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10 bold and entertaining casual games for Android and iOS you may have missed out on

By Luis D.

Updated: Jul 18, 2016, 8:06 AM

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10 bold and entertaining casual games for Android and iOS you may have missed out on

Casual games are an especially prolific category of the app market. Their simple and to-the-point, distraction-free gameplay is perfect for quick jolts of entertainment in-between mundane activities, or as part of your well-earned relax time. Moreover, their varied nature lets talented developers and artists set their most novel ideas in motion, in the form of games that people of all ages, equipped with all categories of devices can enjoy.

We do have a soft spot for these at PhoneArena, and we're keen on pointing out that the world of casual games is much larger than trite titles like Candy Crush Saga and other sweetly-packaged clones of all-too-familiar retro games. Thus, it is with great joy that we present to you ten less-known casual titles that you may have missed out on, because you won't find them in the top charts of Google Play and the iOS App Store. Enjoy these underdog gems on your free time and let us know what you think!

Alto's Adventure

An endless snowboarder with gorgeous visuals!

In this popular "endless snowboarder", Alto and his friends take on high-speed journeys across the beautifully drawn and animated wilderness. You will dart through picturesque villages, ancient woodlands, and long-abandoned ruins. Dodging runaway llamas (who doesn't love lamas?!), you will grind snowy rooftops, leap over chasms, and outsmart the mountain elders while braving the forces of elements and time.

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Fast Like A Fox

Run after the thieves that stole the fox tribe's treasure in this beautiful platformer.

FLAF is a fun, fast-paced platformer where you must return the Golden Fox tribe's stolen treasure. The game features an innovative control scheme that involes tapping the back of your device, as opposed to the touchscreen. The fox will trace snow-covered valleys, mountain tops, fiery caves and city highways on its way to collecting all the coins, emeralds, and diamonds dropped by the thieves. Players who like testing their reflexes in time-based challenges can opt for the Final Run mode and unlock a secret character with special power as a reward for beating the timer and posting record high scores!

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Maestria

Monument Valley - the missing levels...

Maestria is a Monument Valley lookalike in which you must help Fugue restore harmony across eight enchanted worlds. To win the game, you must ring the bells within each level in the correct order. This may sound easy enough, but considering there are 160 levels to play through, it's safe to say the game will keep you busy for a pretty long time.

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Dark Echo

Escape from an invisible evil with your echolocation superpowers!

This is an original and highly off-beat game where players use visualized sounds to find their way through less than friendly environments. The sounds you make bounce off obstacles, revealing shapes and forms from the surrounding world. You are not alone in the journey, though – a horrifying evil that devours both sound and souls is going after you! You will have to survive through 80 levels, taking in the foreboding soundscape as you explore the darkness, solve intriguing puzzles, and fight for survival.

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Does Not Commute

Controlled chaos in uncontrolled traffic circa 1970!

Made by Mediocre Games, which boasts our all-time favorite name for a games studio, Does not Commute turns the agony of navigating heavy, non-regulated traffic into a chaotic and tremendously enjoyable racing experience. Starting as a relaxed commute in a small 70' town, the game quickly erupts into all-out traffic mayhem chaos involving hot dog trucks, sports cars, school buses, and all sorts of vehicles. You can drive them all, by the way, and there are storylines behind the madness – there's one about a world-changing experiment conducted by dentist Dr Schneider, for starters.

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Hotel Transilvania 2

Run your very own monster hotel inspired by the wonderful movie!

If you loved Genndy Tartakovsky's Hotel Transylvania 2, you are sure going to be excited about the opportunity to build your very own monster hotel, managed by grandpa Drac and the rest of the cast. You are free to customize your city, partake in quests, decorate your monster hotel with adorably creepy furniture, and play fun mini games (such as Spin The Terror Wheel) with Dracula, Mavis, Mummy, Frankenstein, the Zombies, and other cool monsters!

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Edge

A multiple award winner with a deceptively simple concept.

Edge is a game about pushing a cube within a geometric universe. It may sound simple and stupid, but elements such as platforms, enigmas and reflexes turn Edge into a rich and comprehensive game that's won major awards for excellence. It contains 48 base levels, 17 bonus ones, and a 19-song soundtrack. Edge is definitely among the go-to casual games on mobile.

Download for Android or iOS / Visit the official website

Zombie Tsunami

The game that lets you eat your friends – quite literally!

Zombie Tsunami is a game where you can eat your friends, which means there's no way we'd miss it! Anyway, your job is to take place among the crowd of rampaging undeadies as you race through the city, chomp the necks of unlucky survivors, and convert them to other brain-hungry, hot-footed horrors like you. As you partake in the zombie tsunami, you will collect 10 different power-ups and bonuses, turn over vehicles and tanks to eat the survivors inside, and complete over 300 missions spread throughout 11 worldwide locations. Zombie Tsunami is too fun!

Download for Android or iOS / Official website

Year Walk

A weird game about an even weirder piece of Swedish mythology!

Set in the desolate realm of 19 century Sweden, Year Walk will have you venture out to the dark woods, roamed by strange creatures. You will solve cryptic puzzles and listen for cues as you search for a way to foresee the future and discover if your loved one will love you back. That sounds more "deeply intellectual" rather than "casual", but Year Walk's gameplay is sufficiently lightweight. It's designed, first and foremost, for introducing you to the ancient Swedish phenomena of year walking – you can read more about that here.

Download for iOS / Visit the official website

Combo Critters

Gene splicing and bug mashing combined in an effort to take over the world!

In Combo Critters, you will combine and evolve different specimens as you get ready for conquering the universe! You will be exploring planets, discovering their odd inhabitants, and sometimes fighting them for domination. After you collect those cute critters and mash up their genetics up in the combine-machine, your presence will grow stronger and bigger. There are six planets and more than 70 types of critters to discover, while the battle element is handled in a simplified RPG fighting system. The game features remarkable pixel art and a groovy soundtrack.

Download for iOS / Visit the official website

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Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.