I’ve bought a month of Google Play Pass, so here’s a few short games I’ve enjoyed so far!

#1: SPACEPLAN

This might be the closest thing to a perfect incremental I’ve played, from setting, to story, to gameplay, to actually having an ending.

Screenshots

Planet Looker Thing Maker Word Outputter
SPACEPLAN planet looker SPACEPLAN thing maker SPACEPLAN word outputter

Review

I’d heard SPACEPLAN brought up all the time in incremental game recommendations for years (it’s from 2017), and ignored it because it’s a one-off purchase of £2.79 ($4). I should have bought it sooner, oops. To quote wikipedia:

The game received universally positive reviews from critics, who stated that its narrative sci-fi elements improved the otherwise simplistic gameplay.

SPACEPLAN starts off like a lot of incrementals, with a theme of space exploration, upgrading items that earn currency (watts), etc. What differentiates it is a complete lack of painful grind, instead it has a clear story that progresses smoothly, with the incremental aspect being more of a mild time gate instead of a way to prolong gameplay.

The story isn’t too complex, but features time travel, aliens, parallel universes, and an absolutely excellent ending making the journey worth it. I’ll avoid spoilers since the surprises and story are half the appeal, with high quality writing balancing comedy and standard updates on idle income etc.

Depending on how long you idle for between sessions, the game won’t take more than a few hours of gameplay. I checked in perhaps 5-6 times at least an hour apart, and always had significant upgrades to buy even when between the major story plot points. There’s not really any replayability unless you want to read the story again, however this shouldn’t take away from the actual quality of the experience.

Whilst the game is very well-built, and has smooth interactions and graphics, I did experience some minor issues. During my playthrough the game got “stuck” twice, where nothing was available to click and I had to restart to trigger the next step. Not a dealbreaker, but worth being aware of so you don’t spend too long waiting for something to appear!

Monetisation

No ads or in-app purchases, just a one-time ÂŁ2.79 (~$4) payment to play. SPACEPLAN is included free with Google Play Pass.

Tips

You don’t need many tips, this is fairly linear!

  • As with any incremental, make sure you calculate the cost / reward for different tiers of upgrades to buy the more efficient option.
  • At some point you need to “fire” mass by purchasing upgrades. It took me a minute to realise some purchases were actually interacting with the planet itself, and timing was important.
  • SPACEPLAN is also available on Steam (ÂŁ1 / $1 at time of writing!), and there’s a free simpler web version.

#2: Cat Museum

Huh? What did I just play? Some sort of body horror point and click game. I think.

Screenshots

A cat? Hands? Dinosaurs?
Cat Museum cat Cat Museum hands Cat Museum dinosaurs

Review

This might be the oddest experience I’ve had in a mobile game.

On the surface, this is a short point and click adventure game. However, it’s a very, very strange one, with the challenge level fluctuating between non-existent and impossible, all whilst staring at gore and body horror.

Whilst there’s only 1-2 hours of gameplay (an example playthrough is exactly 2 hours), this time is full of unique art. Every screen has intriguing and totally new artwork, with flourishes and bizarre characteristics all over the place.

It’s really hard to actually summarise the game, so instead I’ll summarise what you might do on a typical screen:

  1. Walk to the left, tap a few odd things, read unnerving text.
  2. Stare at a bafflingly strange item / person / gate.
  3. Solve a simple puzzle, typically by looking at the environment and identifying which elements match the gate / key / code.
  4. Move on, after some seemingly unrelated or vague dialogue.
  5. Repeat.

The puzzles are fairly simple, with later puzzles being somewhat obscure (the bed headboard one is still a mystery) but minimal enough that they often can be brute forced without understanding them. A playthrough won’t take you long, with the extremely linear path making this mostly a challenge of “can you find the dialogue to tap”.

Overall I’m not sure I actually enjoyed my time with Cat Museum, but it was definitely a unique experience. A bit over-the-top with the body horror, but on the plus side I saw things I wasn’t expecting (and a negligible amount of cats)!

Monetisation

I’m not sure. I got it as part of Google Play Pass so it was entirely free, it apparently has ads and in-app purchases though!

It costs ÂŁ4 (currently 50% off) on Steam.

Tips

  • This is a linear adventure, there’s no decision-making!
  • Most puzzles can be solved with something very close to the puzzle itself, have a look at nearby objects and characters.

