Technology has come a long way from the days of the original black and white Nintendo Game Boy. Today we have smartphones with processing power greater than the equipment on NASA’s first shuttle launch. These phones provide endless deviation and entertainment with easy Internet access, quick social media updates and droves of new software from app stores. But is the Internet and communication all there is to these high tech phones? Of course not! There is a long, diverse list of games offered for every mobile device, and these following titles are great for quick bursts of personal playtime or partying with friends.
“Clash of Clans” – Supercell
Supercell developed a fully customizable tower defense game in which the player becomes stronger in real time. As chiefs of their own villages, players construct new buildings that range from defensive cannons and archer towers to gold mines and elixir drills. These mines and drills provide the resources needed to keep building while the cannons and archers defend your base from incoming attackers! Other players will invade your village seeking your resources, just as you can attack them for theirs.
There is a large variety of units that can be developed and upgraded to strengthen your attacking force, including giants and dragons. There is a single player campaign, but the multiplayer aspects of this game are what make it addictive. Because you generate resources and construct new buildings in real time, it is easy to check up on and improve your village once or twice a day without devoting too much time to playing.
“Unblock Me” – Kira Games
One of the earliest app games released, “Unblock Me” is nothing more than a time-killing puzzle game. Sharpen your mind by solving these increasingly difficult puzzles, of which there are thousands to complete. On a board filled with blocks of varying sizes, the aim is to push the only red block through the goal. Players must move blocks around to create the opening, and more difficult puzzles have a larger board with more blocks. This is another great mobile game because it has simple gameplay but offers an intellectual challenge. There is no commitment to playing as any level you have progressed through can be paused at any time. What could be better than improving your mind by playing a game?
“Spaceteam” – Sleeping Beast Games
The ultimate party app game, “Spaceteam” is a game that up to seven people can play. Once every user downloads the game on their individual devices, “Spaceteam” challenges each player to band together and safely bring their shuttle home from the depths of space. Each device is responsible for a different control panel on the ship and will be given individual tasks to complete in order to continue flying the shuttle safely.
Some orders will not correspond to the same control panel they are given on and players will be required to verbally tell the group the task that needs finishing until the user with the appropriate panel does so. Players are responsible for yelling out these orders while listening for the ones they must complete, which provides for very loud, hysterical game play. Failed tasks damage the ship, and when enough errors are made, the game ends in failure.
“Brave Frontier” – Alim
If you are looking for something a little more time consuming, Brave Frontier is a cross between Final Fantasy, Pokémon and Digimon. In classic role-playing game style, players are introduced to an element system which includes fire, water, earth, lightning, light and dark. Intuitively, each element is weak and strong against another and has various types of characters which can be added to your team of up to five characters.
These units can be caught by defeating them during quests, and can be upgraded by fusing and evolving. Heals, buffs and special attacks included, every character is unique and can come with different natures that directly affect their stats. Build a team of your favorites and battle your way through a lengthy single player campaign. There are tons of multiplayer options, including arena battles, dungeon raids as well as a great friend system that allows gifting and an additional sixth character to add to your team. Fortunately, the currency needed to play the campaign is time gated to one point per 10 minutes, so as addictive as it is, you can’t play nonstop!
Of course there are many other mobile games not mentioned here, but these four stand out as exemplary cases in their respective genres. Apart from “Spaceteam,” these games are easy to progress through by playing in short bursts of free time that students might have while waiting on food lines or between classes. Because each game has a large amount of content, they can easily be time killers for as long as the player feels like playing!
