BACKPACK HERO and FIGMENT Are Free in the Epic Games Store
This week, organize your backpack to survive dungeons in Backpack Hero and go on a surreal adventure through the mind in Figment.
Backpack Hero Figment. Act quickly because this loot is only free via the Epic Games Store for a limited time.
Epic Games is known for giving away free games every week. It's simple — all you have to do is log into your Epic Games account, download the launcher, and claim your weekly freebies. Check out the loot available this week and grab it now because it is only free for a limited time.
RELATED: Need more free games? Check out F2P Friday Backpack Hero
Backpack Hero (2023) is an inventory management roguelike game developed by Jaspel and published by Pretty Soon. In this dungeon crawler, organization is an adventurer's best friend. Fight your way through countless randomly generated dungeons by collecting and organizing over 800 items in your backpack. Additionally, harness synergies and abilities by placing specific items together. Play through endless dungeons or progress through story mode as five unique heroes.
In between dungeon runs, use the resources you've gathered to rebuild your home village of Haversack Hill. Of course, a charming hamlet will attract new residents. Utilize your exceptional organizational skills to restore order and save the animal residents.
RELATED: July's Most Anticipated Video Games
Backpack Hero is free (a $19.99 value) in the Epic Games Store until July 10 at 10 am ET. Figment
Figment (2017) is an action-adventure game developed and published by Bedtime Digital Games. Join Dusty on a musical adventure through a surreal realm of the mind known as Figment. This strange world is filled with the deepest thoughts, memories, urges, and voices of the human psyche.
Dusty and his friend, Piper, find themselves in a once quiet mind whose recent thoughts turn into nightmares. As the mind's former voice of courage, it is up to Dusty to discover the root of these nightmares and face his fears. Overcome challenges using strength and smarts by swinging a sword and solving puzzles.
RELATED: 15 Co-Op Game Announcements From June 2025
Music is an important part of Figment, from its rhythmic world to the musical monsters. Consequently, explore how your actions influence the dynamic environment and soundtrack. Help Dusty face universal fears and seize some peace of mind.
Figment is free (a $19.99 value) in the Mobile Epic Games Store until July 10 at 10 am ET.
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Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Eddington,' 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' 'M3GAN 2.0' and more: Your guide to this weekend's top movies to watch in theaters and at home
I haven't been able to get 'Eddington,' starring Pedro Pascal Joaquin Phoenix, out of my head. Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything. This weekend, two wildly different wide releases are debuting in theaters: Eddington, a pandemic-set Western that's hard to categorize but falls somewhere between satire and thriller, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, a legacy sequel/reboot of the iconic franchise. Are they both worth the cost of a movie ticket (plus popcorn and a soda)? Eddington is one of those movies that sticks with you, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. As for the other, well, keep reading. A few recent releases come home, too. There's the smash-hit How to Train Your Dragon remake and the absolute bomb that was M3GAN 2.0. Over on streaming services you may already be paying for, there's I Love You Forever, an indie comedy starring Cazzie David, daughter of comedy legend Larry David, on HBO Max, and The Assessment, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Alicia Vikander, on Hulu. Read on because there's something here for everyone! What to watch in theaters Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have 🎥 What to watch in theaters My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Most people go to the movies for escapism, to get away from the problems of the real world and the stresses of your personal life for just a couple of hours and watch some beautiful people on a huge screen. Eddington definitely delivers on the beautiful people part — it boasts an A-list cast featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler that makes it feel higher profile than Ari Aster's previous films (Hereditary, Midsommar) — but it's about as far from escapism as movies get. It's a politically-charged modern Western that takes the form of a violent confrontation for both its characters and the audience, forcing us to reckon with the collective mindf*** that was the summer of 2020, when COVID-19 entered our lexicon and lockdowns changed everything about our lives. Eddington depicts a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) that sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico. Phoenix's character doesn't want to wear a mask — he has asthma, and he says he can't breathe while wearing one — and decides to run for mayor to fight against local pandemic-era