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Pocket Gamer's best mobile games of the year 2016 - Harry's top 5

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Pocket Gamer's best mobile games of the year 2016 - Harry's top 5
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| 1979 Revolution

2016 has been a pretty impressive year for mobile gaming. News-wise it might even have been the biggest year since the iPhone first came out, but that shouldn't detract from the amazing games that came out this year.

It was pretty hard narrowing this down to five, but I think I got there in the end. In that I demonstrably got there in the end, because there are only five games on this list. I'd have got in trouble if there weren't.

These might not be the best games that came out this year, but they're my favourites, and in the long run I'm pretty sure that's more important than just saying stuff was good because the internet said it was good.

Stretch Dungeon
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It wouldn't be a list that I'd written without a Nitrome game on it, would it really? This one is another brilliant reimagining of the way that mobile games should play.

Rather than controlling the prisoner that's tumbling down the screen, here you're contracting the walls of the levels.

You can use them to bounce, stop, and change the way you're falling. It's smart, it looks great, and it shows the Nitrome just gets mobile gaming.

Glitch Fixers – Powerpuff Girls

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Another game that plays around with the shape of the platformer. This time, rather than bouncing through the levels, you're coding your way through them.

You input a series of commands, then your Powerpuff Girl performs them. It's part puzzler, part adventure, and it stretches your brain in new and exciting ways.

It's so good to see that there's still space for innovation on mobile. Especially with games that are tied into a license.

Satellina Zero

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A shooter that doesn't really involve any shooting. Instead you're collecting orbs. But you need to change the colour of the orbs by tapping.

It's like Ikaruga if Ikaruga was created by a masochistic pacifist. And it's probably among the best arcade games to come out on mobile this year.

There's a real challenge here, despite the overt simplicity. And it's an awful lot of fun as well, which is always good.

Teeny Titans

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Imagine if Pokemon were based on action figures. And those action figures were the Teen Titans. And that Robin was dressed up in a dog costume.

That's basically this game. It's a deep RPG with some lovely ideas that sees you desperately trying to catch them all. From shops. Because you're collecting toys, not monsters.

It looks amazing, it's got one of the funniest sense of humours of any game released this year. And it's got Robin in a dog costume. Batman would be so disappointed.

1979 Revolution
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A massively important game about the Iranian revolution. It's tough to play sometimes, it asks some very dark questions, but you really need to play it.

Mechanically it's sort of like a Telltale game, but there's plenty more going on here as well. And it mixes real footage and stories from the revolution into its tales.

If you need proof that interactive entertainment has power, then this is a must play. It's hard, it's harsh, and it gives you a glimpse into a piece of history that has shaped the world.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.