Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info. Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured Game

Birds On A Wire

Today's game roundup is sponsored by Birds On A Wire, the action puzzle game from the pros at Herocraft. From the title you'd think this game took inspiration from some well-known aggravated avians, but the truth is that you might recognize these feathered fellows from a certain squeaky short.

In any case, the game is a combination of puzzles and the oddly specific "bubble shooter" genre, wherein the player must shoot at groups of birds with the corresponding color of bird, in order to wake them from their stupor and let them fly to safety. Judge wrong, and you'll just have more birds to clear, but you can use the borders of the play field as bumpers for trick shots.

The logic of birds launching themselves at their comrades escapes me, but the game is pretty fun any way. There's fifty levels of puzzling wires, bonus for completion Free and premium versions are available, with the latter going for a reasonable 99¢.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Games

Organ Trail: Director's Cut

Android Police coverage: Organ Trail Comes To Android With 'Director's Cut' – Fight Off Dysentery, Zombies In A Nostalgic Westward Journey

The zombies just keep coming, don't they? In this PC favorite, you're tasked with surviving the zombie apocalypse Apple II-style, as Organ Trail pits you against the ravaging horde in a tribute to the original Oregon Trail. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, this bit of gory, pixelated nostalgia can be yours for $2.99.

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Fight off the undead while you travel west in this retro zombie survival game. Organ Trail is a retro zombie survival game. Travel westward in a station wagon with 4 of your friends, scavenging for supplies and fending off the undead. Members of your party might die of dysentery or you might have to put them down yourself when they get bit. Faithfully recreated it as if it were on the Apple 2, Organ Trail offers amazing 16 color art and retro beeps and boops. Packed full of zombie mechanics, themes and references; this is a must have for any zombie survival fans.

Kingdoms & Lords by Gameloft

Android Police coverage: Kingdoms & Lords Arrives On Android, Is Half-Sim, Half-Strategy, All Medieval Action

Real-time strategy games often rely on a medieval setting, as do some "life sims" that like to get their nobility on. Gameloft's Kingdoms and Lords combines both of them, with Sim City-style world building and Age of Empires-style combat. It's surprisingly deep with upgrades for both units and buildings, and various power-ups to increase your money and capabilities.

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Build your kingdom, train your army, and fight against the Dark King's minions! In Kingdoms & Lords, the peace and quiet of your rural village are shattered by the threat of Barbarian forces. With war upon your region, you must build up your village and train your militia. But things take a turn for the worst: the Dark King has returned to power, invading every territory across the continent.

Freekick Battle

Android Police coverage: GAMEVIL Distils Soccer Down To Its Addictive Essence With Freekick Battle

It's pretty rare that Play Store copy is worthy of a read all by itself, but this game bucks the trend. Check it out below:

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Do you suffer from an uncontrollable desire to kick balls? Thankfully, there is a cure. Through intuitive touch control and simple single button gameplay, Freekick Battle is the fix you need. With its sophisticated physics engine, Freekick Battle enables you to kick, spin and shoot balls with realistic accuracy. Hone your skills with multiple entertaining single player modes, then compete real-time via Match Play with other players across the world. Create a character through our vast array of customizable options and go kick some balls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhiYfnfuDM

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Spirits

You wouldn't think that a game staring a leaf ghost would be overly compelling, but the impressive and stylish visuals of Spirits makes it worth at least a look (specifically at that video down there). Ambiance and artistry abound, combining for a "chill" platformer for three bucks.

Note: this game is part of Humble Bundle for Android 3.

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Autumn is coming. Leaves fall, and spirits rise from the fallen leaves to begin their journey home. You must guide them, without direct control, by changing how the wind blows or by rebuilding the ground. Each spirit can be sacrificed to perform one of four actions - build a bridge of leaves, create a blowing cloud, dig tunnels, or block wind currents in an area. Use your actions wisely or you will run out of spirits. In each level it's up to you to find your own creative solution on how to get the spirits to the goal.

Uplink

Uplink has gained quite a following in the indie world, thanks to its surprisingly deep (if overly simplistic) take on computer hackers. Live out your Swordfish and War Games fantasies in static 2D gaming while you digitally rob banks, create viruses and trip up your virtual pursuers.

Note: this game is part of Humble Bundle for Android 3.

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High tech computer crime and industrial espionage on the future Internet. Now remastered for Android tablets, Uplink plays brilliantly on the mobile format. The touch screen interface elegantly replaces the mouse and all of the original tense and paranoid gameplay is bought straight up to date with this new portable version. Stay mobile, trust nobody, don't get caught.

