Android Gaming Headlines and Updates: Pokemon Go Fest, Mario Kart Tour, Catalyst Black, and More

The summer of 2020 has necessarily been very different from the summer of 2019. The most obvious difference in our patch is that all the events that used to take place in physical premises now happen virtually, with both Pokemon Go Fest and the Google Indie Games Festival happening in the abstract world of ones and zeroes rather than in a sweaty convention centre.

The change hasn’t apparently done them any harm, however, and there’s even been some positive news in the form of a $1m donation to Doctors Without Borders, plus some juicy morsels of news. Overall, a good week.

Don’t forget to check out the latest new Android games and sales in the Saturday companion to this article.

Headlines

Meteorfall: Krumit’s Tale is the eagerly anticipated mobile sequel to Meteorfall: Journey, an ace cartoon card game. Available on Steam right now, with an average rating of 9/10, Meteorfall: Krumit’s Tale is on Google Play right now for pre-registration.

Tides of Oblivion is touted as the biggest piece of Pascal’s Wager DLC yet. Set in a watery environment with its very own baddies and a new hero to control, Tides of Oblivion will be out on August the 20th. It’ll cost $2.99. Pascal’s Wager, meanwhile, is still on offer at the introductory price of $3.99.

A few months ago thatgamecompany – the legendary studio behind Journey and Flower – announced that it would be raising money for Doctors Without Borders through a piece of DLC called Days of Healing. The results are in, with the team handing over a cool million to the intrepid clinicians.

Google’s annual Indie Games Festival has come to a close, under significantly more strained circumstances than last year’s event. There are distinct winners in three different regions – Europe, South Korea, and Japan – and the top spots went to titles like Gigafall, Cookies Must Die, and Heroes Restaurant, among many others.

From August the 17th, a three week long Summoner Showdown event will be taking place in Marvel Contest of Champions. It’ll be a series of boss fights, against such formidable opponents as the Silver Surfer and the basically invincible Captain Marvel. Good luck with that.

Like many annual events, this year’s Pokemon Go was a radically different affair. The stats are in from the online-only festival, with over one billion Pokemon having been caught, 55 million gifts sent, and 58 million Team Go Rocket members defeated.

Catalyst Black is the next eagerly anticipated title from Super Evil Megacorp, the studio behind hit MOBA Vainglory. It’s going into early access on August 12th, meaning select players will be able to sample the team-based shooty fun ahead of the full release.

Just as the 19/20 UK soccer season draws to a close, the next instalment of the Soccer Manager series has gone live for pre-registration on the Google Play Store. It promises a rich management engine, 3D matches, a realistic economy, and more, all for free.

Updates

The latest tour in Mario Kart Tour takes place in the wild west. It features the classic Kalimari Desert 2 track from Mario Kart 64, as well as a handful of new racers and gliders. It runs until August the 12th.