New Android games you must play in May 2015

Robert Zak 2015-05-04T20:00:00Z11 hours ago Robert Zak A tech aficionado since he first picked up a NES controller, Robert has written about technology, videogames, and film across a range of sites and magazines, including Den of Geek, Gamasutra, and Computeractive. At AndroidPIT, he'll be bringing you the latest Android news and reviews from the front line in the UK. We present you with the May?2015 edition of our monthly round-up of the best new Android games.?This month, we?have the offbeat driving game Does not Commute, the Android port of the bloodiest beat-'em-up ever, and more! Further down, we've included games released in previous months, in case you missed them the first time round.
Does not Commute is one of our favorite new Android games out this month / c Mediocre Every now and then, a game comes along to the Play Store that just screams for smartphones to be taken seriously as a gaming platform. The offbeat and beautiful driving game Does not Commute is such a game. You drive various cars on missions around a 70s (meets futuristic) town, interacting with the town’s strange residents. You’ll control bikes, hot dog vans and speedboats as your initially relaxing missions descend into vehicular chaos.
This is the strangest driving game we think we've ever seen on Android. / c Mediocre Artsy and musical, Adventures of Poco Eco is a charming 3D(ish) platformer in which you control the titular Poco in his quest to recover their lost ‘Sounds’. It looks and sounds amazing, and buying the game for 1.99 USD also gives you access to the LP from its music producer Iamyank. While the puzzles aren’t too complex, it’s a perfect, relaxing game to wind down with after a hard day’s work.
There's nothing on Android quite like the serene 3D platformer, Poco Eco. / c POSSIBLE Games Download Adventures of Poco Eco
Mere weeks after the original Tomb Raider was released in the Play Store, Square Enix have gone and put Lara Croft in a game that’s probably much more accessible to the average smartphone gamer. Relic Run is, simply put, Temple Run starring Lara Croft. The game looks fantastic, complimenting the twitchy-fast endless-running gameplay that works so well on handheld devices. It’s not just a matter of ducking, jumping, and parkouring either, as you’ll encounter classic bosses and even ride the occasional vehicle.
Lara Croft goes for Temple Run gameplay in Relic Run. / c Square Enix Download Lara Croft: Relic Run
SI Games has listened to the tablet owners crying out for a full, deep version of the world’s most popular football management sim. Unlike Football Manager Handheld, this isn’t some quick-fix game you can play during a toilet break, but a true replication of the PC version - with a 3D match engine, proper transfer system, and all the other micromanagement you’d expect from Football Manager. Finally, the management sim Android has been waiting for. Download it here.
Finally, a proper, undiluted version of Football Manager for Android. / c SI Games Dismemberment, beheadings and bone-breaking. These are just some of the lovely things you’ll be doing in the Android version of the latest super-gory fighting game in the legendary franchise. ‘X’ features several new characters, as well as old favorites Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Sub-Zero et al. The game is adapted for Android, so the gameplay is largely about timing your swipes to execute complex combos and, of course, fatalities. Some way be put off by the ultra-violence, but others will find it bloody brilliant (we went there!).
Swipe people's heads off and tap their spines out in Mortal Kombat X. / c Warner Bros Games Taking a refreshing turn away from the typical isometric empire builders we see on Android devices, CivCrafter sees you manage your empire from a side-on perspective - and it works beautifully. Build armies, watch your empire grow (remember that old City View screen in?the original?Civilization

?), and gather resources as you brace your populace of pixellated people for war against others. It's a 'clicker' game of the highest order, and is surprisingly deep beneath its accessible surface. It's free(mium) too, so no harm in giving it a try (aside from the possibility of getting addicted and spending hundreds of dollars on in-game purchases).

Beneath its friendly 'clicker' gameplay, CivCrafter is a deep and satisfying empire-building game. / c Naquatic LLC

if you prefer to be a bit more real-time with your strategy, then DomiNations could be for you. From Brian Reynolds (Civilization II, Rise of Nations) comes this rich, beautiful and intense game that proves mobile devices can successfully do deep strategy. Take your nation from the stone age to the space age, form alliances, recruit legendary generals, and go to war across all time. You can play open-ended single-player campaigns, or take part in legendary historical ones such as the Fertile Crescent and the Peloponnesian War.

The second empire-builder worth checking out in April looks jaw-dropping, and proves that handheld strategy games don't have to be simple. c NEXON M Inc.

Cartoon Network brings us a unique RPG based on the Steven Universe cartoon. It's visual style is completely faithful to the source material, but you don't have to be a fan of the cartoon to enjoy this game. Control Steven, Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst and take them on a quest to stop a destructive Gem weapon. It's extremely accessible, and its turn-based combat has enough depth that you'll have trouble putting this one down. Colorful, funny, and beautifully-designed for the touchscreen.

Enter the vibrant world of Steven Universe in this fantastic turn-based RPG based on the cartoon. / c Cartoon Network

Table tennis games on touchscreens aren't really?a novelty anymore, and don't make as much of an impression now as they did when the first iPhone came out, but Table Tennis Touch gives the genre a welcome overhaul. Get trained up by Wiff Waff the robot, then jump into career mode, quick game mode, or one of 12 mini games as you seek to become a ping pong master. This game is exclusive to Android Lollipop, and its variety of environments - from school halls to garages - look absolutely?stunning. The super-spinny gameplay is fast, responsive, and perfectly suited to you Android touchscreen.

