September’s mobile gaming line-up includes a new Lara Croft title, the eagerly awaited puzzle game Servant Of The Lake, and new Ball x Pit DLC. Despite GTA 6’s looming release, the mobile schedule remains relatively normal, with no sign of a GTA clone to capitalise on the situation.
Heavy Duty expansion for Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor – Heavy Duty Expansion (iOS, £8.99) combines the dwarves and mining setting of Deep Rock Galactic with Vampire Survivors’ swarm management, resulting in a top-down shooter where you mine through rock. The Heavy Duty expansion adds a new character class, the Demolisher, who drives the Rockdozer – a JCB-like vehicle that shoots flames from its rear. This proves useful against swarms of enemies.
The expansion also introduces extra weapons, an Egg Hunt mission type where you mine towards alien ova before facing a Brood Nexus boss, and an Endless Mode that continues until you’re overwhelmed. At nearly the same price as the game itself, it’s expensive by mobile standards, but it gives the game a fresh lease of life. Score: 7/10.
Ball x Pit: The Naturalist and Lara Croft return
Ball x Pit: The Naturalist (iOS and Android, free update) builds on the addictive blend of Breakout and Balatro-style stat boosting. This free DLC adds two new characters: The Ballbearer, who has double the usual ball slots but no passive buffs, and The Hoary Hoarder, who has just two ball slots but twice the default power-ups. New ball types and passive abilities work with all unlocked characters, offering a breath of fresh air. Score: 9/10.
Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris (iOS & Android, £7.49) is a spiritual successor to Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, reusing its isometric view and expanding co-op to three friends. With lightweight puzzles and twin-stick shooting, it’s not quite as fun as Guardian Of Light, but Feral Interactive’s port is first rate. Touchscreen controls offer both a standard fixed interface and a simplified, context-sensitive one, which works even better. Score: 7/10.
Idle fish sim and Rusty Lake’s latest puzzle
Chillquarium (iOS & Android, free) is a relaxing idle game where you buy randomised packs of baby fish, raise them to maturity, and sell them for upgrades. Tapping to feed speeds up growth, and each fish earns money daily. You’re forced to watch short ads every few minutes, but the sense of progression is gratifying, and the pixel art brood is rewarding to behold. Score: 6/10.
Servant Of The Lake (iOS & Android, £4.99) is a tactile, surreal puzzle game from Rusty Lake. You play as a new servant at a lake house owned by an unsettling family, solving point ‘n’ click puzzles over three days. The game’s subtle clue-leading is a masterclass, and its music, deadpan humour, and twisted logic make puzzles a pleasure. Score: 8/10.
Galactic Outlaw: Tower Defence disappoints
Galactic Outlaw: Tower Defence (iOS, free) has you shooting upwards at space invaders, but the cowboy auto-aims at the nearest enemy, so you only choose power-ups. The highest-priced microtransaction is the permanent ability to speed up the game, implicitly admitting it’s not that interesting. It doesn’t force ads, but progress slows to a crawl to encourage spending. Score: 3/10.
