Welcome to our roundup of the new Android games that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. Today I have the official launch of Valve's auto chess title, the Western release of a Dragon Quest gacha game, the soft launch of Electronic Arts' tower defense game Plants vs. Zombies 3, and the arrival of LEGO's free-to-play hero brawler. So without further ado, here are the more notable Android games released during the week of February 24th, 2020.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Android Police coverage: Valve's Auto Chess competitor Dota Underlords is coming to Android (Update: Season 1 starts today)

Dota Underlords is Valve's take on auto chess, built off of the MOBA Dota 2, and it's been playable on Android since July 2019, though this week marks the official release as well as the beginning of the first season for the title. As expected, the auto-battler offers a $5 subscription pass for anyone that would like to earn extra rewards as they play, and since this week marks the official stable release for mobile, new modes and gameplay elements have arrived to flesh out the title. Sadly, many reviews point to poor balancing, which is something to keep in mind if you haven't played this auto-battler yet.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $4.99

Android Police coverage: Dragon Quest of the Stars is available for download a day early, but you can't play it yet (Update: Out now)

Dragon Quest of the Stars is a four-year-old mobile RPG from Square Enix that has just made its way to the West. It brings along aging art and game design, and yet includes exorbitant in-app purchases, not to mention a monthly sub that locks ease-of-use features behind a paywall. So not only is this game a cash-in, it's not even new. So while the gacha-based gameplay assuredly offers an addictive grind, expect to pay through the nose if you'd like to advance at a regular pace.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99

Android Police coverage: Plants vs. Zombies 3 leaves pre-alpha testing, enters soft launch in select territories

This week Plants vs. Zombies 3 left pre-alpha and entered into a soft-launch phase. Right now, the game is officially available in the Philippines and should be coming to new regions as the days move forward, though an in-depth time frame hasn't been provided. So it would seem Electronic Arts is slowly pushing Pv3 out to the public as it continues developing and testing the game to ensure that fans will love it. Of course, if you check out the listed in-app purchase prices below, it's easy to understand why it could be challenging for many fans of the series to get excited about this title.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Android Police coverage: LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is a F2P collect-a-thon RPG, now available on the Play Store (Update)

LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is a free-to-play strategy RPG that stars everyone's favorite LEGO characters, and that's on purpose since this a hero collection game. Yep, if you've ever playedMARVEL Strike Force,Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes,DC Legends: Battle for Justice,Ninja Turtles: Legends,Disney Heroes: Battle Mode,Looney Tunes World of Mayhem,Might and Magic: Elemental Guardians,Age of Magic, orSummoners War, then you should know exactly what to expect from Heroes Unboxed. More or less, it's a kids game filled with gambling mechanics disguised as mini-figure collecting, which shows LEGO has no qualms emptying the pockets of children for its profits.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

ISOLAND 3: Dust of the Universe is the long-awaited sequel to Isoland 2: Ashes of Time, though it looks like the dev opted for a different publisher this time around. More or less, you can expect the same fantastic point-and-click adventure gameplay as the first two titles in the series, all wrapped up in a new story that explores the significance of art.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $4.49

Story of a Gladiator is a new release from the creators of Dark Quest and its sequel. Unlike the developer's previous titles, Story of a Gladiator isn't an RPG. It's actually a brawler similar in style to Capcom's beat 'em up games. Of course, this title is themed around fighting in an arena as a gladiator, and it offers 80 enemies, three arenas, 36 battles, and three boss fights. So if you're looking for a quality arcade brawler that won't break the bank, Story of a Gladiator is a solid choice.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Squadron: Extended Edition offers two separate titles in a single package, which explains the $7.99 price tag. As you would expect, this is a top-down shoot 'em up, and it's themed around the planes that took to the air in WWII. Since the game offers two separate campaigns, you can expect to shoot your way through 50 levels and 12 boss fights. Best of all, the entire game is fully voiced, which adds a level of polish you wouldn't expect from a mobile release. If you love top-down arcade shooters, this one's worth the asking price.

Monetization: $7.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Eri's Forest is an extremely unique tower defense game that offers a 360-degree playing field. Essentially each match will take place on a piece of a tree, and you'll have to revolve the camera around this branch to get a clear picture of the entire field. This makes for exciting matches since you'll have to micromanage your camera as you keep the baddies from reaching your base. This is how you take a tried and true genre and turn it on its head, folksprops to the dev.

Monetization: $7.99 / no ads / no IAPs

SWORDSHOT Demo serves as an early access release for what is essentially a top-down shooter. The thing is, this is a static shooter, and so it will be your job to blast the revolving shields of your enemies in order to take them down. Think of the game as a boss rush mode in your favorite top-down shooter, and that's precisely what you can expect from this release.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

The Cat in the Hat Invents: PreK STEM Robot Games is an educational game designed to get kids interested in STEM. Of course, most STEM fields require a massive amount of dedication to be successful in them, so it's not like the Cat in the Hat is going to all of a sudden make your kid good at math, but I suppose stoking interests early is still a good thing.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

This is a bit of an odder listing, but it would appear that Dish Life: The Game is a simulation title all about growing stem cells, of all things. It will be your job to manage the daily activities of a stem cell lab, such as growing and nurturing stem cells. Of course, this is also a game that contains a political bend, so subjects like politics and social issues are present for some reason. Oh, and like most games that were built to focus on a political message instead of fun, this is a title filled with bugs. Imagine that.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Dungeon Quest Action RPG is chiefly a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that exudes a few roguelike elements. Players will have to level up as they collect new equipment, and there are a few boss fights in the mix, so players should expect a challenge. Best of all, this title isn't some greedy gacha game, so its monetization is straightforward. If you like what you see, you can purchase the entirety of the title through a single in-app purchase.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $3.49 a piece

