April, without question the most sublime month of the year. The month where you first begin to notice that the days have grown longer. The month where you can’t help but notice the fairer sex, whichever one that might be for you, out and about on sunny days. The month where there is a tangible intangible in the air that makes you take notice, on the longer days, the ones capped by twilights that stretch into the evening. A body is likely on such a day to notice the first spring breeze. Still warm with the day’s heat, it falls across your face like an exhalation of breath, making you feel, maybe only for a moment, like you could live forever.
April fools!
The poet had it right: “April is the cruelest month.” “What?” you say. “But April’s the first month of spring. How could that be cruel?” It’s cruel because a month symbolic of new beginnings in the end signifies oblivion. It’s cruel because of the nearly ubiquitous expectation that you’ll greet each spring day with a bounce in your step and a smile on your face. It’s cruel because sometimes, when things are tough they are only so much tougher during this oppressively sunny time of year. At Hardcore Droid we fully understand the creepy existential implications of the month of bunnies and rainbow-colored eggs. And guess what? We’ve got you covered. Whether you find yourself laughing frothily over a basketful of colored eggs or taking your pants off on a crowded street, Hardcore Droid has got your back. As a matter of fact our April issue is a bona fide antidote against spring-blues, brimming as it is with the kind of pure bliss that can only be had by way of hardcore games played on an Android device.
Up with the sun, Hardcore Droid contributor, Travis Fahs has churned out a healthy number of sharp and incisive articles this month, reviewing 3D shoot’em up, After Burner: Climax; indie and GDC conference darling, The Room; as well as a rare 4.5 review of the ground-breaking open-world RPG, Ravensword: Shadowlands; to say nothing of his epic list of the Most Hardcore Android Indies Ever Made.
Up and coming writer, James Christy has rendered smart, comprehensive assessments of roguelike RPG, bit Dungeon as well as the Triple-A cover-shooter/RPG, Epoch; while HD newcomer, Saul Berenbaum has employed his considerable wit reviewing Usagi Yojimbo: Way of the Ronin and a free-to-play that actually is free-to-play, Into the Dead; meanwhile, not-to-be-forgotten, Sam Riedel offers a winning and comprehensive review of Kairosoft’s latest simulation, Ninja Village.
To make matters better veteran hardcore contributor, John Markley provides the lowdown on the latest Android strategy title of merit, Strategy & Tactics: World War II and reviews editor, Joe Matar reviews the hot new indie title, NightSky.
And of course there’s more. In the upcoming days and weeks, as the world grows brighter and hotter, Hardcore Droid will pumping out the copy. Reviews of Tactical Assassin 2, Slingshot racer, Trial of the Clone, Dungeon Ho! and Relativity Wars are making their way down the pike right now, as well as two epic hardcore lists: the Most Hardcore Android Tablets Ever Made and The 20 Best Android Games of All Time. So, when you make it home at the end of these long warm spring days, stop in and see us, and by all means take a load off. As always, hardcore gamers, Android fanatics and the rest of you mugs, you are welcome. This space is for you.
Ajax
Senior Editor
Hardcore Droid