This app was mentioned in 61 comments, with an average of 3.70 upvotes
2048 game was derived from the a game called threes. Just look at all the 2048 clones out there. Some don't even deserve to be called 2048. This incident of threes being taken down is just a drop in an ocean.
Also 2048 is a general name not trademarked and essentially in public domain. It's like taking down an app that uses 'sandwich' as a search term. There are more serious apps with the name "2048" that google should take down than waste time with this app. My opinion though is google should take town 90% of the apps that popup when you search for 2048. 2048 is open source many are just simple reskins of the original open source game.
Edit I did some digging and his app is still on google play. Looks like the issue has been resolved with Google.
The original paid version is also available here if you don't want adverts:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim
It's an excellent, bite-size game that is very addictive and this original offers a bit more polish and charm than versions that have come since.
Edit: Whoever immediately downvoted this post as soon as I submitted it, could you let me know why? I'd like to post this to another subreddit as well but want to know if I did something glaringly wrong or stupid that would piss people off.
The original paid version is also available here if you don't want adverts:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim
It's an excellent, bite-size game that is very addictive and this original offers a bit more polish and charm than versions that have come since.
well Threes! is really good, it's well designed, relatively cheap, and one of the games that fell victim to the IOS/android business practice of "steal, make worse, give out for free"
Quality experiences don't sell on mobile.
Or to put it more accurately, experiences don't sell on mobile; progress does.
It's not worth it to make a good, paid mobile game because the instant you do someone will rip it off without understanding any of how the design works, put their clone up for free, and look, that clone is now the next big thing.
If you want to rebutt that, first tell me how many birds are flappy on the Google Play store, and if you still think I'm wrong about most of the store being blatant ripoffs, well I don't know what to tell you.
And it does show: most of the good paid experiences on mobile, the ones that make money, are ports of games from elsewhere.
KOTOR is on mobile, for example. LEGO Star Wars is on mobile, and since the PC version wasn't working under modern Windows I was debating playing in on mobile instead to relive my childhood, but the controls are awful on a touchscreen. The PS2 GTA Trilogy consistently sells well, and I don't even have to go down more than 40 spots on the Android "Top Paid" list before I find a PS1 emulator and decide that's when you've run out of ideas for games to play on the system.
And all the FNAF games sell well, unsurprisingly because those titles DO work well on basically anything pointer-based.
I'm not saying there aren't amazing paid experiences exclusive to mobile that do well: Monument Valley is a great example of exactly that. But overall the market does trend toward free to play games with aggressive monetization.
But to give you an anecdotal idea of how little core gamers care about mobile, I just discovered while looking at that list that I have six bucks sitting on my Google Play account since forever, and I can't think of anything I'd actually like to spend it on games-wise.
"Threes!" is just fantastic. It's simple, addictive and amazing at passing time.
You can get a free version if you want to try the concept out but I bought the paid version and never looked back. Currently the only game I have on my phone.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim
Threes! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim&hl=en
but my kids are HUGE Angry Birds people. My son has their underwear, pajamas, and is the worst Angry Birds player in the world.
-Chris
Threes! | 4.6 ⭐️ | $0.99 | 37MB | ▶️ 🏠
> Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers.” ~ Joystiq “It’s the kind of game that embosses the rules on your brain within 30 seconds, but then compels you ...
^(Legend: |🏠: Family Library| ▶️: Play Pass|)
|Feedback|PunyDev|
Threes! | 4.6 ⭐️ | $0.99 | 37MB | ▶️ 🏠
> Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers.” ~ Joystiq “It’s the kind of game that embosses the rules on your brain within 30 seconds, but then compels you ...
^(Legend: |🏠: Family Library| ▶️: Play Pass|)
|Feedback|PunyDev|
Threes! | 4.6 ⭐️ | $0.99 | 37MB | ▶️ 🏠
> Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers.” ~ Joystiq “It’s the kind of game that embosses the rules on your brain within 30 seconds, but then compels you ...
