Casual

Cifi: Cells Idle Factory Incremental

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The Game

Cifi: Cells Idle Factory Incremental is an early access games developed by Octocube games. The game is currently only available on Android. The title of the game is fairly self explanatory – we have a sci-fi themed idle game based around generating “cells” and more generators that generate more cells. You start off with MK1 generators which generate cells, you then proceed to buy MK2 generators which generate MK1 generators, which as we already know make cells – this cycle underpins the entire game.

The games has several other currencies that you progressively build up in a variety of ways, it also has a good deal of upgrades you can make to various things in order to increase your cell production. The aspect of the game that really sold it to me was the loop mod research tree. “Loop Mods” are the game’s prestige element, so when you’ve reached a point where you think you are better off resetting you perform a loop and invest your accrued mod points into powerful upgrades. As with all idle games, it’s essentially just a lot of upgrades that make numbers go up – but it’s also so much more and when a completionist gamer such as myself sees a tree like that – I am hooked.

As you progress and acquire more cells you can invest them into a variety of ships, each ship is responsible for a different menu and shop. Each shop has new upgrades or currencies to be collected to help improve your earnings. If all of that wasn’t enough the game also has a couple of arcade mini-games, namely Cubeboy Snek and Bling Blong which may bare resemblance to games you already know.

Worth it?

The ad-free version will set you back around £4.99, this will allow you use the 2x cells booster permanently and collect token and diamond gem chests without watching videos. There are also several other packs and options, but this one is definitely the best value and a great way to support the devs. The tokens are especially worth it as it makes the token shop a lot more accessible without having to watch videos.

The game is also still in development with constant new additions, new ships and new ways to grind even cells. The game goes incredibly deep and has gigantic potential to keep you busy for ages. Each play session may not be necessarily be very long, but the long term unlocks and features will keep you coming back for ages. It would be nice to see a little bit more connection between the arcade game and the main game, for example getting some tokens from it. It would also be nice to have a confirmation pop up before purchasing Zagreus as it can be quite easy to click on purchasing it, rather than saving it for later in the run.

Overall the game has an amazing amount of depth, the loop tech tree on its own will keep you hooked until you get all the upgrades, partner that with the increasingly expensive spaceships, each unlocking a new currency or way to grind makes this an absolute must play for any idle game fanatics out there.

Tips

  • Find the balance between short and long runs – in the beginning, before unlocking shard mining you may find yourself doing more short runs in order to accumulate more mod upgrades.
  • Each time you loop make sure you invest in mod point production – either through shortening ticks, increasing the MP production or reducing the tick requirement exponent.
  • Try to avoid getting the Zagreus on longer runs as other upgrades or things you may purchase may increase MP – the loop/MP accumulation process only begins when you purchase it. (Sometimes this is easier said than done as it’s quite easy to miss-click and purchase it)
  • Evolving your ships gives them a permanent boost that persists through loops.
  • In the early game use your level up points to increase the MP you get per loop.
  • You can also get MP upgrades in the diamond and coin shop – prioritise these.

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Pokémon Emerald Rogue ROM Hack

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The Game

Pok̩mon Emerald Rogue (developed by Pokabbie) is a ROM Hack that turns your favourite franchise into a roguelike. Similar to other familiar games in the genre you navigate routes making careful choices. On the procedurally generated routes you can encounter wild Pok̩mon with which to build your team, trainers and items. There are also several other types of location that you may encounter Рstrong trainers, who will give you one of their Pok̩mon if you beat them, Legendary or strong Pok̩mon encounters and market/shop locations (there are 3 types of shop Рmarket, battle items and a full rest stop which even has a heal).

At the end of each route and level you will encounter a mighty trainer Рbefore you beat the game once these will be specific to Hoenn, but after you beat the champion once you will unlock gym leaders and Elite 4 from more regions. Additionally after beating the champion you also unlock the national dex giving you access to Pok̩mon up to Gen 8! If you a Pok̩mon faints on a run it is gone forever and if you lose all your Pok̩mon the run ends. When the run ends you are returned to your HUB, which where you can purchase permanent bag items (TMs, potions, balls, berries, etc) Рas you complete more quests and runs the HUB will upgrade and offer you more options, for example the safari zone where you can catch a new starter to take on your next adventure.

