Fire Emblem and Gunman Taco Truck: 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.

The mobile gaming sector is a busy one, with original titles and blockbusters launching all the time. But we’re here to sift through the nonsense, bringing you some of the better mobile games around.

Our highlights this week? Why it’s Fire Emblem Heroes and the rather addictive Gunman Taco Truck. Check out all five picks below.

A Day in the Woods (free – Android, iOS)

It’s usually a paid title on Apple platforms, but South African title A Day in The Woods went free on iOS a few days ago and was still free at the time of writing.

In any event, this puzzle game has you trying to sneak Red Riding Hood to her gran, using some sliding puzzle mechanics to do so. Of course, there are all sorts of nasties to avoid, as well as 60 different levels to get through.

A Day in the Woods is also available on Steam, if that’s your thing.

Fire Emblem Heroes (free – Android, iOS)

Gamers have been able to preorder Fire Emblem Heroes for a while now, but the title has finally been made available.

The game marks only the second mobile title published by Nintendo, being based on the popular Fire Emblem RPG franchise. The game lets you choose one of a variety of heroes before undertaking your journey — and that’s about as far as we got, owing to server issues.

Nevertheless, RPG fans will want to check this title out, especially if they’ve played any of the previous games. Just be warned that there seems to be some congestion at the time of writing.

Drifting School Bus (free – Android, iOS)

Spotted by Pocket Gamer, Drifting School Bus is an endless driving game — but you’ll be drifting instead, as the name suggests.

It’s super simplistic, as you tap the screen to drift on the left of the screen or the right, picking up schoolkids in the process. You’ll need to dodge trains, buildings, walls, cars and other obstacles though — but I was able to easily build a rhythm and keep going for ages.

Drifting School Bus is free to play and follows the now-established Crossy Road formula of unlockables as you play (levels and new vehicles).

WWE Champions (free – Android, iOS)

WWE Champions is a rather interesting mash-up of pro wrestling and match-three puzzle mechanics. And it kinda gels together actually.

The game has you matching gems to dish out offense and eventually pin your opponent — but there are also special abilities you can dish out from time to time. Find yourself being pinned? Then you’ll need to match gems to kick out.

It’s an interesting concept, but the character levelling system and special abilities make for a game that sniffs of in-app purchases. Your mileage may vary.

Gunman Taco Truck (free – Android)

What happens if you combine Oregon Trail with Mexican food and a post-apocalyptic setting? Why, you get Gunman Taco Truck, developed by John and Brenda Romero and their son.

The title sees players driving a taco truck across the post-apocalyptic USA in an attempt to reach Canada. The drive sees players shooting at creatures along the way (collecting ingredients for tacos in the process), while each stop has you quickly creating and serving tacos to survivors.

Gunman Taco Truck is also available on Steam and is set to come to iOS.