Author: Vasanth Simon

Instead of building cardboard puzzles on the coffee table, use the touchscreen on your smartphone to create beautiful pictures from a jumble of digital pieces. The following list features five well-designed jigsaw puzzle apps. Some of the features to look forward to include a large selection of images, customization options, and the option to use the finished picture as a wallpaper .

Jigsaw Puzzles Epic

Jigsaw Puzzles Epic has a cool interface and easy-to-access sidebar options. There are several types of pictures in this app including desert scenery, city streets, lighthouses, and many more. After completing a puzzle, move on to the next one. You can customize each puzzle by selecting the number of pieces to play and whether or not to rotate the pieces. While building the puzzle refer back to the original image with the Preview option and mix the pieces by using the Scatter option. Also, you can quickly locate the edge pieces by using the Edges feature. If you want to build a more personalized puzzle, upgrade to the premium version of the app and upload pictures.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Waterfall Jigsaw Puzzles

This app features several types of puzzles including jigsaw puzzles, switch puzzles, slider puzzles, and rotation puzzles. Drag the touchscreen to move the pieces in each of the games, except the rotation puzzles, which require you to tap the pieces. All the puzzles feature waterfalls. You can choose to play with as little as 9 pieces or as many as 64 pieces.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Beach Jigsaw Puzzles

There are several types of pictures to choose from in this app including beaches, parrots, sunsets, actresses, cartoons, and many more. You can also use your own pictures to make puzzles and search the internet to find pictures. There are several types of puzzles in this game including:

• a standard jigsaw puzzle
• a template-based fill-in puzzle
• a shuffle puzzle where you move a piece into the open spot
• a free swap puzzle where you swap pieces in different locations
• an adjacent swap puzzle
• a challenging turn puzzle
• a scale puzzle featuring different sized pieces
• a challenging rubik puzzle

There’s a time limit. After completing the puzzle, you can save the picture and set it as a wallpaper for the phone. You can customize the settings or use the standard difficulty.

This game is available on Google Play.

Jigsaw Puzzles Real Free

This jigsaw puzzle app has a pleasant interface with easy-to-find pictures and options. Scroll through the list of available images that include pets, arts, sports, castles, beaches, and flowers. Set the number of pieces and whether you want the rotation feature on or off before selecting an image. While building the puzzle, there are several features available including a zoom-in option and a background color change option.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Jigsaw Puzzles: 100+ Pieces

This app has a better layout than any other app previously mentioned in this article. Start building puzzles from various categories including abstract, beaches, cats, nature, and underwater. The images are vivid. You can also upload pictures to create your own puzzle. Select the number of pieces you want (between 9 and 100), rotation option, and shape of puzzle piece. While building the puzzle, there are several options in the well-designed sidebar including zoom-in, image preview, and background color.

This game is available on Google Play.

Recommendation:

Jigsaw Puzzles Epic is the app to download. It is the best designed puzzle game with a lot of features including visually pleasing images, easy-to-access sidebar options, and worthwhile goals to achieve. The edge piece location function is handy, especially when you are building puzzles consisting of hundreds of pieces. If that is too many pieces, you can always go back and reduce the number of pieces.

With so many games in the app store, it’s not easy finding a cool maze game. The following list feature five different maze games. There’s a first-person maze, a running, obstacle course game, and an intricate grid-based maze game.

3D Maze (The Labyrinth)

This immersive game pulls you right into an intricate maze with hypnotic music and a unique control scheme. Navigate toward a green sparkling starting point using left and right direction buttons and a walk button. The goal is to reach the red, upside down spinning pyramid at the end of the maze. A background featuring an open terrain is a pleasing sight when you get lost and have to retrace your steps through the maze. Click on the upper left map to help find your way to the end. After completing all the levels, the multiplayer option is unlocked.

This game is available on Google Play.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is a cinematic game, similar in quality to console games. In this smartphone game, you are a runner that maps the maze, while surviving the dangerous obstacles in it. The game scrolls through the action, and the player must swipe the screen left, right, up or down to navigate, jump, and slide. There’s a timer, which counts down as you make your way through the maze. Double tap the screen to sprint and return to the Glades as fast as possible. There, you can exchange runners and view offers to earn gems.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Labyrinth Puzzles: Maze-A-Maze

This maze game gives you two options for playing: tilt, which uses the accelerometer and joystick, which uses the touchscreen. The tilt option is a better experience. Guide the ball through the maze and reach the center by tilting the smartphone in various directions. Along the way, collect stars. There are dozens of levels in this game, each with differing maze structures.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Maze Escape

Maze Escape is a fast moving game where the player guides the character though a vertically scrolling maze in which fire is quickly catching up to the character from below. Tilt the smartphone side to side to move through the maze. Collect coins on the way. It’s fun and challenging. Try to outperform yourself by playing it multiple times.

