Top games android: Plants War

Plants War: DotA or LoL on your phone!

Confession time…  I must admit that I actually very rarely buy games for myself.  I’ve only seemed to buy outright bargains and the Kairosoft Pocket series games.  Even when testing games I try and imagine the user doesn’t want to spend a cent first.  On top of this I don’t think I’ve ever done any in-app purchases… but this has finally changed… I’m on the brink of shelling out for Plants War!  Read more to find out what we thought about this smash hit…

Gamplay: This is like DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) or LoL (League of Legends), in otherwords it’s a blend of a RPG (Role Play Game) with a RTS (Real Time Strategy) Game.  So you select a character and you instruct it to run around to kill the creeps which come towards you.  Your aim is to prevent your base from being overrun and also destroy the enemy fortification.  On a periodic basis each base will spawn enemies which will head straight into battle.  Most of the game is centered around your hero who has special spells and can level up.  If you’re nearby when enemy units are killed then your experience points will increase.  As you go up in level then you’ll be able to select spells to unlock and your health and magic points will increase too.  This is the core aspect to winning – your fighter needs to become stronger to tip the balance of the war.

So what’s so stunning then?  Well it’s all fabulous 3D with all the thrills that you would expect from a desktop point and click game!  It quite literally has all the full feeling of playing a DotA game whilst also being cute and fun.  Admittedly it’s not the only game like this and I don’t think it’s the first either.  But, for me it’s the first I’ve played which I’ve not been able to put down… it really does have that wow factor for me.  Eventhough it crashes all the time on our Samsung Galaxy SII test device, I still love playing it.  In fact it Force Closes so much that I’ve just become accustomed to the game regularly bombing out.  Anyway… back to the graphics… visually it really does it for me.  Not too much detail, and just enough character imparted into all the little minions.  Overall there are cartoony 3D heros which are cute and yet also feisty.  The casted spells all look very fancy and it looks like you’re inflicting pain on the receivers!

How about the sounds?  The music is very majestic.  It’s perhaps the first time I’ve properly been dazzled with such triumphant music which is also appropriate for the game.  It just stacks with the theming to deliver a cracking game.  Sound effects go with all the actions ranging from the menu button clicks to the in game destruction.  Unfortunately, the sound effects regularly stopped whilst we were playing on the Galaxy SII.  It didn’t fully stop us from playing, but it did remind us of how important sound effects are – a game can feel really hollow without sound to give feedback.

Gut Feel: It’s probably pretty clear that I thought that this was a stunner… but it’s probably also because I’ve liked these games ever since I played DotA back on Warcraft III.  On the grander scale there is an element of repetitiveness about the game.  (You pretty much dash in and out to level up and eventually you trounce the enemy by overwhelming them with a larger accumulated force.)  To a casual player this probably sounds really dull.  But for those who give the game a chance (probably those who like the cutesy characters), then they’ll come to realise that the unlockable heros and plants are what mix up the gameplay.  There is a very subtle strategy in the game which can make you think carefully about whether to use ranged heros or close combat strikers and how to assemble your army.  Additionally, there are special summon spells which can help you call for more units.  Guess what though… they cost “leaf” credits – some of these are given to you as you progress through the game, but to properly enjoy using these leaves then you probably need to use your credit card.

So did we actually buy anything in the end?  Ummm… no… not yet, but as per our comments, this did crash several times on us.  It’s fairly demanding and doesn’t work on our old HTC Desire test device.  But the game is available on the AppStore, so if I have time I might just play on an iOS device (sacrilege I know) and buy credits.  However, having said this it seems like it’s possible to get very far in the game without spending any money – completing up to level 30 on all three difficulty settings seems quite possible at the moment.

Any downers? Well… the movement interface combined with the lack of a landscape view can really be frustrating.  But if you have tablet then that should mitigate this problem.  

Rating: 4/5 Plants War is an absolutely whopper of a game.  Eventhough it crashed on us multiple times we still loved it – yes it was that good!  For something that is pretty much free, anybody can easily try it out to see if they enjoy it.

[Apologies, as this is the main reason why we’ve been slightly slow on the reviews lately!  I blame Plants War… ]

Plants War Promotional Youtube Video

(Check it out, it’s quite epic!)

Plants War Tips from Android Games Review:

• Although there’s a statistic tracker which logs how many times you die, it doesn’t really have any bearing on any of the achievements.  So don’t feel too bad about dying.  However, if you do die then consider restarting the round.  Whilst you’re away from the battle field you’ll miss out on valuable experience points.
• Ranged fighters are generally the best heros to use because they can fight from a distance and avoid being exposed to the front line fights.  The close combat fighters are more fun but take care not to get sandwiched without an exit route.
• Don’t spend any money until you really need to.  That means that you keep hording your cash for ages.
• If you are thinking of spending money: Quick Leafy and Spear Leafy are pretty similar in destructive ability but Spear Leafy is safer because he’s a ranged fighter.  His attacks can also inflict damage on multiple units but most of the time this is difficult to do because his range isn’t large enough to reach the enemy ranged units.
• Eventually your hero will be outmatched.  At that point you want to invest in the plant units.  So far we’ve only purchased the expensive Flameshooter and the very cheap Tree Protector.  These two are sufficient for smashing through most armies.  But we’re considering testing out the Poison Shooter at the moment (over a purchase of the Elite Leafy).
• We’re at a juncture where we think we’ll need to commit to one unit to upgrade his stats whilst also purchasing the reinforcements summon spell.  Ultimately we think that the reinforcements spell must be a regular purchase eventually…

Developers: Gamevil (pronounced Game-ville… not Game Evil)

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Top Games android: Pumpkins Vs Monsters

Pumpkins Vs Monsters: Another Plant Vs Zombies imitator but with a pleasant twist

If I have to think of redefining mobile phone games then it’s no surprise that Angry Birds and Plants Vs Zombies come to mind. It’s also no surprise that a flurry of cheap copies came rushing out onto the mobile market trying to exploit the successes of both games. Some of these games try to gain association by either game name, graphics , gameplay or a mixture of these qualities. Pumpkin Vs Monsters definitely has used name association. Is that only where it ends? Read on to find out.

