With Android 4.0+, Google introduced the Holo scheme of design principles that promoted clean and digitally authentic design. Many third-party apps have since adopted these design themes, but the phenomenon isn’t exclusive to just social networking clients and calculators. In this roundup, we’ll be taking a look at fifteen awesome Holo-inspired games that you can grab for your Android handset from the Play Store today!
Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.
Modern Snake
Modern Snake is a beautiful revamp of the classic game Snake, the arcade game notoriously associated with some of Nokia’s historic phones. Modern Snake takes the classic game and infuses it with a modern design twist in the form of Holo. Other features of the game include the ability to play with another on the same screen and a wealth of customisation options.
Modern Snake
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Modern Snake
Developer: js.apps
Snake. Payback.
If Modern Snake doesn’t whet your appetite, Snake. Payback. is another Holo-inspired remake of the classic game that runs both the classic rebooted game in addition to a new “Payback” mode across a number of level designs. It’s completely free, both of price and ads.
Snake. Payback.
Price: Free
Requires: Android 4.0.3 or above
Google Play Link: Snake. Payback.
Developer: derlang.com
Battleship
Battleship is a Holo recreation of the iconic boardgame where you seek to sink your opponent’s placed virtual battleships on a grid. This free beta app lets you plot out your battleships of varying sizes and call an opponent to play in a side-by-side view.
Battleship
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play Link: Battleship
Developer: Stefan Reinsperger
Holoku (Holo Sudoku)
Sudoku fans, listen up! Holoku is a remake of the classic logic game, designed with Holo for Gingerbread and above phones. There’s over 1000 puzzles packed into this two-dollar app, across five different difficulty levels, meaning its perfect for any type of player.
Holoku
Price: $1.99
Requires: Android 2.3.3 or above
Google Play Link: Holoku (Holo Sudoku)
Developer: kcoppock
Sudoku
Likewise, and if Holoku isn’t for you, the aptly-named Sudoku aims to simply replicate the classic maths and logic game with a Holo theme, offering ad-free access to 40 free puzzles with up to 1600 more being available as in-app purchases.
Sudoku
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.3.3 or above
Google Play Link: Sudoku
Developer: Jamie McDonald
HoloKen
If Sudoku isn’t for you at all, HoloKen offers a Holo-influnced perspective on the relatively new game of Mathdoku or KenKen, an evolution of Sudoku with a more mathematical twist. The HoloKen app presents the game with recognition of Android’s Holo design, autogenerates puzzles at a range of difficulty levels and, importantly, is free!
HoloKen
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: HoloKen
Developer: Tortuca Inc
GYRO
GYRO is a pretty popular arcade-style game for Android where the aim is to rotate a wheel to make sure matching circles hit the right part. Branding itself as highly addictive, the game has already shipped more than 500,000 units and it’s not difficult to see why.
GYRO
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play Link: GYRO
Developer: Vivid Games
Blurry Defense
Blurry Defense is a Holo-inspired tower defense game where the aim is to build an apt defense for an onslaught of waves of enemies, each with their own attributes you’ll have to accommodate. When you kill enemies, you’ll be rewarded with cash to upgrade your defences in a manner not unlike similar games. However, this one looks beautiful with its Holo-inspired design and is available for your phone today!
Blurry Defense
Price: $0.99
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Blurry Defense
Developer: Brainwash Studio
Tic-tac-toe 1vs1
Tic-tac-toe is a beautiful rendition of the classic noughts-and-crosses game that works with two players either on the same phone or connecting over Bluetooth. Customisable with both a light and dark skin, Tic-tac-toe 1vs1 is perhaps the best way to play the game on Android.
Tic-tac-toe 1vs1
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Tic-tac-toe 1vs1
Developer: Stéphane Mathis
Ball Maze
The simply-titled Ball Maze is a game all about leading a ball to its target in one of hundreds of different level designs that ship with this $1.29 app. Included is a multiplayer mode that allows you to race your friends in real-time for maximum fun and competitive achievement. As a bonus, Ball Maze integrates with Google’s newly-announced Google Play Game Services too!
Ball Maze
Price: $1.29
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play Link: Ball Maze
Developer: Alexander Oprisnik
Match 3
Match 3 is a super-straightforward and simple “match 3″-style game with “a nod to the Android holo style”. The aim of the game is to match up the various symbols in a large grid, and Match 3 presents this in a beautiful minimalist view devoid of superfluous clutter.
Match 3
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play Link: Match 3
Developer: Richard Jones
jumpr
While all the games in this roundup have been inspired by Android’s Holo design, jumpr is perhaps the most beautiful. This beautiful, minimalist app sees you jump from platform to platform in a style reminiscent of games like Doodle Jump, although jumpr opts for sleek outlines rather than cartoonish graphics. And, by downloading the game, you’ll even be helping science as the beta app is part of a Digital Media study by developer Joshua Trees.
jumpr
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play Link: jumpr
Developer: Joshua Trees
WordKick
WordKick is a unique word game where the ultimate goal is to change one word into another by changing only one letter at a time. You can play WordKick in a casual mode that lets you play at your own pace, or instead opt for a challenge with a limited number of moves. And it looks fantastic to boot!
WordKick
Price: Free
Requires: Android 4.0 or above
Google Play Link: WordKick
Developer: makario
Word Search
If the name didn’t give it away, Word Search is a Holo-designed game that replicates the fun of a classic wordsearch, although these ones are dynamically generated for never-ending fun! With over 10,000,000 installations and an average 4.5-star rating, Word Search is probably the best way to play word search on your Android device.
Word Search
Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play Link: Word Search
Developer: Melimots
Lights On
Lights On is a minimalist game that is as simple as its interface. The aim is to remove highlighted squares from a grid, but when you touch one, both that square and a one adjacent are toggled. You can grab Lights On for free now and play with the current set of levels. Developer Isaac T plans to bring more levels and even an editor to the app in the future!
Lights On
Price: Free
Requires: Android 3.0 or above
Google Play Link: Lights On
Developer: Isaac T
If you’ve spotted any other awesome Holo-inspired Android games, be sure to let us know in the comments!