The mobile gaming market is one of the fastest growing out there and was worth an eye-popping Dhs445billion in 2020.
So it’s little wonder that big names in video games such as Nintendo, Sega and Activision are gobbling up their slice of this lucrative pie. For most of us, though, playing games on our smartphone is just an easy way to lift the monotony of being stuck in rush-hour traffic in the back of a cab, sleepless on a long-haul flight or bored witless by yet another worthless webinar you’ve been sent on by
the boss.
Coin Master and Candy Crush Saga might be the biggest grossing games right now but we’ve come up with a variety of the titles that we play to while away those dreary times.
Let the games begin.
Bird Alone
Let’s face it, we’ve all felt plenty of isolation during this pandemic. But spare a thought for Bird Alone, the loneliest parrot on the planet. The premise of this wonderfully heartwarming game is to befriend said parrot and watch your relationship blossom over the days and weeks as you discuss anything from life to death and what the future might hold. Some of the existential chat might be a little too on-the-knuckle for some but you’ll love the creative part of this game as make music, write poetry and create art together. Think of your new feathered friend as a type of Tamagotchi with substance, guiding him through daily life with choices to make and questions to answer at every turn. Developed by the quite brilliant Mancunian magician George Batchelor, Bird Alone is a game for the deeper thinkers among you. Wonderfully profound – just don’t forget to feed your new wingman the odd orange or rub his belly now and again…
Dhs15. Available on Android and iOS. Visit georgebatchelor.com/birdalone.
Call of Duty: Mobile
We couldn’t possibly ignore one of the greatest mobile games ever made. For those of you who thought recreating Call of Duty for the smartphone would be as impossible as completing any of the series blindfolded, on Veteran mode then think again. Although CoD’s mobile version has its own World Championship, we only play it for a little fun – scoring repeated headshots on your lunch break certainly lifts the spirits. There are two main modes of this gripping game: 5v5 team mode and the more nerve-shredding 100-player battle royale. In the multiplayer 5v5 you can join random skirmishes with guys and girls from across the world and if you spot a talented teammate you can add them as a ‘friend’. We love the fact you can play on classic CoD maps such as Crash, Crossfire and Nuketown 2. You can also take on the personae of some of the game’s favourite characters including John Price, Alex Mason and Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley. The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay thrilling. So much so we had to delay writing this article for a couple of hours as we’d given ourselves dead hands from playing it too much.
Free (in-game purchases possible). Available on Android and iOS. callofduty.com.
Dead Cells
Originally a big hit on PC and consoles, Dead Cells made the transition to the mobile gaming world in 2019/20. This is the game that put Bordeaux-based studio Motion Twin on the map and continues to gain plaudits from players and critics alike. Essentially you are a big globule of cells that takes over the body of a dead prisoner which have you to navigate out of jail while fending over a whole load of enemies trying to take you out. As you make your way through the various dungeons you will collect weapons, money, power-ups, skins and abilities that will make your character stronger. From time to time you will be faced with battling one of the eight bosses, or ‘Keepers’, who each have a unique fighting style. For fans of roguelike or Metroidvania games, this the perfect mix of the two genres – in fact it’s actually been dubbed a ‘roguevania’ game. The action is pretty frantic, which makes it even more of a giggle and the 2D graphics are very neat indeed. Well worth shelling out a few dirhams for.
Dhs33. Available on Android and iOS. dead-cells.com.
Donut County
We love a good indie game here at Time Out, not because we’re proper hipsters but because, well, they’re just pretty damn cool. Ben Esposito’s quite beautiful Donut County is as pleasing on the eye as it is absurd in its concept. It’s a physics adventure game where you control a hole in the ground that gets a little bigger every time you swallow something – people, cars, trees, houses etc. So what else do you need to know? Esposito says: “You play as a raccoon named BK, a new employee at a startup that uses remote-controlled holes to steal people’s rubbish, along with everything else. When BK falls into a hole himself, he must answer to his best friend Mira and the residents of Donut County who are now stuck 999 feet below their homes”. With its gorgeous pastel colours and highly addictive gameplay, we were lead to Donut County when another game we enjoyed, Hole.io, was criticised for being a rip-off of it. Esposito’s masterpiece is infinitely better, trust us.
Dhs18. Available on Android and iOS. donutcounty.com.
Drag n Merge: Block Puzzle
This game has a very simple premise but is anything but simple to master. Dragging numbered blocks and merging them with identical ones to create the next number up certainly seemed straightforward enough to start with. But then you realise you should have merged that one with that one instead of this one with this one and you soon get into one big muddle as your stack nears the top and game over. The daily challenges are a fun addition to the main game and we like the fact you can play Drag n Merge with your real-life friends. That way you can all have a good laugh at each other while your brain gets flummoxed as the ever-quickening timer runs out. Good, harmless fun for all.
Free. Available on Android and iOS. metajoy.io.
Risk
A staple part of many a student’s ‘can’t afford to go out’ nights, the absolute classic of a board game that is Risk just had to be converted into a mobile version. It was screaming out for it to happen and thankfully makers Hasbro heard that scream and produced this little beauty. With Risk: Global Domination you have the option of playing solo or multiplayer using classic or customised rules. The idea is the same as the original – to gradually build up your armies by capturing territories before swooping like the legendary leader you are and conquering the entire world. There are more than 60 maps available in the game, ensuring there’s enough of a twist to the board game to make it well worth the effort from Hasbro and giving fans of the futuristic, fantasy and sci-fi an extra kick. Risk has millions of players worldwide but if you think you’ve got what it takes to rise the ranks all the way to Grandmaster then you should certainly roll the dice.
Free. Available on Android and iOS. facebook.com/riskglobaldomination
Slices
From the makers of the wildly popular Fun Race and Run Race 3D comes this highly playable puzzle game that passes the time while training your brain at the same time. The concept is very straightforward – move the slices from the central circle to one of the six plates that surround it to complete the five-piece puzzle on each. Once you have completed one of the plates of pizza, fruit etc. then that will and the two either side of it will disappear and score you points depending on how many slices were on each. We find Slices a very relaxing way to boost your grey matter without causing the frustration and panic that can be induced by, say, Tetris. But just like that all-time classic, you get a preview of what the next slice will be meaning you can keep one step ahead of the game. Challenging yet fun, get a slice of the action now.
Free. Available on Android and iOS. goodjobgames.com.