Gameplay wise Pumpkin Vs Monsters (PvM from now on) has taken the core elements of tower defence. You are tasked with defending the bottom of the screen from monsters that inch slowly towards you ready to take over your precious pumpkin patch and quite possibly your brain too! Thankfully you have the periodic sprouting pumpkins on your 7 by 4 grid patch to defend yourself against the onslaught. Pumpkins however need to be grouped into at least 3 of the same colour together with at least one of them on the front row in order to be hurled as your defensive weapon. The halloween fruits can be arranged by sliding them in either of four directions, space permitting, around the soil patch allowing you to build up your pumpkin groups accordingly.

You start with only two pumpkin colours, yellow and green, however more colours are unlocked in later levels. The monsters drop gold coins and additional pumpkins when they die which you need to tap on to collect so you need to not only concentrate on looking at the bottom of the screen arranging your pumpkins but also the middle to collect coins and reenforce your pumpkin reserves. The coins allow you to buy power ups for your pumpkins as well as extra items to help you defend yourself. These include shields to fix damaged protective hedges (much like the lawn mowers in Plants Vs Zombies), dynamite to dispose of monsters and pumpkin mines just to name a few.

A nice feature of PvM are the purple gems that allow you to have a spin on the PvM fruit machine. Normal fruit machine dynamics apply here and you have a chance to win extra coins and additional items. You are provided a purple gem a day so gives you something to look forward to adding some good replay value.

In terms of game difficulty, I found it was fairly easy for the first 10 or so levels but got difficult very quickly. This was mostly due to the fact that I had no idea what the items did at the top of screen and how I can use them. There was no tutorial as such and even in the shop where you can buy additional items there is no explanation. This is quite a big mistake that I hope the developers will address. Other than that I liked the colour coordinated monsters that are resistant against a particular pumpkin colour and weak against others. This added a challenging and addictive gameplay dimension as you are constantly assessing whether to take time to arrange your pumpkins to maximise the damage or use a shotgun approach to blindly throw any group of colour.

The presentation of PvM is solid, the monster designs are very clear making them instantly recognisable and background settings appropriately graveyard themed. Sound and music is also fairly well suited although the music made me think of haunted castle rather than monster graveyard but it’s close enough. Unfortunately the branding is no way near as strong and polished as Plants Vs Zombies but still not bad.

Verdict: 4/5 PvM is a respectable game in it’s own right, personally I think the gameplay elements are strong and different enough enough to not need the Plants Vs Zombies association in its title. It’s just making people compare itself unnecessarily which doesn’t do itself any favours. That aside, PvM is a fun and addictive  match-3 puzzle game, definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.

Developers: RUNNERGAMES
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Top games android: Marble Saga

Marble Saga:  Zuma marble gaming entertainment at its best

The simplicity of match-3 games is what makes them so easy to pick up and play, ideal for occasions when you just want to kill a little time. Being a fan of the genre I was happy to find Marble Saga when looking through the download charts on Google Play. Based on Zuma marble games that have come before it, the developers, ITREEGAMER have released their own take on the puzzle game.

Gameplay: The aim of the game is to clear the screen of marbles. The marbles are destroyed by matching at least 3 of the same colour with one that you have fired, as some marbles are grouped into more than 3 when they appear one screen. The marbles travel around the screen on a predefined track, coming out of a feeder making its way towards the black hole. If a marble reaches the black hole then I’m afraid it’s lights out for you. The marbles are fired from a central cannon by tapping anywhere on the screen. In a very Puzzle Bobble-eque way you can change between your current and next marble colors by tapping on the cannon itself which added greatly to the gameplay.

Each level has a different track layout and thus difficulty. What really makes this game thoroughly addictive and a joy to play are the power marbles which randomly appear on a particular marble and are activated by matching at least three of the same color much like normal marbles. The power marbles have special abilities ranging from slowing down the marble train; reversing the direction; power arrow which destroys all marbles it touches; to fire bombs which detonate upon matching.

Marble Saga really comes into its own in the later levels where it’s crucial that you set up your chain combos. Doing so not only gives you additional points but also reverses the marble chain back filling the destroyed marbles. You really have to think on your feet whether to take your time to set up your combos or to fire off marbles as fast as you can disregarding the benefits of the chain combos. In practice you have to do both depending on the situation.

Presentation wise Marble Saga gets two thumbs up. The graphics are sharp, smooth and nicely themed. I have to particularly mention the star of the game, the marbles themselves, are excellently designed and animated. The texture design of the marbles give a convincing rolling effect when moving and the sound of the marbles hitting each other is pleasing to say the least. One crucial indicator of music quality for puzzle games is how annoying it gets after extended play and I can I never felt like I had to turn it on mute which must mean it aint half bad.

Verdict: 4/5 Marble Saga is a very addictive and enjoyable match 3 puzzle game, with over 108 challenging levels will have you returning time and time again. Just make sure you don’t lose your marbles!

Developers: ITREEGAMER

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Top Games android: The Sushi Spinnery

The Sushi Spinnery: Design new sushi and serve interesting flavours to the gourmet judges in the International competitions!

Time to ‘fess up again… Our team has been hooked on Kairosoft’s new title: The Sushi Spinnery.  This is why we’ve been a bit slow on the game reviews lately.  (That’s right we’re blaming Kairosoft for making us play their games so much!)

