27 Best (And 1 WTF) New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (9/30/14 – 10/13/14)

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Games

Ironclad Tactics

Android Police coverage: Civil War Steampunk Strategy Game Ironclad Tactics Jumps From PC To Android

In the 1990s, the History Channel showed nothing but WWII and Civil War documentaries. I think the latter would have been much more fun with steam-powered robots. Ironclad Tactics is another pilgrim from Steam, a lane-based strategy game set in an alternate history of the War Between the States. Tanks, soldiers, and movement orders are issued via a card system, but this is no IAP mess: the full game is a $3.99 purchase after the demo, with two expansion packs available for $3 each.

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Ironclad Tactics is a fast-paced, card-based tactics game set in an alternate history Civil War – with steam-powered military robots.

• No ridiculous in-app purchases. Unlock cards by playing the game, not by purchasing them separately.
• Experience unique gameplay, blending the precision of tactics and card games with the spontaneity of a fast-paced strategy game.
• Follow the campaign story through a fully-illustrated interactive graphic novel.
• Collect cards as you play through the campaign and build your own decks to crush your foes.

Hellraid: The Escape

Android Police coverage: Hellraid: The Escape Arrives In The Play Store After Escaping Its iOS Dungeon

Hellraid uses the standard locked room puzzle style, but with better production values enabled by the Unreal engine and a ton of over-the-top horror elements. Seriously, this one’s not for kids: it’s like the developers used every trick they learned from 90s slasher flicks and then dialed them up another notch. You have to take out the various deranged inhabitants of the chamber using Saw-style death traps before escaping yourself. Repeat: not for kids.

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Hellraid: The Escape is a visually stunning action-adventure game with free updates, no in-app purchases or pay-to-win elements. Challenging puzzles, free exploration of the game’s world, and demons fought with brains instead of weapons make Hellraid: The Escape an exciting experience unlike any other in the Play Store. In Hellraid: The Escape, a sorcerer obsessed with dark arts has trapped your soul in a magic prison guarded by demonic creatures.

Haegemonia : Legions of Iron

Android Police coverage: Classic 3D Space Strategy Game Haegemonia: Legions Of Iron Comes To Android

Haegemonia is a port of a classic space-based real time strategy game that begat a small but incredibly devoted sub-genre and fandom. You control a fleet of warships and fighters struggling for galactic territory in the single-player campaign mode. Fans of PC-style strategy will surely find a lot to like, and you can try out the first four missions in this demo version. The full game is a reasonable $4.

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In Heagemonia Legions of Irons, the player has to explore and conquer the galaxy as the head of his fleet, planning colonization, terraforming planets, managing his resources and deciding on the appropriate technological research to lead mankind where he wants it to go.
Research, combined with a top-notch spy network, will enable the player to survive in a stellar system which is much more dangerous than it would first appear to be.

 

Entwinedâ„¢ Challenge

Android Police coverage: PlayStation Mobile Publishes The Hypnotically Beautiful Entwined Challenge On The Play Store

Holy crap, this game is pretty. While the mechanics of Entwined Challenge are simple, the effective use of shape and color in this relatively sparse 3D game make it almost hypnotic. Entwined Challenge is a mobilized version of a PlayStation Network game, and while it isn’t quite as robust as its namesake, it’s well worth the low price of entry. Guide a stylized fish and bird down an endless passage, and also something about a love story. I don’t know. It’s fun.

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‘Entwined™ Challenge’ is an addictive action reflex game that will mesmerize your senses and challenge your skills. Can you control two characters independently and master their path to evolution? With a critically acclaimed soundtrack from Sam Marshall and stunning visual design, ‘Entwined™ Challenge’ will draw you into a unique sense of gaming zen.

Doggins

Android Police coverage: Doggins Is A Game About A Dapper Dog Who Travels Through Time And Relative Dimensions In Space

If I could use only one word to describe Doggins, I’d say that it’s “charming.” The super-flat and minimal style of both the graphics and storytelling won’t appeal to everyone, but fans of whimsical adventure games will appreciate the understated themes. The game stars a dog with a rocket house fighting a monocle-wearing squirrel who invented a Victorian time machine. If that’s attracted your attention, then Doggins is worth a download.

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Doggins is a quiet little adventure game about a terrier, time travel, and a villainous monocled squirrel. Explore the moon, sniff some things, and unravel a plot to sabotage the history of human invention. Indie Prize Best Mobile Game and SXSW Gamer’s Voice Award nominee, and PAX East Indie MEGABOOTH selection.