BIT.TRIP BEAT

BIT.TRIP BEAT comes from the makers of the addictive and maddening BIT.TRIP RUNNER. This time they're taking on the rhythm genre, with a stylish Breakout clone that plays some trippy techno music as you progress. Pseudo-8-bit graphics and an incredibly fast pace round out the package.

Note: this game is part of Humble Bundle for Android 3.

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BIT.TRIP BEAT is the arcade game for the new millennium, fusing Pong with interactive beats. Use the accelerometer or touch controls to move the paddle up and down bouncing beats back from which they came. Listen and react to different beat progressions as you try to survive an onslaught of spectacular retro visuals.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Quantro

Android Police coverage: Quantro Is Like Playing Two Games Of Interlocking Tetris At Once, Turns Your Brain To Mush

So, you play Tetris. Good for you. I bet you think your Level 40 high score is pretty hot stuff. But can you play two games at once? Give Quantro a try to find out. Multiple dimensions and irregular pieces will try your spatial awareness, while a continually quickening pace will try your nerves.

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Play 4 different single-player game types with 36 unique falling pieces. Take a break whenever you need to - Quantro saves your game automatically. Accelerating pieces and optional garbage rows provide a challenge that grows with your skills. Play Quantro against your friends on a local WiFi connection, or over the Internet. (Internet multiplayer is experimental and has limited availability; an open beta is being prepared. WiFi multiplayer is available for all users.) Quantro is an Android exclusive tetromino and tetracube game, built from the ground-up for Android phones and tablets. Don't settle for a poor-quality iOS port.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Avoider

Android Police coverage: Avoider Is A Puzzle Game That Challenges You To Move Colored Squares In Tandem, Is Harder Than It Sounds

Remember those sliding block puzzles you used to play with when you were a kid? Add minimal graphics, surprising strategy and a healthy dose of malevolence, and you're just about in the mood for Avoider. See if you can move your pieces around without touching the obstacles... or throwing your phone though a window.

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Test your strategy, speed and reflexes as you try to evade the obstacles in this new, challenging game. Your goal: get the red and blue boxes to the opposite corners of the screen without hitting any obstacles along the way. Sounds easy? Give it a try. Oh, there is a catch - the boxes always move symmetrically and you control only one of them. Enjoy the stylish neon graphics and contemporary electronic music in this highly addictive arcade/puzzle game.

Spacelings by DevolverDigital

With a concept and execution something like Chu Chu Rocket! in reverse, Spacelings may just be the most adorable game in this roundup (and that's saying something.) Use your tractor beam to pull them in, avoiding the various bombs and obstacles in your way. Remember: never leave a little green man behind. 100 levels is pretty good for a free title.

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The cute and lovable Spacelings and their sinister Roborg adversaries debut in an action puzzler like no other. In this supreme test of lateral thinking, you must pull, push, grab, deflect, detonate and slingshot your way through over one hundred levels of logic and mayhem. After returning home from a deep space mission of exploration, the captain of the scout ship Liberator finds his peace loving homeworld attacked and the entire Spaceling population abducted by the mysterious mechanical Roborgs. Piloting your ship and armed solely with a tractor beam, it falls to you to scour the galaxy and save your helpless Spaceling brothers and sisters from an uncertain fate Free them all, by any means necessary.

Monster Life by Gameloft

Android Police coverage: Gameloft Releases Monster Life: Raise Cute Paper Monsters, Build A Kingdom, Defeat Evil

This game can be best expressed by that most handy of life tools: Nintendo metaphors. Imagine if the protagonist from Pokemon gave up his abusive ways and decided to move his adorable bio-weapons to Animal Crossing. You'd have something like Gameloft's Monster Life, with the additional condition that all your inhabitants and their shelters are made of paper. Naturally there's still a few monsters to fight, but if all you want is an island full of cutesy critters, you're welcome to ignore them.

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Join the cutest (and fiercest) monsters ever, in a thrilling adventure .Discover a magical world of cute monsters and exciting battles. This is the thrilling world of Monster Life. A century ago, the islands of Numa were attacked by the mysterious Chaos. But a young monster keeper and his monsters fought back and brought peace to the islands. As a novice monster keeper, you must now learn how to raise and train your own team of monsters as you build your own custom-made kingdom for them to live in. Then set off to explore every corner of the surrounding islands and stop the Chaos again.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Techno Trancer

There's a growing intersection between retro gaming and rhythm gaming, and Techno Trancer fits right in the middle of it. Taking the vertical rather than horizontal approach to space shooters, this one is a pretty good combination of twitchy action and electronic tunes, which sync up to your movements and shots. A fair bit of ship customization rounds out the package.

