It’s wall-to wall story/adventure games this week, spanning the full range of plot archetypes from “young woman must explore lost city to save her little brother” to “Grandma and her dragon get up to shenanigans” to “we discovered time travel, so let's misuse the semicolon!” Don’t worry, we’ve got some more strategic titles too, including a political sim about literal party animals and a sushi buffet card game. Are the games getting weirder or is it just me? Don't answer that.
Head of State
Anthopomorphic animals are locked in a struggle for political power in Head of State, a darkly satirical strategy __game about accumulating power by democratic means and using that power to undermine democracy. This begs the question on everyone’s mind these days: what would the fox say about Aleppo?
You can get Head of State on iOS or Android even if you don’t have your own PAC.
Submerged: Miku and the Sunken City
Submerged is a story-driven combat-free exploration __game that was something of a sleeper hit on PC. Now you can find food and shelter, keep your brother alive, and explore an unsettlingly familiar abandoned city on your recent-gen iDevice (not including iPhone 5s, iPad Mini 3 or iPad Air 1).
If you’ve got 2 gigs of RAM, you can get Submerged on iOS. If you’re running Android, it doesn’t matter how much memory your device has, you’re out of luck (for now).
Steins;Gate
Steins;Gate is a legendary Japanese Visual Novel about how nothing good ever comes of discovering time travel. So, kind of like Life is Strange before Life is Strange (Steins;Gate debuted on PC, in Japan, in 2009). The twist here is that people can’t survive time travel, but messages can be sent, so get ready for that phone call (or text) from your future self!
Steins;Gate is a serious game at a serious price and comes in iPhone and iPad versions, and guess what? You can get it on Android too, but only in Japanese.
Sushi Go!
Sushi Go! is more than just a card game about eating sushi, it’s a card game about eating better sushi than your friends. This card drafting game is all about balancing between improving your plate and denying other players the nori and maki they need for their combos.
You can nab the last of the hamachi from the conveyor on iOS only. Android users can (ahem) go fish.
Skyhill
So, you were the privileged SOB in the penthouse saferoom when the zombie apocalypse broke out. Well, guess what, smart guy, you’re out of food and the only way out is down, floor by floor, scavenging for snacks and repurposing sporting goods and cookware to violent ends, because the whole building’s full of grotesquely mutated zombies. This one blends real-time scavenging with turn-based combat and complete lack of functioning elevators.
Skyhill is out on iOS and might come on over to Android, it just has 39 flights of stairs to get down first.
Isoland
Isoland is an adventure game illustrated in a distinctive hand-drawn style, and apparently Shell Beach from Dark City is one of the game’s inspirations? Sounds cool, though I have to admit that the long list of 99c IAPs described only in hànzì (Chinese characters) is throwing me off. Maybe it’s part of the mystery?
You can search for the reality behind the facade on iOS.
The Tale of Doris and the Dragon
You remember the sad final verse of Puff the Magic Dragon, where Puff is inconsolable when Jackie Paper grows up? Well, The Tale of Doris and the Dragon flips the script, as Doris had to grow old and die before she met her magic dragon. Gameplay is old skool point and click (tap), and the art has a MS Paint vibe, but the most remarkable thing about this game is that it features an older woman as a protagonist. That adds it to an extremely short list… The Cat Lady, and The Witch’s Yarn, I suppose (but those characters are more middle aged) and Increpare’s NSFW Frig and… that’s about it.
You can dye your hair blue, whistle for your dragon and go on an afterlife of an adventure now on iOS and Android.
Space Rangers: Quest
It’s nice when Android releases follow shortly on the heels of their iOS cousins. 1C’s Space Rangers series made a soft landing on iPhones last week, and now the Android version is here and demanding to be taken to our leader. This sci-fi gamebook has RPG elements, random events and some relatively free space exploration.
You are now free to quest on Android as well as iOS.
Bulb Boy
We knew an Android version of surreal horror adventure Bulb Boy was in the works, and now the you can unscrew your glowing head on a much wider range of smartphones. Go, Bulb Boy! It’s your time to shine.
Solve puzzles, rescue family members, face monsters and encounter poop “in many sizes and proportions” on Android or iOS.
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