• Fresh, graphic art style with handcrafted animation.
• Classic item-based puzzles combined with touch interaction.
• Fully immersive, with visual storytelling and a minimal UI.
• No in-app purchases or ads.

DRAGON QUEST II

Android Police coverage: Square Enix Keeps Expanding Its Collection Of Classic RPG Ports With Dragon Quest II, Available Now For $4.99

Square has run out of its own classic RPGs to port over to Android (at least up to Final Fantasy VII, which we are never ever getting) so now they’ve switched over to the Enix side of things. The refreshed Dragon Quest II has all the things you probably don’t remember from the 27-year-old original, including the series’ first example of multiple characters and monsters in the battle system. You can get your hands on this RPG and its odd vertical formatting for five bucks.

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The second installment in the celebrated Dragon Quest series finally comes to mobile. Explore fair lands and foul dungeons in this all-time classic RPG. Every wondrous weapon, spectacular spell and awesome adversary in this rich fantasy world is yours to discover in a single standalone package. Download it once, and there’s nothing else to buy, and nothing else to download.

LEGO® Creator Islands

Android Police coverage: LEGO Adds Creator Islands To Its Growing Stable Of Kid-Friendly Building Games With No IAP

LEGO Creator Islands started as a web game. It’s essentially a mix of the old Sim City formula and LEGO’s typical hyper-fast video game building, allowing the player to construct and improve his or her own island paradise. Licensed LEGO vehicles help you along, and those who have played the web version of the game can log in to retrieve their progress. Like most of LEGO’s Android offerings, this game has no advertising (well, the whole thing is basically an ad) or in-app purchases.

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Your mission is to build and create a main island for the LEGO Creator Minifigures to live on. When you are ready to build even greater things, continue on to the islands around you, but remember to keep an eye on the main island – sometimes there is a need for a rebuild. Each time you build a new model, you will earn yellow bricks that will unlock more fun and cool LEGO Creator models – models that you can use throughout the entire game.

Cars: Fast as Lightning

Android Police coverage: Gameloft Releases Well-Animated ‘Cars: Fast As Lightning’ Racing Game That Captures The Series’ Charm

Gameloft’s latest Disney adaptation isn’t exactly timely, but kids seem to go nuts for Cars merchandise wherever they happen to find it. Fast As Lightning faithfully recreates the Cars universe for a top-down racing game, adding in some interesting Hot Wheel-style tracks, which can be built and customized by the player. Just make sure to disable in-app purchases before you hand the tablet over to the kids.

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Lightning McQueen and Mater are hosting a Radiator Springs car racing EXTRAVAGANZA, and they need some speed. Do you have the drive to play? Race fast and free as Cars characters with nitro charged, arcade racing. Then go build your own 3D Radiator Springs, home of Lightning and his buddies. Watch it go from a humble town to a thriving city. This is your time to shine and be as fast as Lightning.

MyNBA2K15

Android Police coverage: 2K Games Repeats The Card-Battle Companion App Formula With MyNBA2K15

This is a companion app for 2K’s yearly basketball console franchise. It’s also a card battle game, for some reason. And I don’t mean the kind where the cards merely represent abstract gaming concepts, like Magic. I mean the cards actually jump around on a virtual basketball court in full 3D, as if tiny cardboard rectangles could toss the rock. It’s baffling. It’s mildly disturbing. It’s chock full of in-app purchases.

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Nominated for 70 ‘Game of the Year’ Awards, the NBA 2K franchise returns with NBA 2K15 and its companion app, MyNBA2K15. Packed with awesome new features and the ability to earn VC, MyNBA2K15 makes it easier for you to stay in touch with your console version of our most-true-to-life NBA experience yet. The NBA 2K themed card battle game, MyNBA2K15 MyTEAM Mobile returns with a new look and includes over 1000 player cards with new backgrounds and photos.

Champ Man 15

Android Police coverage: Square Enix Releases Champ Man 15, The Frowniest Soccer Management Game Ever, On The Play Store

Soccer management games, such as they are, are amazingly popular. That’s where pretend to manage a professional sports team, instead of pretending to play a professional sport. Square’s mobile version of the Championship Manager series hits all of the beats: recruit your players, train them up, select positions and strategies, and let them go at it in computer-controlled games. The download is free, but in order to play as popular teams (like Arsenal, heavily featured in the screenshots) you’ll have to pay or annoy your Facebook friends.

