The Best Indie iOS And Android Games Of 2012: Arcade

The year 2012 had many good games, so many that we’ve decided to break up the best iOS and Android apps by genre!

The year 2012 had many good games, so many that we’ve decided to break up the best iOS and Android apps by genre! We’re days away from entering a new year, and unlike many sites out there, we waited till the last possible minute so we could check out all the indie games releasing in late December (and a few of them made the lists too!). So over the next couple days we’ll be releasing lists of our favorite games of 2012.  If you disagree with any of our picks feel free to leave a comment below and tell us what indie game you thought should have been included! Here’s to another prosperous year in gaming for 2013!

Arcade

Kiln – iOS (), Android ()

An updated take on the classic ball and paddle computer game genre popularised by Breakout and Arkanoid. Touch the screen to launch the ball (or temporary bullet ball), and tilt the playing device to move the paddle. Over 80 levels that progress in difficulty and content, requiring both fast reflexes and forethought to successfully complete.

Wall Street Titan – iOS ()

Robo-stomp cars & tanks, squash the evil suits, and collect loot as judge, jury, and squashecutioner! Twenty five stories of giant robot, built to destroy and subjugate the masses. Reprogrammed by an anonymous hacktivist to turn on your evil corporate creators, you are the Wall Street Titan. Occupy Wall Street with a giant robot fist!

Super Hexagon – iOS ()

Super Hexagon is a minimal action game by Terry Cavanagh, with music by Chipzel. Important facts about Hexagons: Hexagons are first order permutohedrons: The vertices of a hexagon can be formed by permuting the coordinates of the vector (1, 2, 3).

Burrito Bison – iOS ()

Burrito Bison is a fun launching game with an original twist. Launch Burrito Bison as far as you can and squish gummy bears until you gain enough speed to smash doors and escape the dreadful Candy Land! You will have the ability to use awesome power-ups such as a rocket, glider, pogo, chili pepper rage and other items to help you defeat the evil gummies!

Cool Pizza – iOS ( Free)

Cool Pizza is a spastic screen-masher inspired by Space Harrier and After Burner. A girl and her haunted skateboard dive through the depths of the underworld, fighting devils and looking for answers. Can pizza ever be cool?Brutal difficulty, Forty-two Waves, Original laptoppunk soundtrack by Tettix.

ZiGGURAT – iOS ()

ZiGGURAT is the end of a much longer story — a story which ends with The Last Human On Earth standing atop a stratosphere-high stone pyramid, wielding a laser rifle against an endless wave of relentless alien freaks. Where did the alien freaks come from? How did our hero get to the top of this pyramid? We have no time to think about such things: there is only time to shoot.

Plicplic – iOS ( Free)

Let’s fly! Help get PlicPlic, the little umbrella, high enough to discover space and try for a new highscore! Rush to the stars, slalom through the storms, and avoid the birds! Priority to fun. With a simple and original game mechanic, discover a new way of playing: you won’t get enough of surfing the wind!

Tower of Fortune – iOS ()

Tower of Fortune is a retro-style slot machine/RPG. You play as a retired hero and lived with daughter peacefully. Until one day, an unknown power from the mystic tower took her away. This force the hero to draw the sword again and fight for his daughter.

Block Invader – iOS ()

Block Invader is an arcade space shoot’em up with 8bit style in 3d environment. Experience pixel-explosion with real physics, pixelated alien in form of 3d cubes, slow motion effect, and retro 8bit background music is enough to bring back nostalgic 8bit experience. Gain combos and chains to double, triple, or quadruple scores, collect powerups to upgrade ships and kill as much aliens as possible.

Irrupt – iOS ()

Somewhere out there, a space station has reconfigured itself into two parts to avoid an incoming asteroid shower. But how will the crew get from one part of the station to the other? That’s where you come in! Guide the never ending stream of brave astronauts as they attempt to reach safety. Tap and hold the screen to make your astronaut stop moving to avoid the falling asteroid blocks– but be careful, once you let go, or your energy bar runs out, you’ll boost forward at tremendous speeds.

Revolve – iOS ( Free)

Revolve is a new spin on the age old paddle and ball formula. Manoeuvre the paddles around a circular track to keep balls in play while avoiding obstacles, building multipliers and using powerups to slow down time and create forcefields. Earn bunts by scoring points to buy powerups in the store and bling your paddle!

Funky Smugglers – iOS (), Android ()

Some of the things smugglers try to get through the airport are incredible. There’s a spider in grandma’s suitcase?! A racketeer is hiding a plunger?! Holy smoke! Luckily, you have an X-Ray scanner to check their clothes and luggage for wacky contraband. Enjoy a funky 70s-style soundtrack while keeping the airport safe from hammers, scissors, and other illegal goods.

Jack Lumber – iOS ()

A tree killed his granny and now he is out for revenge. Meet Jack Lumber, the superhuman lumberjack who hates trees, loves animals, and hates trees. Did we say that twice? The guy really hates trees. Hike the trails of Flapjack Forest, trudge through The Loggers Bog, and ascend Widowmaker’s Peak chopping down every pine, oak, and maple that stands between you and the tree that killed your sweet old granny.

Buddha Finger – iOS ()

Your quiet life as a martial arts fan-boy is turned upside down when you meet Shifu, a kung fu master who reveals you have a long-lost twin brother: An Interpol agent who has mysteriously disappeared while hot on the trail of shadowy crime boss, “The Man”. Shifu sends you to the 80s-inspired Hong Kong where you’ll use an ancient martial art technique – the “Buddha Finger”- to rescue your brother and defeat a host of enemies, bosses and special characters through 61 levels of action-packed fun.