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Best mobile games of the year so far: The VideoKid
In what is now the 8th entry in this extended rundown of the best mobile games of the year so far, I’ve looked to the runner genre and selected a great little 80s throwback called The VideoKid. The VideoKid This one is perhaps best described as a smart play on the NES classic, Paperboy. And while its boxy characters and environments might not be overly reminiscent of the era, the stellar audio work and garish colours positively scream retro fun. It also helps that it’s jam-packed with a silly amount of goofy references, from Back to the Future to ThunderCats. The tricky skateboarding gameplay sees you switching lanes to avoid incoming obstacles, snapping up coins, and occasion…
AndroidWebzen released the much awaited MU Origin 2
Looking for your next 3D MMMORPG fix on mobile? MU Origin 2 launches today on iOS and Android, arriving just in time to fill that gap. As the second spin-off to Webzen’s highly popular MU series, the game successfully builds upon the various foundations set by the original while thrusting players into a new rendition of MU Kingdom – full of dungeons to plunder and enemies to battle. Any MMO is only as good as the way it lets you connect with others. Webzen recognized this, and so doubled down on numerous aspects that made the original MU Origin so successful while improving upon them. Intense real-time PvP battles make their return, for example, but this is also possible acros…
Stunning MMORPG ‘MU Origin 2 is just one week from global launch
Webzen’s epic fantasy MMORPG ‘MU Origin 2 has just been announced to launch globally for iOS and Android on May 28th. For those not in the know, MU Origin 2 will be the second spinoff to the legendary MU Origin series which is set to refine the original formula, bring back fan-favourite mechanics and ideas, and deliver a gorgous and mystrious world. The game will feature three starter character classes; the Elf, which excels at ranged combat, the Dark Knight, who's all about up-close encounters, and the Dark Wizard - a powerful magic user. The real-time combat promises to be tactical, fast, and full of potential for unique playstyles. PvE will almost certainly be as great as…
Best mobile games of the year so far: Scorcher
For the 7th entry in our little rundown of the best games of the year so far, I’ve looked to a classic mobile genre – the auto-runner. There was a time when it felt like just about every new release on the App Store was a runner. While that’s no longer the case, we still see enough of them that it’s fairly tricky for one in particular to stand out from the crowd. And Scorcher, the latest release from Radiangames, manages to do just that. Scorcher This one’s all about the visuals and evolving soundtrack that gracefully ebbs and flows throughout each canyon-like level. There’s a transfixing quality to the wavy, hazy look of everything, and it all comes tog…
Best mobile games of the year so far: Rush Rally 3
Time again for another entry in what is becoming a fairly lengthy showcase of the best mobile games of the year so far. This here is the 6th entry – notable for being the first racing game on the list. It’s another premium title, but I reckon it’s worth every penny. And that game is of course the stellar Rush Rally 3. Rush Rally 3 Brownmonster LTD’s rally series has rightfully taken its place among the heavy-hitters of the genre, with this latest entry in particular earning an especially strong critical reception. It’s a down-and-dirty racer that goes back to basics, perfects them, then cements itself as the ultimate rally game on mobile. Sure, it’s far…
Best mobile games of the year so far: Immortal Rogue
I’ve gone straight back to the world of roguelikes for my fifth pick, Kyle Barrett’s stellar Immortal Rogue. This one sees you playing as a particularly peeved vampire who, rather than dying, goes for an extended hundred-year nap at the end of each run. Immortal Rogue What makes this one special, besides the snappy and satisfying combat, is the way in which you can lightly alter the course of civilisation itself. By opting to focus on converting or killing, say, the societal elites, you can greatly disrupt industrial and technological progress. So, on your next run, enemies that once wielded laser guns might well have been forced to revert back to swords. Times change and chao…
Best mobile games of the year so far: DUNKYPUNG
Platformers don’t come much more devilishly difficult than my fourth pick, DUNKYPUNG, the latest release from genre-hopping developer Nathan Meunier. Of all the games I’ve listed so far, this is the one that best suits being on mobile: Fast, brutal, and incredibly moreish, DUNKYPUNG is a platformer enthusiast’s dream come true. DUNKYPUNG It’s honestly impossible not to get caught up in discussing just how tricky this game can be. You’re a little ball, or a PUNG, controlled by rhythmically tapping the screen to gain air – think Flappy Bird but infinitely more reliable. In fact, the game controls so well, with predictable physics to boot, that you’re…
Latest update for the charming QubeTown is wedding-themed and packed with new content
