The year of 2014 was another great one for mobile gamers thanks to an explosion of innovative new games. Aside from technology taking another leap forward, developers managed to come up with a string of new ideas in the last 12 months and we have managed to pick out three of the best offerings from the open mobile market.
Bounden
Gloriously simple but highly addictive, Bounden takes the concept of competition and fuses it with a mobile app. A dance game created by Game Oven in collaboration with the Dutch National Ballet, the app transforms your phone into a device that can transform you into a professional dancer (of sorts).
To play Bounden, you and a partner have to hold either end of your mobile device and trace the path of a virtual sphere whilst moving your body in sync. The end product is two elegant dancers moving like professional ballet dancers with the help of an app.
The game has already won a slew of awards and as more players discover the joys of dance fused with the competitiveness of a game, it’s likely to win a host more in the coming months. Of course, if you have two left feet then this game might not be worth downloading, but if you are keen to improve your coordination and overall well being, this is a great game to choose.
PokerStars’ Spin & Go
It was another great year for the internet gaming industry’s leading online poker rooms, but one platform stood out from the crowd when it came to software innovations. PokerStars’ Spin & Go games became headline news last year when it became possible for players of all persuasions to win a boatload of money with very little investment.
In essence, Spin & Go tournaments are a lottery and a Sit & Go rolled into one. The lottery element comes from the fact that when you buy-in, the prize pool is undetermined. For example, if you bought into one of these mobile games for $7, it’s possible for the top prize (only one player wins) to range anywhere from $14 to a whopping $1 million.
Each game contains three players and a turbo structure, so each Spin & Go takes no more than 10 minutes to come to a conclusion which means it is possible to download the app, buy into a Spin & Go and win $1 million within a few minutes. This possibility has not only made these games a hit with seasoned poker players, but mobile gamers across the world. Because the focus is less on serious poker strategy and more on taking a chance, the game became one of the biggest breakouts of 2014.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Another card-based game but one that is (literally) worlds apart from poker, Heroes of Warcraft is a strategy game that is part of the free-to-play / paid-for-upgrade model of mobile games. The main premise behind this game for those who have never played Warcraft is that you collect cards and use them to battle against other players.
Cards contain attributes and can be divided into standard and premium, with the latter having a more powerful range of skills. Matches can take place over a number of formats and the aim is to use your cards in the most efficient way to overcome your opponents and win conquests.
As with all free-to-play strategy games, there is a daily cap on your activity, but you can pay to increase your volume and range of skills through in-app purchases. Overall, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft takes the massively popular Warcraft universe and condenses it down into a well-crafted mobile app which has been nominated for a Gaming BAFTA. For those with a penchant for skills and alternative worlds, this free game is a great portable gaming option.