Friday Night Indie Game Round-Up #56

Welcome to a very special Saturday edition of the Super Game Droid Friday Night Indie Game Round-Up, your weekly guide to the latest and greatest indie games available on the Android platform. Each week our dedicated editorial team spends countless hours scouring the depths of the internet in order to bring you the best new indie Android games we can find. We then take our absolute favorites for the week and compile them all together in this handy dandy round-up so you’ll always have an easy way of discovering some awesome new indie games to play on Android!

Whether you’re looking for a challenging new platformer, an epic action adventure, or even just a good old fashioned puzzler SGD has got you covered so check out all 25 of the awesome new indie Android games we’ve hand picked for you below and make sure to vote for your favorite on the poll at the bottom of the page. As always, the game with the most votes as of Tuesday morning will be declared our indie game of the week and will also be featured on our front page for the whole week as well!

1080 Challenge from Deadly Serious Media

Not so much a game as a bizarrely intriguing digital media experience, indie developer Deadly Serious Media’s new title 1080 Challenge is about as meta as it gets. Players have to concentrate on one simple task as long as possible while the games announcer constantly berates and attempts to trick them into messing up. My first reaction upon booting 1080 challenge up was that it was a silly waste of time, but that’s actually the entire point as the game’s announcer acknowledges this and begins to screw with your head. 1080 challenge is a really unique concept piece from the creators of Bouncy Bit that’s available now for free.

[pb-app-box pname=’com.deadlyseriousmedia.challenge’ name=’1080 Challenge’ theme=’light’ lang=’en’]

Axle from Fallstreak Studio

Side scrolling platformers are awesome, but they’ve traditionally always had some degree of difficulty making the transition over to the touch screen side of gaming. This is usually a result of shoehorning console style controls onto a platform they were never meant to be on, something that the fantastic new physics platformer Axle thankfully sidesteps altogether by smartly implementing an intuitive touch friendly control scheme that in addition to working well is also a core part of the games premise. The brainchild of indie developer Fallstreak Studios, Axle is a gorgeous new physics based adventure platformer that features the misadventures and mischief of an inquisitive little cog.

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Big 3 from Langley Creations

Back in 2003 a pretty hilarious movie premiered on Comedy Central called Windy City Heat that followed the antics of 3 mischievous misanthropes and starred a buttload of comedians. Why do I bring it up you ask? Well because bizarrely after nearly a decade in obscurity Windy City Heat is now getting its very own video game in the form of Big 3 from indie developer Langley Creations. Players control one of the three titular characters from the film as they try to survive one of the most over the top sidescrollers we’ve seen in recent times. It’s got a lot of personality, that’s for sure.

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Bomb the ‘Burb from Thundersword Games

A new physics puzzler for those that like to watch thing go “boom”, Bomb The ‘Burb is all about creative destruction. As a demolition man clearing the way for new buildings players will have to strategically place a limited supply of bombs in order to do as much damage as they can. The action on display here is completely non-violent as well and the buildings mostly resemble Lego constructions so Bomb The ‘Burb is an entirely kid friendly affair.

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Calculords from Ninja Crime

The critically acclaimed card collecting RPG Calculords has finally arrived on Android to conquer the hearts of CCG fans everywhere. As the brave commander of an intrepid space force players will do battle with an armada of evil aliens by unleashing tons of awesome allies like telepathic ET’s and futuristic tanks commandeered by a ‘roided up space jock. There is a ton of content to experience in Calculords which makes it a solid choice for any tactics gamer on the hunt for a new challenge.

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Clockwork Kiwi from Glass Dream Entertainment

Much like the nomenclature of the steam-punk genre itself, indie developer Glass Dream Entertainment’s charismatic new platformer Clockwork Kiwi: Dungeon Dash fuses together elements from two seemingly different genres in order to create something awesome. Like a classic Super Nintendo game that’s been re-worked for mobile devices with nothing being lost in the process. As a wrongfully imprisoned mouse inventor, players must use their wits and skills to escape a dire predicament which in this case means outfitting an injured kiwi with badass bionic limbs and riding him to freedom atop the backs of your enemies!

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Clustership from WRI Studios

Are you into games where you have complete control over the design of your avatar? Then you gotta check out Clustership, a brand new retro space shooter from indie developer WRI Studios. Players will build their dream starship brick by brick as they add in their own custom configuration of shields and weapons. Once assembled players will then venture forth into the galaxy defeating evil aliens and gaining more experience that can be put towards beefing up your ships arsenal. The controls work well and the sheer variety of ways to play will keep you coming back to Clustership for quite some time.

