GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new games for iOS and Android - January 9th
Hello again and welcome back to our long-running GAMES OF THE WEEK series. If you're looking for the best 5 games which have hit the iPhone, iPad or Android stores this week then you've landed yourself at the exact right place at just the right time.
Here's where we discuss the best five games that have launched over the last week, across any of the aforementioned devices. 'But, wait a minute!' I hear you exclaim, 'There are loads of games out every week, you must have some restrictions!?'
You're right, we do. With this article, we pay no heed to the droves of subscription services (Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, GameClub, Hatch, Playond et cetera) which have launched onto mobile platforms, and we also don't factor in things like Steam Link or Google Stadia which allow streaming to our handheld devices. That means that our list is a finely curated list of brilliant, fresh titles which you can download and play without subscribing to, or installing, any third-party initiative. Of course, there are some great games on those services, but, let's focus on the stuff you can grab right now.
This week we've got a really wide selection of games for you to rifle through, from an idle aquarium game with a South Pole twist to a blocky, hacking-themed platformer. It's a wild selection this week.
Remember, if you're looking to check through some of our previous selections then you can always do that at our Games of The Week Hub, it's a great way to find games to fill out that empty storage space on your phone. Or, if you like your news in bitesize chunks, delivered straight to your palm then maybe follow us on Twitter.
Anyway, without any further delay, click through on the big, blue button below to find out more about the 5 best new games for mobile this week.
End of the Universe - iOS (New) / Android (New)
Let's start with the end then, The End of the Universe.
End of the Universe is a starfighter roguelike from Kyle Barrett, who you may know as the creator of Immortal Rogue - one of our Gold Award winners from last year. Unlike Immortal Rogue's slashing and dashing, End of the Universe has you hurtling your ship through space attempting to blast enemies and not get taken out by the humungous evil beings which are flooding space.
There's a careful balance of variety and density when it comes to the enemies, but if you do wipe out then there's no sticking between runs - you can quickly slam together a new ship and get back into the action. Its a type of rapid re-entry which is rarely found, but much needed, in rogue-lite games and fits the retro aesthetic of the game down to a tee.
End of the Universe is available for Android devices via Google Play
Tap Tap Fish - AbyssRium Pole - iOS (New) / Android (New)
We've written about Tap Tap Fish - AbyssRium Pole before now, over on our sister site, 148Apps. Stephen, who you might know from his news beat here, wrote that the 'idle aquarium' game had achieved over 1 million pre-registrations back around mid-December. A remarkable number even if you consider that the game that came before it, Abyssrium, achieved over 10 million installs on Google Play alone.
Well, Tap Tap Fish - Abyssrium Pole is out now, and it is also free. So if you're the kind of person who really enjoys building and developing areas in your spare moments - and maybe even possesses a penchant toward penguins and other Southern-Hemisphere wildlife - then it is definitely something for you to take a look into. That said, there's not much else that can be said about idle games without diving into them, so here's the trailer for the game and below that you can find the links if you're interested.
Tap Tap Fish AbyssRium is available for iPhones and iPads via the App Store
RealmHacker - iOS (New)
Cyberpunk is the new hotness, and there's little more cyberpunk than jacking into cyberspace in your downtime to trash some drekhead's... Okay, okay. So RealmHacker is definitely a hacking themed platformer, but it doesn't dive deep into the grungy hacking of the cyberpunk scene. Instead, it's a series of levels filled with colourful information blocks that you can reformat and interact with in order to clear your way through each level.
On paper its as simple as dashing in, grabbing the keys and getting out, however, there are deadly enemies traipsing around each level, and many blocks stopping your progress. Your character can work their way around this by setting traps, building and breaking blocks and even merging with blocks of certain colours in order to sneak your way through the levels. The ability to hide yourself to avoid enemies, as well as the opportunity to block enemies in, adds some depth to what would otherwise be a simple twist on a simple genre. Instead, RealmHacker is smart and allows for a variety of different playstyles, more than enough to make it stand out from the rest.
Klee: Spacetime Cleaners iOS (New) / Android (New)
We wrote about Klee: Spacetime Cleaners last week when we received news that it had over 100'000 pre-registrations. The retro-inspired auto-shooter certainly has a style to it, and it's clearly that which has attracted so much attention from the gunning pre-registrees. There's vibes of Kirby, from the character's juicy bounces, but also a NES/GB feeling to it, tucked behind the popping artwork.
What more is there to say? It's free, it's fast-paced, and it's got a ton of unlocks for you to grab as you blast your way through its levels. I'm not too sure about the 'space cleaner' job role, but the autofiring feels great, and each character firing in a different way almost gives the game a rhythm feeling - making more of a dodge 'em up rather than a shoot 'em up.
Klee: Spacetime Cleaners is available now on Android devices via Google Play
The White Door - IOS (New) / Android (New)
Rusty Lake's narrative puzzlers have been featured here on Pocket Gamer for years, ranging from their self-titled Rusty Lake Hotel series through to Cube Escape: Paradox. Well, as Cameron recently detailed, The White Door - the latest in their long line of games - is an atmospheric point and click mystery game which dabbles with themes of amnesia and minimalism.
You take command of Robert Hill, an amnesiac trapped in a mental health facility as well as a cycle of lost memories. You'll need to use your wits to solve puzzles day-by-day as you attempt to find out where you are, who you are, and how you can get yourself back on the path you need to be on. It's all paired with a fantastic art style which also sees the screen cinematically split into two pieces in order to showcase shifts in perspective or completion of smaller, finesse actions.
The White Door is available for Android devices via Google Play