This game is available on Google Play.

Fugu Maze Free

Fugu Maze is a first-person game, unlike the previous games on this list. Move through the maze by pressing the circular directional button and look around by panning the screen. You’ll probably get lost in this game.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Recommendation:

If I were to download just one game, it would be 3D Maze (The Labyrinth). This game has several levels, complex mazes, and a well-design touchscreen interface. Consult the map when you get lost and take in the ambiance of the setting.

With so many games in the app store, it’s not easy finding a well-designed game involving mythical elements. The following list features card battle games, match-3 games, and action RPG games that have a mythical theme. So if you like ancient Greek gods, Camelot, or Atlantis, check out the games listed below.

Heroes of Camelot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vSYbkKLNzk

Enter a world of knights and druids in Heroes of Camelot. This card battle game displays information clearly, including the mana cost, the number of stars, HP and attack values, enhance and evolve stats, and current level. Start by recruiting a team and then engage in battle. Sit back and watch as the fight unfolds. Explore different lands including Blackthorne Wood and the Plains of Camelot. The story takes place in the time of King Arthur and the mysterious Avalon. Talk about it with other players using the messenger system in the game.

This game is available on Google Play, iTunes, and Windows Phone.

Call of Atlantis

Learn about the mythical world of Atlantis in this game. It features an interesting story, match-3 play, and a cool application of the touchscreen. Immerse yourself in the tranquil sea and unlock the seals of Poseidon. Trace the pattern shown on the screen to receive an amulet. It will help you find the crystals scattered throughout the ancient world. Travel to Egypt, Babylon, Phoenicia, Troy, Greece, Rome, and Carthage. In each location, there are several rounds of challenging games including match-3 games.

This game is available on Google Play.

Gods Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltT-7iwlvOw

Get in the middle of an ancient quarrel between the Greek gods in this well-designed RPG. Enter battles with a team of heroes and fight several bands of enemies. Each one meets you in the middle of a scenic landscape dotted with ancient Greek and Egyptian elements. Watch as your team automatically engages in battle. When prompted, tap the highlighted character to use special attacks and powers. After winning, the game progresses to the next group of thugs via a side-scrolling transition. As you increase your level, more options become available including the Gauntlet, the Arena, and the Merchant. The game has several community features including a messaging system, an event bulletin board, and VIP membership.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Age of Sparta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5PQKK__GT0

This game features many of the mythical elements of the ancient world including historical figures, scenery, costumes, and events. Expand the grounds of Sparta with new construction and build wheat farms, vineyards, and a quarry. Add the Grounds of Ares and Sacred Grounds to prepare for battle. Afterward, leave the city and fight the Persian army. Unlike other strategy games, this one lets you interact with items that appear in the field of battle. Swipe at hurtling boulders to destroy them, tap giant vases to unleash explosions, and tap treasure chests to release magic powers.

This game is available on Google Play, iTunes, and Windows Phone.

Ashoka: The Game

Strange music and a chanting voice play when you start this game. It only prepares you for the challenging bow and arrow action where you tap moving enemies as they run across the screen to hit them. The music playing during the game is equally exhilarating. A few enemies will eventually get close enough to you to fight hand to hand in a side-scrolling transition. Tap the screen at various locations when prompted to land a strike with a sword. Ashoka the Great is the main character – an Indian emperor from the Maurya Dynasty.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Recommendation:

All these games are mythical, but if I had to download just one it would be Call of Atlantis. This game was a wonderful surprise, with interesting stories and challenging match-3 elements. The mythical story is told well, and the use of the touchscreen is impressive.

Not too many gamers can appreciate an artful game, but for those that are looking for a few recommendations in this genre, take a look at the following list. It contains a mysterious, esoteric tour, a space-based cosmic light and sound show, and a pottery crafting app. These games are both relaxing and a change of pace from traditional games.

Mountain

Mountain begins with a series of strange questions and then transports you to the bottom of a towering mountain dotted with trees and rocks. The fierce wind can be heard in the background and grey clouds pass by as you rotate the screen. It’s odd, serene, and a bit of a mystery. Wait a few minutes as the weather changes and strange messages appear. It’s definitely an enjoyable experience.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Magic Art

Be prepared to be wowed by the animations in Magic Art. With a pinch, expansion, or rotation of the screen, the pixels come alive. They are highly responsive and look like exploding fireworks. Draw on the screen and create dynamic patterns. There are several color options, exploding patterns, and a photo button. As you create works of art, enjoy the serene and uplifting music.

This game is available on Google Play.

