Top 10 best Android games of May 2014

Wow. What a superb batch of Android games we received in May! Truly outstanding.

Even the one game in this summary that scored a (relatively) paltry PG Bronze Award has provided me with more solid hours of entertainment than a good many Gold Award winners I could mention.

That’s not counting the two Gold Award winners that top this list, though. The first is a belated conversion of one of the best mobile physics puzzlers ever, while the other is a speedy conversion of one of the hottest puzzlers of the moment.

The standard elsewhere is extremely strong, not to mention varied.

Check 'em out.

Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage
By Nitrome - buy on Android

It’s almost exactly a year since I reviewed the iOS version of Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage. Back then, it was the debut game for Rovio’s new publishing arm, Rovio Stars.

Now it’s a plain and simple Nitrome game, but it’s just as good as ever. The idea is to guide your dispersed clan of fellow Vikings into the safety of your ship using you uncanny grasp of physics.

The ways in which you do this are as varied as they are brilliant, incorporating slicing ice, swinging ropes, and firing cannons. It’s a bit of an uber-casual puzzler, all things told, taking elements from several pre-existing games and rolling them into one witty, charming whole.

Monument Valley
By ustwo - buy on Android

Here’s another supreme example of the casual puzzler genre. Aside from quality, though, Monument Valley couldn’t be much more different to Icebreaker.

This is an arty, abstract affair that takes the works of M.C. Escher as its chief inspiration. You have to manipulate the game’s impossible isometric structures so that they match up in impossible ways, according to your own fixed perspective rather than a realistic reflection of 3D space.

If that all sounds a bit precious and high-minded, don’t worry - it’s as accessible and charming as it is clever.

OTTTD
By SMG Studio - buy on Android

The title stands for 'Over The Top Tower Defence,' which tells you everything you need to know about the game, really.

OTTTD is classic tower defence cranked up to the max with a sharp comic book art style and a deeply silly sense of humour. The action, meanwhile, is bombastic to the extreme, with great chunky weapons and lashings of cartoon gore.

You also get a nice real time strategy twist whereby you direct a single hero unit to repair units and engage enemies.

JoyJoy
By Radiangames - buy on Android

Just when you thought you’d played your last twin-stick shooter, JoyJoy comes along to remind us why we loved the genre in the first place.

It’s a super-slick example, with a cool minimalist art style (as we’ve come to expect from Radiangames) and a rock-steady frame rate. Meanwhile the shooting action is tough but fun.

Despite the carnage, there’s an oddly calming atmosphere created by the game’s soft palette and ambient bloops.

Bridge Constructor Medieval
By Headup Games - buy on Android

It’s not just a quirky historical setting that Bridge Constructor Medieval adds to the original. It’s the variety that comes with that setting.

While the core premise of sketching out a series of bridges that can take the load of crossing traffic (horses and carts rather than cars) remains, there’s an additional defensive element.

You must fend off bombardments from the enemy, and even set traps as they try to cross your constructions.

It’s a loveable mish-mash of physics-based puzzling and strategy that builds on the solid foundation of the original nicely. And yes, that was a construction pun.

Dragon Quest VIII
By Square Enix

We’re used to seeing Square Enix JRPG conversions, but they typically come from the Final Fantasy series. This one’s from the Japanese publisher’s other great brand.

Dragon Quest VIII is one of the finest games in the series, marking the move to an opulent 3D engine. It’s just gorgeous, though the gameplay is resolutely traditional.

This conversion is pretty decent, moving to a portrait view so you can play it one-handed on your Android phone. Some things are lost, including the fantastic voice acting and orchestral score of the PS2 original, but the essence of this wonderfully warm-hearted RPG remains.

CastleStorm - Free to Siege
By Zen Studios - download on Android

CastleStorm was already a pretty packed experience on PS Vita - and that version had the benefit of physical controls. There’s no way it could work on touch-only smart devices, right?

Wrong. Somehow, this busy mishmash of 2D castle defence, Angry Birds-style physics destruction, and hack-and-slash action works brilliantly on Android.

Developer Zen Studios has imbued each element of CastleStorm - Free to Siege with a sense of heft and class, not to mention humour.

Tiny Dice Dungeon
By Kongregate - download on Android

This loving tribute to the turn-based Japanese RPGs of yore is an unexpected delight. It leans on the random element of such games stronger than most, but doesn’t suffer for it.

The damage you inflict on your enemies is decided by the roll of a die. Roll a one and you miss your attack entirely. Roll more than your opponent has health and you’ll receive the benefit to your own health. It’s surprisingly tactical, in a gambling kind of way.

Add in a bunch of loving pop culture and gaming references and a gorgeous retro art style, and you can count us completely won over.

Scurvy Scallywags
By Beep Games - download on Android

We’ve seen quite a few match-three puzzler RPG mash-ups now, to the point where it no longer feels fresh. Scurvy Scallywags manages it, though.

That’s because it’s from the twisted mind of Ron "Monkey Island" Gilbert. As such, it’s packed full of delightful piratical humour and lovably daft sea shanties.

At heart it’s a familiar game of matching symbols in a grid, but the extra polish and attention to detail really makes it stand out from the crowd.

Trials: Frontier
By Ubisoft - download on Google Play

There’s a palpable sense of disappointment around the first Trials mobile game, partly because of its increasingly naggy freemium system, and partly because the gameplay isn’t quite as sophisticated as the great console games from which it takes its name.

But taken alone on its own merits, Trials: Frontier is a compelling experience. Its brand of stunt biking is pleasingly intuitive, while the level of polish applied to its cheery post-apocalyptic world is pretty uncommon on Android.

Even if (when) you hit an IAP-shaped wall, you’ll have enjoyed hours of tight gameplay to get to that point. So, why not give it a spin?

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Top 10 best Android games: April 2014
Top 10 best Android games: March 2014
Top 10 best Android games: February 2014
Top 10 best Android games: January 2014
Top 10 best Android games: December 2013
Top 10 best Android games: November 2013