iPhone games are big business today. It’s all Angry Birds, Words with Friends, and Cut the Rope. But I’ve got an Android phone. Come to think of it, Brandon and Frank also have Android phones too. We Android folks can’t play Cut the Rope or The Settlers, but there are a lot of really good games on the Android platform. Here are some of my own favorites.
Gem Miner: Dig Deeper ($2.14, demo free)
My favorite Android game is likely Gem Miner: Dig Deeper. It lets you explore and mine out a huge cavern, digging your own tunnels and shafts, placing your own ladders and elevators, trying hard not to fall to your death down a chute that’s hidden in the dark. You’ll need to mine coal, copper, silver, and many other precious metals to earn the money to buy better lanterns, better pickaxes, more ladders, and bigger backpacks. Buy expensive elevators to go really deep and get at the better ores. I had a ton of fun with this game. After finishing the game, I played through on hard, and then played through all the individual challenges. Not bad for $2.14.
Shopper’s Paradise ($2.99, demo free)
Shopper’s Paradise is a management game wherein you build and upgrade various stores in a mall and watch as shoppers pour in. You can buy your competitor’s stores, and in hard mode they can buy you out as well. It’s got enough complexity that I still haven’t figured out how to win the later levels on anything but easy difficulty. I do spend quite a bit of time with this game.
Air Control ($2.88, demo free)
One of the first games I spent tons of time with on my phone was Air Control. It’s a simple premise: give an ever-increasing number of airplanes, jets, and helicopters a safe route to the runway on which they must land. But as the game progresses and you’ve landed over 100 aircraft successfully, gameplay gets very hectic and you just can’t keep track of all the aircraft on screen any longer.
Dungeon Scroll ($1.98, no demo)
The latest game I’ve purchased for my phone is Dungeon Scroll. When I read that it took inspiration from Word Worm Adventures, I was immediately interested. The premise: write words to kill monsters as you advance through a dungeon. There’s no real exploration and no real character stats, so it’s not at all a RPG, but it’s got a decent amount of complexity as you can see by the screenshot.
Trap! (Free)
One of the first games I got on my phone is Trap!, a very simple game which draws its inspiration from an old arcade game called Qix. The premise: section off as much of the game board as you can. While you’re drawing a line, you need to be careful not to let any of the bouncing balls hit it. Once the line is complete, you’re safe. Fill 75% of the screen to complete the level. It’s harder than you think.
Tower Raiders ($5, demo free)
I’m always on the hunt for a decent tower defense game, and Tower Raiders is the best I’ve yet found on Android. Lots of people will tell you that Robo Defense is better, but I like Tower Raiders. Other than that, it’s a straight-up tower defense game, very much like Defense Grid: The Awakening.
Bonsai Blast ($1.99, demo free)
Bonsai Blast is a well-made Zuma clone. If you like Zuma, you’ll most likely enjoy playing Bonsai Blast on your phone. Many of the levels are quite annoying, most notably the ones in which you need to shoot balls through tubes to reach their targets, but overall the game is a lot of fun. I’m playing the demo and I can’t tell what more I’d get were I to buy the $1.99 full version – I have yet to make it through all the demo levels.
Scrambled Net (free)
Scrambled Net is a free game, and a fairly basic puzzle. Spin the circuit units to make sure that all terminals are connected to the power source. Fun little app, and it’s free.
Game Dev Story ($2.53)
The last game on my list is the only one I’ve not yet tried, but it may be the next game I buy for my Android phone, as it seems to have been reviewed well. The premise: you’re an executive working at a video game company, and you’ve got to make all the right business decisions to keep your company afloat. Sounds a lot like Shopper’s Paradise.
