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MagyarCheckList | 3 top Android games that offer great visuals and sharp tunes even years after their release date
Top Android game #1: Alto´s Adventure (2016)
- Created by Noodlecake (Canada)
- Get it for free on Google Play
If asked to describe Alto´s Adventure in two words, "endless descent" is what we would say. It really is simple. Alto, and other snowboarders as the player progresses, descends down a never-ending sequence of mountains and chasms, small villages and forests. Do airborne tricks by pressing and holding; steer clear of rocks; collect as many shiny things as possible.
The basic gameplay isn´t the strongest point of this game; the music and the visuals are. Alto´s Adventure looks stunning. The music is equally brilliant thanks to Alto´s Theme by Brian Crawford and Zen Mode by Torin Borrowdale.
The game is fairly easy to play, with no learning curve of any kind. Each round challenges the player to reach a goal like jumping over a certain number of rocks, keeping the gameplay engaging. Despite looking great, Alto´s Adventure runs well on lower-end devices with just 1 GB of RAM. This includes both tablets and smartphones with Android 5.1 or higher.
PinOut is a modern take pinball, and from the first few seconds of gameplay, it becomes clear that the team behind this project was aiming for striking visuals - with its unbelievably vibrant colors, PinOut looks sublimely surreal. By using flippers, the player sends a metal ball flying to certain points of an elaborate, three-dimensional maze. Every hit leads to a few additional seconds being added to the time, but one miss too many, and all the progress made thus far gets reset, making the player start all over again.
This game would not be what it is without the outstandingly atmospheric music by Douglas Holmquist. The awesome soundtrack makes it easier to enjoy the game while playing on older devices that require one to reduce the quality in order to keep the frame rate acceptable.
Mediocre states that PinOut is compatible with devices running on Android 2.3 or higher. While we have no means of verifying that claim, we can confirm that the game works well on Android 6.
Top Android game #3: GTA Vice City (2012)
- Created by Rockstar Games (United States)
- Get it for US$4.99 on Google Play
The Android version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released in 2012 and, unlike the other two games on this list, Vice City is large in size at significantly more than 1 GB. The game can be played both exclusively via the touchscreen, or with a gamepad.
Upon watching the first cut-scene, the player will find themselves in the shoes of Tommy Vercetti, a just-out-of-jail criminal. Numerous missions will have to be accomplished with the help of lots of bought weapons and stolen vehicles, such as vans, buses, sports cars, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles.
The game was extremely good-looking when it was released in 2002 but has dated a bit, so some textures can appear a little low-res now. The great plot and immersive atmosphere make up for this, as do the great radio stations, which are full of amazing tunes for any taste as well as commercials that walk a fine line between being funny and being disturbingly similar to the real deal.
The game ran reasonably well on the Samsung Galaxy S3, a fairly old phone with 1 GB of RAM. Official guidelines mention compatibility with devices running on Android 7, or higher.