Gameplay: The Sushi Spinnery is a management game (like all of the Pocket Games series) and this time the theming is around a Sushi Restaurant.  This means that you own a food establishment and you need to make the strategic decisions to turn it into the best in the world.  We’ve seen the Kairosoft games change slowly since their Game Dev Story days and now the game has morphed into this staff management game which also has a sim style layout element to it.  On the HR front you need to hire staff in; train them; direct the creation of new dishes and send them off to competitions.  Then on the 3D perspective view you need to carefully layout your restaurant to please customers as much as possible.  Around all this there are the important Marketing tasks which are imperative for making your shop known to the masses.  So in short, a full restaurant simulation game!

As usual, the developers have made this game with their ditzy pixel people – it always surprises me how cute they can make the characters with so few pixels!

Confession: I’m gonna be honest here… I’m a real food maniac.  Whenever a game has food in it I’m generally pretty nuts about it.  So when there’s top Japanese cuisine involved, I’m just uber turned on.  As such, I’m actually finding it very hard to be objective about this review… but luckily my team are here to slap some hard sense into me!  Anyway, please keep reading to hear about some of the good and bad points about the game…

Strong points: The core of this game is very intricate.  In Kairosoft’s previous titles, I’d say that eventhough the games may have been complicated, the method to win would become obvious in the first round of playing.  However, this time the key to success is quite hidden.  In fact, I only really understood the key to winning in my second restaurant in the game.  So for the other hardcore Pocket game fans out there, then you’ll be glad to know that this game has some serious replay value to it.  If it weren’t for the fact that it’s easier to review a game when everything is unlocked then I’d be on my third restaurant by now!  (By the way, my caveat here is that I’ve never played World Cruise Story… so perhaps those players would have more experience in playing this layout sim style game.) 

Weak Points: Although complexity can be a strength in puzzle games, it’s also quite a big problem for newcomers to this game genre.  (In fact, it’s so complicated that I’m not even going to try and explain the various actions and options within the game!)  The Sushi Spinnery is perhaps too involved and the world of a Kairosoft game may be too much for the average player.  In addition to this, there’s a layer of abstract gameplay which can be hard for new players to imagine.  This abstractness compounded with the slightly odd menu interface makes for a game style which is quite an acquired taste.

Back to the good points:  The graphics are fab, and I never tire of the music soundtracks.  Each and every new amenity in the game surprises me and tickles my brain cells.  In particular, the new sushi dishes that you can create are all quite fascinating… have you ever seen a double cheese salmon nigiri?  No?… yeah actually I think that would taste horrid too… but you can actually see weird creations in this game… excellent.

How does this game compare to Game Dev Story, Grand Prix Story, Dungeon Village and Pocket Academy? 

If you’ve never played any of the Kairosoft games, then you should start off with Game Dev Story because it’s easier, and displays all the core mechanics of the Kairosoft titles.  (It’s also cheaper to buy… we suggest purchasing the game because the demos don’t really do any of these puzzle games justice.)  Style-wise it’s similar to Dungeon Village and World Cruise Story, but it feels like the difficulty is set just right.  So that means it’s not as difficult as Pocket Academy and nor is it as easy as Dungeon Village to figure out.

Personally I found Game Dev Story and Dungeon Village to be pretty funny, but I guess on the scale of things this has the least jokes in it.  However, this is balanced our by the fun food on the conveyor belt.

Should you buy it? If you like puzzle and strategy games then consider Sushi Spinnery.  If you’re new to Kairosoft games then definitely try out Game Dev Story first (even if it is a lite game).  After you’re accustomed with this style, I would seriously recommend this game because the replay value is so high!  Check out our game tips at the bottom to beat your friends at getting a high score.

Rating: 4/5 Sushi Spinnery is a top trump game with superb replay value.  If food and strategy games are your kind of thing then you must get this game!

Sushi Spinnery Tips from Android Games Review:

After 16 years, your game score will stop accumulating and it’ll be recorded.  Then the fast mode will be available for you to toggle.  More importantly, a percentage of your unlocked content will be accessible immediately in your next new game.  When I saw this “prize” I was actually quite disappointed… however herein lies the clue to how to do well in Sushi Spinnery…

Obviously there’s no set strategy to complete the game.  However, we do suggest you aim to keep playing cycles of 16 years.  It’s definitely more challenging, and adds much more purpose to the game.  Anyway… below are some of the big questions which players may have:

What’s more important – upgrading amenities, unlocking new ingredients, upgrading dishes or training staff?

Well you have to do all of these things, but the most important thing is to form your strategy or aim.  Averagely I believe every time you form a strategy you probably need to stick with it for 2 to 4 game years.

A little overview: Ultimately you want to have a superb 5 star restaurant but to do this you need two core things:  1) money for marketing, and 2) you need to increase comfort levels.  In order to increase the appeal of amenities you can upgrade them, however its actually better to use the top tier amenities which need to be unlocked.  The amenities are generally gifted to you when you win competitions… so this is the primary reason why you train staff and upgrade dishes.  In short, win competitions for the purpose of getting the best amenities.  (They actually also contribute to your restaurant star rating.)  See below about how to win competitions.

What should I spend my gold sushi coins on first?

If you’re playing the game for the first time, then I would suggest funnelling all your gold coins into one chef who can achieve a high Discernment level.  This should save you wasting coins on ingredients and dish creation in the long run.  Then you should invest your gold coins into a chef who can get a high Prep level.  Ideally one chef who can do both would be excellent, but this is rare and difficult for a new player to spot.  (Note: You can get train a chef up to 9 levels.)

How do you get more gold sushi coins?

