These are the best Android games from September 2015

Let's not pretend that September will go down as a classic month for Android gaming. It won't.

Indeed, most of the Android-based excitement in September occurred elsewhere. This was the month in which Google announced two new flagship phones, as well as detailing the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS.

In a way, then, September was more about the future of Android gaming than the here and now.

That's not to say that there weren't some fun games to play though. Check these out.

Hopiko
By Laser Dog - buy on Android

At once teeth-grindingly difficult and euphorically joyful, Hopiko is a game of extremes.

It's a swipe-based platformer of sorts, as you guide a little hopping dude around a series of infernal futuristic obstacle courses.

Speed is of the essence here, and if you stop for more than a moment you'll die. Actually, you'll probably die if you move too. It's just that sort of a game.

Power Ping Pong
By Chillingo - buy on Android

Table Tennis Touch showed that ping pong could work on mobile formats - and work well at that.

Power Ping Pong isn't as good as that minor classic, but it's still pretty darned smashing. Pun intended.

It got responsive controls, convincing physics, and a vibrant kung fu fighting aesthetic that lifts it well above the mundane back and forth of inferior table tennis games.

Spellstone
By Kongregate - download on Android

A lighter, scrappier take on Hearthstone-like card battlers, Spellstone offers a more accessible and knockabout brand of thrills.

Each scrap sees you laying down character cards, weighing up their defence and attack stats in a bid to whittle down your opponent's health bar.

It's simple, then, but Spellstone is a colourful and fun card battler all the same.

FIFA 16 Ultimate Team
By EA - buy on Android

This year's mobile FIFA ditches the usual tournament play and sticks exclusively to Ultimate Team mode: EA's IAP-fueled, card-based mode.

It's a brave choice, but not entirely unusual - Ultimate Team is very popular on consoles, and its payments system is perfectly suited to mobile.

Plus, the on-pitch action is better than ever here, with vastly improved AI, physics, and graphics.

BlockQuest
By Wonderland Kazkiri - download on Android

Imagine if you crossed Crossy Road with a dungeon crawling RPG. That's essentially what you have in BlockQuest.

You're still tapping and swiping to hop through an isometric world, but the gameplay is further embellished by combat, exploration, and a classic loot system.

BlockQuest's influences are obvious, then, but that doesn't make their implementation any less successful.

Freeze! 2
By Frozen Fun Games - buy on Android

This sequel to the multi-million selling Freeze! sees you guiding not one but two eyeballs around a selection of fiendish tilt-mazes.

It's not just a case of making things more difficult - having two characters to control also opens up a bunch of new mechanics and tactics. Liquid-based puzzles have also been stirred into the mix.

Despite these modifications, developer Frozen Fun Games has gone with the same moody monochrome art style as before. Good choice.

Champ Man 16
By Square Enix - buy on Android

Want a top football management game for your Android device? Then buy Football Manager Classic 2015. It's the best by far.

If you don't want such an involved, nuanced simulation of the game, or you have a slightly rubbish phone, or you just don't want to pay anything up front for the privilege, then Cham Man 16 might be worth a visit.

It's chock full of in-app purchases, of course, but behind those lies a reasonably faithful approximation of the beautiful game.

Blocky Highway
By DogByte Games - download on Android

This little nugget is made by the developer that made Blocky Roads, and it's got a similar Minecraft-meets-Tonka aesthetic. However, the action has swung around 90 degrees, and the gameplay has morphed into a 3D endless driver.

Just like Blocky Roads, it's hard to tell exactly why it's so appealing. Neither the premise nor the presentation are remotely original, yet it's very tough to put down.

Blocky Highway is simply another DogByte game that feels right, and that's enough to keep you coming back for more.

Order & Chaos 2
By Gameloft - download on Android

Gameloft's second slice of World of Warcraft-like MMORPG adventuring is a slick thing indeed. It's also really bloomin' big.

One thing the French developer / publisher is good at, though, is steadily introducing you to its worlds, and so this far from the most intimidating MMORPG you'll ever play.

Pick your avatar from a series of archetypes, venture out into a cartoon-fantasy world, indulge in repetitive combat, and harvest some loot. If that sounds like your idea of heaven, give it a shot.

Unkilled
By Madfinger - download on Android

"A mobile zombie-slaying FPS by any other name is probably Dead Trigger." Will Shakespeare said that. Great guy. Couldn't get him off his Samsung Galaxy.

So, Unkilled. It's by Madfinger Games, the developer behind Dead Trigger. It too is a graphically lush, schlocky, zombie-filled arcade blaster.

We're not quite sure why it merits a different name, to be truthful, but it's good solid fun all the same.

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