There are several kind of adventure Рthe standard roguelike experience described, the gauntlet where you build a team then take on all trainers in one go at level 100, rainbow mode where gym leaders can have any type of Pok̩mon. Each of these can be played as both single or double battles, giving you a great deal of replay value. Every time you complete a run you earn cash to spend in your HUB which will allow you to do better in your next run, there are also numerous quests that will permanently improve the HUB or give you access to new items, berries or rare candies.

Worth it?

As with all ROM Hacks this game is 100% free. The amazing community and passionate fans of Pokémon deserve so much more than they expect. Personally I play this on my phone using a GBA emulator (My Boy!), the premium version of which will cost you around £5, but will let you play any ROM you want, so definitely worth the investment (there is also a free lite version). If you are playing on PC then there are even more free options for you to explore.

The game itself is brilliantly challenging and while you can cheat a bit with save states on the emulator it is worth experiencing it for it’s true brutal self. For those who enjoy nuzlocks and even those who don’t it is a very rewarding experience. Having Pokémon and moves all the way up to Gen 8 gives this game a huge amount of depth. A great offline mobile or PC game that will tickle your Pokémon nostalgia while also satisfying your itch for roguelikes, deep strategy and a good challenge.

Tips

  • There are 3 types of route – CALM, AVERAGE and TOUGH – the tougher the route the more trainers and items there will be.
  • The second word describing routes refers to the type of Pokémon you can find on it.
  • One of the houses in the HUB will allow you to customise the config for your runs – allowing you to enable different Pokedexes or gym leaders/elite four.
  • Make sure you fight the challenger before each gym leader – they will quickly bring you to the level cap.
  • Try to avoid fights on routes as they could potentially kill one of your Pokémon.
  • You can use rare candies to over level before gym leaders.
  • By pressing “A” on the page with a Pokémon’s Stats will show you it’s IVs and EVs.
  • Anything you buy in the HUB you can carry into your next run, which is very useful with items like Leftovers

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Rogue Adventure: Roguelike RPG

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The Game

Rogue Adventure: Roguelike RPG is an Android game developed by SharkLab Mobile. While the graphics may come across as quite basic or unassuming, don’t be fooled by this incredibly deep roguelike. The game follows much of the standard roguelike elements and a huge variety of playable classes and cards to unlock. Each run sees you take on 5 levels followed by a secret boss level. Occasionally you will also find hidden boss levels within normal ones.

Currently there are 3 ways to play the game – Classic, Hell or Void. Classic is a standard run through of the game, after you complete it with a class you can then start attempting Inferno levels – these make enemies stronger and give you more starting gold. Hell mode gives you less rewards, doesn’t recover health after a boss, enemy damage increases every 5 turns, trap rooms and more. Void is basically a quicker and simplified map with a random deck. Inferno levels are available for all modes after you complete a run.

The game has an incredible 13 classes to choose from, each unlocked by completing runs with other classes and each with it’s unique traits, abilities and cards. Each class also has 3 class bonuses that can be unlocked by completing other types of run (most often you are required to beat each mode at Inferno 2 to unlock an ability). The classes range from traditional ones like Warrior and Wizard to slightly more obscure ones like Pirate, Rune master and Warden.

Worth it?

While the game does offer ads for additional cash or EXP, the ads are entirely optional and non-intrusive. Purchasing the ad removal is a touch on the expensive side – £8.49, but this does allow you to get a free gold chest in every market room and is also a great way to support the developers.

Overall the game is great for any rogue-like fans out there, it’s a great mobile game both as a free to play and a paid game. The amount of characters and unlockables will also keep you coming back for more giving the game decent replay value. The game is also fully functional offline and quite efficient in terms of battery usage. It would be nice to see the game come to iOS as well.

Tips

  • Overcharging and additional mana are key to really buffing your stats in a fight.
  • Quest cards can be quite useful when upgraded to the max.
  • You can purchase skills from the shops, try do so every time you visit one.
  • Keep your deck lean and focus on cards that synergise well with your other cards and class
  • Avoid fights where possible.
  • Learn enemy attach patterns, try to armor up if you know they will attack and watch out for special moves or abilities.

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Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator

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The Game

Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator is a beautifully simple and cosy simulation game about making wine (as is quite obvious from the title). Developed by Broken Arms Games, the story follows a woman who leaves the busy city life in order to make a mark on the world of winemaking – something she doesn’t know much about, but through the assistance of the experienced winemakers of the vineyard, quickly becomes second nature.

