Welcome to the 427th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:
- Google is trying to make games easier to find on your Chromebook. A potential new search service helps people find games by aggregating a bunch of results into a single go. Since Chrome OS now supports steam and it’s good for some game streaming services, you could be able to do one search for all of the services. Hit the link to learn more.
- Microsoft is going for tighter integration with Android. The company recently reorganized its Android development teams in hopes to provide better overall integration. The reorganization involves splitting off a dedicated team that reports only to Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay. We’re not sure what the team will do first, but hopefully, it’s good.
- A new Google Play Protect feature removes permissions from your unused apps. The feature is already present in all phones running Android 11 and above. However, Google is porting the feature to devices running Android 10 and earlier via Google Play Protect. Some devices, like Samsung phones, already have the feature as well, but it’s nice to see it going to more people.
- Piracy is back on the rise and has been since 2018. We asked our audience if they’ve ever pirated anything before and an astounding 83% said that they had before. That’s not unusual, as piracy is pretty easy to do and it was widespread for many years. Streaming services seem to have forgotten that their prime competitors are piracy sites and not each other. Hit the links to see the full details and poll numbers.
- Google is making it harder for people to find apps that don’t get consistent updates. The company is doing so in the name of security since older apps may have exploits that the developers haven’t patched yet. Starting in November of 2022, apps that target anything before the two most recent versions of Android will be hidden from more and more people.
League of Angels: Chaos
Price: Free to play
League of Angels: Chaos is a new mobile MMORPG. Players create a character and have a choice between three basic classes. The classes are dragoon, mage, and archer. Each one has its own play style. Some other game features include alliances, cross-server competitions, equipment crafting (called forging), a trade function between players, and more. The game has an auto mode, which some fans of the genre won’t like. Otherwise, it’s a pretty standard MMORPG. You go on quests, obtain loot, and level up your character. In addition, the progression is the strangest mix of too fast at the beginning and too slow once you’re pretty far into the game.
It definitely has its flaws and you can buy your way to the end of various in-game challenges. Luckily, there’s very little emphasis on PvP and you can get resources if you’re patient, so it’s only pay-to-win if you want to get to the end very quickly. It has potential if the developers tighten it up a little bit, but until then, it’s pretty average.
Linios Icons (seven colors)
Price: $0.99 each
Developer GomoTheGom II recently released seven icon packs to the Play Store under the Linios name. There are seven packs in total and each one is basically a different color. Each pack costs $0.99 and includes 3,000 icons along with matching wallpapers. The developer also takes requests for new icons that should appear in every pack. Hit the button below to check out the developer’s Google Play page where you can find all seven packs.
Top Mech bills itself as a strategy combat game featuring mechs. It plays like many mobile strategy games. You obtain resources, build a base, train troops, and defend yourself from attack. That represents the main gameplay loop and it’s nothing we haven’t seen before in the genre. Our only gripe is the in-app purchases. You can literally buy buffs for your army with real money and while we don’t like using the dreaded pay-to-win phrase very often, this is a pretty good example of it. If the developer comes up with a better way to monetize this game, it’s a decent city builder strategy game. Otherwise, we think most players will leave pretty quickly.
Game Jolt Social
Price: Free
Game Jolt Social is a social space aimed at gamers. It works like almost any other social media site. You can post videos of yourself playing games, fan art, and other such things. You follow people, other people follow you, and you make new friends that way. The app has over 60,000 communities to join, a one-on-one chat function, and you can create your own community with your own moderation team. It already has a decent number of users and it’s honestly not a terrible place to hang out with other gamers.
Rovio Classics: Angry Birds
Price: $0.99
Rovio Classics: Angry Birds is actually just the first Angry Birds game re-released to Android. It contains the original game along with the original gameplay with a few extra elements to freshen things up. The original game was on its own game engine originally and this variant is built on Unity. Thus, the developers can actually keep it updated without worrying. In any case, this is, in fact, the original game. There are 390 levels, no in-app purchases, no ads (that we saw, anyway), and more. There is also a new Mighty Eagle mechanic that’s kind of neat. This is the same family-friendly, simple, and cheap arcade game we saw years ago. It’s honestly worth the $0.99 price tag, even if you played it 10 years ago.
If we missed any big Android apps or games news or releases, tell us about it in the comments.
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