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Listen in amazement as music syncs with dazzling action in this pulse-pumping, high-speed shooting game. In addition to the current 2 modes, a hidden AWAKEN MODE has been added. Use your awakened might to evade over 10 times the normal onslaught of enemy fire! 2 exciting new music tracks have also been added.

Monster Island by Miniclip

Scorch, plus cute, abominable monsters, plus some impressive 2D artistry, combine to form Monster Island. (Not to be confused with Godzilla's home in the South Pacific.) Defend the valiant and freedom loving monsters by destroying... other monsters, who are presumably some kind of monstro-communists. In-app purchases unlock new monsters and costumes.

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Monster thugs are on the loose harassing the inhabitants of the colorful world of Monster Island. Now, it's up to you and your arsenal of mini-monster bombs to get rid of this plague of unwanted visitors. Can you stand against such mischievous foes? Unlock five different monster bombs, each with its own abilities: Rocko, Sticky, Xplode, Blui and the fearsome Don Tonator .Toss them at enemies over 5 worlds and 315 reactive puzzles which will dazzle you for many hours of unparalleled fun.

Punch Hero by GAMEVIL

Android Police coverage: GAMEVIL Brings Punch-Out Style Fun To Mobile Devices With 'Punch Hero'

There are a surprising number of boxing games available on mobile platforms, but GAMEVIL's Punch Hero warrants special attention for those who love customization. A Create A Boxer mode allows for a near infinite combination of costume parts, including importing your own soon-to-be-pummeled face. Also, you get to punch zombies. What more do you want?

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Hit ‘em where it hurts. Come swing your fists in this all-immersive mobile boxing game. Hone your jabs, hooks and uppercuts at the Training Center while accumulating special skills and power moves in the Skill Store. Presented in hilarious 3D, Punch Hero is addictive as it is challenging. With multiple modes of gameplay and customizable options, Punch Hero offers hours of endless boxing action!

Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies

Android Police coverage: Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies Now Available, But It's Exclusive To Certain Sony Xperia Devices For The First 30 Days

Speaking of Zombies, the very first Call of Duty game to hit Android is chock full of them. The standard FPS goodness is here with a healthy dose of the undead, though you'll need a Sony device to get in on the action: only owners of the Sony Xperia Play, Xperia S and Xperia Ion have the privilege of paying $6.99. For the next few weeks, at least.

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Adapted from the best-selling console hit and built specifically for tablets and smartphones, Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies delivers fan-favorite, heart-pounding maps: Kino Der Toten, Ascension, and Call of the Dead: Director’s Cut, as well as “Dead-Ops Arcade,” a 50-level zombie gauntlet that provides the ultimate undead challenge for fans of Call of Duty’s signature zombie warfare. Play solo or join a team of up to 4 players via Wi-Fi as you mow down hordes of zombies using a variety of weapons and perks only available in the Call of Duty zombie experience.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

NEW ORBIT - Episode 1

Android Police coverage: New Orbit Has Gravity Slingshot Gameplay And Anime Storytelling

This is an interesting one: minimalistic yet precise gameplay combines with an anime-style story. The object of New Orbit is to guide your ship along a flight path while avoiding vicious space pirates, and incidentally progressing through a narrative that promises to continue in future games.

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Earth is gone. Only some survived. Everyone who could, fled the planet and settled in the asteroid belt. Years passed, factions formed, WAR ensued over scarce resources and precious knowledge. You are a young engineer of the Node Collective, lost deep inside enemy territory. Your mothership was on a secret mission on the far side of the Triterian Empire, but you weren't senior enough to know its goal and purpose.

Foosball Cup

Android Police coverage: Foosball Cup Brings Table Football To Android With Usable Controls And Nice Graphics

Who would have thought that a foosball game would be one of the prettiest in our roundup? Foosball Cup is just that: a foosball game with a tournament setting, with some surprisingly gorgeous polygon and sprite-based graphics. Also, the little plastic guys have nationalities, for some reason. Foosball Cup is free, and plays great on a tablet.

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Features:

Dynamic game play.

Highly responsive controls.

Variety of table sizes to play on.

Player formation selection.

Play versus AI or a friend.

Multiple difficulty settings.

Tournament play.

