Mobile games to keep boredom at bay
View(s):By Mahesh De Andrado
The COVID-19 pandemic is by no means a joking matter. Everyday we get news alerts of more and more people being tested positive for COVID-19. With stringent curfew policies in place, the Government of Sri Lanka is taking brisk steps to flatten the curve, as they say. This essentially means that by limiting the physical interaction of people, we can also reduce the spread of COVID-19. While in the grand scheme of things, this makes sense, it does bring about its fair share of challenges. The most dominant of all this is of course isolation and boredom.
After all, humans are social creatures. We crave social interaction even if it’s only for a few minutes. But what interaction can one possibly do if one is essentially grounded at home? Well, this is where gaming can be useful. We’re not talking about fully-fledged desktop gaming and all that. Rather, here is a list of mobile games that can be played online with your friends and family to pass the time.
Call of Duty Mobile
Ever since it made its way to mobile, Call of Duty Mobile has amassed a massive following. With almost 180 million downloads since its launch, Activision’s latest mobile game is definitely a hit. The game features a number of game modes such as Frontline, Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint and Search and Destroy. There are also various events that run for a certain duration such as Sniper Only, Gun Game and Sticks and Stones. In addition, there’s also a fully fledged Battle Royale mode where 100 players are pitched against each other either as single, duos or as 4-person squads.
(Are you ready to answer the call of duty? Image Credits: GamesRadar)
If you’re an FPS fan, then this is possibly one of the best games for you to try out. You can team up with your friends in the various multiplayer modes and then switch things up in Battle Royale. If you’re up for an even bigger challenge, you can gather up all your friends who play COD:Mobile and create custom lobbies either in multiplayer modes or battle royale modes. This is definitely going to be a whole lot of fun because you’re in a game with real players as opposed to bots and things like voice chat help you stay in touch with your friends even though you’re physically apart. Call of Duty Mobile is available for both Android and iOS.
Dual
Think of DUAL as a local multiplayer game where two players use their mobile devices to shoot from one screen to the other. That’s right. Rather than have both players sharing one screen, DUAL allows you to use your own device as your screen to battle your opponent. The game uses either WiFi or Bluetooth for connectivity and has a plethora of game modes to choose from.
For example, with Duel, you tilt your phone, dodge bullets, charge, and shoot bullets back at your friends. If that’s not your thing, you can team up with your friend to defend the middle from an onslaught of attackers. The Deflect mode has players scoring goals by blasting, banking, and curving the ball from one screen to the other.
It should be noted that in order to have access to the Defend and Deflect modes, one person will have to have the full version of Dual unlocked. You can also collect color sets unique to your device which are unlockable by playing against different people. Since DUAL relies on Bluetooth and WiFi, you will need to be in somewhat close proximity to each other. While this might not be practical in certain scenarios, it’s perfect if you have a sibling or you want to play with another family member at home.
QuizUp
Another game for the whole family, QuizUp is an online trivia game where you can find quizzes about pretty much any topic available. You can either challenge your friends to a quiz or challenge random opponents from around the world. The topics themselves range from general knowledge, to logos, to sports, movies, video games and even a dedicated section for Harry Potter and Pokemon as well. If you rack up enough points, you can even make your way to global leaderboards as well.
That’s not all though. Because of QuizUp’s nature, you can discover new interests along the way and even create your own quizzes as well. Each quiz topic is set within a category where you can play, post, boast and interact with people who share your interests.
Tricky Test 2
Forget everything you know about solving riddles and quizzes and play Tricky Test 2. The name of the app itself is somewhat of a mystery as there doesn’t seem to be a Tricky Test 1 available anywhere. Anyhoo, moving on, Tricky Test 2 consists of a number of brain teasers and absurd solutions that actually make you rack your brain to think of a solution. Believe me when I say that some of the solutions are not I would remotely even consider.
Tricky Test consists of 111 tests that need to be completed in 120 minutes. If you do so, you’re pronounced a genius. Each of these tests is unique and requires you to put your noggin’ to the test in order to come up with the solution. When I say the game is interactive, I mean it. Some tests require you to tilt your phone or rotate it or shrink or enlarge items on screen. With over 6 million downloads, Tricky Test 2 indeed has a following for itself. You can even select some of the more tricky questions and challenge your friends to see if they are as smart as you. This is guaranteed to keep you addicted for hours on end.
Mobile Legends Bang Bang
Despite the suspicious name, Mobile Legends Bang Bang is a pretty good adaptation of a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) for mobile. If you’ve played games like DOTA or League of Legends, then you should be familiar with the mechanics of Mobile Legends. The game essentially has two teams consisting of 5 players each. Each of these 10 players can choose a hero from a given hero pool. The objective of the game is to infiltrate the opposing team’s base and destroy their fortress.
Mobile Legends Bang Bang pits 2 teams of 5 players against each other in the ultimate brawl to victory (Image Credits: Gameranx)
While doing so you can also battle enemy creeps for XP and gold, buy items, and take on enemy towers for that extra advantage. Once all that is done, you can meet the enemy team in the middle and take them on fully. Each match is around 10 minutes with a 10-second timer for matchmaking. This gives the players ample opportunity to play multiple games and not feel the time pass you by.
RAID: Shadow Legends
RAID: Shadow Legends has gained an immensely popular following after they sponsored a number of YouTube videos from the likes of JerryRigEverything and a number of other YouTubers who create content related to gaming and tech. The game is a fantasy-themed, turn-based RPG set in the fictional world of Teleria which is under the control of the Dark Lord Siroth. You take the role of a Telerian warrior whose only goal in life is to defeat said Dark Lord and restore peace to Teleria.
Build the ultimate team and challenge other-worldly bosses in RAID: Shadow Legends (Image Credits: APKPure)
In order to do this, you must first assemble an army for battle. This is done via collecting Shards that contain the souls of past warriors. Shards come in four types with different properties. Silver is the in-game currency used to level up champions, and to play certain stages of the game. While RAID: Shadow Legends has an interesting story mode, the multiplayer Dungeon fights and boss fights are where it’s at. You will need to bring your A-Game and amass as many others to your guild as you can and utilize the power of their heroes as well if you want to get all the goodies from defeating the Raid bosses. In short, fun for everyone playing.
And there you have it. These are some of the online mobile games that also have a multiplayer option to it. There are countless others as well, but these are some of the ones that got my attention. Happy gaming and remember to stay indoors during curfew and always use sanitizer.