12 votes

Simple games for Android

I've never really been into gaming on my phone, but in the last couple of weeks I've found it's particularly good for entertainment while getting the baby off to sleep. He tends to need holding for 5-20 minutes, during which time no interaction is needed and something to stave off the boredom is good.

I've been playing Tiny Bubbles which is good because the levels are relatively short and discrete, it's challenging without being too hard (at 4am I don't want that much of a challenge), it's mostly not timing-based, I can play one-handed and drop it at a moment's notice without particularly being penalised.

Any suggestions for other suitable games would be appreciated.

7 comments

  1. [2]
    Deimos
    Link
    I don't play many mobile games at all, but I enjoyed Holedown. It's not free, but that also means it's not plagued with monetization and microtransactions.

    I don't play many mobile games at all, but I enjoyed Holedown. It's not free, but that also means it's not plagued with monetization and microtransactions.

    4 votes
    1. tesseractcat
      Link Parent
      One of my favorite mobile games as well. I wish they had more of an endgame however, since I've been playing it so long I've taken to just restarting my save every once in a while.

      One of my favorite mobile games as well. I wish they had more of an endgame however, since I've been playing it so long I've taken to just restarting my save every once in a while.

      2 votes
  2. Wes
    Link
    Hoplite has been a recent favourite of mine. Easy to play, not time sensitive, fair business model (one time unlock), and overall really well designed. I've been working on some of the...

    Hoplite has been a recent favourite of mine. Easy to play, not time sensitive, fair business model (one time unlock), and overall really well designed.

    I've been working on some of the "achievement" challenges lately. Still haven't cracked the speedrun achievement, but getting closer.

    3 votes
  3. unknown user
    Link
    Ill add some F-Droid apps to this list. Frozen Bubble (Bubble shooting game) - https://f-droid.org/app/org.jfedor.frozenbubble Good fun, you could definitely play it one handed. Also it has some...

    Ill add some F-Droid apps to this list.

    Frozen Bubble (Bubble shooting game) - https://f-droid.org/app/org.jfedor.frozenbubble

    Good fun, you could definitely play it one handed. Also it has some nice music from the mod archive.

    2048 (Android open-source port of the "2048" puzzle game.) - https://f-droid.org/app/com.uberspot.a2048

    Its 2048. Not much explanation needed.

    TowerJumper (Casual ability game) - https://f-droid.org/app/org.pipoypipagames.towerjumper

    Its a free clone of some other game I forgot the name of from the play store.

    If you are playing in the night, I would recomend a blue light filter of some kind.

    E: formatting and typos

    1 vote
  4. CptOblivious
    Link
    Did you ever have a Zune back in the day? My brother and I had one as well as an Xbox 360. Both platforms had a little puzzle game called Hexic. It is by far still my go-to game when I just need...

    Did you ever have a Zune back in the day? My brother and I had one as well as an Xbox 360. Both platforms had a little puzzle game called Hexic. It is by far still my go-to game when I just need something to occupy my attention for a few minutes. Especially a favorite if I'm listening to an audiobook.

    An indie developer on Reddit a couple of years ago made a very compelling clone of it for Android. Even got the original composer for Hexic to make some new tunes for the game. (AMA here) It's called Hexfall. I just recently discovered it and it's all I want to play to go along with podcast and audiobooks. Gameplay is dead simple, but a few of the mechanics added in get very satisfying as you gradually boost your highscore. Give it a try!

  5. Seven
    Link
    I've been recently playing a lot of Plants vs Zombies again. I really like the gameplay, and it only has a few mobile game/microtransaction elements. Overall, I've been having a really good time...

    I've been recently playing a lot of Plants vs Zombies again. I really like the gameplay, and it only has a few mobile game/microtransaction elements. Overall, I've been having a really good time with it, and I highly suggest trying it if you like tower defense games.