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The world famous Football Management game just received a major upgrade, with tens of thousands of real players available to sign and over 440 clubs from 23 playable leagues – it’s time to LIVE THE DREAM and take control of your club. Nurture and develop your players, design training programs for the team or target individuals for specific work, choose formations, give tactical instruction and then watch how all of this affects your overall team performance on match day.

Enterchained

Enterchained looks like a standard 2D brawler, but it’s got a trick up its sleeve. You control one arena fighter slashing through foes, the computer controls the other, and they’re both tethered together in battle. You can more or less drag your AI companion around – I like to knock enemies off their feet, then move on to the next one while the computer delivers a brutal finisher. Enterchained is a Unity game, so don’t expect a technical powerhouse, but it’s fun as a hack-and-slash time waster.

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Take down your foes with slashes, sword throws and chain trips to complete quests for gear and glory.

• Brutal hack ‘n’ slash combat
• Hours of challenging quests
• Dozens of swords, shields and helms to unlock
• IAP Free, 100% skill based unlocks

Tower Dwellers

Want Clash of Clans without all the IAP? Then publisher Noodlecake has a game for you. Tower Dwellers uses the familiar tower defense + real-time strategy formula, but in a premium $4 package. Your towers are both defensive structures for your fantasy-themed troops and the spawn points they come from, so defense takes the front seat in gameplay. An overworld map will guide you through the campaign and there’s a sandbox mode to boot, but unfortunately multiplayer is nowhere in sight.

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Conquer through battle and reclaim the land you once called home.

• Craft Units from each tower to build a strategic army
• Command your units in Real Time and assist them in battle with your magic spells
• Non-linear progression – decide which territory to conquer next based on the upgrades it unlocks
• Complete the hilariously narrated tale to regain a land once lost
• Perfect your strategy by staging battles in the encyclopedia sandbox mode

Cricket Captain 2014

I’m going to level with you, cricket fans: I have no idea how your sport works. All I know about cricket is that my Indian friends lose sleep trying to watch home games at 3AM. But I understand that your storied and funny-looking pastime is underserved, so here, have a cricket simulator game. It looks really complicated and graphically intense, at least by mobile standards, which might help justify its nearly $10 price tag. Thankfully there are no in-app purchases.

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Cricket Captain is back for the 2014 season, with a beautiful new interface, updated 3D graphics engine, and all the attention to detail that you expect from the series. Cricket Captain has been hailed as the best cricket management simulation ever created, and with one of the most exciting cricket seasons for a decade in prospect, it’s about time you took control.

Make Them Fight

Ketchapp’s simple but enjoyable games have won it a few fans thus far, and the latest one looks like the same kind of minimal fun. Make Them Fight is all about divided attention: touch the top of the screen to make the top swordsman deflect the throwing star, and touch the bottom of the screen to do likewise down there. Up to five fighters can go at once, making either an incredibly frustrating twitch game or a local multiplayer game with elements of Twister. Free, with no in-app purchases.

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The third episode of the popular game Make Them Jump is now available. It’s called Make Them Fight. Make all the dudes use their swords to destroy the shurikens flying across the screen. You can play with all your fingers to control up to 5 dudes, or just ask for some help to your friends. How long can you last out?

Sentinel 4: Dark Star

The latest in the Sentinel series looks good, but doesn’t quite have anything new enough to justify its own post. Sentinel 4 is a standard tower defense game with aspirations of Starcraft, featuring eye-catching 2D sprites and some unique elements. Deploying towers or tools around your command center gives them a boost, encouraging more risky and dramatic play. But at $3 plus in-app purchases, only fans of the genre need apply.

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The galaxy’s finest tower defense series returns with an epic new installment. Sentinel’s award-winning strategy gameplay expands explosively as the interstellar war moves to a mysterious alien world. Deploy devastating new towers and technology against an enemy that’s smarter and more deadly than ever before. Battle across vast landscapes and earn a wealth of upgrades as you explore the mystery of the Dark Star.

Super Party Sports: Football

Super Party Sports Football is a weird mix of Scorched Earth, Angry Birds, and cartoon ultra-violence. You kick a soccer ball around an improbably-structured field/stage, scoring extra points for nailing opponents. These opponents then inexplicably explode into various non-bloody body parts, like a LEGO game that’s one step closer to the uncanny valley. The game is free (it’s $2 on iOS) with currency-based IAP.