This seem like a bit of a myth to gather at first… but there is a way to increase the collection rate.  The gold coins appear when the customers are happy and satisfied.  To achieve this you need to boost the appeal of the seats.  This is done by putting decoration around the seats.  When a seat has high appeal then foodies will sit longer, eat more and be happier.  So basically you need to carefully surround the conveyor belt seats with shrubbery, put highly trained chefs nearby (if possible), and also put amenities nearby.  Don’t forget that you can put greenery within the conveyor belt loops.

Amenities can also earn you gold sushi coins if their appeal is high.  So if you can sandwich the greenery between the seats and the amenities then you can maximise on the appeal gained by the area effect of the greenery.  It’s possible to buy items to boost amenities, but they’re costly and eventually you’ll replace amenities with new ones – so it seems like a waste of money unless you have a very clear and focused strategy.  (e.g. a clear strategy would be investing in toy stalls for a few years, and to reap the reward you place a high number of them around the shop.)

How do I win competitions?

To win competitions you need to have the correct ingredient which is of sufficient quality and its taste profile matches the judges’ age and gender.  The key here is to have the correct ingredient first.  No boosted ingredient will let you pass the competition unless you it’s quality is high enough.  Generally, quality only starts becoming an issue when you get to the two point five star competitions and above.

If you’re stuck trying to decide which ingredients to unlock, then go for the following in this order: Ika, Ebiten, Hamachi, Maguro, Madai.  These are the key ones which can pass the competitions.  Madai eventually becomes the best ingredient under the sun!

If you don’t see new ingredients popping up then it may be because you don’t have a new customer segment asking for it… so make sure you keep up with your PR Marketing. (If you don’t have new customer segments appearing, then unlock the existing ingredients you see available as this may improve the happiness of existing customers, thereby increasing your PR channels.)

Developers: Kairosoft 

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Games android: Run Fatty Run

Run Fatty Run: Frantic arcade tapping action to help you lose some calories whilst having fun! 

Here at AGR we love indie games companies and we’re especially excited by development houses with an interesting background.  So when Disparity Games came to us with their product we were quite amazed by their game and the story of their development.  They’re one family and they work together towards building games!  Awesome… Read on to feel the family love…

Games android: Run Fatty Run

Gameplay:  In this weird and whacky game the world has gone nuts.  Obesity has become a global endemic and one government has created a new health program to help their citizens lose weight.  It involves some consistent running with a motivator… and no we’re not talking about a Personal Trainer or Mr Motivator himself… there’s a tiger chasing you!  You control the hero, Bert, and you need to outpace the predator otherwise he’ll maul you to death jump on you and drag you back to the start line (…we presume the game is family friendly.)  Bert is quite an amusing guy really… he’s like a stereotypical geeky and unhappy office worker.  He looks like he’s stuck in a vicious cycle where he eats because he’s unhappy and he’s unhappy because he eats so much.  Everyday at the office is pink shirt Friday for him and then BAM!  All of sudden he’s thrown into this Running Man training regime and needs to pound the concrete faster than a jungle beast!

To get in the exercise mood with Bert then you also need to participate and you do this by tapping on the screen.  The faster you tap then the faster Bert will run, and the vertical position of your taps will control where your obese runner will move to.  The fairly intuitive controls are extended further with swipe actions which let you charge through objects, and roll down hills.   All pretty simple but at the same time it’s very entertaining to see how this chunky guy actually has more leg muscle strength than a four legged creature.  (Note that in real life there’s a certain element of truth… many big boned people have strong legs because their legs are trained in holding up their large body mass!)

Before you think this is some sort of non-stop runner game – it isn’t at all.  There are multiple levels which break up the gameplay into short manageable bursts of fun.  In fact there are 36 levels in total and each has a bronze/silver/gold rating system to it.  The surprise doesn’t stop there though because in addition to the standard races there are some special lightening races.  If you complete enough of these challenges then you’ll be rewarded with a comic strip!

Comic Surprise: Personally I’m a comic nut, so when I saw these little sketches I was pretty hooked.  In fact that became my purpose for playing the game.  Indeed this game is fun to play in short bursts, but it’s even better to play for the comic rewards.

Game Theming:  Overall the game is quite lively and the music is just upbeat enough to get you into that running mood.  Personally I think some more tiger growling noises would increase the excitement (but they would be pretty cheesy too!).  The visuals are superb and there’s excellent 3D graphics.  All the smooth models and pretty colour palettes make it a gentle and easy on the eyes game.

However, in turns of gameplay it’s not gentle or easy at all and it really doesn’t let you rest.  Although it’s intuitive, it’s also very hectic and intense.  In fact, it’s so manic that I was breaking into a sweat from playing and perhaps I was losing calories from the exercise too!

Tuning:  As with every new game there are obviously some areas which need some tweaking.  The key areas we’ve spotted are the Gold stars and the touch interface.  However we’re quite confident that successive releases will iron out these issues and polish this game up.  More importantly we think that the developers will actually listen to your requests and try to accommodate for you.

Rating: 4/5 Run Fatty Run will urge you to tap your screen faster and harder.  The exercise inducing gameplay is coupled with a unique comic strip reward!  Complete the game to find out what becomes of your hero, Bert!

Video review:

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Greedy Spiders 2

Greedy Spiders 2:  The return of the brain taxing creepy crawlies!

Last year we reviewed the first Greedy Spiders game and back then we were totally blown away by the Blyts developers.  Can this new release match the success of their previous title? Read on to hear more.

First thoughts: The name of a game can spell out many things and a lot of people may suddenly think that this is the spider game equivalent of Angry Birds.  However, it’s not a fancy physics game at all and instead it’s a very good head scratching turn based puzzle game.