Variety of international teams:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, RSA, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Spain, Ukraine, USA

Orc Genocide

Android Police coverage: Orc Genocide Combines Tower Defense And Multiplayer Strategy, Kills More Orcs Than Aragorn

Great gameplay, bad graphics. That pretty much sums up Orc Genocide, a surprisingly awesome addition to the tower defense genre. In addition to a combination of defense and resource gathering gameplay, it features a unique split-screen mode that's great for multiplayer on tablets.

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100% Full and Free, CPU Easy/Hard, Splitscreen. Orc Genocide is a strategy game combination of defending and conquering. Both opponents start with 20 lives, a mineworker and a bunch of gold coins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNMGOO9OBA

Total Recall - The Game - Ep1

Arnold Schwarzenegger and the phrase, "Get your @$$ to Mars!" were two things regretfully missing from the recent Total Recall reboot, not to mention its tie-in game from the last roundup. If your Phillip K. Dick mindtrip isn't complete without the Governator, check out this platforming adaptation inspired by the original, and structured after the likes of contra and the 1990s Aliens games. Unfortunately, this $1.99 game is already billed as "Episode 1."

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Get ready to recall the ride of your life! Discover the new Total Recall game that comes out of the original movie. In the first episode of the game, Doug brings us through planet Mars. Help him discover the 10 hidden secrets to accomplish this first mission. The more you move on in the game, the more enemies and bosses you’ll have to kill. For that, Doug will be equipped with different weapons. Some of them are limited in ammo, so be careful not to waste it.

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Where's My Perry? Free by Disney

Nothing to see here, folks: just a secret agent platypus (hey, it worked for squirrels) inexplicably travelling through a series of pneumatic tubes powered by water. This is the free version of the original pseudo-sequel to Disney's Where's My Water, now supported with ads.

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Where’s My Perry – every drop counts when it’s SPY TIME. Where’s My Perry is a challenging physics-based puzzler where you need to use water in all its different forms, ice, steam and liquid, to solve the puzzle. Overflowing with intuitive controls, vibrant spy-themed graphics, and best of all, lasers, you will be immersed in the world of Agent P.

Divide by Zero

Want to pretend that you're using an emulator, without the emulator (or 30-year-old ROM)? Then Divide By Zero might just be for you. Jump in the Doc Martens of a mathematician looking for the most powerful calculator in the world, one which can (wait for it) divide by zero. Retro graphics and gameplay abound.

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You play as Vopel, a mathematician searching for a device that can divide by zero. What will get in his way along his journey? Lots of platforming and things. This demo includes 25 levels, some easy, some not so easy, but they are all beatable, you might swear some trying to beat a few of them.

Along with the levels, we include a level editor, used to make all of the levels in the game. It has all of the blocks we use in the game, and when the final version comes out, it will have all of the new blocks we make as well (i.e. switches, pulleys, moving platforms, etc).

Townsmen

Henceforth is the saga of the Patrician of Ye Olde Sim Towne, home of the medieval denizens of Townsmen. Here there be much in the way of simulation, be it urban development or economical stimulation. Graphics be artful, though sprite-based, and the game costs nary a farthing.

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Grow your tiny village to a grand medieval city with a thriving economy and happy Townies. From mining, logging and farming to the production of jewelry, tools and clothing – a well managed economy is the key to success. Build churches, taverns and marketplaces for your Townies. Beautify your city with splendorous statues, magnificent monuments and lush parks and gardens. Watch adorable Townies scurry around on their daily routines and keep them happy and well-fed. Remember: only a happy Townie is a hard-working Townie.

Happy Street by Godzilab

Yet another new town building game, this time with a less conventional approach. Happy Street seems kind of like Pocket God, with more construction and less smiting. The perspective shifts to the 2D plane, with three slightly different maps to choose from.

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Discover a lively world where everybody is happy. In Happy Street you will be able to build your own village, discover new places, make friends, play with mini games, fish, craft objects, collect resources and much more.

Greedy Spiders 2

This is the sequel to the well-received Greedy Spiders, wherein our hero Toby the fly must traverse a spider web while avoiding or defeating the inhabitants. An addictive play style is supported by in-game purchases - those who played the original and know they want the full experience should check out the $1 full version.

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Spiders are back. More evil, creepy and greedy than ever... what will they be up to this time? Peace at the tiny world is being threatened. Bad guys have returned and they seem to have new allies. The bugs need your help to fight back! Sharpen those scissors and put your hands to work in this new adventure where things may be not what they look like. Be ready, and think carefully... Which side are you gonna take??

Warfield

You should always hope for an enemy who's ready to die for his country: that means that you and he have the same goal in mind. Real Time Strategy is thin on the ground on mobile, but Warfield intends to even up that score. It doesn't look like much, but it's got the micromanaging and tactical content that fans of the genre crave. Position your infantry and tanks well - you'll only get one chance to defend your base and make the enemy pay.

