Merge Plane - 5 games to play next
E-merge-ent possibilities
Take a glance at the top free game charts for the iOS App Store, and you'll spot that a little game called Merge Plane is doing rather well for itself, both in the US and the UK.
Curious sort that I am, I downloaded the game and gave it a quick spin. It's a reasonably compelling idle clicker with - as the name suggests - a 'merge' mechanic at its core.
This means combining two core items to make a single upgraded item - and repeating ad infinitum.
In the case of Merge Plane, this gives you better and better aeroplanes that you can then put to work earning your airline a living.
Like I said, it's pretty good fun, in a limited sort of way. But if you like Merge Plane, you're going to take off when you play these five games.
1
Evergarden
That merge mechanic instantly put me in mind of this recent gem. Evergarden is no idle clicker - it actually makes you think (shock horror!) for your fun. But at its core it's all about combining two identical items to form a single evolved form, and then repeating.
In this case, though, you have to do so within the constrained hexagonal grid of a matching puzzler. The items themselves are plants, and there are a bunch of critters looking to munch on your carefully cultivated rows.
2
Triple Town
Continuing that thought process back in time, it was Triple Town that first made the whole merging mechanic popular on mobile. Spry Fox's cute puzzler has you pulling together villages and cities from grass and trees, all in a compelling match-three puzzler format.
Watch out for those destructive bears. They'll cause you all manner of trouble, but if you can corral three together... well, we won't spoil it for you.
3
Thunderdogs
Is it the cute little pixel-art biplanes that attracted you to Merge Plane? If so, may we turn your attention to another recent game to push such flying contraptions from and centre?
Thunderdogs play nothing like Merge Plane. It's more like an .io game, as you and a bunch of real life rivals vie for control of the skies in a tense arena-based face-off.
4
Dungeon, Inc.
You want another compelling but cute idle clicker? Dungeon, Inc could be your next jam. It's got a beautiful cartoon art style, a clever dungeon-building premise, and a unique twist on the idle clicker formula with PvP battles.
We don't normally associate this genre with fresh ideas, but Dungeon, Inc. is bursting with them.
5
SpacePlan
Another unusually accomplished idle clicker, SpacePlan still has you tapping mindlessly to make numbers go up. But the surrounding elements are surprisingly smart.
It folds in a charmingly silly sci-fi narrative, which actually provides meaningful context to your repetitive actions. Plus, it wraps it all up in an achingly cool minimalist art style.