GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new mobile games for iOS and Android - July 31st 2020
It's that time again! Time for another entry into our long-running GAMES OF THE WEEK series.
if you're looking for the best 5 games which have hit the iPhone, iPad or Android stores this last week then you've landed yourself at the exact right place at just the right time. Lucky, lucky you.
With this article, we skirt around the droves of subscription services (Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, GameClub, Hatch, and all of their friends) which have launched onto mobile platforms over the years. We also don't factor in things like Steam Link or Google Stadia which allow streaming to handheld devices - and would open up this list to almost every game under the sun.
What that means is that our list is a finely curated list of brilliant, fresh titles which you can download and play without subscribing to, or installing, any third-party initiative. Of course, there are some great games on those services, but, let's focus on the stuff that you can grab right now.
As it turns out it was an absolutely massive week last week, including a fantastic release which featured as part of our debut Pocket Gamer LaunchPad event. From deep-space dogfights through to Tang dynasty poems brought to life, and we stop off at a few interesting points on the way.
Oh, and remember, that if you're looking to check through some of our previous selections then you can always do that at our Games of The Week Hub, it's a great way to find games to fill out that empty storage space on your phone. Or, if you like your news in bitesize chunks, delivered straight to your palm then maybe follow us on our Twitter.
Anyway, without any further delay, click on the big, blue button below to find out more about our top five of the games which released on mobile over the last week.
1
Lure
Lure is a game all about deftly dodging and ensnaring your foes, somehow surviving against greater numbers as you trick them into imploding against red-hot orbs. As the game progresses you'll even unlock a NewGame+ which features a timing challenge to it as well. It is all about arcade sensibilities. When you make a mistake it feels like your own and, with new mechanics introduced at a steady pace, there's a genuine feeling of success as you push through trickier, almost impossible-seeming, scenarios.
2
Tvinnr
Tvinnr is a relaxing block sliding game where you gain points for each merged pair of tokens - rather than combining them into something larger - this is a cool, relaxing take on the sliding-merge game and, frankly, it's more than welcome. It's a great little game, completely free to grab, and definitely worth it if you like the concept of the sliding games, but are a bit fatigued with the existing 'merge' trends.
3
Gloom: Digital Edition (2020)
Gloom: Digital Edition is an adaption of the very popular, slightly-macabre board game. For those who haven't played the game before, each player starts with a family of five who they have to make as miserable as possible before killing them. Sounds easy enough (especially in 2020, am I right?) but there aren't just negative cards in the deck, there are positive ones too, and any player can play cards on any character. This means that you might have a completely devastated family member, and then another player makes them win the lottery, or meet the love of their life -- all of a sudden the character isnt' so down and out anymore. Add to this that each modifier is of a certain type (because going bankrupt and winning the lottery aren't mutually exclusive) and it means you can completely twist the fate of a family member in moments.
Gloom: Digital Edition is a premium game available on both Google Play and the App Store.
4
The Everlasting Regret
The Everlasting Regret is a puzzle game from Tencent's Lightspeed & Quantum Studio, developer of PUBG Mobile. It's based entirely around the Chinese poem Song of Everlasting Regret and presents you with a tragic love story told through Tang dynasty-era artwork. It's beautiful, awe-inspiring and... free on both Google Play and the App Store.
5
Interloper
Interloper is out on the App Store right now. It's a premium title, but goodness me is it a beauty. It's all about defending your race against swarms of enemy spaceships as you dogfight around debris and wreckage-strewn space battlefields. It's a real looker too, and if you're intrigued then why not check out a few minutes of the game in action below?
