Tapping some tiles on the way to work, swiping through a city while you wait to pay for your groceries, even guessing that tune on your lunch break – many of us enjoy quick play gaming. One of the unique plus points of this genre is the endless innovation, bringing us new ideas that, for a time, we can’t get enough of. Let’s take a look at some of the brilliant ideas that quick play game developers have come up with in the last decade.
Live Dealer Casino Games Bring Us Closer to Reality
There’s plenty of technology that’s been making RNG casino games more exciting for some time, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality – and plain old better graphics. However, nobody could’ve predicted the incredible success that live casino technology has brought. You can play various blackjack games from the comfort of your home, but with the – feeling – of being in an actual casino. This is achieved through live streaming technology, the likes of which are famously used on Twitch. Several cameras are set up around the room and broadcast instantaneously to the screens of players at home. This means that online casino fans can enjoy watching and interacting with a real dealer, in a way that just wasn’t possible before.
Heardle Cleverly Combines Nostalgia with Novelty
All of us are guilty of sticking to our old favorites when it comes to music. Even those of us who seek out new music actively still feel a pang of nostalgia when one of the classics that we love comes on the radio. With that said, we all seek out novelty too and this game takes advantage of both of those – very human – traits. The latest edition of Heardle is a great choice for anyone who lived through the noughties. The game asks you to guess the song as quickly as possible from a very short clip. It’s a brilliant game to play for solo satisfaction, but for me, it comes into its own as a party game. With a few drinks around the table and some good friends too, things can get pretty noisy as everybody tries to guess which song is playing, before the rest of their friends.
Puzzlers Left Puzzled by NYT Crossword
The New York Times puzzle section has been under attack recently for its answer to one of the mini crossword clues. But does it really deserve to be? The New York Times puzzle section has always been a front-runner amongst other publications for its dedication to providing good quality and often innovative puzzles. They were one of the first newspapers to publish Sudoku and their cryptic crossword is revered by fans. Just a few years ago they parted with more than a million dollars to acquire Wordle, which is now a favorite for literally millions of readers every day. When you’re such a well-known publication, with so many different games, and such a focus on top quality new ideas for games, there are bound to be occasional complaints. If the mini crossword isn’t your thing, then head for Wordle – it’s tried, tested, and takes just five minutes.
Swerving Games Swerve Right into the Top Spot
Think through all of the mobile apps that you’ve ever had loaded onto your smartphone. How many of those had swerving mechanics? You know, the ones where you swipe your finger left and right to avoid or collide with obstacles. Back in 2011, Temple Run made this mechanic so popular that countless other games followed it. Subway Surfers, Minion Rush, Jetpack Joyride and all kinds of other endlessly playable mobile games feature the simple left/right mechanic. Even Tinder uses it! While this isn’t a novelty now, it really was back then. At the time, up/down and left/right were the ways we tended to manage our characters in mobile games. Swerve mechanics were unusual because they took something, made it simpler, and somehow created an even more popular outcome.
Combining Swerve Mechanics with Music
If you like Heardle and any of the games we mentioned above, then you’ll probably like Tiles Hop EDM Rush. This simple game is all based on keeping in rhythm, allowing you to control a bouncing ball (using swerve mechanics) to ensure it hits the right tiles in time with the music. It sounds simple and at the beginning it is, but as anybody who’s listened to EDM knows, when the beat drops, things get a whole lot harder! The beauty and the pain of swerve mechanics is one wrong move – and you’re out. This game is no different, except you’ve also got to do it whilst keeping time. There are several other games that use this combination of game mechanics too, including Beat Saber and the absolute classic, Just Dance.