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Are you ready for the wildest football party ever? Charge up your soccer ball, calculate power and shoot down every rival in your way. Pass, shoot and destroy your opponents in brilliant battles on the field. Plan effective passes, take down heavy rowdies and smash the goalkeeper to win the match. ‘Super Party Sports: Football’ is a physics puzzle game full of action and fun. Solve tricky riddles, fight against different types of enemies and score a goal.

The Boxtrolls: Slide ‘N’ Sneak

This one gets a mention if only for the unique visuals, which are admittedly lifted right out of the upcoming stop-motion animated movie. Other than that, The Boxtrolls: Slide ‘N Seek is a pretty standard 2D endless runner, with multiple characters, simple controls, and powered-up gadgets that can extend a run. Make sure to disable the in-app purchases if you download this free game for your kids.

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Help the Boxtrolls rescue their friends who have been captured by the devious Red Hats. Take up to three Boxtrolls from the safety of their underground cavern to the streets and rooftops of Cheesebridge. Run, slide and jump to collect as many cogs as you can. Sneak past the Red Hats and be careful not to cause too much noise. Make your way to the Red Hat factory to rescue the captured Boxtrolls and unlock new adventures.

Caverns of the Snow Witch

The latest addition to Tin Man’s ever-expanding game book collection has a few new tricks up its sleeve, including the ability to “cheat” by skipping around the various pages to read ahead. The developers have also spruced up the graphics for Caverns of the Snow Witch, from noted pen-and-paper game book creator Ian Livingstone. The book is a pricey $6 (fairly typical for Tin Man games) with no in-app purchases.

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Travel to Northern Allansia’s perilous Icefinger Mountains to defeat the wicked Snow Witch in this Fighting Fantasy adventure. Deep within the Crystal Caves of Icefinger Mountains, the dreaded Snow Witch is plotting to bring on a new ice age. A brave trapper dies in your arms and lays the burden of his mission on your shoulders. But time is running out – will YOU take up the challenge?

Partia

Since Square is taking its sweet bloody time bringing Final Fantasy Tactics to Android, indie developer Imago has ported over its own series of strategy-RPGs. These anime-inspired titles are cheap and effective, at least if you want an old-school party fighting experience. The first and second games in the series have been ported over from iOS for $4 and $6 respectively. There are no ads or in-app purchases.

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Partia is a SRPG (Strategy Role-playing) video game inspired by Fire Emblem and Tear Ring Saga series. In a high fantasy setting, the game will take players through an adventure where magic and sword collide and friendship and betrayal intertwine.

 

Partia 2

Partia 2 introduces many new features, including the choice of “Common turn” rule where all factions make moves alternatively (like Chess) instead of taking turns to move all his/her units. I believe this will bring a new nuance to gameplay if a player choose to do so. It can be toggled in intermission, and you can always play the game in the traditional FE way. (Common turn idea is from Berwick Saga) AI had improved a lot, and horse units now can move after attacking, if they have remaining move distances.

Jacob Jones : Episode 2

The free preview and Episode 1 of Jacob Jones have been available on Android for some time now, and though the developer has taken its time bringing the rest of the series to Android, you can now continue the story of Jacob and his Sasquatch friend. The game uses a basic adventure-puzzle layout with some charming 3D visuals.

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Jacob Jones is back in Episode 2 of one of Apples ‘Best of 2013’ games and an App Store Editors Choice. Following the events of Episode 1, Jacob and Biggie set off to the spooky Crackskull Mountain to try uncover the secret of Biggies childhood. Join the new best buddies on a brand new adventure and unravel more of the mystery in a series of brain twisting puzzles.

Lethal Lance

BulkyPix’s latest platformer is Lethal Lance. Other publishers could take note here: just because your game has old-school elements doesn’t mean it has to look like you’re actually playing on a Commodore 64. This basic run, jump, shoot-fest uses visuals that evoke the classic Mario structure without intentionally dumbing down the resolution, making for a better experience all around.

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Lethal Lance is an old school side scrolling platformer. You are Lance, a fearless adventurer. Your mission is to save the world from an evil enemy with your skill and … YOUR SHOTGUN. Defeat all the enemies on your way to successfully complete your mission. Run, jump and shoot – this is all you’ll need to become a hero.

