’s I/O developers conference this week mostly showed things coming in the future: Android N, Daydream VR, oject Tango, Home, even a couple of chatty apps. But if you’re looking for new things to do with your Android phone right now, just hit up the ay Store: we have five fresh apps games h-picked for your perusal.
Assassin’s Creed Identity is the adventure game series’ closest mobile approximation of the open-world console experience, while ’s own Spaces app offers private rooms for pals to share links ideas. so noteworthy this week are the entertaining One Tap Tennis, the Cardboard-ready live music performances of Rhapsody VR, the build-your-own-pop-star saga that is Britney Spears: American Dream.
Assassin’s Creed Identity
It’s trimmed down in scope, but you still get a taste of the core Assassin’s Creed experience in Identity.
Assassin’s Creed Identity ($5) has its own status figured out well enough: it’s a scaled-down version of the historical adventure series that keeps the action while losing some expansiveness. As a created Assassin, you’ll complete missions in areas of Italy during the renaissance take down bad men with your hidden blade, sword, other tools tricks.
Ubisoft’s Android release looks the part largely plays like it too, although it’s significantly streamlined: running up climbing walls all happens automatically everything is much less complicated. That makes the action a little less satisfying precise, but it results in a game that works pretty well on a touchscreen. Identity might not stack up against the console greats, but it doesn’t have to: it’s a $5 phone game, it’s a fairly impressive one at that.
Spaces
Need a shared space to talk about your interests? has an app for that.
’s most exciting new apps revealed this week—lo Duo—won’t be out until the summer, but there’s another you can try right now: Spaces. It’s a group-centric sharing app designed to help you link up with friends, colleagues, collaborators provide a core space for sharing inspirations ideas.
You can create a Space from the Android (or iOS) app or website then invite users in, the app features a built-in browser so you can search for locate UR to share with the group. From there, you can trade comments, search for contents, get alerts when there’s fresh activity. Spaces seems to be riding the same group-centric wave as Slack, albeit not with a specific work focus, but there’s really no shortage of ways to chat with pals on your phone.
One Tap Tennis
tching a video ad lets you skip having to replay all the tournament’s earlier matches if you fail later on.
Tennis is a difficult, exhausting sport, that can be true with mobile adaptations too. Don’t want to bother with a movement stick loads of different shot buttons? You’re in luck: One Tap Tennis delivers exactly what the title promises. It’s an arcade-style take on the sport that makes timing your sole consideration as you return shots from across the court.
As the ball approaches, you’ll need to tap while the moving line is in the yellow or orange areas to return the shot continue the volley. Keep the match going long enough you’ll win move onto the next showdown; miss a single ball, on the other h, it’s game over. The rhythmic action speedy surprises make this one fun, the lo-fi pixel look unlockable players give it some charm too.
Rhapsody VR
Download a VR video then pop it in a Cardboard viewer—or just watch it right on the phone.
Remember Rhapsody? The streaming music pioneer might have been left in the dust by Spotify’s surge, but the br is making a comeback has a few million paying subscribers. However, Rhapsody VR is for everyone: this totally free new Android app offers up a series of 360-degree concert clips that you can watch with a Cardboard viewer or in full-screen right on your phone.
st nine live songs are featured for now, including performances by Talib Kweli, Flatbush Zombies, Shannon the Clams, but Rhapsody says more will come regularly. Besides, that’s at least a half-hour of free, quality Cardboard VR content, which is still in relatively sparse supply. Snap it up if you liked the immersion of unt’s McCartney ck ite VR experiences.
Britney Spears: American Dream
Nothing like running into Britney at Starbeans having her change your life.
Speaking of experiencing music in new ways: Britney Spears: American Dream is a free-to-play lifestyle game inspired by featuring the pop singer. If you’re already familiar with Glu’s Kim Kardashian: Hollywood or Katy rry p, then you know what to expect here: light interactions with cartoonish humans, tapping through loads of dialogue boxes menus, a slow-paced climb to stardom punctuated by timers in-app purchase opportunities.
American Dream starts off with you as a full-blown celebrity onstage with Britney… but then flashes back to when you were a nobody, makes you work to build your career up to that point again. ke those other games, American Dream is somewhat amusing but also frustrating monotonous, yet Britney die-hards should appreciate the dedicated focus.
