Mobile game reviews

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

Eve Echoes

Free with IAP

Eve Online is one of those MMORPGs that you either absolutely love or absolutely hate. It is an incredibly complex, detailed and socially demanding game, that focuses inherently on long term planning and strategy. This detail and the playerrun dynamic of its world is why it has been running for almost

12 years. Eve Echoes is essentially a mobile version of the PC game – controls and the UI have been redesigned for touch, and some of the game systems have been softly simplified, but at its core it is still the same demanding system of galaxy wide conquest. Gameplay on the surface involves a variety of various quests and activities in space involving mining, combat, trading, manufacturing and so forth – the developers have done a brilliant job of shrinking these systems into a mobile interface.

This involves re-working the tutorial to function on a handheld level, clustering some of the more complex engines together, and moving more onscreen notifications to side menus. It is highly recommended that you play on a tablet however – even a large phone is still too small a space to play effectively and may only be useful for doing some trading or communications functions on the go. The long game is much more complex, involving joining a corporation (like a guild) and working towards their goals – this allows you to access more complex ships, earn more in-game credits, and becoming involved in much larger projects. If you would prefer, you can play alone, but the more lucrative and exciting play comes from joining a larger team who live in more precarious parts of Eve space. It is also worth noting that the mobile world is separate from the PC world. In terms of monetisation, the game is split into three – cosmetic items (which are largely given away), skill training boosts (skills are learned in real-time, these items can speed up the process) and the Omega subscription. Omega, in a nutshell, provides access to the more impressive ships and abilities. It also unlocks some other trading abilities, speeds up skill acquisition, and is almost identical to the subscription of the same name on the PC version. At $8/month it is a 50% discount on the PC subscription, which makes it more palatable for the mobile. Eve Echoes is not for everyone – its sheer depth dwarfs almost any other game on the platform – but for those without a PC it is an incredibly impressive accomplishment by the developers.

Brawlhalla

Free with IAP

Right on the heels of one successful PC port is another – Brawlhalla is a ridiculously popular online platform brawler in the vibe of Super Smash Brothers. It has millions of players, a huge roster of fighters and most importantly, operates on a primarily cosmetic monetisation strategy, which it has carried over onto its mobile version. You don’t need to pay a cent to advance or sit comfortably in the top echelon of players.

Each match has you picking a fighter with a skill set and fighting on a 2-D set of platforms. The aim is to bump your opponents off the battlefield via grinding down their stamina.

On top of this, it includes the same wide range of modes, maps, hero rotation, cross-play, local servers, match recording and more. In a nutshell, it is easily the most fully-featured port I have seen from PC to mobile since Dark Souls.

Brawlhalla also has a very healthy tournament and e-sports system baked in. Highly recommended for both casual and advanced players.

Stellaris: Mobile Command

Free with IAP

The third PC port this month is a personal favourite of mine – Stellaris

– which was and still is one of the most ambitious galactic strategy games ever designed on PC. It’s depth, which extends to allowing you to design your own custom races and civilisations on the fly, is matched by its accessibility and the gradual nature in which it slowly and carefully introduces you to all of its various machinations.

One of the key aspects of Stellaris is its planetary discovery and colonisation system, which is not only a big part of the story but also how you complete your ultimate mission of galactic conquest. Unfortunately, this mobile version is fighting a losing battle with traditional mobile mechanics – instead of reworking the interface and keeping the core of the game in place, the developers have clumsily stuffed a multitude of complex ideas and functions without considering how it plays.

Any of the clever mechanics of the main game, which are here, buried in menus and notifications and options, shine thanks to the heavy-handed aspect of wedging the title into a very old, very tired method of raising money.

Ghost Recon: Elite Squad

Free with IAP

The opening of Ghost Recon: Elite Squad is as clumsy and generic as the game itself – poor use of Black Lives Matter imagery mixed with secret plots around protestors taking down governments absolutely reeks of ignorance, making it a poor introduction to a below average game. The developer, Ubisoft, has since apologised for using this symbolism and has pledged to removing it in a future patch.

Elite Squad ends up copying one of mobile games’ most aggressive genre tropes – your squad of summoned units (from loot boxes) fight waves upon waves of generic enemies before hitting a slightly harder but still infinitely simple boss. The most appealing heroes are locked behind heavily monetised ‘shard’ systems that require funds or hours of grinding to unlock.

At its core, Elite Squad is just flat out boring. It adds nothing new to the genre other than copy other games that did it better, or at the very least attempted to add new mechanics like card or puzzle elements. In most cases, the game plays itself while most of the players’ time is spent in menus upgrading various weapons and armour for the next set of battles.

Jurassic Survival

Free with IAP

The best part about Jurassic Survival is that it is quite charming. The graphics and animations are scrappy, the plot and characters are silly, but the core survival mechanics are fun and accessible. For a game that’s geared around urgency and building, it does give you time to build your little fort, explore areas for gear and goods and take on/work with your fellow stranded players.

There is a wonderful crafting system that is gradually unlocked as you learn how to play the game, find resources, attack dinos for meat and skins, and refine materials. You will need to keep yourself fed, hydrated and clean to avoid being detected by animals, as well as keeping your armour, clothes, and weapons in check from overuse.

Monetisation is handled via speed up travel between locations, although the game does refresh the “energy” used to power this and watching a single ad is enough in most cases to cover it.

If you are looking for a more relaxed survival on mobile experience, you could do worse than Jurassic Survival.