Like Candy Crush but not
January 30, 2022 6:14 PM Subscribe
I used to play way too much Candy Crush back in the day when it was more simplistic but now it's just like a terrible bombardment of cartoons and microtransactions and things popping out at you all the time. Looking for something else to play that I don't need to give my full attention to, because I usually only play mobile games when I'm already listening to or watching something else. Something that's kind of "zen" or calming would be great as well, in the current atmosphere. Oh and available on Android! Any suggestions?
Bejeweled Classic scratches this itch for me. Diamond Mine is my favorite mode, but Classic and Zen (unlimited with no losing conditions, iirc) are good to zone out to. I use the same app on iOS.
posted by lesser weasel at 6:26 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by lesser weasel at 6:26 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
(Adding to mention, my current go-to is Picross, but I only play that on Switch as the phone versions are irritating for me. But maybe you'll find a version you like, if you try it out!)
posted by lesser weasel at 6:27 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by lesser weasel at 6:27 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm quite happy with Royal Match. Same match 3 game like Candy Crush. No ads. You can join a team and get assists. Games can get difficult, but not impossible. On mobile , sorry no link.
posted by hydra77 at 6:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hydra77 at 6:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've been playing I Love Hue Too for this. Very calming to me, and one of the few games where I can actually process audio at the same time. I just now realized that it's a sequel - the original is also highly rated.
Bonus: Battleships is a web game that technically works on a phone but I find annoying without a mouse. It may or may not be how I get through zoom meetings.
posted by davidest at 6:33 PM on January 30, 2022 [5 favorites]
Bonus: Battleships is a web game that technically works on a phone but I find annoying without a mouse. It may or may not be how I get through zoom meetings.
posted by davidest at 6:33 PM on January 30, 2022 [5 favorites]
Microsoft Solitaire. I have in iPhone, but it must be available on Android as well. I play Klondike in those kinds of situations. I paid for it because I play it so much, when I'm not reading or working and just need something to occupy my hands.
There are lots of other Solitaires out there, of course, I just like the Microsoft version the best (and besides, I'm halfway through the Silver level on Master difficulty, why would I switch now?)
posted by lhauser at 6:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are lots of other Solitaires out there, of course, I just like the Microsoft version the best (and besides, I'm halfway through the Silver level on Master difficulty, why would I switch now?)
posted by lhauser at 6:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've found "nonogram" style puzzle games are very engrossing to me and there are lots of versions that are free or very cheap. Funnily enough this Konami one has been the most fun because the pixel art making up the grids makes the puzzles interesting and a little more logical.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 6:59 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 6:59 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Twenty. I absolutely regret installing it but it is insanely soothing.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:03 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:03 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
I'm a big fan of Slidey. The easiest way to explain it is it's kind of reverse Tetris; blocks fall from the top and stack, and you have to prevent them from stacking all the way to the top of the grid by eliminating the blocks from the bottom. You do this by sliding blocks to completely fill a row, the act of which also may fill other rows above it due to the falling of the blocks below.
The best part about it is that it's not timed, nor does it pressure you to make a move; you can start a game, go off and do something else, and pick up right where you left off later. It has recently built out this whole other world within it, with some microtransactions and whatnot, but you can also easily ignore those and just play the main game (the other world only appears when you're in between games).
posted by pdb at 7:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
The best part about it is that it's not timed, nor does it pressure you to make a move; you can start a game, go off and do something else, and pick up right where you left off later. It has recently built out this whole other world within it, with some microtransactions and whatnot, but you can also easily ignore those and just play the main game (the other world only appears when you're in between games).
posted by pdb at 7:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Fishdom.
posted by Melismata at 7:40 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 7:40 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Dots or Two Dots might do it for you!
I love Two Dots but would argue it has some of the same issues with annoying things popping up constantly. It has gotten worse and worse. It is fun though and I love the scavenger hunt side things.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:41 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
I love Two Dots but would argue it has some of the same issues with annoying things popping up constantly. It has gotten worse and worse. It is fun though and I love the scavenger hunt side things.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:41 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Gamesnacks will definitely have something for you. It is presently ad-free. In particular, their game Pirates has a strong old-school Candy Crush vibe.
posted by ourobouros at 7:51 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by ourobouros at 7:51 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Threes!
posted by goingonit at 9:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by goingonit at 9:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
Cortex turned our household onto Holedown years ago, and it's perfect for this kind of thing.
posted by deludingmyself at 9:15 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by deludingmyself at 9:15 PM on January 30, 2022
Dots & Co is a lot like Two Dots (which I also love) but doesn't have all the popups, reminders to buy gold, blah blah blah which can get annoying.
You might also enjoy Aurora Bound and its sequel Aurora Hex. Rotating and moving coloured, patterned pieces to create a bigger pattern, very soothing.
I also love UnpuzzleR - basically like disassembling a puzzle rather than building it, with certain rules about how you can eliminate the pieces. Really easy to pick up and satisfying. Have learnt from looking it up that there is a sequel, UnpuzzleX which I haven't played but is probably just as good.
