Top 10 best Android games: April 2011

It’s been unseasonably hot this April here in the UK, which means everyone and his dog has been scrambling outside to pick up a t-shirt sun-tan in the parks.

Just because you’re out and about doesn’t mean you should pass up on some valuable gaming time, however.

Thankfully, Android gaming has also had a very hot month.

From hectic wire-frame shooting to dream-chasing unicorns, there’s plenty for Android gamers to sink their teeth into while their home-bound console friends desperately panic about the security of their online services.

The original PewPew had barely been out a few months before the paid-for sequel was upon us, but despite the increased price tag PewPew 2 more than justifies its presence on the Android Market.

A new Campaign mode is the main draw, managing to combine the Geometry Wars-styled retro gameplay with imaginative situations to create a shooter that’s both familiar yet very much its own unique game.

It’s always great to see Android exclusives on the platform, but its even better when they’re as accomplished and slick as PewPew 2.

It’s taken a while for Adult Swim’s Robot Unicorn Attack to make the rainbow dash from Flash to Android proper, but it’s not lost any of its charm in the interim.

Essentially a Canabalt endless running game, Robot Unicorn Attack manages to break away from the legions of me-toos with its fantastic dark humour and brilliant atmosphere (courtesy of Erasure’s ‘Always’ and fruity visuals).

As Paul Devlin says during his review, it’s probably not one to be played out loud on a bus - if not for the music then most certainly for the swearing when your brave equine plummets to her death for the umpteenth 'wish'.

From flamboyant unicorns to the manly-man-like bashing of orc heads, Dungeon Hunter 2 takes the Diablo mould and shapes it into both an approachable and deep mobile action-RPG.

While Gameloft’s influences are once again obvious for all to see, it’s hard to deny that Dungeon Hunter 2 manages to pull off the loot-hoarding gameplay of its inspiration to a professional and feature-packed degree.

With up to four-player co-op to get your teeth into and a well-designed levelling system, you’re more likely to run out of battery than run out of things to do with this gem of a game.

If violently slaying monsters isn’t your cup of tea, how about a relaxing day at the spa in Hot Springs Story, Kairosoft’s follow-up to the insanely addictive Game Dev Story?

The setting and some of the structure may be different, but the engrossing and easy-to-play management gameplay is still firmly intact.

While Hot Springs has less of an appealing subject matter than its predecessor, give it a few minutes and you’ll find it it hard to get out of the pool.

An eye-catching Android exclusive, Cordy may be lacking a price tag, but it certainly isn’t lacking in quality.

At it’s heart is as pure a platformer as can be - collect a certain number of batteries in each of the 2.5D levels by pushing blocks, avoiding baddies, and leaping up over suspended platforms.

However, when the execution is this slick, it’s hard not to be sucked into Cordy’s strangely patchbook-looking world. Just resist the temptation to purchase those in-app purchases - they’re a bit steep.

Our second hard-to-put-down sim game on the list this month is Farm Frenzy 2 - an unassuming cartoon title based around the Flash game of the same name.

Despite the generally laid-back look, Farm Frenzy 2 lives up to its manic title with some furious real-time economic management, with entire production chains of animals (and finished products such as cakes) needing to be managed on the fly.

If you’re after something fast-paced and cerebral, it’s definitely worth a look.

Bouncing up onto increasingly hard to land-on platformers doesn’t sound like it would make a particualarly thrilling game, but try saying that to the legions of Doodle Jump and Abduction! fans across both iOS and Android.

Abduction! 2 doesn’t rock the boat too much when it comes to the core gameplay, but what it does do is introduce shedloads of extra features and game modes to expand the simple concep as far as it can go.

While the originally may have been (unjustly) criticised as a Doodle clone on release, the sequel goes a long way to proving it’s very much its own game.

Gameloft’s Xperia Play-exclusive title didn’t set our world alight with its open-world, free-running, sword-waving tomfoolery - but it’s certainly not a bad game to show off the Xperia’s strengths.

Starting you off as a distinguished captain before falsely accusing you of something (it’s not very specific), BackStab is packed to the galleons with action, leaping, exploration, and secret treasures.

While it does suffer from quite a number of technical hiccups, it’s still a game that’ll keep you involved for quite a number of hours.

It may not have the looks of BackStab or Cordy, but Cyberlords: Arcology’s old skool, Amiga-styled role-playing is still well worth a look.

Revolving around a team of motley futuristic adventurers on a journey to (inevitably) save the galaxy, Cyberlords pops you into a Cyberpunk world filled with battles, equipment upgrades, and long exposition.

While it won’t be for everyone, those looking for a dose of the retro will find plenty to like about the game.

Endless running games have arguably been run into the ground (ho ho) since Canabalt reared its head a few years back, but Stellar Escape brings enough new features to the table to make it worth your consideration.

Intead of merely one type of move - normally jump - Stellar Escape tasks you with keeping track of a whopping five, including ducking down.

This naturally ramps up the difficulty of the game, but also the satisfaction of getting that bit farther.