regulations that he finds overly burdensome. The plot is a cavalcade of culture war talking points from the era: mask mandates, ineffectual and hypocritical political leadership, shifting goalposts, opportunist conspiracy theorist grifters, "fake news," social justice warriors that are well-meaning but whose actions may be performative and influenced by ulterior motives and so much more. It's a satire that clocks the pandemic as the moment that we as a society lost all sense of community in the internet age as we're all siloed off in our own personalized little bubble worlds, stuck in echo chambers of our own choosing, thanks to social media algorithms and conspiracies pushed by people in the highest levels of power. It demonstrates how people now live in alternate realities within the same town, or even the same house, and how that can be corrosive, and how it's all getting worse and exacerbated by A.I., as data centers proliferate across the country, including the fictional Eddington, gobbling up human resources and further closing the gap between our real world and the digital one we inhabit. Despite the satirical bent — it's laugh-out-loud funny throughout, even when hitting easy targets — Eddington is quite earnest in its depiction of that time period and how it broke all of our brains, and how we're still very much living in the aftermath of it. Aster isn't offering any solutions here, and, more than anything else, it winds up being a deeply disturbing and upsetting character study about the type of person who might become radicalized by the state of the world and the insidiousness of the modern internet. He's an anxious person who has now repeatedly used his tableaus to explore those specific anxieties. As such, Eddington is ultimately a very paranoid and depressing movie, one that posits there may not be a way back, and that 2020 was the beginning of the end of an era, a point of no return, and that screens and technology will forever infiltrate and sow chaos in our lives. It all builds to a pulse-pounding and thrilling third act that sees the filmmaker trying out yet another genre. It's sure to be the most polarizing film of the year and should inspire intense reactions on both sides. Personally, I haven't stopped thinking about it, and despite my utter disinterest in films about the pandemic, it makes a great case that maybe we should all set aside some time to process what the hell happened. It's the feel-bad movie of the summer, but a must-see all the same! What other critics are saying: Polarizing is right! For every instance of praise, there's also a pan. Lindsay Bahr at the Associated Press wrote that the film "somehow seems both too late and too soon" and that it "feels like the last thing any of us need." Esther Zuckerman in the Daily Beast praised Phoenix's performance, adding, "While Eddington has a very starry cast, Phoenix is his anchor." How to watch: Eddington is now playing in theaters nationwide. Get tickets ➕ Bonus not-quite-a-recommendation: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) Why you should skip it: It's fitting that the legacy sequel for I Know What You Did Last Summer, a movie that is and always was a Scream knockoff that should always be mentioned in the same breath as that film, plays like a parody of the recent spate of horror legacy sequels, or remakequels, that we've endured in recent years. You likely already know the drill: a fresh-faced cast of young people are now facing off against a fisherman murdered in a rain slicker, and the circumstances basically mirror the original film with minor changes. To help stop the murders, the teens must team up with … you guessed it: Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. from the original movies. Madelyn Cline of Outer Banks fame is a rising star worth watching, but the returning older cast members all prove that maybe there's a reason they don't top-line movies anymore. I Know What You Did Last Summer is full of references to modern memes and pop culture staples — is this the first movie to reference Nicole Kidman's AMC ads? — in such a way that it feels even more like a Scream clone than it ever did. It also somehow already feels dated; Halloween (2018) did the true-crime podcaster thing, and it's not the only example. Worst of all, though, is it's poorly directed and awkwardly assembled, edited in such a jumpy way that the killer often seems to appear out of nowhere, with no coherence or any build-up whatsoever. It's truly amateur hour, so much so that a major climactic moment is absolutely botched and comes off incomprehensible. If you do see it, though, do stick around for the mid-credits scene, which features a Marvel-style character introduction and table setting for any future films that is definitely meant to be laughed at, but also reveals how utterly ridiculous and unserious this whole affair is, which would be fine if the movie were any fun or were competently made. What other critics are saying: It's no surprise that it's getting slaughtered. Mark Kennedy at the Associated Press wrote that "a relaunch makes sense but it's pretty vapid stuff until