Platforms: Android | iOS. Price: $2.99 | AU$4.23 | £2.47 (Android); $2.99 | AU$4.49 | £2.29 (iOS). Just as rymdkapsel was Swedish developer Grapefrukt's interpretation of real-time strategy, Twofold Inc is its interpretation of matching. Like rymdkapsel, you really do have to play it to understand it (although the trailer should give you an idea). Basically, you have to draw lines to join the blocks to make up numbers. There's a sort of Threes-ish feel to it thanks to the exponentially increasing numbers, mixed with Grapefrukt's lovely minimalist style.
Platforms: iphone 8 plus purple karat petals case Android | iOS, Price: $3.99 | AU$4.99 | £2.99 (Android); $3.99 | AU$5.99 | £2.99 (iOS), Super Phantom Cat also manages to raise itself high above the mobile side-scrolling platformer average, through sheer force of personality and general excellence, Developer Veewo has managed to perfectly balance the gameplay, and the resulting game is so hard to put down, You're the little cat, exploring levels to collect stars and coins and make it to the exit, There are enemies to jump on, power-ups to help you along the way, and secret areas to find and explore, What you're trying to do is become a superhero, and running around platform levels is apparently your key to success, It's utterly charming, and about as perfect as a platformer can get..
Platforms: Android | iOS. Price: $1.99 | AU$2.99 | £1.49. The third of SMG Studio's one-touch casual games (the others being One More Line and One More Dash), Thumb Drift breaks out of the "One More.." visual style for a game about the fine art of drifting. You control a motorsports vehicle speeding around corners by sliding your thumb on the screen, trying very hard not to crash, a skill that takes time and practise to master. As you reach milestones, you can unlock new tracks and new cars. SMG spends a lot of time tweaking and testing their games to make sure the balance is just right, and it really shows. Thumb Drift is a masterful execution of a simple concept, and an excellent way to while away bite-sized chunks of gaming time.
Platforms: Android | iOS, Price: Free, Full disclosure: Lost Portal is not your usual pick-up-and-play mobile game, It is, however, a rich, deep, single-player card gaming experience, combined with dungeon-crawling RPG elements, Of all the games I tested for this month's round, Lost Portal is the one that sucked me in the most, There's a lot to sink your teeth into here, with customisable character creation that makes for a lot of replayability, and a main campaign that will take you questing across a map, defeating foes and collecting new cards, The game itself is premium, with no IAP (for the time being), iphone 8 plus purple karat petals case although the developer will be adding purchasable expansion packs in the future..
There isn't a tutorial, but there is manual that you can access in-game if you struggle to figure out how to play. You can also find more resources on the developer's website. Platforms: iOS. Price: $2.99 | AU$4.49 | £2.29. This is one of the coolest little arcade games we've seen. If you liked Downwell, Tomb of the Mask is going to be right up your alley as well. It's like Downwell and Pac-Man and VVVVV had a baby. You, the intrepid tomb..uh..thief find a mask that allows you to climb walls, which is just as well, really, since hazards are coming at you from below and you need to make your way upward as quickly as you can manage. You can also collect new masks that give you different abilities. It's frenzied, frenetic and gloriously retro, at its 8-bit best.
