4 more M’sian-made games to bond together as a family during the pandemic to #sapotlokal

[This is sponsored content with Celcom.]

With the pandemic still raging on, many of us are staying put at home, whether it’s to work, study, or play. Some families have found this as an opportune time to bond together through activities and games.

If you’re on the lookout for games to play together with your kids or friends, we have compiled a few that are locally made, so you can #sapotlokal while having fun at home.

A Note From The Sponsor: To help with gaming smoothly together and to #StayConnected, users under the Celcom MEGA™ Family Line can get Unlimited mobile internet, or 30GB of Lightning mobile internet for RM40 a month. Find out more about the plan at the end of the article.

1. Claw Stars (iOS, Android – Free)

In Claw Stars, you play as a sentient hamster on a quest to save some of your fellow animals. As you can guess from the screenshots, it operates similar to other claw games you see in the arcade. Move the claw left or right, and click a button to grab the prizes below.

But instead of stuffed toys, what you get from the prizes are gems, coins, animals and so on. The coins can be used to build better habitats for the animals you save from the claw (think of yourself as the claw saving the aliens from Toy Story). Once you finish building a habitat, you’ll then move on to a new planet, saving a host of other animals.

However, that’s not the only interesting gameplay. Some of the prizes from the claw allow you to kidnap animals or block the habitats of other players. A kidnapped animal will give you coins, and the player whose animals are kidnapped will need to pay a ransom to release them.

So if you have a few friends or family added to the game, you can play against each other and see who can be the better space hamster. The game is developed by AppXplore, and we’ve reviewed some of their games in the past too.

2. Ejen Ali: Agents’ Arena (iOS, Android – Free)

In Ejen Ali: Agents’ Arena, you can play as your favourite agent from the animated series in a 3v3 MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), similar to games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena of Valor and Vainglory.

Every agent has their own skills and attributes too. Like other MOBAs, your goal is to fight against the other team and hold control points. The more control points you hold, the more score you get. The game ends when a team scores a 100, or when the timer runs out.

If you’re a fan of Ejen Ali and have played MOBAs in the past, it’s a no-fuss game that can be played with or against friends and family. The game is developed by Common Extract, and published by Media Prima.

3. Eximius: Seize The Frontline (PC/Steam – RM51)

For families with slightly older children, Eximius: Seize The Frontline is a mixed genre PC game, combining both elements of RTS (Real-time strategy) and FPS (first-person shooter) in a single game. It is developed by Ammobox Studios, another local game studio.

In Eximius, you play as one of the Officers of the two military factions in the game. The Officer mainly experiences the game in FPS: running, gunning and securing control points. The RTS genre of the game only comes in when you’re selected as the Commander for that round, allowing you to place buildings, build units and call for help to assist your team to victory.

Multiplayer-wise, you can create your own lobby to play with family or friends, or fight against bots and other players. You can read our review here for a more in-depth look on the game.

4. Rhythm Doctor (PC/Steam – RM33)

Unlike most games in this list where it’s all just non-stop action, Rhythm Doctor puts you in the shoes of a hospital intern, in charge of a new medical process. As the name suggests, Rhythm Doctor is a rhythm game, and can be played with just a click of a button. But don’t be deceived. The game can get hard so don’t expect it to be a cakewalk.

There’s a wide variety of music genres in the game, ranging from fast-paced EDM to chill beats. Multiplayer-wise, the game allows you to tackle the stories together in co-op mode, or challenge each other via multiplayer battle. The game is developed by 7th Beat Games.

Honourable Mentions

While these games are not made locally or new, we’re including them here as potential suggestions for family-friendly fun. Your children are probably already obsessed with Roblox, but here are other alternatives that you can enjoy with them.

1. Active Arcade: While most of the games listed are ones you can play sitting down, Active Arcade gamifies the exercise experience. You’ll do things like hop and reach for boxes, use your arms for Whack-A-Mole, and squats, without the need for extra equipment—just make sure you have space to move. The game also has a 2-player mode where you and your friends and family can play beside each other.
   

2. Butter Royale: Butter Royale is a Battle Royale game, but with a kitchen-y twist added to it. The game is only available on Apple Arcade, but if you’ve subscribed to it, this is worth picking up. The characters are cute, it’s full of puns, and even comes with a fan-favourite announcer aptly named Cesar Salads who makes corny jokes. The gameplay is fast-paced too, and for parents concerned about safety, there isn’t any voice or text chat so your children won’t be exposed to unwanted commentary from outsiders.

3. Pokemon Go: I’m sure you’ve walked in a mall or even passed a street corner before the pandemic hit and see people grouped around key spots holding their phones tossing pokeballs. Despite being a relatively “old” game released in 2016, many still play it to this day. With the update that allows players to play from home, the whole family can still work together, catch ‘em all, and fight raids. And once we can go out safely again, this game can encourage some extra exercise to track down gym locations.

Keep the whole family connected on 1 bill

As many of these games are mobile games, having an unlimited mobile internet plan will keep you gaming, streaming, staying safe and talking with your friends and loved ones without any worries. 

With the Celcom MEGA™ Family Line, you can keep up to 3 of your subsidiary lines connected and be on the same Unlimited mobile internet plan for RM40 a month.

Note: To be eligible for the RM40 a month Celcom MEGA™ Family Line, the primary line will need to be on a Celcom MEGA™ plan from at least M Pass at RM98 and above.

With RM98/month, the primary line can get Unlimited or Lightning mobile internet, and 3 family lines are eligible for the RM40 Celcom MEGA™ Family Line.

The Unlimited Family Line will grant the subsidiary lines unlimited mobile internet with up to 5GB of monthly hotspot. So if you’re having spotty home internet, just use your hotspot for uninterrupted gaming or streaming. 

As for the LIGHTNING Family Line, the mobile internet does cap at 30GB per month, but you will have a fast, uninterrupted connection, which is perfect for mobile gamers.

The Celcom MEGA™ Family Line is customisable too. So if one of the family members needs a LIGHTNING Pass instead, you can opt to do so, while the rest continue on with the Unlimited Pass for their Netflix binges. 

If everyone is on the Unlimited Family Line, then no one has to worry about running out of data in the middle of the week.

At the end of the month, the primary line with 3 subsidiary lines will only have to pay RM98 + RM40 + RM40 + RM40 = RM218. You can get unlimited mobile internet, unlimited calls to all networks and more. This can be a more affordable deal compared to getting everyone on their own line.

• For more information on Celcom MEGA™ Family Line click here.
• Read up on the FAQs of the plan here.
• Read up on what we’ve written about Celcom in the past here.

Featured Image Credit: Media Prima / AppXplore / 7th Beat Games