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Deep Under the Sky from Northway Games

If you like weird games you’re going to love Deep Under The Sky, indie developer Northway Games’ trippy new arcade physics game that looks like a cross between Super Metroid and Angry Birds on acid. The psychedelic visual nature of Deep Under The Sky’s bizarre romp through a hostile alien world should feel familiar to anyone who’s played its spiritual predecessor Incredipede as it shares some of the same eclectic aesthetics. As a lone alien jellyfish trying to survive an ocean teeming with life floating in the sky players will have to use their microbial powers to launch themselves into the next level, and into freedom.

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Elder Towers from Akashan Games

Indie studio Akashan Games’ new genre bending RPG epic Elder Towers is here to bring an ambitious level of adventure and strategy to mobile trading card games. Combing an expansive 3D RPG world with RTS and rogue-like elements Elder Towers is an in-depth questing experience with deep gameplay that will present a challenge to even the most seasoned of MMO raiders. There is alot to learn about this game, it isn’t your typical hack and slash, so make sure you take your time to understand the tutorial before jumping into the game proper. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

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Fingers VS Axes from Brutal Studios

This charming arcade game turns players into the games’ boss as they mercilessly pummel on screen enemies by tapping them into smithereens. They wont take kindly to this however and will do their best to give you the nastiest paper cuts they can, fortunately that part only happens on screen. Things start out simple enough with only a handful of knights standing in the way of your unholy phalanges but soon an army of deadly weaponry will stand against you culminating with a battle against hell itself. Addicting and irreverent, Fingers VS Axes is a great new action arcade game.

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Goalcraft from Stimpact

This game is ultra simple, but also incredibly addicting. A new twitch arcade game from indie developer Stimpact, Goalcraft casts players as a pixelated goal keeper charged with defending the net at all costs. To do this players need to swipe in the direction of each oncoming soccer ball so they can make a cool looking save. It wont be as easy as it sounds however as these soccer balls like to play games with their trajectory which makes for an intense and sometimes frustrating though ultimately rewarding experience.

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Hexagone from Ramona Studios

A simple arcade puzzler that puts its own spin on a classic board game, Hexagone plays like a fast paced cross between Minesweeper and hexagon. Although, players need only drag the game’s blue protagonist towards his pink friend, there are tons of obstacles and puzzles to solve before he can make it there intact. Classic board game aficionados will definitely want to give Hexagone a spin.

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Max Gentlemen from The Men Who Wear Many Hats

From the makers of Organ Trail: Director’s Cut comes a visionary new arcade game…..about hats. Indie developer The Men Who Wear Many Hats is back with its exquisite new tongue-in-cheek action arcade stack ‘em up Max Gentlemen, a game about manly man-ness in an etiquette centric world where bears bare fisticuffs. It is in this gentlemanly world that players will be challenged with wearing as many hats as they can at one time while simultaneously dealing with the rigors of being an upstanding gentleman like protecting your fine headwear from being soiled by local avians and drinking a fine pint of Stoudt’s every now and then.

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Neonize from Defenestrate Studios

There are shoot ‘em up games that attempt to shoehorn in virtual controls on a touch screen, and then there are shoot ‘em up games that choose to work with the touch screen rather than against it in order to deliver an awesome gaming experience that wouldn’t be possible on any non-touch platform. Indie developer Defenestrate Studios’ addicting new rhythm shooter hybrid Neonize falls into the latter category, delivering the most intriguing shoot ‘em up experience on Android since Dropchord. This dazzling arcade style shoot ‘em up plays like the classic Simon toy’s cooler older club going brother that’s always got the sickest dance moves and happens to be a huge Japanese shooter fan.

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Phases: Infinite Zero from Kayabit

Minimalistic, trippy, and cool indie developer Kayabit’s great new physics platformer Phases: Infinite Zero evokes hardcore sidescrollers like Super Meat Boy and N+. Like any good platformer, Phases: Infinite Zero is all about making it from point A to point B intact but its imaginative level design and real time physics is what sets it apart and gives it an identity all its own. Those that enjoy devilishly hard sidescrolling platformers will want to give Phases: Infinite Zero a look.

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PickCrafter from fiveamp

If you’re the kind of gamer who just can’t seem to get enough Minecraft, the new arcade tap ’em up PickCrafter should help give you your mining fix on the go. Although it may look like just another Minecraft clone at first, PickCrafter is in fact a clever action-arcade game that’s all about tapping the screen. Alot. The Pavlovian reward dynamic is in full effect here as players must tap til they drop in order to unlock a ton of cool new upgrades which in turn allow them to……tap even more.