• 32 different levels
• 4 unique environments
• Several enemies to destroy with your shotgun
• Beautiful old-school graphics with retina support

Sigils Of Elohim

Sigils of Elohim is a basic puzzle game that challenges the player to complete a square or rectangle game board using Tetris-style tiles. It’s also a “prelude” to upcoming puzzle game The Talos Principle, which looks much more interesting. You can use your progress in this free mini-game to get items and preview looks at the upcoming full game… which is slated to be a SHIELD exclusive for Android. Console and PC versions are also planned.

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Sigils of Elohim is a free mini-game prelude to Croteam’s upcoming first-person puzzler The Talos Principle that challenges players to solve dozens of formidable sigil puzzles under the watchful eye of Elohim. Subjects are tasked with deciphering a series of puzzle sets by rotating and placing the sigil shapes within the board in an effort to unlock helpful items and relics within The Talos Principle.

WinterForts: Exiled Kingdom

Fancy a game of Clash of Clans with a more Game of Thrones medieval fantasy vibe? Here you go. That’s about all you can say for Winterforts: it looks like a decent game catching in on a fad, and like most games that do that, it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of innovation.

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WinterForts: Exiled Kingdom is a new kind of strategic castle-building game where you control a group of exiled warriors in search of revenge against the treacherous Horde. Craft the layout of your fort, send your workers into the wild, harvest meat from dead dragons, join one of eight Houses and raise an army of archers, beasts and undeads to fight in revolutionary battles inspired by tower defense games.

 

Brain Wars

Whether or not any of these “brain building games” actually work to increase your mental acuity is a source of mild debate, but in any case, here’s another one for you to test out. Brain Wars uses the same head-to-head social format as games like Words With Friends. Solve a few logic and spatial puzzles, lord it over your friends, rush desperately when one of them beats you, rinse and repeat.

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Increase your brain power and compete against players from around the world. Experience the heated battle that will keep you on your toes. Highly rated by players who enjoy Puzzles Crosswords, Sudoku, and other brain teasers. Compete with worldwide challengers―LIVE. Test your opponents and push your brain to its limit. Invite your friends for double the fun. Connect through FaceBook and challenge everyone.

 

Anki Drive

Anki Drive mixes physical slot car-style racers running around a roll-out mat with an app that simulates a Mario Kart-style racing system on a phone or tablet. Using the power-ups and weapons in the app will make the cars speed or slow down in the “real” world, making a physical analog of the on-screen action. Thankfully, nothing will explode. Anki Drive requires the purchase of at least one of the sold-separately track and car packs.

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Part toy, part video game, all-out high-speed family fun. Anki DRIVE is a battle-racing game your whole family can enjoy on any floor in your home. Roll out the track, download the app, and command real robot cars in battle. Up to four Anki DRIVE cars can race per game, in two exciting game modes: Battle Mode and Race Mode. In Battle Mode the first car to score a set number of takeouts wins. In Race Mode it’s an all-out fight to the finish line.

 

Skylanders Trap Teamâ„¢

Android Police coverage: Skylanders Trap Team Brings The ‘Real’ Skylanders Experience To Android, But Only A Few Tablets Are Invited

Amazingly, this is the first Skylanders game on Android (or any mobile platform) that attempts to emulate the play style of the wildly popular console games. While the game is free, you’ll need the insanely expensive Skylanders tablet team starter pack (complete with plastic toys, a wireless controller, and an NFC dock) to play it. Hardware support seems incredibly limited at the moment; only a few tablets from Samsung and Amazon, plus the NVIDIA SHIELD and the Nexus 7, have access to the game.

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Capture Evil. Unleash Good. Get the full Skylanders Trap Teamâ„¢ console video game experience on your tablet. Now you can Bring the Skylanders to Lifeâ„¢, defeat villains and trap them wherever you go. Begin the adventure for FREE with TWO Digital Skylanders: Instant Snap Shot and Instant Food Fight & TWO Instant Traps. Then continue your adventure by buying the TABLET STARTER PACK.

WTF Game(s) Of The Week

Drink Your Pee: Free

I’m going to break our standard roundup format for this title, because the proper reaction to this game can only be given in meme form.

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You’ve been stranded on this deadly island for days with nothing to eat and nothing to drink… Or so you thought. Drink Your Pee is the classic arcade tale of island survival.

Featuring:

• Cutting edge 1980’s graphics
• A pulse pounding chiptune soundtrack
• The ability to score points with a futuristic “scoreboard”
• Drink Your Pee has all the hot arcade action you’ll need.

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

• the app’s launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
• it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc – the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: [email protected].

1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) – please contact us for details.