KOPLAYER is a Windows Android emulator (similar to Bluestacks and Andy) that lets you run one or more virtual Android instances on your Windows 7/8/10 PC—bridging the gulf (or filling the void) between relatively scarce Windows Mobile games, Windows PC games, and Android games.
KOPLAYER makes it easy to enjoy the larger screen and added convenience of playing some of your favorite Android games on your Windows PC, whether it’s a little Angry Birds side action to distract you from work, catching up on your favorite strategy game, or playing multiple games simultaneously if you’re a gaming multi-tasker.
Installing KOPLAYER is as easy as running a simple Wizard, and KOPLAYER emulation works seamlessly via mouse right out of the gate. Opening a new KOPLAYER instance starts a basic tutorial and presents an uncluttered Android screen with a Google Play Store link. Just connect a GMAIL account, open the Play Store, and then install your favorite games.
KOPLAYER also includes KOPLAYER Multi-Manager, which lets you run multiple, simultaneous virtual Android instances—which you can name and even quickly clone, so you don’t have to re-configure every instance. For example, if you create an instance and have already installed all your favorite games, you can then clone that instance. You can run as many instances as you have screen space for, and run a different app in each one.
The KOPLAYER supports 1280×720 resolution and 1024×600 resolution, and it even enables you to configure the amount of video RAM dedicated to the display. You can also customize the resolution manually.Thus KOPLAYER can be perfect for keeping up with your favorite ‘time-based’ F2P games like Clash of Clans, checking in on virtual villagers and their building progress when your mobile device isn’t available—or when you just want the benefit of a larger screen.
There are also convenient buttons for taking screenshots and video of your games in KOPLAYER icon bar, as well as buttons for activating your camera (if your PC is equipped with one), configuring/accessing a shared folder, and adjusting your volume. And if you’re the sort who wants to play some Angry Birds on the sly at work, there’s even a default ‘boss key’ (CTRL+ALT+W). (The boss key doesn’t, unfortunately, mute volume automatically, so clearing an Angry Birds session when your boss walks in won’t clear the cute background sounds and music…)
For games with touch screen controls, you can activate the ‘keyboard’ (press F12 or click the icon in the left menu) to assign key commands on-the-fly. Click a location on the screen, and then press a key to assign the keypress to the touch screen control. For example, in Angry Birds Go! you can click the keyboard, then click over the directional arrows to assign the A and D keys to the left/right touchscreen arrows.
This does mean that in some games—Angry Birds Go! for example—you must first start the action and then assign the keys because the touchscreen controls don’t appear on screen until the action starts. The keyboard control editor isn’t the most intuitive element of the KOPLAYER, so you may need to experiment with it a bit to find the optimal keyboard/mouse combination for different games. And a game designed for a touchscreen may still not play as well with emulated keyboard controls.
That said, the KOPLAYER still works very well with a variety of games, with real time and turn-based strategy games (i.e. those where a mouse makes a suitable replacement for a finger) being particularly well-suited to it. Angry Birds (and its various incarnations), Clash of Clans (an RTS game), and Clash Royale (a tower defense game) all seemed to work flawlessly, at least within the limited scope of testing performed for this review. Similar games would likely play and perform equally well.
For the true gaming multi-tasker: Using KOPLAYER’s Multi-Manager to play multiple games simultaneously.
PC & Video Gaming Examiner 