CHENNAI: If ‘Among Us’ reached its sudden levels of popularity, years after release, imagine all the other fun games we may have happily missed in the last few years! Yes, alright — this is just another free-to-play mobile games recommendation list with games dug up from the archives.
But with a twist. With people getting hyper-aware of their social media consumption during these times, these games are playable offline. While you’d ideally want a digital detox, with no pixels staring at your face, I can vouch that it is better than ‘doomscrolling’. Your thumbs will thank you for this new workout.
To be off-social media – you will need a new game to replace the apps. This list gives you the perfect genre substitute. The “Instagrams”: Depending on your choice of poison, these game replacements can also be called “Facebooks”. While occasionally filled with joyful memes, these social media apps can send you on a rabbit hole of disappointment, as you are fooled into cyber-analysing lives online.
To remind you that every additional scroll holds danger in the path, try side-scrolling platformers. I recommend Ninja Arashi. This game has pleasing aesthetics, a variety of cool Ninja moves — throw shurikens, camouflage yourself and upgrade skills! You face a boss at the end of each level (to remind of you the consequences of scrolling). It’s among the few well-made platformer games for the small screen, and it is free to download on your phone.
The “Twitters”: Apart from the memes, Twitter is a place that redirects cortisol through words. If you want games that are also a pillow to scream into – turn to the Arcade genre. I played Fancade this week. As Twitter jumps from topic to topic, Fancade also lets you switch games with their list of over 50. The 8-bit pixel graphics are pleasing to look at, while they can get frustrating very fast. It also allows you to build your own games with their templates.
The “Whatsapps”: Manoeuvring through the web of fake news can get just as nuanced as it gets annoying. The prescription replacement is a puzzle game, that is also peaceful in its aesthetics. I tried the Faraway set of puzzle games. The game has calming music and is, without doubt, a better occupation of mental faculties. This list is in no way exhaustive but gets all of my likes, retweets and story shares. Don’t forget to turn off the Internet once you download them!
Anusha Ganapathi
@quaffle_waffle
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)