New release roundup: Professor Doctor Jetpack, Drive Ahead! Carcade and more

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.

Drive Ahead! Carcade

Multiplayer mayhem, action-packed arenas and car-based combat intersect in another win for Apple Arcade as Drive Ahead! Carcade has just raced its way exclusively to the subscription service.

This latest entry in the Drive Ahead! franchise pits players and their vehicles against one another in chaotic battles where driving skills are a must – if by driving skills you mean crashing into others without getting hurt yourself.

Building on the series’ zany design philosophy, developer Dodreams has also added bombs to dodge, eggs to throw and pirate crabs to launch as players compete in this game as survival, whether with friends or in random matchmaking.

The more aesthetically inclined have plenty of customisation options too, able to show off to friends and even play together on the big screen, as long as that screen’s an Apple TV.

Starseed Asnia Trigger

Bringing the latest splash of colour to screens in select territories, Starseed: Asnia Trigger is part urban fantasy RPG, part character collector with polished illustrations and a vibrant anime art style to boot.

After initially launching in developer JoyCity’s home country Korea this spring, the title has now expanded to the US, UK, Canada and the Philippines with publisher Com2uS. The expansion gives more players access to Starseed’s dozens of storylines together with the Proxyans, AI companions each with their own distinct skills, stats and personalities.

Different characters are suited to the various modes like Arena and Boss Raid and can be enhanced and upgraded in classic RPG fashion. Of course, there’s also a strategic element in building a team that covers each character’s weaknesses on their mission to rally the Seven Themes.

Professor Doctor Jetpack

Pixel-art precision platformer Professor Doctor Jetpack provides 85 handcrafted levels inside an intricate cave system. It tasks players with navigating them all via the power of a jetpack, dodging death traps and carefully exploring lava-filled caverns on a journey to the centre of the Earth.

The levels increase in difficulty as players progress, but unlockable equipment offers extra support in traversal. A casual mode empowers all players to beat the game even if they don’t have time to master every nuance of jetpack flight.

Developer Roflcopter Ink GmbH promises a confrontation with the world’s “greatest threat” at the planet’s core, but saving the world won’t be possible without a one-off purchase; the first four biomes are available to play for free but the full experience is premium, and out on mobile ahead of a console launch later this year.

Climb Knight

AppSir’s latest pixel adventure is here, delivering an ever-welcome dose of retro gameplay and many, many floors to conquer. As its name implies, Climb Knight is all about climbing high, rising through the levels and the global leaderboards with the ease of single-button controls.

All a player needs to do in this LCD-style game is tap to jump over traps and monsters or climb up ropes – essential to reaching yet another floor. And leveraging modern tech in a retro setting, haptic feedback adds a physical component to each failure and success – whether that’s a monster’s heavy punch or the satisfying grab of a new collectable.

AppSir’s earlier works include HopBound, Spooky Pixel Hero and the DERE horror games. And while Climb Knight can certainly be played standalone, there may be a sprinkling of Easter Eggs for fans of this dev to enjoy.

Clank! Digital

Award-winning board game Clank! has taken a technological twist with a new mobile adaptation by Dire Wolf Digital. Called Clank! Digital, the title tasks players with building a deck of character cards while exploring an in-game board, aiming to steal valuable artefacts from a dragon’s lair.

Grabbing loot is one thing, but escaping with it in one piece is quite another; players must be quick, careful and quiet as they aim to escape the treasure trove’s depths, meanwhile mastering their skills with a sword to survive the onslaught of reptilian guards.

The deck-building elements give Clank! Digital something of a roguelike edge, as each attempt to escape the lair brings with it new allies, items and abilities.

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