Best Android Games of May 2021
It’s that time again: Hardcore Droid’s list of the best Android games of May 2021. This month, we’ve got a little tower defense, a dash of RPG and a sprinkling of some puzzle titles to keep you going into next month.
5. Guardian Chronicle
Now for some tower defense merged with…merge mechanics. Line Games’ Guardian Chronicle combines the two to create a complex strategy title that maintains a high level of enjoyment. In general, the game plays like a standard tower defense game. You place units on the map to defend against incoming hordes of enemies. Rather than build your own deck of characters, however, you receive units via a randomized queue. The merge element comes into play when you have units of the same type and level. Combine them together to create a random, higher level unit. The unpredictability of what you might get means you must understand the abilities of each unit and constantly adjust your tactics.
Guardian Chronicle features two main game modes: competitive and cooperative. In the first, the goal is to simply outlast your opponent against waves of enemies. You don’t actually interact with one another, which might be a bummer to some players. But that’s where the co-op mode comes in, which has a single battlefield divided into two. You place your troops on your half; your partner plans the moves for his half. If you begin struggling to keep the enemies at bay, your friend can place some units on a central path to help you out, and vice versa.
A nice blend of PvP and PvE, tower defense and merge mechanics, frantic battles and rewarding gameplay make Guardian Chronicle a game you’ll definitely want to check out.
Available on Google Play
4. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!
Downloaded 23 million times within its first week of release, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run without a doubt deserves a place on this list of the best Android games of May. King, the game’s developer, crafted this endless runner to appeal to both newcomers and long-time fans of the unstoppable bandicoot and his sister Coco. Players familiar with the franchise will perhaps feel a bit of nostalgia as they revisit classic locations like Turtle Woods, Temple Ruins and the Great Gate. Favorite baddies are back as well: Dr. Neo Cortex, Dingodile, Dr. N-Gin and many others.
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run is not all about running though. Players can gather resources on Wumpa Island and help Coco build her headquarters. Here, high-tech laboratories will pump out useful weapons like Nitro Bombs and Frosty Ray Guns to help the duo come out on top. And while exploring the multiverse, players can unlock skins, modifiers and Aku Aku Masks to give them an even greater boost. These power-ups will be necessary to make it through the levels. Though the speed remains the same throughout, the obstacles in the bandicoots’ path become more complex and varied as you progress. And, of course, every level has a boss lurking at the end, each with its own abilities.
Although Crash Bandicoot: On the Run breaks from the platforming for which the series is known, you’ll find that the world of Crash is perfectly suited to an endless runner. An addicting and wacky adventure awaits.
Available on Google Play
3. Cyberika
The developers at Kefir Games have shown that they have the skills to create highly rated titles with pleasing graphics, groovy soundtracks and engrossing storylines. Cyberika puts players in the shoes of a mercenary for hire in a dystopian city. This action-adventure MMORPG takes place in the year 2084, at a time when poverty and life-changing advances in technology coexist.
This RPG offers a bit of everything. You can upgrade your home, vehicle, cybernetic implants and weapons, which range from bats to laser swords to energy rifles. Even different neighborhoods of the city sport their own unique look, with nothing ever looking copied and pasted. And the developers have some major events planned for Cyberika’s multiplayer mode, including cooperative raids and gang wars.
While Kefir has taken all of the standard elements one would expect in a cyberpunk game, meaning nothing is truly groundbreaking, the developer has taken the time to flesh out Cyberika with high-quality content. The atmosphere, NPC dialogues and fairly detailed world help this title hold its own in a market filled with games trying to profit from the genre’s current popularity surge.
Available on Google Play
2. Supernatural City
Rovio, creators of the Angry Birds franchise that swept the mobile gaming world in 2009, are still developing unique and notable games. Two of these are match-3 puzzle titles with integrated stories: the crime sleuthing Small Town Murders and its otherworldly sibling Supernatural City.
These narrative-driven puzzle games provide the impetus to keep going even when the going (or a particular puzzle) gets tough. You must complete puzzles to earn coins and stars, and each plot point requires a certain number of stars to unlock. So if you want to advance the story, you have to complete puzzles. Coins pay for extra lives and power-ups to help you through. You can of course buy coins from the game’s in-app store, but Supernatural City is truly free-to-play.
In the game, you play as Ellie Delmar, who has returned to her hometown to find her missing father. Upon her arrival, she begins to notice strange goings on, not the least of which is her growing power to interact with ghosts. While Ellie’s tale is interesting and adds some diversion, if you’re in it mostly for the match-3 element, you can ignore the story altogether and just complete puzzle after puzzle.
Rovio’s Small Town Murders and Supernatural City have each made their way onto Hardcore Droid’s Best of the Month lists, and they’ve both remained installed long after the reviews were written.
Available on Google Play
1. Fable Wars
Topping Hardcore Droid’s list of the best Android games of May 2021 is another match-3 puzzle title. Similarly to Supernatural City, Gamesture’s creation provides a twist on the traditional match-3 formula to differentiate it from the masses of similar offerings on the Google Play Store.
Fable Wars features a fantasy role-playing element with hundreds of heroes to collect. But these characters are not generic RPG chaff. Fairy tale legends like Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, Hansel and Snow White will fill your roster, each with special powers and strength in a particular element. You can bring a team of five fighters onto the battlefield, so build your party carefully. Make sure their abilities complement one another, and craft items to make them even more powerful.
As with many character-collecting gacha RPGs, you can upgrade your favorite team members by sacrificing the cards of those you find less useful. Each fighter’s special ability can also be leveled up using an elixir, which can be obtained by completing quests or with gold purchased from the in-app store. While players who spend real cash will progress more quickly, Fable Wars can be enjoyed fully without spending a single cent.
Available on Google Play
Did you enjoy Hardcore Droid’s list of the Best Games of May 2021? Be sure to check out some of our other lists, like Best Android RPGs of All Time and The Best Android RPGs You’ve Never Heard Of.
