The Holidays may be full of twinkling lights, cozy fires, and spiked eggnog to keep spirits bright. But, just as often, they are also filled with relatives one might rather avoid - drunk ones yammering on about their horrible political views or young ones screaming like banshees in your ear.
But don't fret over those social nightmares associated with annual holiday parties a moment longer! TheGamer has compiled a list of several possible escape routes. So, instead of listening to your cousin's next unfactual and biased rant, tune out with these mobile games!
Digimon: ReArise and Mario Kart Tour
Digimon ReArise by Bandai Namco is a mobile RPG based off of the original anime series. It's a great game that brings a blast of nostalgia hitting right in the feels. But, if you're looking for something a little faster-paced, Nintendo's Mario Kart Tour is also a great option. Both games bring popular franchises to players' smartphones on iOS and Android. Not only that, but both titles are kid-friendly and free to play. That means if little eyes are caught sneakily spectating over your shoulder, there are no angry parents to answer to - and if they want a turn, they can download it for themselves.
Powerpuff Girls: Monkey Mania
Powerpuff Girls: Monkey Mania by Kongregate is another free to play mobile game, available on Android devices. Akin to Robot Unicorn Attack, this game is mindlessly entertaining - making it the perfect game to zone out to while keeping one ear open for when it's safe to rejoin a conversation.
Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Pokémon GO by Niantic Labs was groundbreaking when it launched in 2016. Combining the wildly popular Pokémon franchise with augmented reality technologies, everybody wanted a piece of this game. Going on four years old now, it still has an avid fan base thanks to its constant updates and additional features.
Portkey Games also teamed up with Niantic to produce another fandom-based AR game: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Though it hasn't reached the same heights of success as Pokémon GO, it is still a worthwhile game to check out as it boasts a completely different sort of experience from its pocket monster counterpart.
Both of these games provide the perfect excuse to break away from the party altogether. If things have gotten too unbearable, just fire one of these games up, exclaim a rare spawn has occurred down the street, and run out the door. This will buy a good fifteen minutes at least to cool off on a wintery walk, plus both titles host fantastic holiday events!
Black Desert Mobile
Black Desert Mobile is one of the most talked-about MMORPGs to come to mobile platforms. This is a mobile adaptation of Pearl Abyss' Black Desert Online, and they made the transition remarkably well. Condensing the expansive content of an MMO title onto the mobile platform is no easy task. MMOs are notorious for eating up hours of game-play - and now that they're on the rise on mobile platforms, this can be used as quite the advantage. When you hear the tell-tale rumbles of a rant coming on, boot this up and tune out. All the features of the online game plus a mobile-exclusive camp feature will outlast the most tiresome of monologues. If need be, it can carry you straight to the end of the party!
Stay Sane This Holiday
Ideally, holiday gatherings are generally enjoyable experiences shared with loved ones. However, it's likely that some amount of off-key carols, shrill voices, or bad fire-side banter is inevitable. Clear some storage and get your phone armed with these games to combat the worst that holiday social gatherings can whip up.