Gameplay:  The core of this game is virtually identical to the first.  So every level has some poor flies who are stuck on the spider’s web and you need to free them before they’re devoured.  The eight legged monsters are dotted around the web and they’re willing to play a little game with you before eating their meal.  (You’d think that the spiders would be clever enough to wrap down their food properly, but my only guess is that they get a kick out of toying with their prey.)

On every turn of your death game with the arachnids you’ll cut a spoke on the spider web, and then the spiders will navigate along a web path.  The aim is to disconnect and isolate the flies so that the enemy spiders can’t get to them… thus allowing the flies to be able to wriggle to freedom.  But if the eight legged freaks to manage to get to their dinner then you’ve failed and you’ll need to try the level again.

Gut feel: This is a stonking good game which really works your brain cells and tests the depths of your abstract analysis.  The graphics and animations are top notch and the helpless flies just keep pulling you in to keep saving them.

So what’s new compared to Greedy Spiders 1?  First off, this new game is just as good as the first one.  The core game is definitely the same, so I was slightly worried about how they could improve upon this and go a step further.  But, I’m very glad to say that I think the developers have successfully improved their product.  They’ve managed to add to their brain teasing game by adding a new action where you can freeze a spider.  Although this single move seems very simple, it does actually increase change the movement possibilities.  In short, the game continues to keep working your brain!

Are there any more new features?  There are some more new actions, but we’ll leave that as a surprise for you to find out for yourselves.  In terms of look and feel there doesn’t seem to be much obvious improvement, but the images have been spruced up slightly and the game seems to run faster.  The story and cut scenes are new, so here’s something fresh and different for everyone.

Easy to Hard difficulty: Several other review sites have commented that Greedy Spiders 1 starts off easy and then becomes fiendishly difficult.  Though this is true, this is also where the Greedy Spiders Star system becomes excellent because the number of stars you get will dictate how many rounds ahead you will unlock.  So if you get a three star on one round then that means the next three consecutive rounds will be open for you to attempt.  This means that if you’re stuck then you’ll be able to skip ahead to the next round.  Greedy Spiders 2 continues to have this facility and they’ve also got clear in-game tips which assist you through the game.  In case this help wasn’t obvious enough, there’s also an easy and hard difficulty to make the game more accessible for everyone.

Rating: 4.5/5 Blyts have done it again and have made another spectacular puzzle game.  The depth of difficulty is high and they’ve put workarounds in place so that you won’t get too frustrated.

Greedy Spiders 2 Promotional Youtube Video

Greedy Spiders 2 Tips from Android Games Review 

Check out our original gametips from our review of the first game here.

If you’re stuck on Stage 1 (Aztec Bait), level 13 then start with the following to get three stars: Freeze the left Spider, then cut the west line from the red fly, protect the purple fly by cutting the immediate connection in the south east.  Then the remaining cuts should be easy and obvious.

Feel free to ask us for any other game tips in the comments!

Developers: Blyts

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Top games android: Monster Island

Monster Island: Detonate the unwanted visitors on your precious island!

Miniclip have revamped their smash hit game Fragger and they’ve delivered their new version, Monster Island!  Does the new game explode with as much excitement as the original?  Or is it just a reskinned variant?  Read on to hear more…

Top games android: Monster Island

Gameplay:  First we should make it clear that this game is very similar to Fragger.  So if you enjoyed the original grenade lobbing game then you should definitely toss some bombs in Monster Island.  For those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure of playing Fragger, then here’s a quick overview:  this is a Physics Puzzle Game where you test your coordination and timing by throwing projectiles at the enemy thugs.  Most of your shots will explode (because everyone likes destruction), but there are also plain and simple (painful) rocks.  To throw a missile you merely touch on the screen and drag your finger around to adjust the directional throw arrow.  Once you think you have the right trajectory and power then you can let go of the screen to unleash your attack.  The aim is to eliminate the monster thugs on every level using the least number of throws.

Gut Feel:  Clean and simple killing is always enjoyable.   The satisfaction is particularly good when you feel like you’ve thrown an amazing projectile arc.  But what’s really attractive about the game is the look of despair on your enemy’s face when imminent death is upon them!  The little details are incredibly funny and it’s somehow quite satisfying to knock them in the head to anger them.  Yeah, you know you like causing them pain too….

Monster Island is very well polished and its setup for both casual and hardcore players.  Hardcore players will hone their finger-eye coordination to ace each of the levels, whereas casual players will blitz through the levels in a trial and error fashion… Eventually everyone does this because they’re trying to get three stars on all the levels.

Graphics and theming: No matter how I look at this it’s still Fragger at the core, but there are still beautiful cartoony graphics which are accompanied by pretty particle effects.  The thrower now looks like Majin Buu from Dragon Ball Z, and the enemies are clearly monsters, but they still fall around like skittles.

Is it the same game as Fragger then?  Although on the outset it looks the same, there is a subtle difference.  Fragger is much more physics and mechanics skill with grenades, whereas Monster Island introduces variation into the mini monsters (i.e. different grenade types) early on.  There are five monster bombs (Rocko, Sticky, Xplode, Blui and the fearsome Don Tonator) and there’s a lot more emphasis on these new weapons early on.

Good points:  As this is effectively a sequel game then there are many excellent aspects which have carried over.  Most notably restarting a round is really fast and smooth – this is very important for those people trying to three star all the rounds.  There are also solutions to every level available so you shouldn’t get frustrated (But unfortunately, this can only be used a limited number of times, after which you need to buy more credits to access more solutions).

Some downers:  Unfortunately the Free version has very annoying adverts and it also has a countdown timer overlay screen to try and get you to buy the full version!  Personally, I’ve found that the game is too easy.  One can get through the levels very quickly.

Rating: 4/5  Monster Island is great for time wasting.  Although the free version is a bit too easy, there are some funny levels that should make you smirk.  Overall it’s very tempting to buy the full game to get all the levels because it should be worth the money.

