Weekend puzzlers: 10 fun mobile games to kick your brain cells into gear

It’s the weekend, high time for you to put the dreadfully dreary drudgery of the office behind you, rejuvenate your senses and pull back some of those lost IQ points. Here are a handful of puzzle games that do exactly that: Sage Solitaire A unique take on Solitaire, Sage Solitaire is a game that transforms what you expect from a Solitaire game. The gameplay is simple, you’re presented with a 3x3 grid of cards and you match them following certain rules (5 card flushes, pairs, sets of 3, etc.). The game is free, but put in $2.99 and you’ll get to unlock a couple of new modes as well. The game is simple, fun and addictive. Available for iOS and Android Lara Croft GO Developed by Square Enix, Lara Croft GO takes Lara back to her roots. Puzzle solving and exploring some lovely, cel-shaded landscapes take centre-stage over fighting and “character development”. The game is gorgeous and the puzzles are fun and challenging. The pacing is also very good as there’s a genuine sense of learning and progression. The game challenges you throughout, but if you’re paying attention, you’ll know what you have to do and have a tonne of fun at the same time. Available for iOS and Android Tomb of the Mask A more fast-paced game this, Tomb of the Mask will have you scrambling up a dungeon of sorts at the best speed you can muster. You’re outrunning a pool of rising lava (probably, it’s hard to tell) and you swipe in the direction you want to go. The music and movement speed is in keeping with the game’s pace and will keep you on your toes till the bitter end, which won’t be very far. Available for iOS The Mesh If you’ve a very strong affinity towards numbers and math, The Mesh is for you. The game presents you with a hexagonal grid and you have to manipulate the numbers in the grid (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.) to match them up with a target. The game does get tougher as you progress, but also more fun. Available for iOS iSlash Heroes This one is an all time classic. You’ve got a bunch of shurikens bouncing around within a confined space and you, the master ninja, must slash that confined space to ribbons. Just ensure that you don’t hit the shurikens and you’re golden. You do get a bunch of totems from time to time, which grant you bonuses such as slowing down time, etc. The game is many years old, but it’s still among the all time greats. Available for iOS and Android HoPiKo If the words “intense”, “action-packed”, “fast-paced” and “platformer” don’t get you excited about this game, nothing else will. These are the words that just about every reviewer who’s played this game uses to describe it and are as apt as they’ll ever be. You can safely add “quirky”, “mad” and “bucket-loads of fun” to the list. Play this game. Now. Available for iOS and Android Hook After all these frenetic and action-packed games, it’s time for you to catch your breath. Hooked is a calm, relaxing, but challenging puzzler that will get you hooked in nothing flat. There are no time limits, no pesky pop-ups reminding you to buy in-game items and no epilepsy inducing animations. The music is relaxing and sets the tone for the game. Save this one for a relaxing afternoon when you’ve got nothing better to do. Best played on a tablet. Available for iOS and Android Rop The premise of this game is simple. You’re shown an image, you try to recreate said image using ropes, hence the name. It might sound simple, but the ropes in question are tangled in devious ways and you’re not given much flexibility when it comes to manipulating them. Who would’ve thought that untangling ropes would be so much fun? Available for iOS and Android Kubiko Kubiko is a 3D puzzle game that has you manipulating isometric 3D objects as you would a Rubik’s Cube. You pick a category and then try to solve the puzzle. A limited number of tries mean that you have to get creative with the problem solving. As with Shadowmatic below, the hardest part is figuring out what the object represents in the first place. This game is good fun and will keep you occupied for hours. Sadly, the number of puzzles are all too limited and you’ll be left yearning for more within no time. Available for iOS and Android Shadowmatic Shadowmatic is an award-winning (Apple Design Award Winner, App Store Best of 2015) title by Triada Studio Games. The game is an iOS exclusive and has been for quite a while now. The gameplay is simple and users simply have to arrange abstract 3D pieces to form the shadow of a known object. While playing the game looks pretty simple, the levels do get tough as one progresses. More importantly, the objective of the game is more to do with guessing the object than aligning the bits of the 3D jigsaw to form the shadow. You do get some help in the form of hints, but this game is best enjoyed without them. Available for iOS