the OGs arrive." Though Jordan Hoffman, writing for Entertainment Weekly, argued that "clever moments" and "a sensational performance from Madelyn Cline" keep it afloat. How to watch: I Know What You Did Last Summer is now playing in theaters nationwide. Get tickets 💸 Movies newly available to rent or buy My recommendation: Why you should watch it: The live-action remake of the 2010 computer-animated film doesn't change a thing, to its benefit and its detriment. The original film's story is heartfelt and a crowd-pleaser, so it makes sense that the remake would also be heartfelt and a crowd-pleaser. Its problems are inherent to the animated-to-live-action-adaptation pipeline, in that it never really justifies its existence beyond "a new generation of children will want to see this and their parents will pay to do so." Place any sequence from the original side-by-side next to its live-action counterpart, and the animated sequence is more appealing every time. There's an expressive energy to the proceedings that's lost in translation, no matter how good the performances. The dragon-based action is so specifically ill-suited for live-action that they opt to make all the CGI-heavy action dark and indistinguishable! This likely won't bother your kids, though I do recommend starting with the animated versions if they're new to the franchise. It's a completely safe endeavor with no real creative risks taken, but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a colloquialism for a reason. Though I do think it's time we get a congressional committee to investigate how all these "real" redos of animated movies are always somehow both exactly the same movie, yet also a half hour longer. What other critics are saying: I'm a curmudgeon, it turns out, as many critics were impressed with it. David Sims of The Atlantic wrote that he liked the new version about as much as its ancestor. "Both, to me, are above-average bits of children's entertainment that struggle with the same problems," he said/ The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarkye said it "honors the charm of the original. It's not an essential remake, but at least it's not an offensive one." How to watch: How to Train Your Dragon is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms. Rent or buy ➕ Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: M3GAN 2.0 bombed so badly at the box office, Jason Blum, the CEO of Blumhouse, the company that made the movie, spent his Monday morning following its first weekend flop doing interviews and taking ownership for the movie's failure. The original grossed a surprisingly healthy $30 million opening weekend; the sequel barely cracked $10 million! 'We all thought M3gan was like Superman — we could do anything to her. We could change genres, we could put her in the summer, we could make her look different, we could turn her from a bad guy into a good guy. And we kind of classically overthought how powerful people's engagement was, really, with her,' he admitted. However, if you're aware that the movie is more of a comedic sci-fi spy adventure that's riffing on everything from Terminator 2 to Mission: Impossible and not a horror film at all like the original, you may have fun with it. It's certainly dumb, but it knows it. Had the movie not been an unreasonably lengthy two hours long, all the silliness would be easier to forgive What other critics are saying: It's a mixed bag! Mashable's Kristy Puchko declares that appealing to a broader audience killed the fun, calling it "a horrendous mishmash of ideas and influences" that's mostly "derivative, bewildering and bland." The Telegraph's Robbie Collins, however, had a great time with it, calling it "uproarious, if not especially scary" and that it leans into silliness "with infectious glee." How to watch: M3GAN 2.0 is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms. Rent or buy 📺 Movies newly available on streaming services you may have My recommendation: Why you should watch it: I Love You Forever is a subversive romantic comedy gone wrong that follows a young woman into and out of an emotionally abusive relationship. It's an impressive debut from Cazzie David, daughter of Larry David, that feels honest, and the characters feel like real people, which is no easy feat when writing comedy. Given how funny the banter here is, it may feel like a wasted opportunity that it doesn't always lean into the comedy, but it's noble to depict a type of abusive relationship you don't often see in movies, and do so in a way that makes you understand and empathize with the lead's point-of-view. It's an indie gem, and Cazzie, who co-directed, co-wrote and co-stars in the film, stands out as particularly funny here. It also features fellow nepo baby Ray Nicholson, Jack Nicholson's son. What other critics are saying: They love it forever! Indiewire's Samantha Bergeson praised lead actress Sofia Black-D'Elia, writing that she's "ushering in a next generation of sarcastic, relatable, lovable stars. Black-D'Elia has an Emma Stone in Easy A vibe." Stephen Saito at Variety said that it's a "nifty" millennial rewrite of a rom-com, "finding