Looking for a fast fix with your Android games for your phone? Look no further
Playing games while on the move can be tricky. You're dealing with
the relatively small screen of a smartphone and short amounts of free
time. Meanwhile many games focus on longer play sessions and small,
detailed controls. For tablet play that's fine, but we're rounding up
bite-sized, finger-friendly fun available on Android that's best suited
for smartphones.
Super Hexagon
Super Hexagon is an actiongame where players dive through a maze of
walls that are continually spinning and fallinginwards. A constant,
disorienting motion makes accomplishing this insanely difficult, and an
amazing soundtrack doesn't help the nerves either. As you beat each
stage, a harder version of the level is unlocked. Before long, things
get well and truly ridicadonk.
Super Hexagon is the game of choice for gluttons of punishment.
Dumb Ways to Die
Players in Dumb Ways to Die have to survive a barrage of deadly
mini-games which get harder as time goes on. These include swatting away
deadly wasps, shooing piranhas away from your crotch, and holding onto
balloons so you don't dive onto the tracks. Three adorable animated
deaths and it's game over. As you progress, your collection of dancing
cartoon corpses grows.
All in all, Dumb Ways to Die is a fantastically morbid test of reflexes.
Despicable Me: Minion Rush
Despicable Me: Minion Rush is an endless runner featuring the
adorable little creatures from the popular animated film. Players have
to swipe left and right to avoid incoming obstacles and collect bananas
and power-ups. Camera angles and control types change regularly,
demanding players stay on their toes, and with lots of unlockable
content, including costumes and new running areas, the game stays fresh
for a long time.
Despicable Me: Minion Rush is hugely entertaining and a great way to kill a few minutes.
Dots
Dots is an easygoing puzzle title that involves lining up
identically-colored dots as quickly as possible. Gather up dots by
drawing a line through them, and get bonuses for creating closed loops.
At the end of a round, either by time or number of moves, the gathered
dots can be spent on power-ups to help in future matches. Pass-and-play
multiplayer is also available, if you want to see how you stack up
against your buddies.
Dots is easy to pick up, and great to look at.
Canabalt
Canabalt is a fast and furious endless runner with a minimalist art
style. All you have to do is tap the screen anywhere to jump gaps
between the buildings you're running over. There are a lot of other
one-touch endless runners on Android, but Canabalt excels for its high
speed, fluid animation, and short play cycle. You won't find any in-app
purchases, power-ups, or anything like that here; the only challenge is
to make it farther than your last run before faceplanting into another
skyscraper.
Despite its age, Canabalt is a pure, pared-down runner.
Fruit Ninja
Fruit Ninja is a hugely popular action game. Players make quick
swipes to slice fruit tossed in the air before it hits the ground, but
be sure not to hit the bombs. Though it's an older game, the developer
has been updating regularly with new content. There's a premium
currency, starfruit, that players earn through gameplay which is used to
buy these bomb deflectors, bonus fruit, and new blades.
Fruit Ninja has weathered the test of time and remains accessible and fun.
Flick Soccer
For a casual futbol game, Flick Soccer is great. It presents a
variety of kicking games where players have to race against the clock,
hit targets, and otherwise score some goals. The swipe recognition is
highly polished and results in some very natural-feeling arcs. Even
after the kick has landed, you can alter the trajectory with a quick
swipe.
Tetris Blitz
Tetris Blitz is a reimagining of the classic block-dropping puzzle.
Random blocks spawn at the top of the screen, and you have to tap a
location to drop them so a solid row of blocks is formed. That row
disappears, and you get points; the more rows you take out at once, the
more points you get. The catch is that you only have two minutes to
score as many points as possible. They've also tossed in power-ups which
help you along the way, and a Frenzy meter which fills up as you score
points and ultimately initiates a massive spout of points bonuses.
Tetris Blitz is a fun, fast twist on a classic.
Major Mayhem
Major Mayhem is side-scrolling shooter with dirt-simple controls.
Players tap on secret agents and ninjas as they pop out from behind
cover to open fire. Save scientists from the evil clutches of
ne'er-do-wells, earn coins, and unlock new weapons and outfits.
Major Mayhem is a goofy, action-packed ride with lots of flavor.
Beach Buggy Blitz
In Beach Buggy Blitz players drive along the beach for as long as
possible. There are plenty of obstacles along the way that slow you down
if you hit them, and if you can't make the next checkpoint before the
clock runs out, it's back to the starting line. Coins are scattered
along the route which fund upgrades like new rides and power-ups. Dust,
water, and lighting effects are all hugely impressive, and add up to a
surprisingly rich experience.
Though Beach Buggy Blitz is kid-friendly, it's a ton of fun for everybody
Your favorite games for Android phones?
Those are our favorite short-and-sweet Android games for phones, but what are yours?