#3: Dungeon Clawler

In a similar theme to Ballionaire or Peglin for Pachinko, Dungeon Clawler is a roguelike claw game!

Screenshots

Combat Boss Upgrading
Dungeon Clawler combat Dungeon Clawler boss Dungeon Clawler upgrading

Review

Dungeon Clawler is a very laid back game about picking items out of claw machines. Pick a character (class), then build up a strategy through various branching rooms with enemies and events, before battling the boss at level 20.

Your first playthrough will be very simple, consisting almost entirely of swords (attack) and shields (block). This run likely won’t end too well! During your runs, you’ll gather perks and build up your claw machine’s items along the way, by the end likely have some sort of strategy you’re using to win.

Each event will result in using your claw machine pull(s) to grab items out of the machine, with the classic unpredictability of the claw sometimes making aiming for a safer but less powerful area a better choice. I’ve completed 3-4 runs and unlocked around half the characters, and the gameplay differs significantly depending on your build.

Most of the depth is somewhat optional, such as every item having a material type, yet none of my builds have considered this at all! Instead I’ve focused on poison, vampire healing, or water-based approaches. For example, you can fill your machine with water (lasts 3 turns), convert that water into another substance, and then use that synergy with other items to perform powerful moves after a little setup.

Each 2+ claw turn requires balancing short term gain (healing, blocking, or direct attacking) vs setting up a more complicated system including multiple items. I noticed some builds seem very overpowered (vampire healing!), however this is balanced by new characters being unlocked through specific actions (e.g. getting enough frost debuffs on an enemy). This encourages a bit of experimentation, although my frost-based build never lasts long!

Overall this is solid turn-based roguelike, with each run being standalone and a combination of planning, accuracy, and luck. I’m not sure if I’ll play it much more after a few more completions / character unlocks, but it’s still worth a try if you have access!

Monetisation

Dungeon Crawler is ÂŁ4.79 (~$6.50), or included in Google Play Pass

Tips

  • Make sure your planned build works with your character’s built-in buffs.
  • Your claw can hit the side of the machine easier than you’d think, so leave plenty of room.
  • If your claw is overloaded (especially when using the tentacle claw) some items won’t manage to get out.

#4: Wind Peaks

A very simple “find the items” game, similar to the very popular Hidden Folks.

Screenshots

Campsite Campsite (night) Halloween event
Wind Peaks campsite Wind Peaks campsite night Wind Peaks halloween event

Review

This somewhat unfinished feeling (yet astonishingly overpriced) game is a pleasant way to spend an hour or so, but that’s it. As with all games of this type, you’ll poke around a small isometric level and find the various items listed at the bottom of the screen.

The art style is nice, although let down by a couple of problems:

  1. Objects sometimes have a bit of 3D confusion, and cut into each other oddly.
  2. Very heavy item & scenery reuse both within & between levels. Once you’ve played 2 levels, you’ve seen pretty much everything in the game.
  3. Movable objects that sometimes reveal items, sometimes have no purpose, and sometimes turn out to be unmoveable after all despite looking identical. It’s not fun tapping on 30 identical bushes.

As mentioned, the game hints at what it could have been. Some levels have torches that help light up an area, others that do nothing. Some levels have simple puzzles that open up new areas containing required items, none requiring more than a few seconds thought. There’s a halloween level, but unfortunately it’s just more of the same with a few new art assets.

There is a story, but it’s nonsensical and can be summarised as “people go to campsite” for every level.

Unfortunately the game also commits arguably the greatest sin for an object finding game: Some of the objects are impossible. It might be a small part of the object visible behind an uninteractable plant, or it might be one in a totally nonsensical place.

Luckily the game does come with an answers system, where you can get any item’s location after a 2 minute timer. You’ll likely be using this for around half of the items, since the size and repetitiveness of the levels (plus inability to zoom out enough) makes solving it properly an exercise in frustration.

Monetisation

Wind Peaks is an unbelievable £11.39 (~$15) one-off purchase, perhaps the worst value for money I’ve seen.

The game is also free on Google Play Pass, the only way I would recommend playing it.

Tips

  • Start your clue timer as soon as you start a level, you’ll need it!
  • Tap everything.
  • Move everything.