a fresh take on a toxic relationship." How to watch: I Love You Forever is now streaming on HBO Max. Stream "I Love You Forever" ➕ Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: In a climate change-ravaged world, a utopian society optimizes life, including parenthood assessments. A successful couple, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel faces scrutiny by an evaluator (Alicia Vikander) over seven days to determine their fitness for childbearing. It's bizarre, delightfully stupid and goes off the rails in ways I didn't see coming, frankly. The reasons why are best left unspoiled, but I'll say that Vikander's character takes a ... turn that is rather exciting and shocking, coming from an esteemed actress of her caliber. It's ultimately a bleakly funny satire about parenting. What other critics are saying: There are far more positive reviews out there than negative ones. Variety's Stephen Saito wrote that "the film may depict a society losing touch with humanity, but is unusually affecting when it shows no lack of it of its own." Robert Abele at the Los Angeles Times liked it, but said "it falters in bringing everything to the reverberating conclusion its discomfiting first two-thirds merits." How to watch: The Assessment is now streaming on Hulu. Stream "The Assessment" on Hulu 🤔 But that's not all! : Rami Malek stars in this film based on the 1981 novel by Robert Littell, which was already adapted into a film in 1981. It's a simple revenge story you've seen a million times before, in which a boring and nebbish CIA analyst takes justice into his own hands to get revenge on those who killed his loved ones. There are moments here you'd confuse for a Saw movie, but it's not as exciting as that sounds, and is never as compelling as it should be. Now streaming on Hulu. That's all for this week — we'll see you next Friday at the movies!
CNN
27 minutes ago
- CNN
Could Trump strip citizenship from Elon Musk, Zohran Mamdani or Rosie O'Donnell?
What do the world's richest man, a candidate for New York City's top job and a comedian who once co-hosted 'The View' have in common? In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has made comments implying their US citizenship could be in jeopardy. Trump told reporters he'd look into the possibility of deporting Elon Musk. He threatened to arrest Zohran Mamdani. And he posted on social media that he's seriously considering revoking Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship. The comments come as his administration is also sharing broader plans to prioritize denaturalization, the legal process used to strip individuals of their citizenship. What exactly did Trump say, how likely is any of this to happen, and what's the broader context around these statements? Here's a look at some key questions and answers. Asked by a reporter earlier this month whether he'd deport Musk, Trump said, 'I don't know, I mean, we'll have to take a look.' He made a similar statement when asked by another reporter what he'd do if Mamdani defies US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City. 'We'll have to arrest him. Look, we don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,' Trump said. The president went on to add: 'A lot of people are saying that he's here illegally. We're going to look at everything.' There is no evidence that Mamdani is in the country illegally, though a conservative lawmaker has called for an investigation into his citizenship. Musk and Mamdani are both naturalized US citizens. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and became a US citizen in 2002, according to biographies of the billionaire. Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and became a US citizen in 2018. Regarding O'Donnell, Trump posted on Truth Social that the comedian 'is not in the best interests of our Great Country.' 'I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,' Trump wrote, calling the US-born actress a 'Threat to Humanity.' It was the latest volley in a longrunning feud between Trump and O'Donnell that's frequently played out on social media. Trump hasn't said what prompted his latest post. O'Donnell, who moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old child in January, had recently criticized how his administration handled devastating floods in Texas. O'Donnell said earlier this year that she was in the process of getting Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents. Musk: In response to a video of Trump's remarks shared on X, Musk said: 'So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.' Musk hasn't responded to an inquiry from CNN about Trump's comments. In the past, the billionaire has denied accusations that he began his career working illegally in the US. Mamdani: The New York mayoral hopeful decried the president's comments in a press briefing the next day: 'Yesterday, Donald Trump said that I should be arrested, he said that I should be deported, he said that I should be denaturalized, and he said those things about me, someone who stands to be the first immigrant mayor of this city in generations, someone who would also be