Mobile games
James Pinnell reviews the latest games for android & iOS smartphones & tablets.
Skull Girls MOBILE FIGHTING DONE RIGHT.
Free (Requires Signup, Android Only) As phone power increases, so does the ability for them to replicate more mainstream console experiences. Fighting games have always been difficult, namely due to the complex control systems and reliance on split second input. Skull Girls is an interesting take on the genre, fusing it with traditional RPG/Hero games that allow for skill paths and upgrades.
As a package, Skull Girls is slick – there is an incredibly detailed and retro-cartoonesque animation system with dozens of characters, move sets and combos. The original switch version of the game is the basis for this port, and it shows. The sound and music are wonderful, and there are plenty of daily events, various modes and coop/ team battles to play with friends or random players. Controls are easy enough to learn – taps, flicks and other basic gestures make up the vast bulk of your input, but controller input would be welcome.
Fighting games can sometimes struggle to be accessible and Skull Girls manages this with its Assist mode, which essentially utilises the block and basic attack functions allowing you to learn the more intricate combos. There’s also a story and training mode that helps to bring you up to speed before you start encountering real players, and the ranking system is balanced.
Unfortunately, due to the RPG nature of the game there can be some fairly wide discrepancies, but each player has a power ranking based on their equipment and upgrades, so it’s fairly simple to see if an encounter is worth taking up. On that note, there are no servers in Australia, which can certainly cause input delay in battle, but the game does a fairly sound job of countering this via some clever code trickery.
It’s an incredibly fun and welldesigned experience, with no ads or grossly pay-to-win aspects.
Queen: Rock Tour WE WILL TAP YOU.
Demo ($4 to Unlock)
Queen is one of the most well-known rock bands on the planet, with a heavy global fanbase and somehow still touring almost 50 years after their first album. Rock Tour attempts to provide some fan service on that front, allowing you to tap your way through their single debuts, complete with quirky animated performances in the background.
It’s a relatively simple game that is benefitted by a great soundtrack – every track comes through in its remastered version, making it a definite headphone experience. Every tap works with the phone’s vibration engine providing real feedback, particularly on those heavy drum and guitar notes. There’s also a range of difficulties and a surprisingly small amount of monetisation – two songs are free and then it is only $4 to unlock all of the 20 songs, clothes and trivia. Each track can be replayed up to three different times on different difficulties, and one of the things I love is that each tap path is linked to an instrument. If you miss a tap, that instrument goes silent until you get another one perfect, allowing you to hear your mistakes rather than simply penalising you via score or instant failure.
If you’re a Queen fan, this is really one of the best Rock Band clones on mobile. It is a beautiful homage to the band and their catalogue and well worth the small upgrade to get access to the entire song and art collection. Headphones are essential.
Micro Breaker A BREAKOUT 3D BREAKER.
Free with IAP
Few games feel designed for tablets anymore, outside of the more intensive RPG or Strategy experiences that simply benefit from a larger screen. Micro Breaker is a revival of one of the most popular early console experiences – Breakout – where you use a floating paddle to bounce one or more balls against coloured blocks to break them.
Micro Breaker takes this concept and expands on it, adding perspective, depth and physics. Blocks sit in a 3-D space, your balls can bounce or duck under or over blocks with abilities. You can even turn on the AR function and have the environment sit in your own real physical space. There are also a staggering 130 levels that are genuinely and functionally different, and require different strategies to beat within the time and level limits.
There are also challenging daily quests, progression bonuses, and you can pay for extra content via in game credits. Thankfully, these credits aren’t needed to play the game, and while there are forced ads after every few levels you can pay $4.49 to remove them permanently, which effectively unlocks the game in full.
In terms of longevity, there are both challenger and boss modes, and the developer has noted that there will be leader boards and possibly even a multiplayer mode down the track.
It’s a lot of fun and a great train or bus time waster.
Jetpack Joyride 2 BOOSTING BOUNCING BRUCE.
Free with IAP Jetpack Joyride was not only one of the first breakout hits when it came to mobile gaming, it was an Australian team that pulled it off, along with a host of other classics (like Fruit Ninja). Halfbrick is effectively a legend in the mobile space and after a tough few years is starting to reboot it place in the industry. Jetpack Joyride 2 is less of a sequel and more of a remake – think the original endless runner with a new coat of paint, new tricks and the same old Bruce.
There are new graphics in HD that better reflect the reality of modern smartphones, as well as a higher framerate, new vehicles and upgrades, a better menu system and a quirky little story to boot. It is also still free and mercilessly does not choke the player with advertising after every failed run.
Unfortunately for Halfbrick, not all the changes have been beneficial to the format. The original was beautiful in its simplicity – jumping also enabled shooting, so your movement was really the only control you needed to navigate. There are no guns that shoot vertically, which adds complexity but does not make the game any more enjoyable.
Most disappointingly the game now includes an energy system, which is arguably the worst method for monetisation, and it is shocking that a game released in 2021 still hasn’t learned the lessons of its countless failed predecessors. In all honesty, this should have just been 99c all over again.
A Kinder World GROW SOME OPTIMISM.
Demo (Early Access) In a world where every single mobile app is attempting to take your attention, money and time, it is frankly refreshing to find a game that is focused on improving, not detracting from, your mental health. A Kinder World is an Australian-developed game that is all about putting kindness out into the world – encouraging players to not only offer help but to receive and complete self-help exercises.
When you start the game, you create a houseplant that requires your daily nurturing, via watering infused with optimism and kindness. Your plant has a name and a condition and grows in a completely unique and independent way. You can share messages of love and kindness with the community who will in turn share them with you.
In a way it shares influences with games like Animal Crossing or other “slow games” that focus on relationships and provide a calm outlet inside a device that can seem overly chaotic, intense and demanding at times. The space inside a A Kinder World is an oasis – there are community goals and activities, you can send gifts as well as dress up your area.
In its current state, A Kinder World is still in a basic form, but thanks to a recent successful Kickstarter it will quickly be able to grow and expand. It’s wonderful to be able to seek out a place that is focused on your wellbeing inside a virtual community.