The game’s simple yet beautiful aesthetic compliments the simple mechanics – each action or operation on your vineyard is represented as a “tetris” style block which you must place in a grid before ending the the turn and advancing time.

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Worth it?

The game will set you back around £25, but you can find it on sale or CD keys for around half of that. The game is also available for free with the PS Plus Premium tier. The campaign and story only last 100 turns/days, which does feel like quite a short time, but you have the option of playing endless after that. This is where you can really explore all the game has to offer in terms of research, upgrading your various buildings and production line, purchasing new plots of land to work and the various wines you can make.

Overall it’s definitely a nice cosy game that will keep you busy for a few hours at a time. Longer term it is a bit repetitive and once you’ve unlocked the majority of the research tree it loses it’s replay value a bit. This makes it a little hard to justify the full cost of the game, but the aesthetics, music and overall vibe of the game make it a great game to unwind, relax and enjoy a nice glass of wine with – even if only for a few evenings.

Tips

  • Upgrading your shop and warehouse to allow you to sell to more customers and do special orders
  • Unlock more of the grid before purchasing additional plots of land to work
  • You can stagger when your wines will be ripe by pruning them differently
  • Trial and error – a lot of the game is about trial and error to find the perfect process for each type of win – some require aging, others don’t
  • You don’t always need to hit the ideal levels for each wine to get a good score
  • Make sure you finish seasonal work within the season to avoid impacting the quality of your wines and any upcoming work

Useful Links

Forager

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The Game

Forager is a survival crafting game developed by HopFrog in which you start out on a single island with nothing but a pickaxe and a desire to “forage” everything around you. You start out simple – focusing on trees, rocks and berries. Gradually you expand your operations to include idle fish traps that will catch fish for you and eventually a smelter and the first crafting elements. The game allows you to expand by buying new islands adjacent to yours. As you expand you will find new materials and ways to upgrade your gear or build new machines to help you. As you establish yourself you can automate certain tasks and set your smelters or factories to constantly produce the materials that you need.

Every time you hit something you expend your energy, you can regain it by eating. Similarly, you start out with 3 hearts/health, if you get hit by an enemy that can drop to 2, certain foods will help replenish hearts. As you unlock islands you come across various puzzles and dungeons which will reward you with resources and ways to increase your health, damage or energy. Every time you level up you are also given a chance to spend your skill points on new skills. There are 4 main areas to spend your skills in, which are also the 4 main building types – industrial, farming, economic and magic.

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Worth it?

The game is free on PS Plus Premium and also available via Xbox Gamepass, on Steam you can get it for around £15, but it’s frequently on sale for around £5. Overall that price seems fair – it’s a great little game, brilliantly simply with quite a bit of depth and very easy to get sucked into and lose hours. Once you get multiple machines and automation running the game is almost musical in its constant sound effects, it also has some great puzzles that are just the right amount of challenging. My single biggest issue with the game is that it seems that some of the trophies are broken on PlayStation (and possibly elsewhere) and it’s been a known issue for a while. It would be a great game to 100% but not getting that achievement really stung and killed the joy of it for me. It’s also worth mentioning that Forager multiplayer was in development but was canned due to some controversy around how the creator treated his team.

Overall Forager is a great game that will make time fly and keep you hooked for at least 10-20 hours while you complete the majority of it. The simple graphics and musical sound effects make it a great experience.

Tips

  • You can get void items by building a void portal from the sigil maker, unlocked via the magic skill tree
  • Build multiples of your industrial buildings and split stacks across them in order to get materials faster
  • Buy sigils from the markets in the late game as a way to quickly grind bosses
  • Don’t bother with the pet skill until later – it just gives you a pet, nothing more
  • Most quest lines require a rare item that can be found by digging in dig spots (small holes in the ground), which randomly spawn on uncovered ground
  • Geology is a very useful early skill to target in order to improve your coal production
  • Vaults and Banks can also be useful early game in order to store items and generate passive income
  • Combine quarries with mining lasers to automate the workflow
  • Magic is useful early game as it will add fairies to the world which can instantly replenish your hearts and energy
  • Dump your inventory at the museum

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Megaquarium

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The Game

Megaquarium is an aquarium management and simulation game from Twice Circled. The game lets you take control of an aquarium and you must manage various aspects to grow it into a thriving attraction. This includes designing the layout of the aquarium, selecting and caring for a variety of aquatic animals, hiring and managing staff, and keeping the visitors happy.

