New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Olympic sports to 90s nostalgia

• Here are the most exciting new mobile games right now, the developers and publishers behind them, and why, exactly, they've made the cut

Produced alongside our friends at PocketGamer.fun - THE place to discover your next favourite mobile games - here's our pick of the best fresh-this-week titles.

While the deals and the stats of the gaming world are important, nothing would happen without the research, funding and, of course, development that goes into making a great game. PocketGamer.fun brings you latest games, lets you see them in action and download right from the page.

So here are the most exciting new mobile games right now, the developers and publishers behind them, and why, exactly, they've made the cut.

Sports Sports

If watching the Olympics has you eager for more sports action this summer, then Netflix has a way to energise those fingertips from the comfort of home. The streaming giant’s latest mobile game venture Sports Sports has 12 competitive sports from the athletic long jump to the sharp shooter’s archery.

Each sport is presented in retro pixelated fashion, so sharp you can feel the jagged strongmen strain. Developer Broxcorp has infused the 12 events with arcade-like gameplay and simple controls so that anyone can play like a pro. Those who remember Konami's Track & Field arcade game or Daley Thompson's Decathlon on C64 and Spectrum will be right at home here.

There’s running events, hurdles and swimming and global leaderboards to create a real sense of worldwide competition and 12 language options take global accessibility to the next level.

Sports Sports is another exclusive to Netflix subscribers, just like Broxcorp's previous pixelated project Skies of Chaos.

Alter Age

Japanese video games veteran Kemco has launched a new premium mobile RPG in Alter Age, out now with a free trial version serving as a demo. The twist this time around is hinted at in the name, as protagonist Arga can transform himself and his friends into children or adults, back and forth to suit every situation.

This ability is awakened through a unique skill called Soul Alter and keeps the look of the player’s party fresh, with the same group of characters changing designs and personalities depending on how old they are. The retro artstyle really adds to that classic RPG feel, with top-down exploration, overworld puzzles and combat screens awash with flashy animations.

Kemco’s broader mobile library includes games like Astrune Academy, Raging Bytes and Isekei Rondo, showcasing mastery in the art of pixel graphics.

Wordscapes Solitaire

PeopleFun’s Wordscapes Solitaire is a new spinoff of the popular word game Wordscapes, giving players another means of sharpening their minds via video games. As the name suggests, the title is part word game, part solitaire game, and provides a stress-free puzzle journey that will bolster players’ vocabularies along the way. What’s not to love?

That puzzle journey includes solitaire challenges, combining cards, crossword puzzles, connecting letters and prioritising mindfulness with a mission to improve linguistic abilities.

The power of language can’t be understated and a game like Wordscapes Solitaire provides a perfect opportunity to learn and grow, but before we get too deep into the psychology of communication, just know that Wordscapes Solitaire’s Wordsworth the Owl is a hoot of a host.

Step Safari

Australian games studio Locodolo has chosen mobile as the platform for its debut game, the voxel walking simulator Step Safari. Out now on iOS and Android, this is one endless runner with a wild theme - giving players the chance to hop through a dangerous river all day and night, with different aesthetics to match.

Players can collect a range of different birds to play as on this water-crossing mission and compete with friends to see who can explore the furthest - over rocks and lily pads, and even through the mouths of hippos. Best to avoid the crocodiles, though…

The diversity of animals is one of Step Safari’s main appeals, and a strong selling point for Locodolo’s first game. Each animal impacts the gameplay in various ways - some a help and some a hindrance - with turtles offering a free ferry ride but apes threatening to wreak havoc from the riverbank. Birds can even make their journeys in style with a collection of hats to crown their heads.

Power Rangers: Mighty Force

Mighty Kingdom and East Side Games Group have powered up with a Hasbro partnership to bring a PvP-based Power Rangers game to mobile. The resulting title, Power Rangers: Mighty Force, tasks players with forming the ultimate squad, managing an RPG-esque progression system, and showing off their power in daily battles.

The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers make a return too, joined by futuristic Rangers to take on Rita Repulsa and save Angel Grove. In fact, the new narrative brings together Power Rangers from every era and series, joining forces on a nostalgia-fuelled, time-surpassing mission to save the world.

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