GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new mobile games for iOS and Android - May 28th
It's that time again! Time for another entry into our long-running GAMES OF THE WEEK series.
If you're looking for the best 5 games which have hit the iPhone, iPad or Android stores this week then you've landed yourself at the exact right place at just the right time. Lucky, lucky you.
With this article, we skirt around the droves of subscription services (Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, GameClub, Hatch, and all of their friends) which have launched onto mobile platforms over the years. We also don't factor in things like Steam Link or Google Stadia which allow streaming to handheld devices - and would open up this list to almost every game under the sun.
What that means is that our list is a finely curated list of brilliant, fresh titles which you can download and play without subscribing to, or installing, any third-party initiative. Of course, there are some great games on those services, but, let's focus on the stuff that you can grab right now.
This week we've got a dark-fantasy gamebook, a mind-bending puzzler and a chicken-bouncing platformer, all that and much more.
Remember, if you're looking to check through some of our previous selections then you can always do that at our Games of The Week Hub, it's a great way to find games to fill out that empty storage space on your phone. Or, if you like your news in bitesize chunks, delivered straight to your palm then maybe follow us on our Twitter.
Anyway, without any further delay, click on the big, blue button below to find out more about our top five of the games which released on mobile over the last week.
1
WarQuest: Game of the Gods
I do love a good gamebook, and WarQuest is - and I say this having finished the first of three chapters - a great gamebook. While the dark fantasy setting isn't really anything new, the developers have done a decent job of realising it and have even added in quite a few quality of life features which aren't regularly in these games. You can, for instance, click on certain locations, gods and concepts and get snippets of lore - meaning you can control exactly how much you need to invest into the world-building.
WarQuest: Game of the Gods also does something quite interesting with the in-app purchases. There's no advertising, you simply pay to top up a currency which can be used to top-up your health or energy. To clarify, I never got even close to dying or running out of energy throughout the entire first chapter.
Well worth a download, WarQuest: Game of the Gods is free to download on the App Store and Google Play.
2
Soda Dungeon 2
I'm in a unique position when I write about Soda Dungeon 2, in that I'm already 23 hours deep into the optionally-idle RPG.
I've really enjoyed my time with it, personally ranking it higher than most of the auto-battlers and clickers which have been sent my way over the last couple of years. It's funny, it's stylish, and it's got quite a bit of content considering that it's built around loops and instance resets.
Soda Dungeon 2 is also quite cute with it's alcohol-free theming - we all know that the soda could just be a beer tap, but it's not. Similarly, we know that the crème brûlée we are attacking could just be a level 7 wendigo, but the design choice to steer away from most D&D tropes is noted.
Soda Dungeon 2 will be releasing on Google Play, the App Store and Steam later on this year, however, Android users can access it through Google Early Access.
3
Reky
iOS users might well recognise the technical-drawing aesthetic of Reky, that'll be because it launched on iOS - and other platforms - quite a while back. Well, it's out now for Android, which is definitely worthy of another mention on these very pages.
Reky is a fantastic puzzle experience which does a great job of proving exactly how smartphones can be the best place for puzzle games. It uses a lot of negative space, and simple touch controls, to deliver a deep, immersive experience that gives a great feeling of success every time you figure out a solution.
4
Alter: Between Two Worlds
Alter: Between Two Worlds is a tile-based puzzle adventure game which deals with interlaced worlds. Players will solve puzzles by moving between the two different universes, moving between both - as well as pushing objects - in order to keep progressing through the adventure.
We've not gone hands on with this one just yet, but based on what we've seen of Fivestones Games' project we're pretty certain that it is deserving of its place in this week's Games of the Week selection.
Alter: Between Two Worlds is available now through both the App Store and Google Play, it's an extremely affordable premium title which comes in at less than three dollars.
5
Super Fowlst 2
I didn't play the first Fowlst game, nor did I play the sequel: Super Fowlst. Blimey though, playing through Super Fowlst 2 really makes me wish I did that just so I could have felt the appropriate level of excitement about its release.
Super Fowlst 2 is an explosive platformer where you tap the left or right side of the screen in order to bounce a chicken up the screen. That might sound a little bit odd, or even strange, and that's why it is important to stress that the bright, cheerful (and, we are convinced procedurally-generated) levels are incredibly welcoming. That's before we mention the juicy, squishing enemies, or that there is a light-pinball theme, or that the music feels warm and cheerful throughout (and, blessedly, Donkey Kong Country inspired). Phew.
Super Fowlst 2 is easily one of the most fun, and easy to pick up and play, platformers that I have played during my time here at Pocket Gamer. While it is - due to the nature of the game - hard to let that little chicken drop down sometimes, once you've finally deprogrammed yourself from the curse of Flappy Bird I'm sure that you'll be equally caught up in its world.
Super Fowlst 2 is available for free on both Google Play and the App Store. You should go and download it.