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6 cheerful mobile games you can play to make yourself happier instantly

Overcome the winter blues with these Pocket Gamer recommendations

6 cheerful mobile games you can play to make yourself happier instantly

Blue Monday was this week. Blue Monday is an entirely made up thing, but then so are all the weird human rituals we like to engage in, so who are we to look a content gift horse in the mouth?

Rather than focusing on all the doom and misery in the world though, here at Pocket Gamer we thought it was a good idea to spread some sunshine and joy.

So we gathered some of our finest writers together, and asked them a simple question – what's the one mobile game that makes you happy? Strangely enough no one said Flappy Bird.

If you've got a game that always puts a smile on your face, then let us know in the comments. Together, we can turn Blue Monday into shiny yellow joyous Monday. Which has a much better ring to it.


Harry Slater - Deputy editor / grump

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build - Download for iOS / Android

Sometimes I just like to sit down and have a ponder. If I get to sit down on a bench, then that’s even better. Which is why A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build is my happy place.

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It’s a puzzle game that takes things slow, that lets you take stock. It doesn’t push you to solve everything at once, it lets you wander your own path, picking your challenges.

And above and beyond all of that, it’s chock full of cheery snowpeople. If you can find a game with a bigger heart on the App Store then I’ll give you, and it, a massive hug.

Click here to read our A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build review


James Gilmour - Video legend

Cut the Rope 2 - Download for iOS / Android

Is it even possible to feel sad while feeding delicious candies to an adorable and slobberingly grateful green monster?

Cut the Rope is a heartening mobile experience for a number of reasons. The ingenious use of the touchscreen to let you slice through rope with a satisfying swipe. The clever and inventive puzzles which test your brain and reward your creativity.

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But the icing on the cake is the look of delight on Om Nom's face when you finally deliver that dangling candy into his drooling mouth. Just look at his little face. He so happy. Now you happy too.

Click here to read our Cut The Rope 2 review


Jon Mundy - Feature writer extraordinaire

Blocky Roads - Download for iOS / Android

In the storyboard intro to Blocky Roads your brick-headed farmer sheds two tears at the desolation of his farm by a freak tornado. It's the first and last hint of sadness in the whole game.

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From its chunky 'Sega-does-Minecraft' aesthetic (with happy face emotes) to its tactile knock-about physics and a near-constant sense of progression, it's a game that's always eager to please.

Which probably explains why Blocky Roads is one of the first mobile games I'll turn to when I'm stuck somewhere I'd rather not be.

Click here to read our Blocky Roads review


Emily Sowden - News hound and social media whizz

Hidden Folks - Download for iOS / Android

Despite its monochromatic appearance, there's so much in this hidden object game that'll make you smile. From cute characters to the adorable sounds they make, each level has a minimum goal though you can keep going to complete the whole thing if you want to.

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There's no pressure, no timers, no depressing horror, it's just a bunch of characters being charming and waiting for you to find them, and it's a great distraction from life's more troublesome worries.

No, it won't pay your taxes or figure out how to cure the world's hatred, but it will make you smile.

Click here to read our Hidden Folks review


Dave Bradley - Fearsome boss creature

Bubble Witch 3 Saga - Download for iOS / Android

Every time you complete a level, young witch Stella - sporting a bright purple hat - gives you a cheery wink as she speeds off on her broomstick. That's everything cute about King's latest pop-'em-up summed up right there.

In essence, it's a bubble-bursting game ploughing the same furrow as Puzzle Bobble. But it's so inherently upbeat: even the ghosts you occasionally have to rescue look like grinning handkerchiefs and move with adorable guilelessness.

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The levels are challenging and varied for this kind of match-the-colour game, and it's saturated with a cartoon-like colour scheme that's somehow at once both energising and comforting.

Besides, any game where the villain is a fat cat called Wilbur who dresses like a pirate is worth a giggle on Blue Monday.

Click here to read our Bubble Witch 3 Saga review



Dave Aubrey - Prince of the guides

Amazing Katamari Damacy - Download for iOS / Android

Sometimes all I want in my life is rainbows and a constant sense of progression, and if that’s all you want too, then Amazing Katamari Damacy is here for you.

You roll a small ball down a straight path while avoiding obstacles and rolling over others in order to snowball your way to world domination.

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Each time you play you get a bit better, and when you see the difference between struggling to collect chess pieces at the beginning to rolling over entire houses, you’ll be keenly reminded that effort is, in a way, its own reward.

Also I like to imagine the people screaming inside as their house gets rolled around. That’s fun.

Click here to read our Amazing Katamari Damacy review
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.