Fragger Monster Island Tips From Android Games Review:

Trial and Error will let you solve most levels.

If you’re stuck then carefully consider the bombs which you’ve been provided – are you using all of them effectively?

So far in the free version I was only really stuck on one level and that was because I didn’t realise that the blast radius of a bomb can actually be much further than I thought.  So try the more obscure bomb positions eventhough you may think that the explosion shouldn’t help.

If  you’re still stuck then think carefully about the order of explosions and actions.  Does a pathway need to be opened prior to doing your main detonation?

Developers: MiniClip

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Secret of Grisly Manor

The Secret of Grisly Manor – classic point and click puzzle adventure comes to Android

Your famous inventor grandfather has gone missing and the news of his disappearance is plastered all over the press. To your surprise you receive a letter from the old man asking you to come to his mansion as he has something “amazing to show you”. The game begins at front of the locked grand entrance of the mansion, rain pouring and lightning flashing. What’s this “amazing” secret that your grandfather speaks of? Will it be amazing enough for you to warrant your time to play Grisly Manor? Read on to find out.

Secret of Grisly Manor

If you ever had the joy of growing up in the 90s, you will remember the times of PC point and click adventure games. These were essentially a series of parallel intertwining puzzles wrapped up with witty and entertaining stories. A few of my favourites were Day of the Tentacle , Sam & Max, Full Throttle and of course the Monkey Island series. Grisly Manor plays very similar to these great games but unfortunately lacks the creative story telling and funny main characters elements that arguably make these games such classics. What Grisly Manor is however a collection of well thought out and intricate puzzles that will leave puzzle fans wanting more.

The puzzles range from easy to moderately difficult. Depending on your skill and experience level, it should take anywhere from 20 mins to 2 hours to complete this title. Grisly Manor does an adequate job in showing you how to play by displaying HUD information of where to touch in order to guide you through the first couple puzzles. From then on you are on your own as there are no hints to ease your potential frustration, luckily a quick google search should help anyone who stuck in a rut.

If you do find yourself struggling, a good way to progress before you hit google would be just to click on everything and anything that looks out of the ordinary as you will find items and passage ways in the most unlikely of places. I made a rookie mistake and was stuck at one point where I didn’t realise there was a turn around the upstairs hallway leading to additional rooms. (duh!)

Grisly Manor’s graphics presented in a photo realistic style. This surprisingly works quite well and provides a somewhat effective eerie feel to the room settings. Complimented with a non obtrusive music score it does well in convincing you that you are exploring a big, cold and mysterious mansion.

Verdict: 4/5 The Secret of Grisly Manor provides a refreshing throwback to the classic point and click puzzle adventure games in the 90s. Admittedly lacking entertaining stories telling and lead characters, the game should still strongly appeal to puzzle enthusiasts. Although arguably a little too short, it still offers good value for its small price tag.

Developers: Fire Maple Games

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Top games android: graBLOX

graBLOX: Interesting new take on the traditional match three puzzler.

I’ve made it no secret in the past that I am a fan of match 3 puzzle games however with the genre being so tried and tested, it’s difficult to find new gameplay dynamics different to the numerous editions that have come and gone over the years. Today I am happy to review MobilityWare’s refreshing match 3 puzzler which has featured highly on the Google Play download charts recently. Read on to find out what we at Android Games Review thought of it!

Top games android: graBLOX

With it being a match 3 puzzler, it goes without saying that the aim of the game is to well…match (at least) 3 things together. In graBLOX’s case, the thing we are matching are called BLOX. These BLOX are thoughtfully placed around the level and if one of the these BLOX are pressed, extending arms would stretch out in all four directions and grab nearby BLOX dragging them towards itself. If three or more BLOX are clustered together, then they would all disappear. The aim of the game is to clear the screen of all BLOX.

As you progress through the levels, different types of BLOX are introduced adding different gameplay elements. From cascading BLOX which extend their arms if they are grabbed by other BLOX; raindrop BLOX which fall down when their supporting BLOX are moved; to laser BLOX which destroy all BLOX in all directions if activated. Moves can be easily undone by pressing the undo button at the top or alternatively the whole level can be restarted from the beginning. Thankfully restarting and undoing is very snappy and does not hinder the gameplay experience.

An optional grid overlay can be turned on to make it easier to see the spacing between BLOX which can come in useful for more complex levels however not essential. In many turn based puzzle games there is tendency for it to over reliant on trial and error as it’s not obvious or possible to determine what the solution from just analysing the starting state. graBLOX fortunately provides a good balance between premeditation and trial and error, giving you a good sense of achievement when you complete the levels.

Much like many other puzzle games out there, graBLOX doesn’t win any awards for presentation. However it is simple and clean enough to not detract you from the gameplay. With a complementary color palette, hand drawn graphics and non obtrusive sound/music, the overall presentation is solid. Even the adverts are only presented to you between levels and are quick to move past.

Verdict 4/5: Refreshing match 3 puzzle gameplay with solid sounds and visuals is a winning formula. Featuring 4 worlds, each with 25 levels, graBLOX is a little on the short side for die hard puzzle fans. However with the promise of more levels to come soon, there is little more that can be asked for from this free ad supported.title.

Developers: MobilityWare

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top games android: Boom Brigade 2

Boom Brigade 2: Lay waste on the rampaging alien horde!

Most readers would have played Flight Control and probably seen Gun Brothers, but what happens when you mash these games together?…  You get Boom Brigade 2!  Check out what we thought of this strategy game below…

top games android: Boom Brigade 2

Gameplay: This is an action strategy top down shooter hybrid.  In simpler terms this means you have a birds eye view of the warzone and you draw paths to control your troops (like in Flight Control).  The troops will autofire on the alien enemies if they’re within blast range and they’ll shoot whilst strafing too (hence the similarity with Gun Bros).  The game is real time so it’s pretty intense, but there’s also a Tactical Mode which will effectively pause the game and allow you to plan your manoeuvres individually for each soldier.

