It's almost time for the family to gather around the table to break bread together for Thanksgiving. That also means it's almost time for Uncle Allan's annual rant about the "climate change hoax." Oy.
What I'm saying is porn video of workplace sexThanksgiving is great, but it's also forever just seconds away from degenerating into a shitshow. And that's not even mentioning all the downtime between courses and while the last-minute cooking unfolds.
Do you really want to get into another shouting match with family? Or be constantly shooed out of the kitchen for hovering too close to the food? Of course you don't. Just settle in with one of these low-key games and get your swipes in while no one's looking.
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Reigns
You might not wield much power over the Thanksgiving dinner table, but underneath it you can rule with an iron fist. Reignsis like Tinder for wannabe monarchs. You swipe left and right on cards to make decisions about the future of your kingdom. Every choice you make is a balancing act of managing the different needs and impulses of the people. Reignscomes in a few different flavors; there's also Reigns: Her Majestyfor aspiring queens specifically, and Reigns: Game of Thrones, for people who just can't let go of Westeros.
Grindstone
This one's for the Apple Arcade crew. There's actually a lot of titles that fit the bill for under-the-table Thanksgiving gaming on Apple Arcade (EarthNightis another great one), but I'm partial to Grindstone. Capybara's cartoonish puzzle game is all about slicing through combo lines of monsters as you carve your way to each level's exit. The puzzling twist is that your bloody path of carnage needs to string together a series of like-colored monsters. It's a bloody good time.
Dr. Mario World
Dr. Mario Worldis a highlight in Nintendo's growing library of free-to-play games produced specifically for mobile devices. It's basically the same game it's been since the NES days: You match pills with viruses of the same color to clear out the playing field. The newer mobile version spices things up with new colors and character-driven special abilities. You do have to put up with a recharge timer along the way, but you can always switch over to Versus mode if you want to keep playing.
Civilization Revolution 2
Civilization Revolution 2is a simplified version of one of the top series in PC gaming. Starting from the earliest days of human development, you guide a society through multiple eras as you attempt to become the planet's dominant people. There's not just one way to win, either. The choices you make in scientific research, building construction, diplomacy, and open warfare push your civ toward different victory conditions. It all plays out in a turn-based format too, so you can easily put a game down without the risk of ruining all that you've built.
XCOM: Enemy Within
If the grand strategy of Civilization games isn't your thing, maybe check out the tactical play of Earth's best hope against alien invaders. XCOM: Enemy Withinis a turn-based strategy game in which you command small squads of troops through missions against an assortment of extra-terrestrial interlopers. As an added bonus, you get to name all of your soldiers and there's nothing stopping you from naming cannon fodder after annoying relatives.
Spaceteam
There's nothing secretive about Spaceteam. It's a party game, and a loud one at that. Up to eight players huddle over their smartphone, which transforms into a malfunctioning ship interface with everything labeled in pure Star Trekkian technobabble. Everyone sees a different control panel, and the game consists of shouting out which parts are malfunctioning so whoever has them can get to fixing. It's a good kind of shouting, and it might pull your family Thanksgiving back from the bad kind of shouting. Best of all, Spaceteamis free.
Monument Valley
Monument Valleyand its sequel aren't exactly the hottest new games out there. They're well-established mobile gaming faves that have been around for a while. The sequel released in 2017. If you've played them, move along. But if you haven'tyet known the delights of Monument Valley, it's a puzzle game that's all about playing with perspective. Each level is a maze of optical illusions that you can move around and manipulate to sidestep obstacles and bridge uncrossable gaps. It's an immediately intuitive game that anyone can pick up and play.
Kids
Kidsis a short, minimalistic game that turns touch-based play into a group dynamics puzzle. I hesitate to describe the specifics of how you interact with it any more than because figuring out the "HOW" of each puzzle is a key part of the experience. As Mashable's own Jess Joho said in her review, Kids is a game of "psychological reasoning" where solutions depend on "how certain social dynamics play out in the real world." It's an artful game that's built to get you thinking. A great distraction from the inevitable family Thanksgiving blow-up.
Topics Gaming