Here’s our final batch of game of the year selections from mobilegamer.biz readers you may recognise.
You can find the first round here, featuring leaders from Top App Games, Ustwo, My Games, Xsolla, Out Making Games and ByteBrew, and the second batch here, with execs from Mamboo, PlanetPlay, Appcharge, ZBD, AppsFlyer and more.
Bob Slinn, FunPlus
I still have a soft spot for puzzle games and match 3 in particular. After extensive past ‘research’, I’ve found a new favourite in the category this year: Match Villains.
The game combines best in class puzzle mechanics, visual fidelity and innovative (and extensive) live ops with a unique set of characters and theme that harkens back to the Addams family and the classic cartoon era. Another win for Turkey’s incredibly impressive casual mobile games machine.
Naomi Alderman, Zombies, Run!
I have to confess that the game I keep returning to is Balatro. I may have played it quite a lot and now I’m just going back for specific relaxing experiences I enjoy. I have some fun seeds saved in my notes file to play when I fancy it, and love an easy quick game. If you’re a Balatro player, try 2K9H9HN. Enjoy.
Vladimir Nikolsky, Utmost Games
For me, a few games really stand out, and The Battle of Polytopia is definitely one of the best quick-strategy civilization games. It’s come a long way, from mobile to a full Steam version, and the updates keep making it even better.
It’s fun to play, and it’s satisfying to see the game evolve over time. Another favorite is Gossip Harbor, a match-2 puzzle game that combines the best of the genre with clever innovations. I love its engaging storyline, and the live-ops system is excellent – events get visually refreshed to keep things feeling new and keep players coming back.
Ian Masters, Flick Games
I’m a complete sucker for grid-based puzzlers, and last month I stumbled onto a gem. Spooky Express delivers the sweetest little zombies, vampires, and demons you’ll ever meet, wrapped around clever puzzles and a wonderfully whimsical soundtrack.
Peter Hansen-Chambers, PHC Consulting
When I’m not playing very early games in validation, I often find myself playing age-appropriate games with my young children. CBeebies has a lot to answer for!
However, the game I have played a lot this year has been Matchcreek Motors – and I am not paid to say this anymore! Having worked alongside the team on this title, I have seen all the work that has gone into the game and am proud of how much they have evolved the product and learned along the way.
Christian Lövstedt, Midjiwan
My personal game of the year is Grand Mountain Adventure 2. It is a truly original skiing game that provides a relaxing, open-world skiing experience and competitive skiing action. The game is presented beautifully, I think it is one of the best-looking games on mobile.
