Top 25 best mobile games from Finland (2017)
Dash to the Finnish line
Finland celebrates 100 years of independence today.
Pound for pound, few countries have had such a profound impact on the mobile games industry as Finland.
From Nokia to Supercell via Rovio, the tiny Northern European country has helped to define this massive industry more than most.
To mark that fact and this momentous occasion, here are 25 of the best Finnish mobile games currently available on the App Store and/or the Google Play Store.
1
Clash Royale
The undisputed mobile heavyweight of recent years, Clash Royale continues to spawn (inferior) imitators with its finely honed mix of MOBA and card battling.
2
Badland 2
An accomplished sequel to what was a highly influential one-button flier, Badland 2 is even bigger, prettier, and more varied than before.
3
Angry Birds Star Wars
Arguably the best Angry Birds of the lot, Angry Birds Star Wars successfully combines the spacey physics-based destruction of Angry Birds Space with everyone's favourite sci-fi IP.
4
Oceanhorn
There's no sign of Zelda on mobile just yet, but thanks to beautiful adventure game Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas we can't say we're feeling its absence.
5
Angry Birds
Along with Nokia's Snake, the original Angry Birds has come to represent the archetypal mobile game. That both come from Finland says everything about the country's influence on this industry.
6
Badland
The original Badland elevated the humble flier to an art form with its classy silhouette art style and subtle physics-driven gameplay.
7
Angry Birds Space
Angry Birds Space makes for a surprisingly creative follow-up to the all-conquering original. It takes the bird-pinging action of the original and then plays with gravity to create something fresh.
8
Trials: Frontier
RedLynx takes the precarious bike-balancing premise of its Trials series and sands away the jagged edges. The result: a polished and accessible stunt racer that doesn't leave you feeling raw.
9
Clash of Clans
Supercell's original freemium empire builder continues to be a massive draw more than five years on. The secret to its longevity is that it requires both skill and strategy to play successfully - not just patience and money.
10
Battle Bay
The team behind Angry Birds produced an all-new multiplayer boat-battling shooter IP with Battle Bay, and it's every bit as compelling as its famous sibling.
11
Ocmo
Ocmo is that rarest of things - a genuinely hardcore yet mobile-focused platformer, complete with an ingenious touch-driven control system and a formidable difficulty level.
12
Minigore 2: Zombies
The original Minigore was an early example of how the twin-stick shooter sub-genre could excel on smartphones. This sharp sequel cranks the frantic blasting action up to 11.
13
Silly Walks
An adorable one-button adventure with a brilliantly tactile movement system at its core. Did we mention its was adorable?
14
Bike Baron
Bike Baron borrows elements from established stunt bike games and hones the formula for mobile. More than 9 million players will attest that Mountain Sheep did something right in the process.
15
Boom Beach
Boom Beach is more than just Clash of Clans with combat trousers on. It's a more tactical, combat-oriented affair, but with Supercell's typical attention to detail.
16
Angry Birds 2
It took six years of experiments and spinoffs before Rovio felt confident enough to launch a proper Angry Birds sequel. The result is a highly polished, surprisingly varied casual physics game.
17
The Walking Dead No Man's Land
A tight turn-based action strategy game with the popular zombie munching IP at its core. The Walking Dead: No Man's Land is like a more accessible XCOM, but with added Daryl.
18
Bad Piggies
It might flip to the put-upon piggies' perspective, but Bad Piggies is nothing like Angry Birds. It's a highly creative physics puzzler that has you building your own escape contraptions.
19
Death Rally
Death Rally is a thrilling car combat game lets you make like Mad Max. It's more about the shooting than it is taking the racing line, which is fine with us.
20
Pako
Pako simulates the epic car chases of the movies in a delicious slab of angry arcade racing action.
21
KingHunt
KingHunt takes the Fruit Ninja formula and well and truly runs with it. Besides slicing stuff that's thrown at the screen, there's an interesting combat element to master.
22
Hay Day
Before Clash of Clans and Boom Beach there was Hay Day - Supercell's cute farm management sim. There remains a gentle joy to growing crops and churning out agricultural products.
23
Ice Rage
An expertly honed one-on-one ice hockey game with irresistibly slidey ice physics and Mountain Sheep's signature chunky art style.
24
Hill Climb Racing 2
Fingersoft's bouncy point-to-point physics racer franchise has been one of the more successful examples of its type. Keeping your vehicle upright remains a hilariously slapdash task.
25
Crashing Season
Koukoi Games has created a thrillingly direct arena runner that turns the tables on big game hunters.