Produced alongside our friends at PocketGamer.fun - THE place to discover your next favourite mobile games - here's our pick of the best fresh-this-week titles.

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So here are the most exciting new mobile games right now, the developers and publishers behind them, and why, exactly, they've made the cut.

Ex Astris

Premium mobile game Ex Astris is a 3D RPG combining turn-based and real-time combat, world exploration, and a tightly woven narrative. The game emphasises strategy over grinding levels, with every battle planned and predetermined by the developer - no random encounters here. This keeps players from overlevelling and has allowed the devs to craft challenges throughout the game.

Styled as "the first premium game presented by Hypergryph", Ex Astris boasts beautiful visuals and a colourful world to explore, all from the perspective of the investigator Yan. The world itself, Allindo, has a unique characteristic separating its two hemispheres: one is in perpetual daylight and for the other it’s always night. This naturally leads to cultural differences between the two, such as the light side fighting with classic weapons while the dark use more magical abilities.

Hypergryph has developed Ex Astris as a breath of fresh air from the popular free-to-play, in-app purchase model to mobile gaming, and has released the new game through its publishing brand Gryphline. This same duo is also behind the popular Arknights RPG, which won Best for Google Play Games on PC in Google Play’s Best of 2023.

Hades

Supergiant Games’ isometric roguelike Hades has finally come to mobile, albeit exclusive to Netflix subscribers with an iOS device. It marks the streaming service’s latest win with another highly regarded name on board, and offers subscribers the chance to play what’s otherwise a premium console and PC game for no extra cost in software or hardware.

Netflix advises playing Hades on iOS 16 or later for the optimal experience of this console-quality game, and notes there is no plan to offer the title to Android users, making this practically the only modern platform left out at this point; Hades originally launched on PC and Switch in 2020, then expanded to PlayStation and Xbox in 2021.

The dungeon crawler boasts a powerful soundtrack that can only be described as mythical, and sees players take on the role of Hades’ son and prince of the underworld Zagreus. The twist is that Zagreus has had quite enough of the underworld and wants to see what’s above, aiming to ascend through randomised floors with the help of the Olympians, be that Zeus’ lightning or the wine god Dionysus’ intoxicated attacks (literally - they’re poisonous). If Zagreus is knocked out the player has to restart the escape mission from the first level, though Supergiant Games does create a sense of progression through certain items and upgrades carrying forward.

Vroomies

Out now on iOS and Android, Vroomies is a minimalistic racing game that requires precise tapping to conquer challenges and championships from rookie to expert, seeing players test their rhythm skills through 11 racetracks, with distinct designs, laps and more. The chiptune-esque music accompanies the complex pathways players must navigate, tapping upon squares and swiping at circles.

Vroomies records a player’s personal best, whether that’s their fastest lap on a given track or their performance across a whole championship - from ranking to time to points scored. Different vehicles can be unlocked through game progression and each has its own stat distribution, giving players freedom to choose between specialising in engine power, handling, boosting… There are upgrades to unlock too, like the ability to skip qualifiers or start a session with maximum control points.

It's a full gaming experience made as a labour of love by solo developer Alex Taber, featuring no upfront fees, no in-app purchases, and no ads.

Paragon Pioneers 2

Another solo developer project, Paragon Pioneers 2 comes from the mind of Tobias Arlt and brings this premium sequel to iOS and Android for $5.99. It combines the strategy genre with idle city building, seeing players try out different means of improving their empires with over 300 different constructions and 130 goods to choose from, and a need to maintain production chains - almost guaranteeing one player’s empire will be vastly different from the next.

These elements can progress even when not playing the game, which is where the idle part comes in. The strategy element, meanwhile, comes in full force when challenging outside realms and expanding one’s empire, with three regions to explore and plenty of islands to conquer.

Paragon Pioneers 2 has a free demo version too, allowing anyone intrigued to try the game out at on cost before deciding whether or not to make the purchase. If they do, they’re in for an ad-free experience with plenty of conquering to keep them busy.

Dune: Imperium Digital

The Dune IP is continuing to grow via a new mobile game entitled Dune: Imperium Digital, out now on mobile, Xbox and PC. It’s an adaptation of the 1971 Dune board game, itself inspired by the 1960s book series written by Frank Herbert, and comes while the hype is still fresh from the latest movie.

Naturally, Dune: Imperium Digital is all about wresting control of Arrakis through honing leadership skills, building the best deck of cards, and strategising a way through 10 rounds of conflict. Unlike the award-winning board game, the digital adaptation can be played against AI locally or against other players online.

Publisher Dire Wolf Digital has plenty of experience in virtual board games, from the digital edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game to Raiders of the North Sea, and published the physical version of Dune: Imperium too.

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