In today’s saturated games market, a title really has to do something special to stand out
Gone are the days when a game could get by on just being a solid, if unremarkable outing. Nowhere is this the case more than in the mobile games market.

To really get noticed in this day and age a mobile game has to be something a little bit special. For some, this is through particularly entertaining gameplay mechanics; for others it’s through quality storyline hooks and of yet others it’s obtained through quirky and appealing design characteristics. Sometimes, however, a game manages encapsulate all these things and truly stand out as something to be reckoned with.

Such is the case for today’s subject; Paper Titans, released today by Team Lumo and Blitz Games for mobile devices.

At its core a puzzle game tasking the player with collecting a number of stars from a level environment before then reaching the exit, Paper Titans is a game that oozes genuine character and appeal.

The player controls an expanding cast of paper origami figures, in the style of cut-out-and-fold models people of my generation and older will be familiar with from our youth. These characters are quite literally cut from paper on screen and then manually folded together to create your new minion. While on face value a somewhat pointless activity, the very process gives you a feeling of ownership of the little guys, instantly making them YOUR paper titans, not just A paper titan. A subtle distinction perhaps, but a significant one. Something further enhanced by each one having its own name and characteristics. It feels odd to talk about personality when referring to computerised depictions of paper card models, but that how inspired the design in this game is: they somehow manage to replicate the childhood projection of anthropomorphic personification of our toys in the game. That’s pretty damned clever.

Each Titan has their own role in proceedings, with your initial model acting as Collector; the only one who can harvest the stars you need to finish a level. Another acts as a Thrower, acting as a springboard to catapult other titans to otherwise inaccessible areas. Yet another is an exploding titan who can demolish walls. There are others, but you get the gist of it.

The environments and levels themselves demonstrate a similarly stellar character, with each one lovingly crafted and beautifully realised. They retain the folded-paper motif of the characters, but vary dramatically in style and theme, with each one aesthetically pleasing and a joy to explore; something you can do at leisure with the fully controllable camera.

So far so simple right? The thing is though, the devil is in the detail and the real challenge is to be found in utilising your motley crew to navigate the levels presented to you. Initially rather straightforward, levels rapidly become more complex, quickly requiring genuine forethought and planning to achieve. The risk would be that the game would become frustrating to play; a chore rather than a joy. However, by some kind of level design witchcraft, Team Lumo have managed to devise the difficulty curve to be just the right side of challenging. Your own capacity for utilising your minions develops along with the game organically, in line with their numbers. I guarantee you there will be a point when playing Paper Titans that you will finish a particularly tricky level and, in the midst of a satisfied glow of triumph, you will have a moment of appreciation of just how complicated that level was and how surprised you are at how well you navigated it.

Then you’ll notice you’ve been playing for hours and your battery is running out.

That’s because this game is addictive; addictive in that ‘just one more level’ way. Addictive in that ‘It’s fine I only really need 4 hours sleep tonight’ way. This game is moreish in the extreme. In fact, I’m rather surprised it’s not been classed as some sort of banned substance if I’m honest.
Imbued with enough quality, charm, creativity and style to make many a ’proper’ game blush, Paper Titans adequately demonstrates once and for all that mobile games are genuine games in and of their own right, not that this should really have to be argued at this point.

I challenge anyone to give Paper Titans a go and not fall in love with it. If you play this game and aren’t smiling within 5 minutes then you’re not human surely.

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