Best new mobile games on iOS and Android – May 2022 round-up

metro.co.uk:

GameCentral’s monthly review of the best and most interesting mobile games includes a new Secret Of Mana game and Total War: Medieval 2.

As the traditional summer console and PC games drought gets underway, it’s reassuring that mobile release schedules remain at full flood. This month’s titles include a conversion of grand strategy classic Total War: Medieval 2, a mobile version of free-to-play console game Guns Up!, and the excellent original puzzler Square Valley.

iOS & Android, Free (NHN Bigfoot Corporation)

Loosely based on the console and PC title, this retains the Clash Of Clans and Boom Beach-inspired mechanic of building your own defensive base before going out to raid other players for resources.

Adding countdown timers to its loot crates and upgrades, the mobile version keeps the ultra-lengthy upgrade paths for units, special skills, and defensive structures, a growing roster of which become available as you level up your HQ.

Battles are initially a walkover, almost never resulting in a loss, the only limit to your raiding being time and patience. The issue is that unlimited battles swiftly reveal the limitations of its game design, with ennui setting in far earlier than in the more polished Supercell titles that inspire it.

Score: 6/10

iOS & Android, £1.79 (RyceKube)

Each turn in Square Valley has you placing a tile to add houses, trees, farms, rivers, and a host of other items to increase your valley’s bucolic charm. The twist is that each tile scores points relative to what it’s touching, so trees score more next to water and wheat fields get a bonus for being in bigger clusters.

The area available to place tiles changes each turn, creating a mix of chance and planning that influences your