Mobile game reviews

James Pinnell reviews the latest games for android & iOS smartphones & tablets.

Pascal’s Wager

$10.99

Many of the complaints that put people off investing time in mobile games tend to focus around depth and difficulty. The wide gulf across devices, controls, operating systems, and graphical power tends to restrain developers from completing more ambitious projects that would commonly find themselves on consoles. Touch is a big part of this – the reason the Nintendo Switch is so popular is due to the fact it supports a wide range of control schemes, as it comes built with a set of controllers. Pascal’s Wager attempts to be one of the most ambitious mobile games I have ever played. It features a 50-hour long main story quest, fully-voiced cutscenes and a hybrid control system (both innovative touch screen controls and full controller support). It features a very Bloodborneinspired plot, heavily based in

Lovecraftian lore, with an unforgiving combat system that requires very considered movements and attacks, based on a stamina system.

While using a Bluetooth controller

(now supported on both iOS and Android) is easily the best control system, the touch controls are highly responsive – although some more haptic feedback would be appreciated. It is easy to lock on to enemies and quickly move and dodge their attacks. But it is when you load this game up on a tablet with a PS4 controller where it truly shines – it feels, looks, plays, and sounds like something you’d find on Playstation 4. I will make a note that this game is not for the faint hearted – its difficulty curve is very high, but if you are looking for something to sink your teeth into, Pascal’s Wager is an easy bet to make.

Shadowgun: War Games

Free with IAP

Shadowgun: War Games is an evolution of developer Madhammer Games’ popular PVE shooter Shadowgun: Legends, swapping out its swarms of AIcontrolled enemies for 5v5 matches of real players. Taking influence from team shooters like Overwatch, each playable character features specific weapons, skills, and powers.

Being mobile-focused however, maps are less elevated and extremely truncated in size – much of the design is around pushing players together as much as possible, removing much of the team strategy and instead putting a focus on individual uses of skills and powers. In the rare moments there is a synergy between players, it tends to be by accident. I am sure this will improve with time.

That said, there is enormous potential here, with fantastic graphics, a high framerate, controller support, leagues, minimal monetisation, and a talented developer pushing regular updates. It plays extraordinarily well with touch controls, thanks to years of data and experience with previous games, and is hands down one of the most impressive arena shooters available.

Bomb Bots Arena

Free with IAP

In the early days of Nintendo, Bomberman was one of the most popular multiplayer experiences. It was a devilishly simple premise – you, a robot, shared a small maze with several other players that featured both destructible and indestructible boxes. The idea was to drop a bomb that could potentially pin other players to death based on a range of different bomb types and skills.

Bomb Bots Arena shamelessly steals this entire premise, but locks various characters behind monetisation, and adds in a Battle Royale mode, with a much larger map and significantly more players. But the general modes feature either four or eight players in a simple grid, with each match randomising block placement to ensure variety in replay ability.

There is a fun, frantic level of on-the-fly strategy in these games, especially as the maps throw in things like moving platforms, conveyor belts and mystery boxes. Bomb Bots offers a great two-three-minute match, which suits a bus ride or a lunch break.

Bullet Echo

Free

I am always still surprised by the ingenuity of mobile developers in coming up with new genres seemingly every month. The low barrier to entry and restricted input control schemes really bring out the creativity. Bullet

Echo is a squad based, top down shooter that has you seeking out enemies in a blacked-out map, using light and angles to sneak out attacks.

There are a variety of different characters, each with specific weapons and abilities. There is a sniper, agile but weak, as well as a minigun-hauling giant that can take some serious damage. Unfortunately, upgrades are locked behind grinding games and buying lootboxes, which tends to make the matchmaking unbalanced when you’re just starting out.

However, matches are quick and fun, requiring little knowledge of squadbased games, and the controls are responsive. The use of darkness and limited viewpoints gives each match an element of anxiety and tension, which is generally rare on the platform.

Extreme Golf

Free

Extreme Golf, like most arcade golf titles on mobile, follows the same formula that ultimately makes them poor experiences. They are designed well, fun and exciting, and have their own special features that separate them from the competition, which in this case is allowing all four players to complete the hole at the same time, avoiding those annoying wait times in between your shot and the competition.

Controls are great, the holes are well designed and there is a good amount of variety in each course. The league and tournament systems are fun to play in, as is the real-time nature of each match.

The issue lies at the base – Extreme Golf has excessive monetisation.

There are countless ads. Every club has a wide range of upgrades which provide obvious benefits, in one match a player got a hole in one with every single swing, while the rest of the players hit par or just below. If you spend around $10 you can easily dominate every match until you start being bundled with the rest of the paid players. TL