+1 to I Love Hue and I Love Hue Too; if you like that kind of colour thing, also try Blendoku 2.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:30 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
You might also enjoy Aurora Bound and its sequel Aurora Hex. Rotating and moving coloured, patterned pieces to create a bigger pattern, very soothing.
I also love UnpuzzleR - basically like disassembling a puzzle rather than building it, with certain rules about how you can eliminate the pieces. Really easy to pick up and satisfying. Have learnt from looking it up that there is a sequel, UnpuzzleX which I haven't played but is probably just as good.
+1 to I Love Hue and I Love Hue Too; if you like that kind of colour thing, also try Blendoku 2.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:30 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Slay the Spire could be nice for you, because it's a turn based card game which means you can stop paying attention to it at any moment without wrecking your game. One time purchase and no microtransactions.
Mini Metro is also on Android, one time purchase, and it's pretty soothing to play until the endgame arrives.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Mini Metro is also on Android, one time purchase, and it's pretty soothing to play until the endgame arrives.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
10000000 and #ymbab are match-three where you have to pick things relevant to the dungeon crawling character in the tunnel at the top of the screen. Good flow times.
(I used to work with the developer but didn't make the roster of people that join you as you build the boat of You Must Build A Boat.)
posted by k3ninho at 11:57 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
(I used to work with the developer but didn't make the roster of people that join you as you build the boat of You Must Build A Boat.)
posted by k3ninho at 11:57 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Toon Blast is cute, not totally zen but easy to play while listening to other things.
posted by penguin pie at 3:15 AM on January 31, 2022
posted by penguin pie at 3:15 AM on January 31, 2022
I have spent an embarrassing amount of time playing this Simon's Cat game, which ticks most of your boxes...
posted by altolinguistic at 6:49 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by altolinguistic at 6:49 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Lyne is like if you turned the pattern unlock on your phone into a puzzle game.
Short sessions, simple mechanics, new boards available daily. It's a paid app ($3), so no adds or attempts to get you to buy powerups. it was in the itch.io social justice bundle, so if you bought that a few years ago, you should just be able to install it. if not it's on the usual app stores.
Have you played any of the Alto infinite snowbording games? those are pretty zen-y.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2022
Short sessions, simple mechanics, new boards available daily. It's a paid app ($3), so no adds or attempts to get you to buy powerups. it was in the itch.io social justice bundle, so if you bought that a few years ago, you should just be able to install it. if not it's on the usual app stores.
Have you played any of the Alto infinite snowbording games? those are pretty zen-y.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:59 AM on January 31, 2022
Lily’s Garden is a match-3 adjacent one that I have played ~6000 levels of in the past year.
I like the in-game events, no intrusive ads for other apps, and after the first couple hours of play I completely ignored the existence of the plot except when I skip-advanced through them to refill my lives in order to keep playing.
posted by itesser at 8:53 AM on January 31, 2022
I like the in-game events, no intrusive ads for other apps, and after the first couple hours of play I completely ignored the existence of the plot except when I skip-advanced through them to refill my lives in order to keep playing.
posted by itesser at 8:53 AM on January 31, 2022
(I LOVE Slay the Spire, but it took me a couple dozen hours of giving it 90% of my attention on my tablet before I could give it 10% attention on my phone. Lots of text to read on the cards before you’re familiar enough with game mechanics and patterns to do it as a background activity)
posted by itesser at 8:56 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by itesser at 8:56 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
I love Merge games for that, my fave is Merge Dragons. It's a match-3 game with a twist, little exploitative in a freemium kind of way but nowhere near as bad as Candy Crush. Brainless, cute, with rewarding progression.
posted by Freyja at 10:09 AM on January 31, 2022
posted by Freyja at 10:09 AM on January 31, 2022
OMG. This question - or rather the answers - has swallowed my morning whole. THANK you for asking and thanks to everyone for such wonderful selections. I thought I had scoured the entire play store for my kind of distraction and come away with the same ole same ole but no! Now I have a whole basket of fun. Thank you all.
posted by susandennis at 11:39 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by susandennis at 11:39 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Twenty. I absolutely regret installing it but it is insanely soothing.
Based on your description I clearly should have stayed away, but here we are. It's really really good.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:50 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Based on your description I clearly should have stayed away, but here we are. It's really really good.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:50 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Shape and Hue
Ball Sort Puzzle
Gems Or Jewels
I love Hue
Untangle
Gorb Demo (This is the free demo version that has 24 levels)
For a really no thinking zen game:
Pair Match 3D
Any Bart Bonte game, especially the colors. Most of these are free, but some are $1.99, and it's the only game dev I've ever paid for games for and I feel good about it.
Red
Blue
Yellow
Factory Balls
Where is Cat
What's inside the box
posted by newpotato at 1:19 PM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Ball Sort Puzzle
Gems Or Jewels
I love Hue
Untangle
Gorb Demo (This is the free demo version that has 24 levels)
For a really no thinking zen game:
Pair Match 3D
Any Bart Bonte game, especially the colors. Most of these are free, but some are $1.99, and it's the only game dev I've ever paid for games for and I feel good about it.
