CHENNAI: This week’s column could have been about a lot of things: Mar10 day, Call of Duty Mobile Season 2 (and speculations on PUBG Mobile India release date), or PS5 restocks. However, I felt the time was right for another mobile games-on-the-go update. This quarter, I decided to leave the recommendations to my social media algorithm. I scrolled. I scrolled like it was a game of lucky slots, waiting for an advertisement to pop on my screen. I waited patiently for the loud ad of a videogame.
Did the data thieves know what I wanted?
Game 1 Gardenscapes: I was pleasantly surprised by this game. The developer has released more in the series – including Homescapes and Wildscapes. Gardenscapes is Candy Crush with a relatable story and more cutscenes. It is also a more rewarding Candy Crush, because at the end of every level, you use shiny golden stars that you earn, to improve the garden. There are also other cute puzzles that you encounter along the way of building a pretty garden. What I liked best was Austin’s slow claps of appreciation every time I finished a minigame. Would I continue to play Gardenscapes? Yes.
Game 2 Fun Race 3D: I initially wanted to review this game called ‘Episodes’. Admit it: you came across this on Instagram too, and was curious about the stories it held. However, Episodes is dipped in too much cringe for me to objectively review the game, so I recommend playing Fun Race 3D, instead. You are matched with a player ‘online’ to run across a road with obstacles. You win to progress. Simple, easy, and a lot of fun. The only criticism by all players of this game were the incessant ads. I am not complaining, because the in-game ads helped me find –
Game 3 Hill Climb Racing: The data thieves found me a real winner with this game based on unrealistic physics. It also has amazing music to back it up. Hill Climb Racing’s music, while getting repetitive after a point, still provides the illusion that you are doing something that involves more complexity than what really is. You try to beat your own score on the extremely rough terrains and upgrade your vehicle to continue moving ahead.
While they are entertaining, I still rank these free games a ‘hmmm’ out of a total of ‘wow’. Let us hope the data thieves read this article and suggest better games next quarter.
Anusha Ganapathi
@quaffle_waffle
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)