Features

Top 10 best Android games of January 2014

Seeing in the New Year with some familiar friends

Top 10 best Android games of January 2014
|

If December was the month in which the Android gaming community took a collective (and much-deserved) breather, then January is clearly the time it gets 'back to work' with some noteworthy big hitters.

Still, there's a distinctly 2013 vibe about the start of this new 'droid gaming year.

You see, there's a bunch of belated iOS conversions, some welcome simultaneous releases, and even a couple of even-more-welcome firsts on this list.

We'll take less of the first batch and more of the last batch from now on, please, Android game developers. Failing that, let's get things turned around a little quicker, eh?

We have a feeling 2014's going to be a good year to be an Android gamer...

Worm Run
By Golden Ruby Games - buy on Android

By taking the endless-runner genre and giving it a welcome shot of something thrillingly dangerous, Golden Ruby has crafted a welcome addition to the Google Play Store - even if it has arrived almost a year 'late'.

In Worm Run, you are a hapless little miner, running away from a huge fanged creature.

It's not a question of if you'll die, but rather for how long you can stay alive. And you'll be battling the game's quirky swipe controls throughout. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

Deus Ex: The Fall
By N-Fusion Interactive - buy on Android

This iOS conversion is only six months 'late', yet it remains an impressive piece of work. Developer N-Fusion Interactive has somehow made the dark complex sci-fi world of Deus Ex fit onto mobile with few compromises.

Is it perfect? No. But it is at the very least a technical showpiece for whatever quad-core Android beast you happen to own. And at best it's a rip-roaring adventure.

Final Fantasy VI
By Square Enix - buy on Android

Many JRPG fans would argue that the sixth Final Fantasy remains the best of the lot, and by extension one of the best examples of the genre.

This mobile conversion - which went live on Android before iOS - has caused some controversy with its inconsistently revamped graphics and additional UI elements. The brilliant setting, story, and battle mechanics are still present, though.

Sonic Racing Transformed
By Sumo Digital - buy on Android

The original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing was arguably the finest-ever mobile kart game. This sequel is even more impressive, mind, with lush 3D visuals, expansive tracks, and tight powerslide-heavy gameplay.

Yes, it also has an annoying IAP system - which is far from ideal in a game that already costs £2.49 - but you can have plenty of fun here without spending any additional money.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
By Rockstar Games - buy on Android

The final GTA game of the PS2 era was also one of the most ambitious, boasting a huge expanse of mock-LA (and it's surrounding area) through which to drive, bike, run, and fly.

GTA: San Andreas's story of gang warfare won't be to everyone's taste, sure. And the need to take part in a bunch of banal mini-games won't please too many folks. But for causing freeform chaos in a rich open world, you can't get any better on Android.

LYNE
By Thomas Bowker - buy on Android

We've been spoilt for stylish puzzle games over the past year or so, but LYNE is perhaps one of the most impressive.

It's a simple game of linking similar shapes. Except, of course, when it's a fiendishly tricky game of linking similar shapes. Aside from some concise introductory sections, that seems to be the case for much of the time.

Detective Grimoire
By Armor Games - buy on Android

You might expect this stylish game to be like most other point-and-click adventures of its type. You know, where you're led around by the nose while you soak up the pretty graphics and follow the story.

But the maker of Detective Grimoire stays true to the game's name by forcing you to be a detective. So, you have to weigh up the facts and direct the investigation in a thoroughly entertaining cartoon whodunit.

Bad Hotel
By Lucky Frame - buy on Android

Here's another game that took its time crossing the divide from iOS to Android. As there's been nothing quite like it since, though, we'll give developer Lucky Frame a pass on this occasion.

This is a tower defence game... but not as you know it.

As you erect defences to protect your embattled hotel, you're also creating a jazzy soundtrack, with every action adding to the thrum. It's tactical, funky, and just a bit weird.

Gamebook Adventures 9: Sultans of Rema
By Tin Man Games - buy on Android

Okay, so we haven't played Gamebook Adventures 9 an awful lot just yet. But let's face it - a new gamebook from Tin Man Games is about as much of a dead cert as you can get in this industry.

As a further guarantee of quality, it's also the direct sequel to Gamebook Adventures 3: Slaves of Rema. So, if you like well-told tales of political intrigue and supernatural skulduggery with an Arabian Nights vibe, you're probably safe to give it a go.

Rainbow
By TCHOW - buy on Android

Aptly described in our review as being "like eight games of Snake all at once", Rainbow involves your dragging an unwieldy rainbow around a drab grey world.

As you collide with solid elements, individual colours get stripped away, leaving you with a more nimble but dangerously depleted 'bow.

It's as novel as it is pretty to look at.


Top 10 best Android games: December 2013
Top 10 best Android games: November 2013
Top 10 best Android games: October 2013
Top 10 best Android games: September 2013
Top 10 best Android games: August 2013
Top 10 best Android games: July 2013
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.