Table Tennis gets a revival on Android with Table Tennis Touch. / c Yakuto

One of the most iconic and influential PC games of all time comes somersaulting?onto your?Android device. Sure, the original Tomb Raider?feels dated and rickety by today's standards, but at the very reasonable price of 99 cents, it's worth it for sheer nostalgic and sentimental value alone. The controls are as good as they could be for an old 3D game on a touchscreen (i.e. mediocre), but we love the crispy high-res visuals so you can really appreciate the fully blocky glory of this all-time classic. Check this out if you want a piece of videogame history in the palm of your hand.

The original Tomb Raider gets a high-res Android port. Not easy to play without a controller, but awesomely nostalgic. / c SQUARE ENIX Ltd
The hit PC RPG goes mobile with Byte and Magic
. Create a party of three heroes (choosing from 30 classes), then head forth on a quest?to rid the world of some malevolent force. Pixel Heroes is part of the recent ‘Roguelike’ resurgence, so in this game death is permanent, amusing random events pop up for you to deal with, and combat is turn-based. Pixel Heroes is a retro-style labor of love, and if you’re after a nostalgia-tinted challenge, look no further. Pixel Heroes: The popular PC RPG brings its great humor and permadeath to Android. / c ANDROIDPIT
The third entry in the cheap shocks, jump-scare phenomenon has arrived - appearing suddenly and violently in the Play Store like, say, a horrifically stitched-together toy rabbit. The vague story is that Freddy Fazbear's Pizza has now been replaced with a theme park ride called Fazbear's Fright.?It's your job as the?security guard to monitor the cameras, lighting and security doors at Fazbear's, and keep an eye out for strange activity - in this case, the movements of a haggard old mascot called Springtrap. If you don't watch carefully, he appears in the security room and scares the living hell out of you - making for the most suspenseful experience on Android.
Keep an eye on those cameras, otherwise you're in for a shocking animatronic surprise. / c Scott Cawthon
If?Five Nights at Freddy's?
left you feeling helpless and?having nightmares that your childhood toy collection was trying to kill you, then?Gunner Z?is the way to feel empowered again. Control a fleet of heavily-armored, big-gunned assault trucks, and mow down hundreds of zombies in an overrun city. The game has a great-looking?'night vision' style, giving everything ghostly look,?and the mind-controlled zombies even wield weapons against you -?so it's definitely no cakewalk. Grit your teeth and start gunning down weapon-wielding zombies in Gunner Z.?/ c BitMonster Inc.
Remember what football games were like before?Fifa?
came along and take everything over? Probably not, but if you're curious, then the speedy, birds-eye-view gameplay of?Active Soccer 2?will give you a good idea. Where the 3D graphics of FIFA always felt a bit cumbersome on smartphone screens,?Active Soccer 2?is tough to master but feels like it belongs on handheld devices. You can enter competitions, create your own competitions, and have cross-platform online matches to show your iPhone-owning mates who's boss. Active Soccer 2 is the most challenging and satisfying footie game on Android. / c The Fox Software
If you want to take a more cerebral role in a sports game, then give this addictive Formula 1 simulator a go. In this deceptively deep game, you control a racing team - hiring drivers, engineering your cars and even working out the best pitstop strategies. You experience all the ups and downs of F1, including watching the actual races (or simulating them if you like), dealing with crashes, and working your team to the top of the F1 world. An absolute must for F1 and sports sim fans.
Take your racing team to the top in Motorsport Manager / c Christian West
Combine the madness of WWE with the madness of Warner Bros' fighting game?Injustice: Gods Among Us,?
and you get a tornado of macho, high-octane insanity. This 2D fighting game (rendered in 3D) infuses iconic wrestlers young and old - such as Triple H, Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker - with superpowers, taking them out of the wrestling ring and into brutal three-on-three battle arenas. Our guess is that the one on the left is The Rock, but who's the Spartan? / c Warner Bros.
The second three-on-three fighter in our list, albeit of a different sort. If you've already completed the first two Witcher games (congratulations to you) and are eagerly awaiting?The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
, then this MOBA-style game should see you through until it comes out. Even if?The Witcher?means nothing to you (shame on you), you should give this multiplayer-oriented game a go. Play as one of several heroes, each with their unique play style, and level up your skills as you team up with two other players in intense three-on-three arena battles. The Witcher's a great way to enjoy the action of a MOBA on Android. / c CD Projekt Red
If you think 2D platformers are incapable of overwhelming you with atmosphere, then we defy you to play Limbo with headphones on and tell us it doesn't affect you. You control a young boy searching for his sister in a nightmarish netherworld. This dark, monochromatic platformer has been doing the rounds on PC and consoles since 2010, and now you can experience its haunting beauty on your Android device.
The creepiest, most depressing platformer ever comes to Android/ c Playdead
Remember those old top-down shooters where you're flying at what feels like warp speed while dodging bullets and trying to take down scores of other flying craft? Son of Light revamps this old-school 'danmaku' experience for Android. As you progress, you'll unlock upgrades and nanotechnology for your craft, and can play the game in survival mode or its 10-mission campaign.
This 'danmaku' (Barrage of Bullets) game will take you back to 90s coin-op shooters. / c Uncommon Games
In games like?Final Fantasy?
and?Dragon Quest,?no-one ever thinks about the lives and ways of the creatures you cut through on your ruthless quest.?Ambition of the Slimes?turns such turn-based RPGs on their heads, by seeing you control the 'slime' as they seek to defend themselves against the humans who 'appeared appeared out of nowhere, and had the world in the palm of their hand'. The game's only recently been translated to English, and it's a bit incomprehensible at times, but it's still a fun, whimsical reversal of the typical 'save humanity' formula in RPGs. Download it from the Play Store here. Turn the tables on the pesky humans in this turn-based RPG. / c altairworks
What are your favorite games from recent times?

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