's video is available below the break.
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
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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.
Ubisoft already offers many free games on the Play Store, but most are stuffed with in-app purchases. Well, it would seem Ubisoft is giving back for once with its latest release Rabbids Coding. This is an educational game designed to help kids over the age of 7 learn basic programming skills. You see, those pesky Rabbids just trashed a space station, and so it will be the player's job to fix things by creating sequences of commands that will remove each Rabbid from the space station, one by one.
Watch the OnePlus Crackables puzzle game finale stream right here
$10,000 grand prize plus an extra $10,000 to a coronavirus-benefiting charity of the winner's choice
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OnePlus' Crackables puzzle game from 2018 is back. A collaboration between OnePlus and Google, the new Crackables 2.0 is offering a 10,000 cash grand prize for the winner, with another $10,000 going to charity. The game started just a few minutes ago at noon (ET), and you can play now.
Heal: Pocket Edition is a heartfelt adventure game that delves into the realities of dementia
A short but worthwhile experience
Heal: Pocket Edition is a brand new point and click adventure game from the creator behind the successful Distraint puzzle-horror series, Jesse Makkonen. Unlike the Distraint series, where psychological horror takes a front seat, Heal: Pocket Edition delves into the realities of dementia. This means it will be your job to guide an old man through the game's gloomy puzzle-filled world as you piece together a tale that's primarily told through atmosphere instead of text. This means Heal is something of an experimental release that offers a heartwarming story that's primarily revealed through gameplay, and you can pick up the Android version today for $4.99.
Indie puzzler Path to Mnemosyne just landed on the Play Store
Crescent Moon Games brings Path to Mnemosyne to Android
DevilishGames' indie puzzler Path to Mnemosyne was just published on the Play Store by Crescent Moon Games. The title has been available on consoles and PC since 2018, and today marks the official release on mobile. Most notably, Path to Mnemosyne offers a unique black and white design where the game's hand-drawn path continually zooms out, making for a surreal experience that's almost hypnotic. Of course, puzzles will play a significant role in your progression to ultimately restore a young girl's lost memories.
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash turns the farming sim into a casual puzzler, now available on the Play Store
Natsume's Harvest Moon: Mad Dash has finally made its way to mobile
Out of nowhere, Natsume just released Harvest Moon: Mad Dash on the Google Play Store. Unlike the titles in the core Harvest Moon series, this release is not a farming simulator, at least not in the traditional sense. Harvest Moon: Mad Dash is actually a casual puzzle game that was released on consoles and PC at the tail end of 2019. While I had no doubt the title would eventually make its way to mobile, the fact that it was unceremoniously published on the Play Store this morning still came as a surprise.
3D puzzle adventure The House of Da Vinci 2 is out on the Play Store
If you like The Room, you'll probably also like The House of Da Vinci
The House of Da Vinci is a well-received, crowd-funded puzzle adventure game that lets you take the role of Leonardo da Vinci's promising apprentice. After your master's disappearance, you have to comb through his house to find clues on what happened to him. Four years after the original title, the Slovakian indie studio Blue Brain Games has now released the aptly-named follow-up on the Play Store, The House of Da Vinci 2. It follows mostly the same successful mechanics from the first title, only this time, you're going to travel through time to observe a "series of mysterious events that led to the greatest discovery in human history."
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry is a point and click adventure game that's the newest title in the franchise. The game has been available on PC and consoles for some time now, but as of today, it has been officially released on Android. Much like the previous titles in the series, this is an adventure game for adults, and since I grew up playing these classics, I'm happy to report that you can still expect the same potty humor as the originals. This means Wet Dreams Don't Dry isn't a game for children, though if you have a penchant for sexually-themed puns, it would appear today's release is a return to form.