PolyFauna

In PolyFauna, the screen is filled with a jumble of black triangles that hurtle past you. Counter this by swiping across the screen to create a vivid series of triangles stitched together in planes of cloudy white, light pink, and neon blue-green shades. After the shower of triangles has ended, an eerie world unfolds featuring sharp cliffs on the top and bottom of the screens. Enjoy the view for a while before trying to escape by lighting the way with triangles and flipping the smartphone from portrait to landscape.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Let’s Create! Pottery Lite

As soon as you open Let’s Create! Pottery Lite and hold the smartphone in your hand, the awesomeness of this game shines through. Just moving the smartphone around slides the background relative to the spinning pottery. Hit the create button and get to work molding a pot, vase, or any other kind of clay pottery object you can think of. Simply use the touchscreen to shape the clay. Follow the on-screen prompts for help. After you have finished, hit the firing button to harden the clay; the firing process is intense. There’s an auction afterward that is enjoyable to attend and a store to purchase patterns and colors.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Auralux

Pulsating lights and sounds fill this game featuring orbiting celestial bodies. Send particles toward nearby empty regions of space to form new suns. If another celestial body competes for the same space, attack it. Tap your sun and drag its orbit around an enemy sun, and then tap the enemy sun to send particles toward it. Once the enemy star is destroyed, it becomes yours.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Recommendation

Although all of these games are artistic, the one that is worth downloading is Magic Art. In this game, you can create dynamic images, take photographs, and share the results via email or social media. Spend a solid hour entranced by the calming music, while creating a variety of patterns.

If there’s one type of game the smartphone was built for, it was motorcycle games. Whether it is racing games, simulators, or action-oriented games, the accelerometer and touchscreen work well to deliver an outstanding gaming experience. Here are five motorcycle games to play on your smartphone.

Asphalt Bikers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7zzSJ3Om4Y

Asphalt Bikers features smooth tilt motion steering and challenging courses. It is fast-paced and fun to play. Maneuver in and out of traffic while racing against other bikers, and collect coins along the way. Accelerate through the city by pressing the touchscreen, but avoid flooring it for too long. You’ll run out of gas, and you might steer right into an on-coming car and crash violently. Save fuel and look for gas refills on the highway to make it to the finish line.

This game is available in Google Play

Fast Bike Race 2015

Fast Bike Race 2015 is a motorcycle racing game featuring an enclosed, looping course. Finish the course as fast as possible using tilt motion steering and touch acceleration, which in this game, propels the biker forward in a blur-motion scene. There is an online option, which requires an internet connection.

This game is available on Google Play.

Death Moto 3

Race down the highway against other bikers while avoiding their ambushes. Use weapons, including bats and guns to fend them off. Expect cool crashes and explosions as you race to the finish line. This game utilizes tilt motion controls to steer and the touchscreen to fire weapons and accelerate. It is similar to the popular Road Rash franchise developed for console games.

This game is available on Google Play and iTunes.

Night Moto Race 2015

Night Moto Race 2015 is a Nintendo-era racing game, similar to Rad Racer, but features a motorcycle. Avoid crashing into cars, while collecting gems. Steer the motorcycle on the top-to-bottom scrolling highway by tilting the smartphone, and accelerate by pressing the screen. It’s not as easy as it sounds. As you play, try to reach certain milestones including ‘Race for 2 Minutes’ and ‘Collect Your First 40 Gems’.

This game is available on Google Play.

Fast Motorcycle Driver

Fast Motorcycle Driver is a motorcycle physics engine that is fun to play. Select from six worlds to explore. Each one is unique and offers different environments to drive in. Easily steer, brake and accelerate while playing. Pop-a-wheelie by pressing the NOS button.

This game is available on Google Play.

Final Recommendation:

The only game on this list that I would download and finish playing is Death Moto 3. It combines racing and action nicely, and it has a series of racing stages to complete. This game also features a store that lets you upgrade bikes and weapons, as well as a social media option for sharing race results.

The following list features five entertaining off-roading games for smartphones. It includes a back-country, cargo delivery game, a realistic off-road driving simulator, and a high-flying monster truck game. Time to get your truck muddy!

Truck Driver 3D: Offroad

Winding trails, cascading waterfalls, and narrow mountain corridors stand in your way in Truck Driver 3D: Offroad. This off-road trucking game features three types of steering: an on-screen wheel, on-screen buttons, and tilt motion control. It feels more natural driving with the on-screen wheel, but it’s not the right type of steering for this terrain. Stick with the tilt motion controls as you transport cargo. Avoid crashing by using the on-screen brake button and complete the course before the time runs out by pressing the gas button. If you get stuck, shift gears and reverse to get out of trouble.

This game is available in Google Play.

4X4 Mountain Off-Road

In this game, drive a jeep through a valley, utilizing tilt motion to steer and on-screen pedals and a gear shift box to drive. You can change the perspective to first-person for a more realistic ride.

This game is available in Google Play.