The game features various aquatic species, each with its own specific needs in terms of water quality, food, and tank conditions. Ensure that the needs of the fish are met, which involves managing water quality, temperature, and other factors. There are also constraints of the available space and budget, making strategic decisions regarding expansion and investment.

As you progress through the game, you earn money from ticket sales and can use this to purchase new tanks, fish, and decorations. There are new technologies and equipment to be unlocked that allow for more complex and efficient aquarium setups. The game includes a campaign mode with 10 increasingly challenging scenarios as well as a sandbox mode where you can build the aquarium with fewer constraints.

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Worth it?

On Steam the game will set you back around £10 on sale (although it can be quite expensive if not), while on PS4 you can get it for as little as £4.49. The game is quite addictive and allows for a good deal of customisation of your aquarium setups. One thing it lacks (at least on the PS4 version) is a consistent autosave feature, which given there are some occasional crashes (on PS4) makes it very frustrating when you suddenly lose a huge amount of progress.

The simple low poly art style and vibrant colours do make it quite fun to look at and you can zoom in to view your aquarium as if you were one of the guests. Overall the game has the ability to keep you playing for hours despite it’s surface level simplicity. The decoration and customisation options will let you make the aquarium of your dreams (that you probably never had). If something can be done for PS4 crashes and autosaving at a regular interval it would be a must play.

Tips

  • Use zoning to efficiently distribute staff.
  • Staff’s traits will make them better at certain jobs – for example memory is good for cleaning and repair works, while empathy and precision is good for feeding and the gift shop.
  • Upgraded pumps can power multiple tanks, allowing you to have a big control room that supplies 2 or 3 tanks.
  • Place seating and bins throughout the aquarium.
  • Check the guest thoughts to monitor your prestige – if somethings is wrong in one of the tanks you will lose prestige whenever guests see it.
  • When choosing podium talks go for prestige ones as that’s the hardest to earn.
  • Keep fish and tank decorations varied to avoid guests getting bored.

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Peglin

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The Game

Peglin by Red Nexus Games is a rogulike take on the classic pachinko game Peggle. The game is available on Android and PC and will challenge you to take on a familiar style of roguelike, especially for those familiar with games like Slay the Spire, Card Guardians or Dicey Elementalist. There are 3 main levels in which the player makes a series of choices deciding whether to take on an enemy, an elite, random events, treasure chests or shops. At the end of each level is a boss, stronger than anything you’ll have faced so far in the level.

Unlike most card-based roguelike games the main thing you are collecting and powering up are the balls (orbs) you use. There’s a variety of orbs, powers and synergies to work with and build around, there’s also a huge variety of relics to find by battling elites, bosses and opening chests. Similarly to other such games you can collect a lot of relics that will allow you make some truly unstoppable builds.

Worth it?

The game is available on both PC (£15.49) and mobile, however it’s significantly cheaper on mobile (£6.99). While the actual gameplay experience is better on PC the game works quite well on mobile. It is quite an expensive game when you consider most other android games, but there’s a try before you buy section which is essentially the first act. While as a demo it’s not a lot to get stuck into, as a full game there’s a reasonable amount of replay value. There are a total of 3 characters to play, two of which you have to unlock by making either a Bullwark or Spinfection build.

Overall the game is a unique take on very familiar roguelike mechanics. The underlying pachinko game provides a different and more random take than the more traditional card approach to such games. It also adds a degree of unpredictability when navigating the map between fights. The pixel art works very nicely too. While it comes with a premium price tag for mobile and forces to you to play in landscape it is a decent offline game that will keep you busy for extended playing sessions – interrupting/closing your game may reset you to the start of the current room, but other than that it’s worth checking out for anyone who loves a good roguelike.

Tips

  • Aim to fight as many of the elites (skull and crossbones) as you can per act as they drop better relics than.
  • Try to synergise the orbs that you collect.
  • Swoltorb (upgrades every peg it hits) works quite well with most builds.
  • Poltorbgeist and Matryorbshka are also noteable strong orbs worth adding to your build.
  • Ball Lightning (hits nearby pegs) works well will Swoltorb and can be very useful late game.
  • Try to ensure you have a way to do AoE damage – either through bombs or some sort of orb (pierce for example).

