GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new mobile games for iOS and Android - September 24th 2020
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 everything from mechanic-juggling tabletop adaptations to ghostbusting mice. That said, we do stop off at a wonderful, narrative-RPG, a capitalist tower-defence title and an adorable platformer about a pair of pandas.
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 Twitter or join our Discord.
Anyway, without any further delay, click on the big, blue button below to find out more about what we believe to be the top five of the games which released on mobile over the last week.
1
Rip Them Off
Rip Them Off is a minimalist tower-defence game all about maximising profits through observing the path of consumers and putting the best products in their path. Once you're past the tutorial level you'll understand most of the symbology, and when you combine the cleanliness of that with the clean UI and sleek design it's hard to not be fascinated by the art direction on show.
Rip Them Off is available now for the App Store.
2
Terafyn
In the words of our reviewer Cathy, "Terafyn is immersive fantasy at its finest. The game expertly wields the power of a strong narrative to pull you into the magic of its lands and the mystery of its enchanting creatures with every single word, all under the guise of a collectible card game RPG."
Terafyn is available now for both the App Store and Google Play
3
Swap-Swap Panda
Serial cutesy-platformer creator Neutronized is back with yet another. This time it's Swap-Swap Panda, a game about swapping out the panda that you are controlling in order to overcome a variety of classic obstacles. As per the Neutronized library, it's a lovely looking platformer with some cool mechanics and refined controls.
Swap-Swap Panda is available now for both the App Store and Google Play
4
Mousebusters
Okay, this is a really great one among a list of great ones. Mousebusters has you take on the role of ghostbusting mice, and it's all realised in a perfect retro-style and set in a world filled with character. Set aside any translation issues and just lose yourself in something that, frankly, has the charm of an early-DS era Nintendo IP.
Aside from the possible looming lawsuit, I hope that Mousebusters is a game that we hear more and more about.
It's available on both the AppStore and Google Play right now.
5
Root (DWD)
If you're not big into board games then you might not have heard of Root before now. If so, that's quite a shame. Root is easily one of the most interesting games out there and the digital version, from digital board game masters Dire Wolf Digital, completely captures that. The thrill of the game comes in how different factions use different game mechanics. We're not talking about one getting wood and another getting stone though - some are expansion focused, while others are engine buiders... completely different playstyles, and the digital version captures that perfectly.
Root is available now on both the AppStore and Google Play.
