The games you will play…

BENGALURU: It has been a while since I made a listicle. So, instead of doing a cop-out by reviewing the free game on the Epic Games Store this week (it is Just Cause 4, just ‘cause I know some of you might be curious), this week’s list is about the games we play during the quarantine! These are games that are a little overtly aggressive, very unlike the TikTok challenges and household chores-related mind games you might have with people you are currently living with. This list is ranked on a scale of “easily gets boring” to “the novelty hasn’t worn out yet”.

Houseparty: Unsure if it comes strictly under the category of a videogame (but it supports video calling and has games so might slip in on a technicality), but you all probably had it on your phone and used it for a grand total of two times. Beyond that, Pictionary gets repetitive and admit it, you never really understood the point of the Chips and Guac game.

Ludo: There are multiple versions of this app online. Good for some wholesome fun with friends. Randomisation is FAKE NEWS, and there’s always that person who the dice favours more than the others. The only reason you continue playing this is with the hope that you suddenly emerge as lucky towards the game’s end, when no one is expecting it.

Call of Duty Mobile: If you have friends who play PUBG, it will be a real miracle if you can get them to install COD on their phones as well. The new mobile game will make you feel like a true wunderkind in the initial levels. Games like COD are strictly not suitable for the phone (which is why I will review COD Warzone next), but that doesn’t make the easy wins any less satisfactory. I haven’t played it long enough for the beginner’s luck to wear off yet. Instead, I’ve stuck to…

Pubg: A solid match in Erangel once a week can be a wonderful ego boost to power you through the rest of the day. A nice car drive with friends through the red zone might give you the same feeling as walking through the roads of your city again. Battle Royale is a heavy recommend during lockdowns.
Catan: The online version is not free to play, unlike the others on this list — but is available across platforms. The randomised maps make a single round of the game a little complex and longer, but more fun. 

The gameplay is simple to understand, easier than explaining the rules every time when you use the physical boardgame. The randomised dice rolls, however, do not at all fit in with the likelihood of the numbers that emerge. Remember to distract yourselves with games this week, and don’t trust the dice.