APPSTAKE IT TO
THE NEXT
LEVEL(S)
OMekorama
Whoops, a tiny cycloptic robot
has crashed on a mini-diorama.
The only means of escape is
by figuring out how to reach the
exit – and then 49 more. This is
achieved by rotating the scene
and manipulating structures. The
editor then lets you craft your
own scenes, which – despite
simple mechanics – can become
highly involved. Creator Martin
Magni’s Fancade takes such
blocky creativity even further.
£free / Android, iOS
OMinecraft
We’d be remiss if we didn’t kick
off this round-up with Mojang’s
iconic sandbox effort. Immerse
yourself in its creative mode and
you can build anything you can
think of – as long as it can be
crafted out of blocks. Depending
on your bent, you can opt to
collaborate in multiplayer or
get your jollies by kicking seven
shades out of hostile mobs. Just
don’t play too long or you’ll get
square eyes.
£6.49 / Android O £6.99 / iOS
OOCO
This one-thumb platformer
pits you against rotating levels,
where you must find the most
efficient path to scooping up
the gold blocks. The mix of
minimalist visuals and electronic
music affords OCO a futuristic
edge, and its level editor is
suitably sleek: you add platforms
and objects by tapping spaces
on a circular grid. When you’re
happy with your work, share it
so others can give it a spin.
£free / Android, iOSOBadland
Even after eight years, this
single-thumb survival game
remains eye-popping and
grin-inducing. You help a flapping
critter traverse a terrifying forest
full of deadly contraptions (even
the ‘power-ups’ lurking in the
undergrowth are often problems
to contend with); and you can
make its job even harder with
a full-featured level editor that
the game’s creators reportedly
used themselves.
£free / Android O 79p / iOSOPico Hero
An evil type has kidnapped
all of Pico’s animal friends...
and he’s none too pleased
about it. What follows is an
overhead arcade effort, with
Pico traversing blocky terrain
and automatically shooting at
foes when they’re nearby. This
all lends itself nicely to making
your own level cards, plopping
down bits of land, water, buildings,
and the all-important pickups
Pico can grab to get extra-killy.
£free / Android, iOSOLevelhead
Think couriers are unreliable?
Things are worse in the future,
where packages arrive at
light-speed but atomise their
surroundings. The solution is
to ship things most of the way
there and have a robot deal with
the final leg. Your task is to train
that robot via side-scrolling
platform antics; level design
is baked into the plot and the
editor is a joy to use. Unlike some
couriers, this one delivers.
£5.99 / Android O £6.99 / iOSWant a bit more ‘you’ in your mobile
games, beyond picking an avatar with
green hair? You can use level editors
to bend these six titles to your will...Mini meme