QubeTown, is a feature-packed town building game that offers tons of farming fun, a vibrant fantasy world to get lost in, and a wonderfully wholesome community to interact with and become part of. It’s also a game that’s seen many impressive updates since its launch earlier this year, and this latest wedding-themed event is perhaps its best yet. The primary goal of the wedding festival is to help out Bryde, an interesting new character who’s having a hard time organising her perfect wedding. In order to help her out, you’ll be tasked with gathering a floral crown, a flower macaroon, and a wedding cake – all the essentials, basically. Gathering the required i…
Lootbox RPG offers tons of great turn-based dungeon crawler adventuring
Fans of old-school dungeon crawlers will find much to love in the recently released Lootbox RPG, the latest from the team behind classic RPG Silversword. This one serves up a generous portion of 2D loot-hunting and adventuring through hell itself, with a deep spell casting system and exciting turn-based combat to boot. You play as the son of ‘His Great Unholiness’, the Devil, after being summoned home to hell in order to defend the realm from powerful invaders. Through exploring randomly-generated dungeons, helping NPCs, earning loot, and taking on the foulest of creatures, you’ll eventually grow more powerful and capable of besting the late-game bosses. Each of the gam…
Best mobile games of the year so far: Knights & Slimes
Following on from two story-driven premium titles, I’ve decided to mix things up a bit by making the third entry in this little rundown a free-to-play roguelike. This one takes the simplest of premises and enemies – the otherwise unthreatening slime – and gradually evolves both to the point where it easily cements itself as one of the best games we’ve seen all year. Kinghts & Slimes Knights & Slimes’ 5 stages each play out across 10 smaller levels, almost all of which can be bested in under a minute. Hitting a slime with your weapon will result in it splitting in two, leaving you with double the enemies to take on. Though each time you do land a succes…
Best mobile games of the year so far: Photographs
This here is part two of my little rundown of the best games of Q1 2019. The Stillness of the Wind was my first pick, and – big surprise – my second pick is yet another premium narrative-focused title. I swear I’ll mix it up for the next one. Photographs Photographs, a narrative-focused puzzler from the ‘You Must Build a Boat’ team, spans five vignettes that outwardly appear wildly different. Among them, there’s the story of a young, budding diver; a mage who aims to use her magic to prevent tragedies; and an alchemist who, together with his daughter, studies and creates cures. You’re given a brief introduction to each one, before their lives slow…
Latest update for Brown Dust adds new characters and an exciting tournament mode
Turn-based fantasy RPG ‘Brown Dust’ has become a tremendous success for publisher Neowiz thanks to its stellar visual presentation, intense combat, and compelling storytelling. Since launch, the game has received an impressive amount of fresh, fan-requested content, and its latest update might just be its best yet. The biggest draw here is the inclusion of a super challenging tournament mode, all ready and set to launch on May 30th. The top 128 players on each server will have the chance to progress through rounds, take on rivals, and earn a cache of exceedingly rare diamonds. And if you don’t quite make the cut, you can instead participate and nab some rewards by suppor…
Best mobile games of the year so far: The Stillness of the Wind
Now that Q1 of 2019 is behind us, it’s time to look back at the best of what’s released so far. It’s not all been peachy, with a number of big-name titles disappointing, but I’d wager we’ve already seen several proper GOTY candidates – most of which are premium single-player games. It’s impossibly hard to keep up with every mobile game that comes out, so this little series might spur you on to try out a few you said looked really cool but never got around to playing. So without further ado, here’s my first pick. The Stillness of the Wind It’d be easy to downplay this one’s successes, shrugging it off as a dreary take on somethin…
Mortal Kombat 11 on Switch look like another super impressive mobile port
With Mortal Kombat 11 now available for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch, the big question of how that mobile port stacks up against the home console versions has now been answered. And, for the most part, it seems like pretty good news. It comes as an especially big surprise that it’s decent seeing as we only got our first look at the port less than a week ago. Unsurprisingly, the Switch version has taken a noticeable hit to resolution – with the cutscenes in particular looking fairly murky, to my eyes below 720p – but the framerate does appear solid, which is really the most important thing in a fighting game anyway. When in motion, that lowered resolution isn’t quit…
Distraint 2 is a truly great mobile horror game
Genuinely great horror games on mobile are typically few and far between, so it’s absolutely cause for celebration when a title as sharp and unnerving as Distraint 2 comes along. The original Distraint launched for iOS back in 2017, gaining praise for its tight control of tone and absorbing exploration of guilt. Thematically, it was a challenging game, forcing players to confront the widespread impact of their own struggles to make ends meet in a system that allows for the constant and easy dehumanisation of others. The sequel continues to follow this thematic line of questioning, expanding it in ways that surprise and disturb in equal measure. It retains the grim aesthetic of the…
