Mobile games that made 2020 more bearable
Due to lockdowns worldwide, Pokemon Go made adjustments to the game that usually requires players to travel.
PHOTO: Pexels
PUBLISHED ONDecember 14, 2020 2:00 AMByNicholas Yong
What a surreal year it has been. You’ve probably spent more time on your mobile phone this year than ever.
Whether it’s during the dreaded CB period or on your way to work (because it’s your turn today to go to the office *sigh*), mobile games have helped us get by in this new normal.
Because everyone likes different games, I’ve gotten my friends and friends of friends to spill the deets on which mobile games have helped make this crazy 2020 more bearable for them. In no particular order, here they are:
Genshin Impact
It’s impossible not to know that this game exists (unless you have really been cooped up because of WFH), what with the in-your-face advertisements in MRT stations islandwide.
Genshin Impact is an open anime world action RPG, with beautiful graphics that can rival a game console (it’s also available on the PS4).
At a certain level, you can even co-op with friends! Genshin Impact is free to play – provided you don’t go broke from obtaining new characters through its $$$ gacha system.
The free to play mechanic does limit your daily gameplay, but there’s still plenty of content even if you somehow resist the urge to spend.
Among Us
Have you been seeing the word “sus” making its rounds? This game not only introduced a new word to our vocab; but its simple gameplay makes it easy for anyone to jump in and game with friends.
Everyone plays as a crew member on a spaceship, completing tasks onboard. But one (or more) of you is actually an Imposter – while you look exactly like a crew member, you want to sabo the ship and kill everyone else.
The best part of the game is that every so often, you get a chance to vote off a crew member.
But if the Imposter manages to fool everyone, innocent friends get booted off into space. It’s super fun to see everyone trying to defend themselves and see who gets revealed as the Imposter.
Bonus tip: Play it while making a video call with your friends and see who has the best poker face!
Pokemon Go
Even with everything that’s going on in the world, a game that rewards you for travelling outdoors remains at the top of Singapore’s most played games – the group of uncles and aunties catching Raid Pokemon outside the MRT station where I live can attest to this.
During the worldwide lockdown, the game made timely adjustments such as giving away items to attract Pokemon to you, allowed remote Raid battles and removed most distance-based quests.
Somehow, Pokemon Go is still going strong, with the announcement of a new level cap to 50 and more Pokemon to catch.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Mid, support, buying skins for girlfriend – these are the common things you hear when you see a group of teens huddled together playing ML.
Players choose from distinctive cool characters divided into roles such as Marksmen, Tank, Mage, Support, Fighter, and Assassin in a race to reach and destroy the enemy’s base while simultaneously defending their own.
The different roles define the best way your character should travel towards the enemy base - on the mid lane, the bottom lane (the gold lane) or the top lane (experience lane) - with characters having their own unique skillset and special “ulti” ultimate attacks.
On a related note: Did you know that this was an official sport in the SEA Games last year?
Roblox
If you have kids, you certainly know Roblox. Extremely popular among young kids, Roblox players play games made by other users or make their own.
There are racing games, shooting games, restaurant management – there’re more than 40 million games in Roblox with 31.1 million daily users.
Like the rest of the games on this list, Roblox is free to play but users can buy premium items using real money. Like this mum who found out her daughter spent $1,480 on Roblox “Robux” in August this year. So don’t forget to set a password requirement for in-app purchases should you let your kids play Roblox.
Have we missed out on your favourite mobile game that helped you get by in 2020?
This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.