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VampireSurvivors

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The Game

VampireSurvivors developed by Poncle is a roguelike bullet hell survival type game for mobile, PC and Xbox. Similarly to a lot of the other such games you try and survive against endless waves of enemies (well around 30 minutes of them) and you collect and upgrade various weapons and equipment as you do so. Get a specific weapon and it’s corresponding piece of equipment and you can upgrade the weapon to an ultimate version. There are 5 main levels and as many bonus/challenge ones. As you play the game you can find and rescue other survivors which become characters you can play with. Each character starts out with a specific weapon but will be able to acquire other weapons as they level up.

In each level you can collect gold coins, these will let you get upgrades that apply to all levels and characters. As you work your way through the achievements list more and more of the game will be unlocked. You will find new characters, new weapons with new ultimate versions, new levels and challenges.

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Worth it?

A simple but effective survival bullet-hell game with some really fun and well hidden surprises. There is also a good deal of humour in the naming of weapons and items (like the Candelabrador candelabra). The game is free on mobile and also ad-free (unless you want an additional life when you die). On PC it will set you back around £3.99 and there some DLC which will give you access to new levels and characters.

The collection of characters and the methods by which you unlock them are quite addictive and make you want to try each and every one of them out. The sheer amount of items there are to unlock – from game modes to weapons and additional features give the game a great amount of replay value. Each level usually lasts around 30 mins, which is a touch on the long side and sometimes the game might not save your progress if you close the app if you’ve had to do something else. However, the game works perfectly in offline and also in portrait, making it perfect for time killing. Overall if you’re a fan of bullet-hell survival games then this is a great one to add to your collection.

Tips

  • Learn the weapon evolutions and collect items/weapons accordingly.
  • Destroy torches and braziers for food and coins.
  • Upgrade your permanent upgrades using coins.
  • Some levels will have items on the floor, use these to get your ultimate weapon upgrades right.
  • Find the Milky Way Map in order to unlock the pause menu map which will show you the locations of items in the level.
  • In order to get to the coffin in Gallo Tower, look out for a glowing mirror on the left side of the level (around the area where the arrow points you to) that will get you through to a small room where the coffin is.

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Life in Adventure

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The Game

Life in Adventure is a text based D&D RPG fantasy game by StudioWheel available for mobile. The game uses familiar D&D mechanics and delivers an experience with a surprising amount of depth and good storytelling. You start out with a randomised character (in the free version) as a person who is tired of their boring day to day life and set on becoming a famous adventurer. You progress through random encounters, each with a detailed description and a variety of options – some encounters spanning several pages or even in several non consecutive parts.

Each encounter will test your skills (through dice rolls and RNG) and you may come out victorious and stronger or you may lose health and sanity. Lose all your health or sanity and the adventure is over. You will also gain EXP and find better loot and equipment as you adventure through the world. Survive for long enough and you will become a renowned adventurer and essentially win the game. There are 4 types of starting equipment – Fighter, Ranger, Wizard and Warlock, but you can build your character however you see fit depending on your stats. Character stats are standard D&D ones such a strength, dexterity, intellect, charisma, constitution and wisdom.

Worth it?

The game can be played completely for free, but there is also an Adventurer’s Guild premium option which will set you back £3.99, the main advantages of this option are the ability to customise your new adventurers, a free dice reroll and the ability to speed up or skip fights. A lot of these perks can also be purchased using in game premium currency (gems). The game is quite generous with giving out gems which you can also spend on new encounters, background stories and storylines and traits. The premium option isn’t needed, however it’s a nice way to support the developers and also helps speed up the gameplay. Overall I’d recommend it for any D&D or text based fans out there looking for that nostalgia factor, the game plays in portrait mode making it ideal for mobile.

Tips

  • For detailed in-game tips and info check out the comprehensive guide linked below.
  • Avoid battles (especially early game) – trying options that will get you out of combat and events can still give you EXP.
  • Items like Rope, Lantern, Pickaxe and similar are very useful – hold onto them as you may need them in your adventure.
  • If you are Very Superior to an enemy or better you can skip the dice roll to get a 10 and avoid a critical fail or rolling less than 10.

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