Glitch Games continues to impress with their latest release, A Fragile Mind. Available on both iOS and Android for £1.99, this game is a quintessential first-person escape room puzzle experience. Players navigate through rooms, manage their inventory, and take annotated screenshots to solve intricate logic puzzles. The game includes a comprehensive hint system for those moments when your deductive reasoning hits a wall. While it may lack in animation, it stands tall among the studio’s previous offerings. Score: 8/10
Wordplay and Waterfalls
21 Letters, a free game from Shallot Games available on iOS and Android, offers a daily word-making challenge reminiscent of Scrabble. Players use 21 tiles to score as highly as possible, utilizing double and triple word and letter scores on the grid. Although fun and free, the absence of a leaderboard or meta game reduces its long-term appeal. You can retry by watching an ad, but it’s not quite as compelling as it could be. Score: 6/10
Roia, priced at £2.99 on iOS from Emoak Studio, is an intriguing blend of game and interactive toy. Players sculpt channels down a mountain to direct a waterfall to sea level, using their fingers to build up or scoop out the landscape. Along the way, you’ll herd sheep into pens and assist in canoe races, all while enjoying the meditative descent. This unusual and peaceful game will be available on July 16. Score: 8/10
Love Stories and Classic Games
Looped, another iOS game priced at £2.99 from Studio Hamlin, features beautifully messy hand-drawn visuals and a lo-fi story of love and rocket construction in a wordless world of office-working animals. While there are mini-games, they are less involved than WarioWare equivalents. The story, though cute, takes under an hour to complete and lacks the emotional impact some might expect. Score: 6/10
Minesweeper, included with a Netflix subscription on both iOS and Android, brings back the classic game originally released in 1990 with Windows 3.1. This version offers colorful graphics and a world tour that shifts location every few levels. Most importantly, it’s ad-free, allowing players to enjoy the ancient classic without interruptions. While there are more challenging and involving games available today, Minesweeper still retains some of its old magic in small doses. Score: 7/10
Agrarian Adventures
Outlanders 2, included with an Apple Arcade subscription from Pomelo Games, invites players to gather resources, assign tasks to villagers, and grow an agrarian farming community across various compact levels. Starting with basic needs like food and shelter, the game’s supply chains quickly gain complexity. For example, bread production requires wheat from farms, quarried stone for windmills, and firewood for bakeries. This slow-paced yet involving game becomes increasingly tricky as more buildings are unlocked, making it a fascinating playground for time and resource management enthusiasts. Score: 8/10