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Pixelo from Megusta Games

A hyper charged mobile version of Picross, Pixelo is a casual puzzler that’s all about variety. Nearly every aspect of the game is customization friendly which is important in a puzzle game that players will spend hours at a time concentrating on. In addition to a wealth of personalization options there are plenty of logic puzzles to solve of course, over 500 in fact so you better get started!

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Rocket Drop VR from Sc0tt Games

When indie developer Scott Harbor happened to come into possession of a Google Cardboard VR kit he did what any good enterprising dev would do, he made a kickass game for it. Enter Rocket Drop VR, Sc0tt Games’ newest edition of its high flying arcade sim that really takes the game to a whole other level. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rocket Drop VR used as a public demo app by Google to demonstrate the potential of the Cardboard platform.

Never heard of Google Cardboard before? It’s an inexpensive VR solution that incorporates your smartphone and can be built from pre-existing parts lying around your house by following the official instructions here.

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Size DOES Matter from Team DOS

This addicting new rhythm action game has a terrific electronic soundtrack to go along with its intense beat based gameplay. Like a combination of DDR and an endless runner, Size DOES Matter challenges players with dodging oncoming obstacles in as stylish a fashion as possible. As players rack up massive combos and achieve high scores they’ll also unlock even harder new levels and sweet new tunes to bob their head to.

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Spooklands from Luderia

An awesome new one touch touch shooter called Spooklands has arrived on Android and it will mercilessly pummel you with its unrelenting shoot ‘em up action while leaving you begging for more. As indie developer Luderia’s marquee title, Spooklands is an addicting arena shooter that looks and plays like a demented monster form of the classic shoot ‘em up Super Smash TV. The gameplay is simple and intuitive while leaving alot of room for depth thanks to the implementation of a reactive move-fire system that has the players character blown back by the force of his gunfire everytime the player taps on an enemy to shoot it.

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Super Smash Clash from Impact Games Studio

While odds are we’ll never see Nintendo bring Super Smash Bros to Android, we can rest easy knowing the we now have an awesome new indie alternative called Super Smash Clash that brings the zany sidescrolling brawls we all know and love to mobile. Created by indie developer Impact Games Studio, Super Smash Clash features great graphics, fluid high-FPS combat, and tightly designed gameplay. In addition to over 60 challenge levels players can also fight one another for retro dominance via local wifi. It’s time to start smashing!

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Swipe & Slash from Poemdexter Games

This quirky retro puzzle RPG from independent studio Poemdexter Games brings the gameplay of Threes and a classic dungeon crawler together in order to create an intriguing mashup that’s perfect for mobile. Help a hapless knight on a perilous quest by matching together numbers and symbols in order to defeat enemies in combat and maybe unlock a little loot along the way. Swipe & Slash is a fantastic puzzle RPG fans of the genre are sure to eat up.

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Tapmanic from Adam Bartkow

Indie developer Adam Bartkow’s maddeningly addictive new arcade tap ’em up Tapmanic may not look all that challenging on first glance, but looks can be deceiving. Imagine a demented demon had possessed your Simon toy and forced you to play it, and you might have an inkling of what Tapmanic has in store for you. Players will have to furiously tap a randomly blinking series of ever more complex blocks in order to reach the high score and unlock the next level. Just don’t forget to take your Simon toy to an exorcist okay?

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They Need To Be Fed 3 from Bit Ate Bit

Indie developer Bit Ate Bit’s prolific physics platformer They Need To Be Fed is back in a fantastic 3rd installment that takes the series to ambitious new heights while retaining everything that was good about the previous entries. While you might be tempted to dismiss They Need To Be Fed 3 on first glance as a rehash, you’d be wrong. This unique sidescrolling platformer takes the core gameplay of its predecessors and greatly expands upon it in nearly every way with imaginative level design, sublime controls, and a bevy of new features.

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Wan Nyan Slash from Alvin Phu

Block Legend developer Alvin Phu is back with an action packed new arcade game set in a feudal era Japan filled with demons and anthropomorphized animal warriors. In this pixel-tastic slash ’em up players will do battle with an army of evil baddies by swiping them to death with a unique dual slash fighting system. It’s patterned after traditional oldschool arcade games too which means there’s a ton of fun gameplay to enjoy that hasn’t been hampered by iap’s of any kind.

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The Friday Night Indie Game Round-Up is brought to you by the combined “Voltron-esque” editorial powers of James Maxwell, Craig Forshey, and JC Richardson.