SOME NEW ANDROID GAMES & APPS YOU MUST PLAY AND HAVE IN 2016

GAMES.....

Pathfinder Adventures

Pathfinder Adventures is a fantasy roleplaying game based on the physical Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. This digital version was recently released in the Play Store and it’s incredible.

Or should I say, it will be incredible – it has a lot of bugs and its mechanical depth makes it quite unapproachable for people who don’t know the original card game. Seriously, just understanding the basics could take up to an hour and perhaps this could be simplified.

However, Pathfinder Adventures is demanding in a way that’s rare for mobile titles. It’s not a quickly consumed rice crispy snack. It’s a hefty meat pie. Obsidian Entertainment is known for doing things big and Pathfinder Adventures is no different. It fuses questing, cards, character-building and fantastic art to deliver an experience which, once you get into it, is hard to put down.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, or CCGs, or you just want a more sophisticated Android gaming experience, you must check this out. Just be patient with regards to initial performance issues.

Download Pathfinder Adventures from the Google Play Store

Star Knight

Star Knight is a minimalist 2D action platformer. Four onscreen controls allow you to jump, run left, run right, and attack which you will be required to do to navigate through a series of increasingly difficult levels.

Star Knight does a lot with a little. The colors and lighting combine to create a wonderfully atmospheric setting. It’s not the first platformer to be tough or use silhouettes or a flat design aesthetic (see Alto’s Adventure below). But what it lacks in originality it makes up for in charm.

It’s difficult, but it’s not cruel. There are some instant kills from spike traps, but they’re usually clear. Small enemies do a lot of damage but health pickups are plentiful and checkpoints, frequent.

I’m not usually a fan of touchscreen controls in games that require precise jumping (outside of autorunners). But the strengths in tone and aesthetics mean I can overlook this in Star Knight. 

Download Star Knight from the Google Play Store

Dead Effect 2

This is another not-so-original Android title (even its name is a cross between two other games, Mass Effect and Dead Space). It’s a free-to-play first-person shooter that takes place onboard a zombie infested space station and sees you killing mutants and solving some light puzzles in order to survive.

Dead Effect 2's major strength is that it looks incredible – the graphics are really pushing boundaries. The movement controls are a little floaty by default but, thankfully, they’re completely customizable. What it lacks in gameplay depth, Dead Effect 2 makes up for in polish. If you want something that feels like a console FPS on Android, this is it.  

APPS.....

QuickReply

quickReply allows you to respond to messages without entering an app. This feature is becoming more prevalent – WhatsApp provides it and Android N will allow you to reply straight from your lockscreen – but if you can’t wait for the functionality to come to other apps, install quickReply in the meantime.

It works with many popular messaging apps (though SMS functionality is yet to be properly integrated), so if you use Skype, Telegram, Kik etc, quickReply will allow you to respond to messages without stopping what you're currently doing. Nice.
Download quickReply free from the Play Store

f.lux

Joining the slowly swelling ranks of screen-dimming apps on Android, f.lux started its life on Linux and Windows years ago. It has been available on jailbroken iPhone for a few years, too, and now it's finally making its way to Android. Currently in beta and only available on rooted devices, f.lux is a superb choice if you want to avoid straining your eyes at night.

Cortana

Cortana recently exited its public Android beta and the full version is now here. This is the Microsoft equivalent of Google Now and Siri, which seeks to assist you in your daily life. Cortana allows you to set up reminders, track flights and packages, ask questions, and you can even set up quick replies from your PC if you miss a call on your phone.

It integrates with Windows computers in a way which Google Now and Siri can't, but this is probably the only area where it provides a credible improvement to them. Still, it’s still early days for Cortana on Android, so if you’re interested, check it out at the link below.