Make it perfect is a game for everyone out there that suffers from OCD. I know that I have a peculiar problem where I can't fall asleep if my shoes aren't standing up straight on the floor, and so I can totally get behind a game that's all about unnecessary perfection and tidiness. Essentially it will be your job to clean up each level in the game to the point where things look perfect. Then it's on to the next stage.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $3.49 a piece

US Conflict is a real-time strategy game that forgoes the general BS you would expect of a mobile RTS title. That means this release offers gameplay that is closer to what you would expect from a PC RTS game, all in the palm of your hands. Really, the only downside I can find with this release is that there are only 12 stages to play through, making for a short experience, but still a fun one.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $5.99 a piece

It would appear that ZeptoLab has fallen to the wayside much like Rovio, and is now releasing shallow junk, like this endless runner. Maybe if ZeptoLab had jumped into the genre when it was still popular, this release would make more sense, but seeing that this style of game is completely played out, I have to wonder who greenlit this release. I mean, the title works as advertised, but really who cares about yet another pointless endless runner, even if it stars a cute character from a 10-year old mobile game. At the very least, the title's in-app purchases aren't all that bad. It's just a shame ZeptoLab couldn't come up with an original idea.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $9.99

Microsoft Sudoku is a release that caught me by surprise. Up until this week, I never heard about the game, but it would appear that's it's been around for a while on competing platforms. Still, it's a surprise to see the title appear on the Play Store without word-one from Microsoft, and it would seem that more than a few people have been able to play the game over the last few months, and so far many of the reviews point to sound bugs and iffy controls.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $9.99

Do you love adorable cats? Do you enjoy playing idle games? Well, guess what, Idle Cat Stars is an infectious title that contains both, and it just entered into early access this week. Essentially this is a celebrity cat management game, and so it will be your job to direct the careers of famous felines, such as Angry Cat. So if you'd like to experience what it's like to run the social media campaign for your favorite celebrity feline, then this is the game for you. Of course, like most idle games, the gameplay grows stale quickly, though the monetization in this release isn't as bad as the majority of free-to-play idle games out there.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $37.99

With all the PR I received this week about Knockdown Heroes, you'd think this game was actually bringing something new to the table, but of course, it isn't. Essentially this is a title that clones the mechanics of Clash Royale, though there is a little more room for player input since there are a few unique moves in the mix. Sadly the controls aren't all that great, which really hampers player enjoyment.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99

RPG Liege Dragon is the latest release from Kemco to offer an English translation. As expected, this is a generic turn-based RPG that not only costs $9 but also contains in-app purchases that range all the way up to $49.99 per item. Why a $9 mobile game contains IAPS that high, I do not know, and I wouldn't recommend spending $9 to find out either. No wonder nobody talks about Kemco anymore.

Monetization: $8.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $49.99

Saint Seiya Shining Soldiers is the latest release from Bandai Namco, and as you can see, it's themed around the Japanese manga series Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. Like most Bandai mobile games, this is a battle-based RPG, though the UI is rough, and you'll have to constantly download new sections of the game, even if you opt for the bulk-download option, which is really annoying.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $79.99

Dragon Raja is a drop-dead gorgeous mobile MMO that was built using Unreal Engine 4. Much like Black Desert Mobile, this game offers a fantastic character creator, but sadly all the other annoyances found in similar MMOs make an appearance. This means auto-questing and auto-combat are present, and there doesn't appear to be an on-screen map, so auto-questing is definitely a requisite. Still, this is one of the best looking MMOs on Android to date, and it's worth exploring if you don't mind the annoyances of the genre, like heavy monetization and endless grinding.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Okay, I'm just about sick of seeing all of the idle games that are constantly released on the Google Play Store. The majority are low-effort garbage that offers the exact same gameplay mechanics as the next. And then in comes Dream Blue Ocean, an idle game that actually tries to do things differently. Sure, you'll still find yourself furiously tapping on the screen during certain sections of the title, but more or less, this is a relaxing game all about fishing and exploring the ocean, and let me tell you, it looks great too. Sadly the game is still filled with ridiculous monetization, but at least its devs bothered to put some thought into its gameplay.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Bio Inc. Nemesis - Plague Doctors used to be called Bio Inc 2: Rebel Doctor Plague, and you can even see in one of the screenshots that this is indeed Bio Inc. 2. Now I don't know why the devs chose to change the name, but it would appear that the title is now officially available, despite the fact we covered the previous release at the tail end of last year. More or less, this is a virus simulation game, much like the previous title in the series, though it would appear killing humans (instead of a virus) is more of a goal this time around. So far, user reviews have not been kind, pointing to greedy monetization and buggy gameplay.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

Knighthood comes from King, the developer behind the Candy Crush series, and so this release is a big departure for the company since the game is a turn-based RPG. Considering that this is a King release, you can expect extremely heavy monetization as well as a boatload of false roadblocks designed to slow down your journey. Sure, the game looks great, but that's really all it has going for it.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $99.99

Galaxy Airforce War is a free-to-play SHMUP that plays just like the rest. Gridining is very much a thing, and so is constant death, and for some reason, the game plays in landscape mode instead of portrait. This design choice makes it difficult to see what's going on, and for a shooter, it's detrimental to the gameplay. You know what else is detrimental, filling a SHMUP with a boatload of in-app purchases. Last I looked, there isn't a single top-down shooter on this planet worth spending $100 on.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $99.99

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25 new Android games from the week of February 24, 2020 - Android Police