Line Defense and Oceanhorn: this week’s top mobile games

Welcome to Gearburn’s Mobile Game Picks of the Week, a weekly series in which Hadlee takes a look at the latest, most entertaining, or time-consuming mobile games on portable screens.

It might be the height of the festive season, but we’re still scouring the web for great mobile games. So what did we find?

We’ve got four picks in this edition, with Line Defense and Oceanhorn’s Android port being my personal standouts. Scroll down for all of them.

Oceanhorn (paid – Android, iOS)

It’s been out on iOS, PC and console, but Oceanhorn has finally launched on Android as well.

The action/RPG is unabashedly inspired by Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, so expect a cartoony visual style, island exploration and some sailing. Hell, even the protagonist’s tunic resembles one of Link’s tunics.

It costs R71 to unlock the full version of Oceanhorn on Android, while iOS users will have to splash out R80 regardless (no trial version).

XCOM: Enemy Within (paid – Android, iOS)

The standalone XCOM expansion isn’t a new game, but it usually costs a pretty penny on mobile devices. Fortunately, it’s dropped to around US$3 on both platforms.

XCOM: Enemy Within features the same fundamental gameplay as Enemy Unknown, but adds new maps, soldiers, missions, abilities, enemies and more. So pretty much Enemy Unkown 1.5, then.

XCOM: Enemy Within costs R42 on Android and R50 on iOS — a steal compared to the usual R140+ price.

Line Defense (free – Android, iOS)

This addictive combination of Missile Command and Breakout is finally out, so what should you expect from the formula?

Much like Missile Command, you’ll be defending a city against destructive objects, drawing lines to intercept said objects and gathering power-ups. Things get more interesting thanks to boss battles, forcing you to deflect projectiles back at the boss, for instance. Throw in a couple of minigames and a great soundtrack and you’ve got a sleeper hit.

Line Defense is free on both platforms, although there are a few optional in-app purchases in tow.

Road Not Taken (paid – Android, iOS)

This little indie gem first launched on PC in 2014, but it’s since come to iOS and (you guessed it) Android.

Road Not Taken is a turn-based puzzle game that has you playing a ranger trying to navigate through a forest. In a smart move, the levels are randomly generated, giving replayability a boost.

Road Not Taken costs R72 on Android and R80 on iOS.