Much like the real war films you only have a handful of specialists and you’re up against huge swathes of enemies.  Your aim is to keep the bunker alive through all the waves of enemy attacks.  Although you’re ridiculously outnumbered, your team has you, the master tactician who will guide your brothers to victory.

Good Stuff:  The sensation from start to finish is fantastic!  You start off being greeted by epic war music which then smoothly transitions into the instant action game.  You don’t need to worry about how to play because the tutorial will steadily teach you the controls and show you the way to win.

Eventhough on the surface the game feels predictable and straightforward, it’s actually really addictive and players can easily get hooked.  In each level you’re given specific units from a particular class (Machine Gunner, Shotgunner, Bazooka, Sniper or Flamethrower) and you need to select the right subunits to fit your strategy.  For instance, you could have fast moving units with unlimited ammo, but then their damage output would be low so perhaps you would throw in one high damage slow moving unit to handle any clustered enemy waves.

After you get the hang of surviving the attacks you’ll naturally want to try and 5 star all the rounds.  (Do this by keeping the bunker health high.)   In case that’s too easy for you, then there are also several achievements to complete as well as a survival mode where you can compete with the world on OpenFeint.

Bad Stuff:  Since the game is free, there are some adverts interleaved between the levels.  But what’s really bad is that there are video adverts that you can’t close!   Luckily there’s the option to buy “war bonds” which will unlock the game and allow you to access two other worlds and many more missions.

The controls are pretty intuitive, but they still need the player to be fairly nimble and dynamic.  The biggest problem I found was that you can easily lose control of your units if they’re standing too close together and unfortunately there’s no zoom functionality to let help you click on the right soldier.

Rating: 4.5/5 Boom Brigade 2 lets you unleash your strategic skill.  It’s definitely a must have game and the first 10 missions are free!  The large variety of weapon upgrades and features justifies purchasing the extra “war bonds”.

Boom Brigade 2 Promotional Youtube Video 

If you’re having problems passing the rounds or 5 starring levels then check out the tips below:

The spawning source of the enemy and the types of aliens in each wave are the same.  So you can learn their pattern and move soldiers into proximity of the spawning locations before they appear.

It’s best to keep your soldiers moving all the time so that they don’t get eaten by the aliens.  But moving in away from the aliens in straight lines would usually be too fast for most soldiers.  So to keep your units moving at the correct pace whilst also staying in shooting range then move them backwards in a snaking path.

You must get used to the Tactical Mode/Pause button.  It will let you micro manage each of your units so that you can maximise on their potential.  This button is particularly useful against large enemies which you need to circle around to avoid their melee and ranged attacks.

After you get used to the Tactical Mode then you’ll probably find yourself using it every couple of seconds to keep your units alive whilst also running them to protect the bunker.

If you’re finding that you’re still losing even with your best micro management then you should select your team members carefully.  Read the small print for each weapon category with the unit to understand the strengths and weaknesses.  From this you should be able to put together a team which suits you the best.  If you’re only able to micro control two units then only have two runners, and leave the last unit to be a high ranged high damage unit (don’t forget that they’ll be really slow too so the terrain better have somewhere safe for them!).

Eventually you’ll get to the point where it may feel like the bunker is impossible to protect to get the 5 stars.  This is when you’ll need to incorporate some high level techniques to protect the bunker: you can use soldiers to lure zombies away from the bunker and buy yourself more time to kill them.  As long as your soldiers don’t die then you’ll be able to beat the wave of zombies.

Don’t forget the bunker can take a little bit of damage, so its not all lost if some aliens hit it.  Your soldiers can also take some damage too.

Weapons in the free portion of the game:

Gunner: Standard Issue Minigun, Ares Vulcan XT, Ammo Haul 2k, Uranium Rounds

Artillery: Standard Issue Bazooka, Longshot Rockets, Multi Rockets, Rocket Stream,

Shotgunner: Standard issue shotgun, Sawed-off shotgun

Developers: 10tons

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Top Games android: Kings Can Fly

Kings Can Fly: Take your airships around the world in this lighthearted and enjoyable puzzle game.

Top Games android: Kings Can Fly

We first saw the Kings Can Fly promo video a few months back and since then we’ve been waiting for the Firedroid developers to release their game…. the wait is now over!  Check out its good points below…

Gameplay:  You’re a king who has finished conquering the kingdom and the state of peace is sending you to sleep.  So what do bored rulers do?  Obviously they listen to their young and beautiful assistants who tell them they should go on one last trip and see the world from high in the sky!  Being the almighty ruler of your domain, you set out with a convoy of airships and you need to travel the world going through all the checkpoints.  But of course you can’t just sit and wait for the wind direction to suit you before you set off… oh no… you’re the king… so you will create your own wind eddies!  That’s right you set out in your airship and then you strategically put down directional fans, lift fans and whirlwinds (yes that’s not a typo!) in order to guide your balloons to the docks.  After you have all your equipment in place then you open the gates and see if the wind currents are correct to fly you to your goal.

At this point the game probably still sounds weird because you’d think that a civilisation which is amazing enough to make airships (which can survive whirlwinds!) would also be clever enough to make them fly in any direction… but nope.  For some reason they were in such a rush to make these machines that they can only travel in straight lines. This explains why they need to throw contraptions around the map in order to redirect the balloons.  Luckily for us, this creates a very unique little puzzle game which is enjoyable and yet challenging at the same time.

