Humble Bundle and Tales: 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.

Another week, another opportunity to gather the best mobile games in one place. So let’s get on with it!

As for highlights? There’s another fantastic Humble Bundle, as well as a follow-up to the Knights of Pen and Paper franchise.

Galaxy of Pen and Paper (paid – Android, iOS)

Ever played the Knights of Pen and Paper games on mobile and PC? No? Well, you’re certainly missing out.

Now, the franchise has moved from a fantasy setting to more of a sci-fi backdrop as it takes to space. You’ll still be taking part in turn-based combat and creating your own party, but with several space-related garnishings in tow (spaceship battles, multiple decisions etc).

Galaxy of Pen and Paper is R65 on Google Play and R80 on iOS.

Space Frontier (free – Android, iOS)

Enjoy the idea of rocket games but Kerbal Space Program, SimpleRockets and Space Agency are too complex for you? Space Frontier might be worth a peek then.

The game, from prolific publisher Ketchapp, is super basic, as you merely tap the screen to engage the next stage of your rocket. You’ll need quick reflexes though, as leaving it too late results in the rocket exploding. Simple stuff.

Space Frontier is free to play on Google and Apple’s mobile platforms — just don’t expect it to be deep.

Tales of the Rays (free – Android, iOS)

On the hunt for a Tales game on mobile? Tales of the Rays is the latest entry in the respected series, taking a free-to-play angle.

You’ve got touch-friendly controls, those anime-style visuals, plenty of dungeons to explore and a tweaked yet familiar battle system. So a pretty faithful take on the franchise then.

Reviews note that you aren’t getting bang for your buck when it comes to in-app purchases, but otherwise, it seems like a solid entry in the series.

Humble Mobile Bundle: Puzzles (paid – Android)

You can always rely on the Humble Bundles for some quality games at a steal. And the latest iteration is no different.

Spend US$1 or more and you’ll get Klocki, Hook and Zenge. Pay US$5 or more and you get some killer titles as well, in the form of Deus Ex Go, Mini Metro and Human Resource Machine.

Those who beat the average (US$5.75 at the time of writing) will also nab A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, Concrete Jungle and Slawaway Camp.