Last week was PAX East 2015 in Boston, where games both big and small were playable on the massive show floor. Whether recently released or currently in development, there were plenty of games to be excited about at this year’s expo.
While PAX is mostly known for showcasing console and PC titles, there were still a handful of mobile games (including Android) on display in and around the Indie Showcase. These games ranged from colorful puzzle games, galactic strategy games, comic-booked inspired card battlers, and even Mexican themed platformers! Here are the games Android had to offer at this year’s PAX East:
Feed My Alien (Promineo Studios)
Following a young girl and her newly found alien friend, Feed My Alien is a bright and colorful match-three puzzle game in the style of Bejeweled. The goal is to match pieces of food in order to form a vertical line. Once a line is filled, it will result in a chain reaction, clearing away any nearby pieces. There are also power-ups strung about that will clear large sections of the board. The early stages are quick and easy to grasp, and are wrapped around a story mode that promises Boss fights and encounters with local townsfolk. Feed My Alien will land onto the Play store sometime in 2015.
Tumblestone (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild)
Tumblestone is another color matching puzzle game, but also incorporates elements of Space Invaders. Players must match colored blocks by shooting three of the same color, while more blocks continue to move closer to the bottom. If the player fails to match three of the same kind, the board will crash down even faster, resulting in players franticly trying to clear as many pieces as possible. There’s even a story mode with different challenges, such as clearing a board without making a mistake. Despite being a simple concept, Tumblestone is still plenty addictive, and is sure to eat away at hours of your time when it comes out this year.
Starlink (Tasharen Entertainment)
In this space theme strategy game, players must (naturally) try and conquer the galaxy by capturing star systems in a constellation. This is done by sending ships between the stars you own to the ones currently occupied by the enemy fleet. The enemy will also attempt to take over your systems, so it is important to carefully switch between offense and defense. In addition to playing against the AI, the game can also be enjoyed against friends, even across multiple platforms. With its laid back approach to strategy, Starlink is can be easily picked up by both casual players and strategy veterans. The game is available now for free in the Play store.
Sentinels of the Multiverse (Greater Than Games)
Mixing card battling with a comic-book aesthetic, Sentinels of the Multiverse is a unique take on the genre. Players chose a hero card, a villain card, and an environment card, each with their own unique powers and abilities. Once selected, heroes and villains will go back and forth until one of them is victorious. While the game nails the comic-book look and feel it is clearly going for, this can cause the screen to feel a bit busy at times, making paying attention to what’s going on that much more crucial. Still, Sentinels of the Multiverse has enough personality to make it appealing even to people with no interest in card battling games. Sentinels of the Multiverse is available now on the Play store.
Light in the Dark (Dreamgate Studios)
Reminiscent of physics-based puzzle games a la Cut the Rope, Light in the Dark is as inventive as it is charming. The goal is to move “totems” around the stage, shining a colored light onto their corresponding “child” to wake them up. Things become interesting, however, when players must carefully place the totems so that their light does not become blocked by obstacles. There are even times when different colored lights must be mixed in order to wake up a certain colored child. Light in the Dark offers plenty of challenge, and completionists will likely spend hours trying to shine on every bonus stars in each stage. Light in the Dark is available for purchase now in the Play store.
Bean Dreams (Kumobius)
Rounding out the Indie Showcase, Bean Dreams puts players in the role of the majestic Mexican jumping bean, as they literally jump along platforms and stages while reaching the end of the stage. The player jumps automatically, and a bonus reward is given for reaching the end in a certain number of jumps. Jumping on enemies will result in a “free jump”, giving what would otherwise be a generic platformer an added layer of strategy. What’s more, chili based power-ups will enable a mid-air fiery attack, making this a fun and intense game that fits seamlessly onto the mobile platform. Bean Dreams will eventually leap its way onto Android in 2015.