the first Muslim and the first South Asian mayor in the city's history. And he said these things less so because of who I am, because of where I come from, because of how I look or how I speak. And more so because he wants to distract from what I fight for.' O'Donnell: The onetime cohost of 'The View' fired back on Instagram, comparing Trump to a notoriously petulant and evil 'Game of Thrones' character: 'you want to revoke my citizenship? go ahead and try, king joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. i'm not yours to silence. i never was.' Musk, Mamdani and O'Donnell are all high-profile figures whose political differences with the president are well known. But Trump's comments regarding their citizenship aren't happening in a vacuum. In the recent past, denaturalizations were rare, averaging only 11 cases per year between 1990 and 2017, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. The number of filings increased after the Justice Department opened an office focused on denaturalization during Trump's first term. That office was quietly closed during the Biden administration, but the second Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to increase denaturalization as part of its immigration crackdowns. Stephen Miller has vowed the renewed effort will be 'turbocharged.' And a memo issued by the Justice Department last month directed attorneys in the civil division to prioritize denaturalization 'in all cases permitted by law.' The memo also suggests that US attorneys' offices across the country should flag cases where they may be able to initiate denaturalization proceedings. It's unclear whether the Trump administration will act on the President's comments referencing the citizenship of Musk, Mamdani or O'Donnell. 'Trump's words don't always tell us what he's going to do. It's sort of hard to know what to make of it,' says Matthew Hoppock, an immigration attorney in Kansas who's represented clients in denaturalization proceedings. 'I don't know if we should take him at his word, because a lot of these (comments) are not planned statements; they're in response to things that journalists say,' he adds. And in the past, when the Trump administration announced plans to increase denaturalization during his first administration, the number of cases officials ultimately pursued was smaller than promised. During the first Trump administration, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would refer 1,600 denaturalization cases to the Department of Justice. In the end, just over 100 denaturalization cases were filed during Trump's first term, according to the Justice Department. The US law used to revoke the citizenship of naturalized Americans outlines two general grounds for such cases: -Illegal procurement of naturalization -Concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation For years the statute was used largely to target war criminals, including former Nazis who lied their way into becoming American citizens. But denaturalization is rare. And for the government, accusing someone of concealing a material fact in their application or becoming a citizen illegally is just the beginning. 'It still has to be a process which happens before a federal district court, and … the government has the burden of proving it by clear and convincing evidence,' says Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. And winning that case in court can be difficult. 'Trump cannot denaturalize either Musk or Mamdani. Only a court can. And there's a process. And a high bar for that,' Chishti says. O'Donnell is a US citizen who was born on New York's Long Island. Experts say a president can't unilaterally take away the citizenship of someone who, like O'Donnell, was born in the US. The law outlines a series of circumstances under which someone can lose their citizenship if they perform certain actions voluntarily 'with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality.' 'Under the law, there is no mechanism for any natural-born United States citizen to lose their citizenship other than by renunciation (giving it up voluntarily) or death,' Hoppock says. 'Even if Congress created some law making it possible, the Supreme Court has held that such a law would be unconstitutional.' Earlier this month, Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin said five denaturalization cases had been filed since Trump's return to power. 'MORE TO COME,' he wrote on X in a series of posts that included a page from the memo outlining the Justice Department's updated guidelines for the practice. Gilmartin's post did not provide additional details about the filed denaturalization cases. A June press release from the department describes the recent denaturalization of a former US Army soldier who pleaded guilty in 2014 to receiving child pornography. The Justice Department's recent memo notes that attorneys should aim their denaturalization work to target anyone who poses 'a potential danger to national security.' It also says people who've committed violent crimes, are members or associates of gangs and drug cartels or have committed fraud should be prioritized. Some immigration law experts have expressed concern that the memo could lead to the administration retroactively searching for missteps in the naturalization process of perceived political opponents. 