Just imagine, the coverage is bad—or even worse, there’s none at all. It isn’t a choice to scroll social media anymore, and it’s not time to think about work just yet. So here are 5 free games to play to cure your boredom.
1. The Contender
‘In a world you cannot understand, the world is your salvation. You are…The Contender!’
It’s not hard to win in The Contender, but it’s not hard to lose either. The pixel art game doesn’t need much reasoning, but it does require some strategy. Two options are available before you start the game: single-player or two-player. In single-player mode, there’s a choice between the red corner and the blue corner (although it doesn’t matter in the end). In two-player mode, the blue corner is located near the home button.
4 buttons is all you need to play the game. The directional buttons move your contender around while the fist buttons fire punches at your opponent. To win, you’ll need to knockout your opponent 2 out of 3 times. The Contender sounds easy, right?
Single-player mode in The Contender
Two-player mode in The Contender
2. Tape It Up!
Since its release in April 2017, this arcade game has become a favourite for many. The concept of Tape It Up! bears resemblance to Hot Lava, a game where children must avoid stepping on imaginary lava. If you’re familiar with Hot Lava, the instructions of Tape It Up! is as simple as Hot Lava: swipe left or right from box to box to avoid falling on the conveyor belt. At the start of the game, you will be given Red, the default character. A trick to score higher is to tape a box perfectly.
What is worth loving about Tape It Up! is the pixel art of the game environment. In exchange for 1000 coins, a randomly selected character will be given to you (pretty much like buying a mystery box). As you can see from the difference between Red and Russian Cat (below), each character is uniquely distinguished by their tape, sound effect and game environment. There are a total of 67 characters—or should I say washi tape—to collect, so what are you waiting for?
Red in Tape It Up!
Russian Cat in Tape It Up!
3. Mars: Mars
At a glance, the simple geometric design gives Mars: Mars a modern visual experience. In Mars: Mars, the greatest and the only challenge is to land the explorer from platform to platform with a limited amount of fuel. To launch the explorer and navigate its way to the next platform (like Matt Damon), tap either left or right. The character will explode if it lands too fast or lands on anything else other than the platform. Once the character lands on the next platform, the explorer’s jets will be refueled.
Mars: Mars is an interplanetary game; other than the first Mars-like orange planet seen in the first screenshot, the game has other worlds to explore, such as the underwater game environment in the second screenshot. You can purchase other explorers (like Neil deGrasse Tyson) for as little as RM3.90, and they come with an appealing soundtrack and give a better visual experience.
The first few levels of Mars: Mars.
Download Mars: Mars here on Android and iOS!
4. Wilful Kitty
Anyone will remember the game 2048. Wilful Kitty is another 2048 but with a cat (a cat!) and cuter animation. If you’re used to the usual gameplay of 2048, then you might need more time to adjust to this cat craze. But it’ll be good training for the cat-ladies-wannabe out there.
The gameplay of Wilful Kitty is fairly simple—or so you think! Similar to 2048, there are a total of 16 squares. Once you swipe in any 4 directions, the game begins. Again, like 2048, everything on board will follow the direction of your swipe. What is interesting is the elements in play. At the beginning, you are only required to mix cat food and the bowl together to create a combination that the cat can ‘eat’. Later on, the gameplay gets complicated. More combinations appear, and the game will be a handful before you know it!
5. Doofus Drop
From the name itself, the game sounds silly. Well, to a certain extent, it is. But it’s no less fun, especially for those who just wants a simple game. The monochronic and sketchy design give the game a unique outlook. To play, one is just required to tap as fast as they can on their screen for Doofus to cycle his way to the edge of the hill. Once Doofus trips over a tree stump (as shown in the second screenshot), you can sit back, relax and watch Doofus roll down the hill. As Doofus descends, there are stars Doofus can collect, random meteorites that increase Doofus’ momentum, and obstacles that decrease Doofus’ momentum. The game ends once Doofus no longer moves.
The score is determined by how far down Doofus has dropped. Since you have no control over Doofus’ falling momentum, the only way to boost the score is to purchase upgrades such as Wheels, Boosters, Launchers, and Power-ups with the the stars you collected. At the start of the game, only one Can-O-Beans is given as a powerup.
Front of Doofus Drop
Download Doofus Drop here on Android and iOS!
Whether you’re taking the LRT or waiting for your turn in a hospital, these games will definitely help you overcome boredom. Have you tried any of these games before? Which one do you think is the best among all 5? Leave a comment down below!