^(Legend: |🏠: Family Library| ▶️: Play Pass|)
|Feedback|PunyDev|
Do you like puzzle style games? I play Threes! whenever I'm waiting for a long build. I can easily put it down and come back to it later. Has a free version with some ads and a paid version with no ads. Satisfies most of the criteria you suggested.
I got into sliding block puzzle games for awhile... my two favorites, which are both great Android apps and exceptional games:
Threes - $2.99 - The original. Pretty app, harder & more strategic than 2048.
Twenty - Free, w/ one-time $2 purchase to unlock additional game modes - cool evolution of the genre. at this point, I've probably sunk more mindless time into this app than almost any other.
Almost. It's called "Threes!".
Another two points I haven't seen yet: design piracy and indie devs. Not piracy as in users stealing a copy of the game, but as in other developers walking in and taking an open source game, changing a few assets/logos, and putting the whole thing on Google Play for free with ads.
Look at Threes!. It came out on iOS originally, and did ok. Then someone made a simpler clone of the game called "2048" and put it online for free. Someone else made the source code for the game available. Now there are hundreds of 2048 clones everywhere. Threes has 30,000 reviews to the top 2048's 700,000. The install difference is insane.
IF there was a successful, marketable open source game, someone would clone it and put it for sale in about five minutes. They don't even really need the source code, which is likely to be kind of a mess anyway. They'd just take the design, put it on Steam/Google/iTunes, make cash, and there would be little to no recourse available for the open source devs.
Another reason why it's unlikely to see open sourced games is because if I'm a developer and have access to people who know or know myself how to do the necessary design/code/art, there's no reason for us (or just me) to make my work available for free when I could instead just publish it myself and make a few bucks. Why, why, why would someone do this. Even if I planned for community mods/content, there's no reason for me to put the whole thing online for free instead of using something like Steam Workshop.
There isn't a whole lot of cash around these days for FTP clients, or web browsers, or random desktop apps. A lot of the big open source projects have been around for years at this point. And while new ones are starting up all the time, the difference now is that there are tools available for devs to make their own games and self publish and actually see money in return for their work. That's a good thing! Open source has it's place, but I just don't see it being applied to games.
Or play the original game Threes! instead of supporting this copycat dev.
It's relatively old, but I still play it: Threes!.
It's one of the thousands of clones of Threes!.
2048 is just a cheap ripp-off of threes
Threes is awesome if you like number puzzles and a moderate number of ads. There's also a paid version which is worth it, imo. Two Dots if you like matching-type games but the monetization might be too much for some players. I loved it but got tired of playing for this reason. Slingshot Effect if you like endless jumpers and a paid model with no ads/IAPs. It's a pick up and play, beat your own score kinda game.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.weplaydots.twodotsandroid
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thirteenbananas.slingshoteffect
oh you must've linked to the wrong google play page. /u/Pun_In_Ten_Did meant to say you misspelled Threes.
Hi there! It looks like you're asking:
<em>What are the best one handed Android games?</em>
The most-recommended option is <strong>Threes!</strong>.
If you want more info, you can:
^(I am a bot! For safety, replies to this comment will be ignored. Direct messages will be checked by a human.)
A game called Threes.
One.Last.Round.
Here's the original: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vo.threes.exclaim&gl=US
Threes! | 4.6 rating | $0.99 | 100,000+ downloads | Search manually
> Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ “It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers.” ~ Joystiq “It’s the kind of game that embosses the rules on your brain within 30 seconds, but then compels you ...
|Feedback|PunyDev|Lonerzboy|
Doesn't matter what phone - it's a few years old, should run fine on any newer phone - I just really enjoy the game!
I recently discovered Threes! It'll keep you going for hours!
Hi there! It looks like you're asking:
<em>What are the best one handed Android games?</em>
My three most recommended options are:
(s) goes to the option's pros and cons on Slant.
In addition to these, another 25 options have been suggested. To see them too, or to make your own suggestion, follow the question link above.
^(I am a bot! For safety, replies to this comment will be ignored. Private messages are forwarded to a human.)
Give her Threes! It's like 2048, but harder.
Stay away from poor clones. Get the original, Threes.
Don't support Ripoffs, even as a unrelated fan project. Buy the original game instead