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Warfield is a real time combat strategy game set in the World War II era where you try to defeat your enemy in each level by either capturing the enemy flag or destroying all enemy units. It is one of the first (if not the first) true Real Time Strategy games on the Android platform that isn't a tower defense. You command your units from a topdown perspective and try to complete each level by positioning your units according to terrain, baiting your enemies into a battlefield of your choosing or simply brute forcing them down if the situation allows it.

Arcis

Yup, another tower defense game - who says you can ever have enough? (This guy.) But Arcis warrants a look if only for its unconventionally simple approach: in graphics and gameplay, it's not that far removed from Geometry Wars. You also get to actively control at least one tower at a time.Right now only a basic survival mode is implemented, with more content planned for Arcis 2 - which explains why the initial game is free.

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Arcis mixes the tower-defense and arcade genres and takes it all to a new level. Arcis takes tower-defense games to a new level. For the first time you will have the chance to not only build towers and design a defense system, but actively fight enemies as well. Taking control of the central tower, power goes into your hands. Can you fight off the enemy hordes in this innovative mix of tower-defense and arcade style?

Verminator

Is your love of physics-based flash games equaled only by your hatred of household pests? Then Verminator is the game for you. This short, free game equips you with more tools than the Orkin man to dispose of the various creepy crawlers hiding in the house. Not a creature will stir... after you complete all 30 levels.

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Exterminate vermin in over 30 Puzzle Based Levels. It’s time to exterminate some vermin. The top rated flash game finally comes to the Android market. Your mission is to cleanse this family home from a horrible rat infestation. Drown, trap, explode and crush these pesky rodents in this addictive physics-based puzzle game.

Trainyard Express by Noodlecake

Trainyard saw a respectable bit of success on iOS, so that means just one thing: a hasty cash-in long-awaited Android port! This "Express" version is free and ad-supported. The game is deceptively simple: get each train to its color-coded station by means of switches. Get it wrong, and... well, did you ever hear the ballad of Casey Jones?

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Trainyard Express is a puzzle solving game unlike any that you've ever played. It's easy to learn but very tough to master. Your job is simple: get each train to a goal station. Red trains go to red stations, blue trains go to blue stations, etc. You control the trains by drawing track for them to follow. There isn't a time limit or even a score; the only thing you need to do is figure out a solution for each puzzle. The first few puzzles are almost too easy, but as the difficulty increases you'll be thankful that you were able to practice the fundamentals of drawing track. As the game progresses, you'll have to use basic color theory to combine trains of different colors, use timing to merge, and use every inch of your brain in your quest to beat the game.

TAVERN QUEST by Glu Mobile

Running a reputably disreputable tavern like The Mended Drum is no walk down Short Street. Today's swarthy adventurer demands ale that doesn't taste like something you squeezed out of a cat, food that sticks to your stomach and enough company to retell how he fought off the dragon at the gates. If you can provide, you'll enjoy his somewhat liquid custom in Tavern Quest.

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Build and run your very own fantasy Tavern. Cook amazing recipes for Heroes. There once was a Dragon that had no interest in pillage and plunder. While all of the bigger, meaner Dragons would pick on him, he just wanted to follow his passion for Cooking. So he opened his very own Tavern. Then it struck him, “With the help of some Heroes” he thought, “I could defeat those Dragon bullies once and for all.”

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Kill The Swak

What is a Swak? How would you pluralize these trigger-happy little guys? Swakes? Swaki? Swabequois? In any case, the Swakoo will treat you to a tight shooting/tapping game in the vein of Fruit Ninja for just a buck. Achievements, Arcade and Time Trial modes, and a few bonuses are included.

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The great battle begins . "Kill The Swak" is coming on your smartphone . Kill The Swak is coming on Android. The Swak are back to deliver a battle against their old enemies : The Boozoul. Kill The Swak is an shoot'em up arcade video game. This is addictive and has two game modes in this version. The Arcade and Time Trial modes. You put forward your reflexes and sense of strategy to counter the attack of Swak. You can unlock new achievements and then, unlock new battlefields in the Options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk8A1ubA51o

The app was not found in the store. :-( Go to store Google websearch

Note: for more games on the cheap, check out the Humble Bundle for Android 3. The pay what you want bundle of five indie games includes BIT.TRIP BEAT, Uplink and Spirits, and it's on offer until August 29th.

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago

it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: [email protected].

1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.