As I’m sure you’re aware, our mobile app, the Arcadeberry – Mobile Website Hub, has recently launched for Android and Amazon devices! Although we’d highly recommend you immediately go and download our app (you can even pick up reading this very article on it!), all this talk of mobile apps has got us thinking:
It’s an unfortunate fact that the mobile game app market has quite the poor reputation, especially on the gaming front. It’s an even more unfortunate fact that this reputation is actually quite well deserved. Most mobile titles are vacuous, surface-deep money-grabs. With countless asset flips and endless in-app purchases, many of us have simply just given up trying to find good games on the appstore.
That’s why we decided to wade into the practically infinite appstore library to try and pick out some diamonds in the rough. Although there a certainly more great games to be found on the appstore, and this list is definitely not exhaustive, these three great titles might be a place to start rebuilding your trust with mobile gaming.
3: GameStart Pixel Battle
Price*: Completely free
Developer: Eliphant
It may have just been released as a little promotion for GameStart, a Southeast Asian gaming convetion, but GameStart Pixel Battle is actually a surprisingly excellent game.
You play as Alyse, the convention’s mascot, in a battle against a mysterious figure who has been sabotaging games. There’s a plethora of levels to play and numerous unique playable characters to collect as you go. If you’ve played any Mega Man title, you’ll likely be familiar with Pixel Battle‘s blend of 2D side-on running and gunning.
It’s not surprise considering the fact the developer, Seow Zonghui, worked on the Capcom endorsed fan-project Street Fighter X Mega Man. Pixel Battle may just be a Mega Man game at heart, but it’s an excellent Mega Man game at that. Best of all, it’s a Mega Man game you can carry around in your pocket, and is downloadable completely for free! That’s right, no pesky in-app purchases or even a single advert to be found.
With a small file size of 50M, GameStart Pixel Battle is a great little offline title to keep on your phone for when you need your gaming fix out and about.
You can click here to open GameStart Pixel Battle on Google Play.
2: Cytus II
Price*: £1.79
Developer: Rayark Iternation Limited
Set in the near future, Ctyus II takes us to cyTus – an online virtual city – in the shoes of Aesir, a famous DJ hosting a virtual concert.
A solid rhythm game which has players frantically tapping notes as they pop up on their screens, Cytus II features 35 base game songs from a variety of composers and in countless genres. With electronica, rock and even classical music to choose from, Cytus II offers something for everyone.
Although the game does include song pack purchases, with which you can expand your repertoire, these are wholly optional. You nevetheless get an awful lot of high quality content for the entry price of £1.79. The music is great, and songs offer different levels of difficulty and a comprehensive scoring system which both serve to offer much replayability. If you want a cheap and cheerful mobile ryhthm game to keep you occupied on the go, you don’t get much better than this.
You can click here to open Cytus II on Google Play.
1: OXENFREE
Price*: £3.89
Developer: Night School Studio
A gripping mystery set on a dark island, OXENFREE is like the adventures of The Famous Five gone horribly, horribly wrong.
The plot is excellent and, as it is best experienced first-hand, I will try and keep details to a minimum. Just be sure it’s intense and excellently written with a handful of shocking and memorable moments.
Although a strictly linear game, your dialogue choices offer a comprehensive degree of choice and a variety to your play sessions. The game is easy to control, and presented in a charming and unique graphical style.
Our only complaint with OXENFREE is that it’s just so good you might not be able to put your phone down until you and your friends have uncovered the sinister truth of Edwards Island.
You can click here to open OXENFREE on Google Play.
*Prices are Google Play prices (excluding discounts or sales) as of January 2020.