'The politicization of citizenship rights is something that really worries me,' Cassandra Burke Robertson, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, told CNN. The Justice Department told CNN in a statement earlier this month that denaturalization proceedings 'will only be pursued as permitted by law and supported by evidence against individuals who illegally procured or misrepresented facts in the naturalization process.' Chishti, of the Migration Policy Institute, says Trump's comments about Musk and Mamdani signify a notable shift in the way denaturalization is being discussed. 'This is a totally different chapter of going after your political enemies that has no precedent really,' he says. 'It's not that we have had no record of denaturalization. But political animus has never raised its ugly head in our process. This seems clearly driven by political motivation. And that's unfortunate.' Hoppock says the president's recent comments about O'Donnell appear to be in a similar vein. 'It's an extremely concerning signal from a President that seems to have no concern for the Constitution,' he wrote in an email. When asked for a response, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson did not address the specific claims made by Chishti and Hoppock, but questioned their expertise and noted they'd donated in the past to Democrats. Taken alone, Chishti said Trump's comments about Musk and Mamdani might not have much of an impact. But coupled with the government deciding to revoke visas and green cards for people based on political opinions and foreign policy, he says, the potential chilling effect is clear. 'People, even naturalized citizens, will start being careful about anything they say. Because…even the success of the case is not important. It's the fact that…exercising your First Amendment right of expressing your opinion could land you in a denaturalization proceeding. That's very troubling,' Chishti says. CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz, Donald Judd, Kit Maher and Hadas Gold contributed to this report.
Android Authority
27 minutes ago
- Android Authority
I absolutely love and recommend these 5 Android games to play with one hand
Tushar Mehta / Android Authority Despite hundreds of thousands of games on the Play Store, very few become comforting escapes from the harsh reality. Games that you can play anywhere and without any special skillset, with one motive: feeling relaxed instead of getting all riled up. With this in mind, I have handpicked games that require no prior experience in mobile gaming and can be picked up immediately. They don't need gaming chops and can be run on most Android phones or tablets. None of them require high-end hardware and or high-speed internet, but don't have potato-quality graphics. All of these games are free to play, though there will be some ads, mostly to earn in-game perks or accelerate progress. Which of these one-handed Android games have you tried? 0 votes Tennis Clash NaN % 2 NaN % Whiteout Survival NaN % Cell to Singularity: Evolution NaN % Mekorama NaN % None of them NaN % Tennis Clash Tushar Mehta / Android Authority I've never been good at meatspace sports, and so, I simulate feeling victorious by playing sports video games. Lately, I have been obsessed with a new sports game that I can't seem to detach myself from. Tennis Clash is extremely easy to play; once a game (of tennis) starts, all I have to do is swipe my thumb across the screen to direct the shot or tap somewhere on the court to move my player. I love the fact that those are the only two controls, and I can keep playing with one hand while using the other to organize my desk, finish up chores, or caress my dog. There's barely any learning required, and a trail of my finger's swipe ensures I hit the ball in the right direction. All matches happen against actual human players, and not bots, which makes it slightly more competitive. The game has the option to join clubs but not invite other members to a match, which is the only aspect I dislike about the game. Apart from that, Tennis Clash offers truly engaging graphics with detailed character movements, which keep me engaged in the gameplay, even with minimal input required. When I'm not actively playing, I can spend time unlocking new characters with special skills, decking them with the best gear, and easily lose track of time. 2 Tushar Mehta / Android Authority I find 2 bizarrely simple and highly addictive. The sole aim of the game is to occupy more territory by simply navigating a colorful cube across a plain white 2D map, starting from a small area and making closed loops of movement to envelop more space. Although I found steering the cube around by sliding my thumb across the screen slightly challenging initially, especially since there's no virtual joystick, I was able to adapt quickly. While there is practically no graphic element other than the cubes and