Tired of using the same old apps games, week in week out? ll, that’s what our Five to Try column is designed to fix, as we spotlight new Android releases worth a look. Our latest entry is headlined by Reigns, a clever king simulation that uses a Tinder-like interface to let you quickly swipe through consequential decisions. Add in a dash of dark humor it’s a perfect fit for a quick phone play session.
so worth a look this week are the kid-friendly feature-rich Disney Mix chat app, goofy endless game Steppy nts, Netflix’s new FAST Speed Test, the Android adaptation of much-loved farming board game, Agricola. Clear some space on your device snag a few fresh downloads this weekend.
Reigns
Every decision reverberates throughout the kingdom’s power structures. How long can you maintain the crucial balance?
A monarchy simulator that’s inspired by Tinder? Count us in! Reigns ($3) certainly has a unique premise, it’s one that works wonderfully. You’re a newly-crowned king charged with making crucial decisions for an entire kingdom, but rather than get into micromanagement or overly complex gameplay, you’ll simply swipe each situation card left or right to affirm or reject it.
It’s that simple— yet it’s not really that simple, of course. Every choice, whether it’s about starting a war, marrying a princess, or quarantining a potential outbreak, has consequences that affect various aspects of the kingdom. Fail to keep them all in check your reign ends violently, allowing your heir to pick up where you left off. Reigns has a great sense of humor, the dead-simple gameplay belies surprisingly nuanced systems beneath. It’s a real treat.
Disney Mix
In-app mini-games challenges make Disney Mix an all-in-one hub for chatty kids.
If you have a kid that is old enough to be using your smartphone, let alone his or her own, then you’re surely concerned about online privacy— rightfully so. ckily, young kids can keep in touch with friends with a chat app of their own thanks to Disney Mix, which lets them connect, drop in Disney stickers emoji, even play games within the same space.
Kids can create customize an avatar, pull in news videos from official Disney sources, have solo or group chats at will in the free app. There’s a pretty heavy layer of Disney stuff throughout, from movies Disney Channel shows alike, so anyone not into the Mouse House’s offerings may be turned off. But if this is your kid’s territory, Disney Mix is an easy way to keep them connected with friends while you retain some peace of mind.
Steppy nts
Don’t step on the cracks!
Of all the games to mimic the style friendly freemium model of y Road over the last couple years, Steppy nts may be the silliest—but it’s also one of the most entertaining. Making the move over to Android this week, the free-to-play game challenges you to tap hold the screen to move a man one leg at a time, ever careful not to step on the cracks in the sidewalk.
You also don’t want to step on the TNT panels, for that matter, or in front of a speeding car. Steppy nts gives you seriously oversensitive control over your cartoonish hero, yet amps up the challenge quickly, which all results in a pretty hilarious experience. Setting the furthest distance is the goal with each new run, you’ll unlock clothes other visual perks over time.
FAST Speed Test
It’s not much to look at, but FAST could help you figure out why your streams suffer.
Did you hear that Netflix has a br new Android app out this week? Yeah, it’s… well, it’s a download speed testing app. Unexpected, right? Netflix launched Fast.com a few months back to give users a super-easy way to test their Internet speeds wherever they are, just this week the site was turned into a super-lean (614k!) native Android app.
at’s the point? ll, the app was designed to help Netflix put the pressure on service providers that are throttling its streams, letting consumers see for themselves if the actual data speeds aren’t what they’ve been promised. The FAST app doesn’t do anything more than give you a number, but if you’ve never used something like Speedtest.net want some assurance that Comcast (or whoever) isn’t stiffing you, here’s your chance.
Agricola: l Creatures Big & Small
The precision planning of farming, now as a competitive game.
It might not be exactly the same, but thanks to phones tablet apps, now you can take your favorite board games anywhere without lugging around boxes or losing pieces. In the tradition of previous Android favorites like Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Digidiced has just released another beloved board game to the ay Store with Agricola: l Creatures Big & Small ($5).
Based on Uwe Rosenberg’s popular board game, Agricola challenges you build up a farm from humble origins into a sustainable powerhouse, all while battling an opponent doing the very same thing. It’s a matter of smart resource management diversification, the Android version includes both local pass–play support as well as one-on-one online play.