Intuitive Controls: I love developers who put time and care into controls because it can make or break a game.  In this case the Firedroid developers have gone to town with the camera controls and they’ve given their players all the bells and whistles: there’s basic single touch and drag for camera panning; then there’s pinch to zoom; they’ve got multi-touch twist to pivot the camera; and finally there’s multi-touch for camera elevation.  Of course this is just a nice to have which makes the game easier to play, but the attention to detail has also gone into the fan placement.  It’s very clear how to put a fan down and the choice of which direction it’ll be blowing is obvious too.  I’m particularly happy that the directional fan buttons will auto-rotate as you spin your view around.

Sweet Graphics & Sounds:  This is a great little pathing puzzle game which is put in a beautiful fully rendered 3D environment (yet another Unity engine success!).  Personally I find the model graphics to be just right… not too detailed… but still delicate enough to be pretty.  They’re also subtly animated to bring the whole game to life.  Though I must say, what really impresses me is how the 2D graphics and the in game 3D meld together easily.  The themed stylisation has really worked some magic and the quality music really sets the scene for a relaxing fantasy game.

Puzzle Problems:  Personally I’ve found that some of the puzzle concepts within Kings can Fly and the core methods to solve them are very much like a Sokoban puzzle.  The difference is that you tend not to go back on your old routes and instead you’ll keep heading forwards.  Using Sokoban elimination methods will let you figure out where to place the guidance fans.  My only negative about the puzzles are that they seem either really easy or really hard… there’s not much inbetween.

As with all puzzle games there’s the concern that one would get stuck on a level and not be able to progress.  But the developers have tackled this in multiple ways i) there are multiple routes on the level map (which means you don’t need to complete all the levels), ii) there’s a tips button.  If you activate the game tip within the game then flags will appear, thus telling you where you should put your wind devices.  This way you’ll never get stuck, and you’ll always have something to play.

Full / Free:  The Free version of the game has adverts and 13 levels. [Ed: Adverts were removed from the free version!]  The Full game has 60 levels and we think its worth it if you like puzzle games.  To be honest, we’re not sure if the first 13 levels are a good reflection of how difficult the puzzles are or of how good the game is.

Rating: 4/5 Kings Can Fly is a superb and unique puzzle game which lets you feel the love and care of the developers.  This brain taxing game will definitely keep you occupied for a good while!

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Top Games android: Toy Defense

Toy Defense: Feast on this bird’s eye view tower defense!  If you’re familiar with Balloon Defense and enjoyed it then don’t  miss out here!

Top Games android: Toy Defense

Gameplay: In your average tower defense games you simply build, upgrade and destroy.  Soon enough you become bored and you fast forward knowing that you’ve achieved maximum domination… you have the game in the palm of your hands whilst the enemy units are barely crossing half the map.  However, Toy Defense is different here – it features an original idea whereby you upgrade your defense system outside of the battle. Improving your facilities outside enables you to upgrade your towers within the warzone. In other words, your towers will remain weak unless you develop them outside of warfare.

You also get special abilities which can save you in tight spots, like repairing all towers for free, or reviving your defeated units.  These fancy skills make the game that little bit more interesting, but don’t assume you can abuse these abilities because these have to be bought outside of battle.  You’re only given three to start off with, and you have to decide whether you want to spend your points on these abilities or upgrading your towers.

Never underestimate your enemy: Your towers have life bars, and unless you repair or upgrade them, they will be bombed to smithereens, thus leaving behind a grave stone which will obstruct you from building.  Make sure you’re alert when you hit that fast forward button… it is FAST.  If you look away for a moment then you can lose all your towers around your enemy’s route.  It’s almost as if your fingers have to move three times as fast because you’re forced to repair continuously.  This makes the game really challenging so don’t get cocky and hit that fast forward button or else your game will turn into a complete mess when you can’t keep up!

100 lives for gold: Most gamers will consider this immensely difficult, but those who strive to reach that 100%, that gold badge, that perfection, will welcome this with open arms.  It’s undoubtedly easy to pass the game with flying colours of silver and bronze, but to achieve gold is a hideously difficult task.  The loss of just one person can lose you your trophy, so imagine this: you get single stray enemies crawling along the map throwing grenades at you… the enemy trucks which are loaded with troops explode sending their platoon out into the open.  So you have to focus fire down on the squad, but to make things worse, the enemy tanks are still in motion like they’re invincible!  In the late game, either the computer or the game designers really hate you because they unleash mob after mob of units in your face making it almost impossible to surpass.

Game Stylisation: It’s a military themed tower defense game, which features soldiers, trucks, and tanks. As for air units, you have what looks like bombers from the sky. Your towers include troops that physically turn themselves into miniature battery guns, flame throwers, and you can buy the strongest defense unit (a tank).  Then there are the cursory anti-air cannons too. What I really like is the military march intro music, it’s up-beat, cutish in a way and extremely catchy as well.  Overall it really does energise the player… (I’m starting to tap my feet already!)

Some control issues: You have 24 levels to play and each level is a large piece of land where you navigate via touch controls of swiping left and right, zooming in and out via pinching with two fingers. However the main problem is that you need to be very precise when tapping on the unit you want and you need to be careful whilst selecting the option to either upgrade/repair /sell a unit.  The buttons are impractically small for even my own not-so-chubby fingers.  Playing on a bigger screen would help but without that option it’s just discouraging when your intentions are to repair the tower above instead of the one below, thus leading to the death of the tower above…

4/5 Rating: Toy Defense is a satisfying game that emits blissful joy right from the start. The awesome challenge and thrill you get when you push the fast forward button is fantastic.  Personally I find the unique and original gameplay makes this great to play, and it’s an essential “must have” in your download history. Furthermore, it’s free!  The only reason I deducted a point from perfection was simply due to the controls but that can easily be forgotten when you’re completely immersed in the game!

Developers: Melesta Games

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