Offroad Legends 2

Offroad Legends is a side scrolling game in which you drive a monster truck over a series of peaks and valleys. Collect items and bust through obstacles while on the course with the on-screen acceleration pedal. Expect high-flying jumps and awesome crashes. Two on-screen flip buttons are also available to rotate the truck in mid-air. The background is artistically rendered for each level and features natural environments and scenery. There are several game modes including career, kids playground, and versus. There’s also a garage for upgrading your truck.

This game is available in Google Play and iTunes.

4×4 Off-Road Rally 4

This game has a nice introduction featuring chirping birds, camp fires, and a wilderness environment. But once the game starts, it’s all about finishing the course. Shift gears and press the accelerate button to drive the car. Maneuver around trees, drive over narrow, wooden bridges, and traverse through riverbeds. This game utilizes tilt motion for steering and touchscreen for driving. Switch seamlessly between third-person and first-person perspective by pressing a button on the corner of the screen. There are several types of off-road vehicles in this game and various types of courses to complete.

This game is available in Google Play, iTunes, and Windows Phone.

Hill Offroad SUV 3D

Drive around for hours in sparse forests or urban environments in Hill Offroad SUV 3D. Accelerate and brake with the on-screen buttons and steer with tilt motion controls. Other control interfaces are available including joystick, which is good for drifting in urban environments, wheel, which is good for dodging trees in the forests, and buttons, which isn’t that great. This game has a cozy, first-person perspective that takes you inside the car. This option and others are available in the icons located at the bottom of the screen.

This off-road simulation is available in Google Play.

Recommendation:

The best option in this list is definitely Hill Offroad SUV 3D. It has smooth controls, awesome environments to drive in, and an entertaining derby mode that features crashing cars and destructible environments. This is a physics engine that displays damages well, repairs them automatically, and drives the car precisely.

If you’re a fan of first person shooters, check out the following games designed around the sniper rifle. A variety of games are listed here, including those that require the player to shoot from a fixed position versus moving around, and games that take place in an urban environment versus games that take place in forested locations.

Modern Sniper

Modern Sniper features a story mode and an endless mode. In story mode, there are several locations to play in. They are well-designed, look realistic, and has good sound effects. In each one, try to kill all the enemies patrolling the area using a sniper rifle, before the timer runs out. Pan the screen using touch and focus on a particular location by pressing the shooting stance. There’s a zoom-in feature and a fire button. As you progress through the gunfight, utilize the steady-aim feature and replenish health with the first-aid kit. There is a delay between shots for reloading, which makes the game more challenging. Endless mode unlocks at level 5, and it is similar to the story mode, but the game continues from one level to the next, and it doesn’t end until you die.

This game is available on Google Play.

Sniper 3D Assassin

This game has  a creative summary card for each mission consisting of bold fonts and vivid text. Not only does it prepare you for the level, it adds to the overall theme. This game features responsive tilt controls for aiming, awesome bullet-time cutscenes that follow each killshot, and cool power-ups like slow-mo, which slows time while aiming and firing. Zoom-in on enemies with a swipe of the screen and fire a shot by tapping the screen. There are several types of rifles available in this game and different types of missions including primary missions, wanted missions, and daily missions. Some of the missions to look forward to include Hidden Arsenal, Save the Hostage, and Breaking News.

This game is available on Google Play and  iTunes.

American Snipers

American Snipers features infrared scopes which make the enemies standout against the background. This cool feature is especially helpful when dealing with heavily camouflaged targets. Another feature unique to this game is ID labeling, which displays target information above the enemy when the crosshairs are trained on them. This game features a mode where you have to take out targets while accounting for wind speed and wind direction. Other things of note in this game is the steady-aim option, which runs out too fast, and the background music, which gets annoying after a while.

This game is available on Google Play.

Sniper: Traffic Hunter

For a more relaxed and less strenuous sniper game, try Sniper: Traffic Hunter. As cars and trucks pass by on a highway, take aim and fire. The aiming is smooth and so is the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons. It’s a great target practice game. One of the levels in this game takes place in a valley with green pastures overlooking a highway. It’s well-designed and has a relaxing ambience to it.

This game is available on Google Play.

Kill Shot

Expect expansive, detailed environments in Kill Shot. Unlike the previous games, you can move laterally instead of standing in one location. Plus, you can switch between a sniper rifle and an assault rifle when the situation warrants it. There are several types of missions in this game including primary missions, support missions, black ops, global ops, and daily challenges. You can also use power-up packs like spotters, slow-mo, and more powerful ammo. This game also features extensive weapons customization including thermal sights, silencers, larger magazine size, stock upgrades, and various barrel and muzzle options.

This game is available on Google Play and  iTunes.

Recommendation:

If I were to download just one game, it would be Sniper 3D Assassin. It utilizes the tilt function of the smartphone perfectly to aim the sniper rifle, and the game features a responsive touchscreen that accurately gauges when you tap the screen to fire a round at the target. There are several exciting and challenging missions in this game.