Red
Blue
Yellow
Factory Balls
Where is Cat
What's inside the box
posted by newpotato at 1:19 PM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
I've been fond of Jewels of Rome lately. Match 3, easy pace, unlimited tries, gives out bonus items regularly. All ads can be clicked away (unless you're watching on purpose to earn game currency). And it's all set in a Roman colony with a lot of historical tidbits (e.g. you collect pieces of various Roman and related machines, pottery, religious objects etc) including a pretty gender-balanced cast and lots of multiculturalism, even if slightly anachronistic at times (Noh theatre is old, but not that old), with well-drawn cartoon graphics of the off-brand Disney kind and non-annoying music.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:24 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:24 PM on January 31, 2022
Another vote for I Love Hue and I Love Hue Too. I really like that it is not timed, and I find the process of matching the color gradients very soothing. It's the only game I have on my phone.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:20 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by hydropsyche at 2:20 PM on January 31, 2022
My go-to mindless game app right now is BubblePop Original. It's a standard bubble shooter but it doesn't have as much of the annoying things a lot of those types of games have. It's not timed, you have unlimited plays, and it doesn't get to the point where it's impossible to win without paying for extras.
posted by lunasol at 2:43 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by lunasol at 2:43 PM on January 31, 2022
Thanks from me too, for this thread, massofintuition. I was contemplating an Ask for games I can play while listening to audiobooks, and this is me sorted for the forseeable!
posted by penguin pie at 2:53 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by penguin pie at 2:53 PM on January 31, 2022
Yes definitely Two Dots. I also played Candy Crush and it gives me a similar pleasure. You can ignore the gold/gems stuff. In fact I have beaten all 3000+ levels without even using any of the free powerups you earn, much less spending any cash. Also the music is great and they are still adding cute new mechanics.
posted by freecellwizard at 3:42 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by freecellwizard at 3:42 PM on January 31, 2022
Another vote for Battleships! I also really like 0h h1 for this, and it's available on Android.
posted by meadowlands at 6:09 PM on January 31, 2022
posted by meadowlands at 6:09 PM on January 31, 2022
Criteria: free, colorful, quick to load, short gaming time, easy to win (I keep things on the simplest level), no annoying sounds (or sounds turned off), a minimum of ads. It's not if I win, but how I win.
Microsoft Solitaire Collection -- Klondike, Spider, Free Cell, Pyramid, Tri Peaks. I enjoy the fireworks, butterflies, and bouncing cards after each win. I've gotten into the silver level with Spider, but it's not a perk.
Microsoft Mahjong -- I keep it on Turtle. I usually have it on the ocean background.
Jewel Star -- Rolling Donut Apps, Random Salad Games. Level One starts at The Dragon's Lair and games become progressively more complex. I can go back to easier games or skip unsatisfying games. The last level in that section must be successful to advance to the next group. Currently this download goes to Level 220. I named my dragon Ember (they show up when advancing to the next level).
Hexic -- I can get caught up in a session, which gets progressively more complex. Making black pearls is hard. Sometimes I just concentrate on taking out as many hexagons at a time as possible.
posted by TrishaU at 11:21 PM on February 1, 2022
Microsoft Solitaire Collection -- Klondike, Spider, Free Cell, Pyramid, Tri Peaks. I enjoy the fireworks, butterflies, and bouncing cards after each win. I've gotten into the silver level with Spider, but it's not a perk.
Microsoft Mahjong -- I keep it on Turtle. I usually have it on the ocean background.
Jewel Star -- Rolling Donut Apps, Random Salad Games. Level One starts at The Dragon's Lair and games become progressively more complex. I can go back to easier games or skip unsatisfying games. The last level in that section must be successful to advance to the next group. Currently this download goes to Level 220. I named my dragon Ember (they show up when advancing to the next level).
Hexic -- I can get caught up in a session, which gets progressively more complex. Making black pearls is hard. Sometimes I just concentrate on taking out as many hexagons at a time as possible.
posted by TrishaU at 11:21 PM on February 1, 2022
Townscaper! You can play a limited version on the author's site, but it's also on Steam and iOS.
posted by emelenjr at 10:02 AM on February 3, 2022
posted by emelenjr at 10:02 AM on February 3, 2022
Late to this, but Puzzlecats by Mobilityware is fantastic! Play it offline to avoid ads. Kids love it, too.
I only play offline, and prefer no time limits, so Words in Word is also a favourite. E-Scrabble Solitaire is great, but if you leave it, it resets the letter count back to 93, and you might just as well hit new game.
Note: avoid ads by playing offline. You'll still get the 'buy more tokens' junk, but not the inescapable ads.
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:52 PM on February 3, 2022
I only play offline, and prefer no time limits, so Words in Word is also a favourite. E-Scrabble Solitaire is great, but if you leave it, it resets the letter count back to 93, and you might just as well hit new game.
Note: avoid ads by playing offline. You'll still get the 'buy more tokens' junk, but not the inescapable ads.
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:52 PM on February 3, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sagc at 6:24 PM on January 30, 2022 [9 favorites]