the surface they move on, the developer makes them engaging by embellishing these cubes with happy colors and interesting textures. In the image above, you see my cube is inspired by donut dressing, and that alone hacks my brain not to leave the game. But what has me truly hooked is the competitive gameplay; I have to be careful while treading on other people's territory or risk being easily eliminated, which happens when someone circles me or cuts off my trail before completing the loop. It's not the ease of playing but, in fact, the ease of getting eliminated that keeps me engaged. The embedded Super Mario effect makes me start another game immediately after. I can even brave through 30-second video ads, which, unfortunately, occur after every game, despite the displeasure. Since the only objective is to drive the cube around, I can play it with just one thumb or finger. Whiteout Survival Tushar Mehta / Android Authority Whiteout Survival is a city-building game with interesting elements. I'm certain it was borne out of Clash of Clans' frenzy and works similarly, except here, the clashing clans comprise humans living in frigid wilderness instead of beasts. But because it has human characters, the 'survival' aspect remains paramount. As the chief of your village, I ensure that everyone is warm, well-fed, and employed, constantly upgrade their living quarters, replace food with more nutritious ingredients, and rotate workers. Although my rating as a chief depends on my pupils' happiness, I wouldn't deny that being in control feels great even without it. Once in a while, I see complaints or rants in the mailbox, but so long as I address them, the village thrives. Although the game also has the option to explore the nearby areas and try to conquer them using a separate army, I don't like war and instead engage in ensuring healthy diplomatic ties with nearby villages. I also like being able to zoom into the tiny characters and observe them go about their routine. I treat them with special suppers once in a while to show my benevolence. I started playing it casually, but before I knew, I found myself taking active steps to ensure the prosperity and contentment of those tiny animated characters. Cell to Singularity: Evolution Tushar Mehta / Android Authority A few years ago, I randomly stumbled upon Cell to Singularity and subsequently spent the next several weeks playing this game exclusively every time I used my phone. While I'm not proud, I can't deny the game's addictive nature. In fact, I find it less suited to the description of a game, and more akin to an amalgamation of various science and psychology experiments. I like Cell to Singularity because I get to simulate an entire universe, which originates from a single cell organism in a petri dish. There's little player input for growing organisms, as most of the developments are automated. However, tapping with one hand increases activity in the system and eventually unlocks more organisms when there is enough currency (expressed as 'entropy'). It includes multiple milestones, as when organs combine to form an organism, the first time an arthropod walks out of water, the first flying dinosaur appears, multiple asteroids strike the prehistoric Earth, and the human race eventually appears. Each of these milestones features a beautiful cinematic cut scene, which I find to be the most gratifying part of the game. There are multiple concurrent realms, and I enjoy the level of control that comes with combining inorganic compounds to form more complex proteins, checking on the supercomputer running the simulation, or even fiddling with elements on Earth with the eventual goal of reaching the singularity. Every time I commit to this game, I quit without feeling enchanted by its unique approach. Mekorama Tushar Mehta / Android Authority I don't believe I have ever played a game more meditative than Mekorama. It's essentially an isometric puzzle game where you guide the robot through a complex and peculiar building. The giddy robot that displays jiggly body physics based on how you move it. While its gameplay might remind you of Monument Valley or Lara Croft GO, Mekorama lacks any melancholic elements, which I enjoy less about those games. All levels here are non-identical and get progressively more challenging, requiring me to spend several minutes or even hours trying to unstuck myself. For a game that's nearly a decade old, Mekorama has excellent graphics, which is also why it was later ported to Xbox One, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. It even features a builder mode that lets you create custom levels. The most exciting aspect is that Mekorama works without an internet connection, so it can be played on a flight from takeoff to landing. I say this because I have done it at least a couple of times. I share recommendations after having spent dozens of hours playing these simple yet enchanting games personally. I am also curious to learn about the best Android games you have found and loved that offer a one-handed experience. Tell me if you enjoy any of these and share your favorites in the comments below!
