Mobile phone game lovers, convert me.

Valcrist · Jul 31, 2018

I made a thread asking what smartphone I should grab, and I ended up getting the OnePlus 6. It's a pretty powerful smartphone, and should be pretty darn good for gaming. I've always disliked the way a lot of these mobile RPGs are designed but perhaps there are some diamonds in the rough, or some that are exceptional for what they are.

I'm cool with buying games, I'm not the biggest fan of throwing money at a game repeatedly for a chance at something that isn't really guaranteed. I like all genres of games except sports. I like JRPGs more than pretty much anything else.

Note: I already have my eye on Part Time UFO.

ThatJuanGamer · Jul 31, 2018

Not sure how into puzzle games you are, but Moniment Valley 1 and 2 are hands down the best mobile games I've ever played. They look utterly gorgeous, and are fun from beginning to end. Definitely give them a short (2 is a little short for their price, and to me, I feel they're a bit on the easy side, but they are sooo worth it!)

crienne · Jul 31, 2018

I highly recommend Holedown. I've never just lost time to a mobile game like I have to that since it came out last week.

Bomblord · Jul 31, 2018

Honestly don't know OP the only smartphone games that I know of that are both good and traditional are ports like Valkyria Chronicles, DQVIII, and well basically any full game by Squeenix.

Azriell · Jul 31, 2018

FFT War of the Lions was ported with a pretty good touch control solution. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic is perfect. Numerous digital board games if you're into those.

Personally I've been playing Pokemon Go over the summer while my wife (who is a teacher) has time off and loving it.

Jom · Jul 31, 2018

Try Fate Grand Order! It's great!

Deleted member 16743 · Jul 31, 2018

I've enjoyed ff xv pocket edition. Loving elder scrolls legends ccg right now.

Square enix have gone in pretty hard on mobile, so check them out. Life is strange is on android now so if you've yet to play that I'd recommend it.

Tell tale have their library on mobile, sega have a really good selection too. Capcom... Is there a bit I suppose.

Mortal Kombat is really good on mobile!

There's a lot to dig in to, but if you wishlist a few games from the devs above google is pretty good with its suggestion list!

Transistor · Jul 31, 2018

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is super fun. Yes it's gacha, but you never need to spend a cent with all the in game currency they throw at you

Valcrist · Jul 31, 2018

Shehan Amarasekera said:
Not sure how into puzzle games you are, but Moniment Valley 1 and 2 are hands down the best mobile games I've ever played. They look utterly gorgeous, and are fun from beginning to end. Definitely give them a short (2 is a little short for their price, and to me, I feel they're a bit on the easy side, but they are sooo worth it!)

I'll check the first one out probably. It's on my list!

Azriell said:
FFT War of the Lions was ported with a pretty good touch control solution. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic is perfect. Numerous digital board games if you're into those.

Personally I've been playing Pokemon Go over the summer while my wife (who is a teacher) has time off and loving it.

I'm curious if War of the Lions still has the same audio problems as the PSP version. I can probably deal with that though. I do need to give it a replay, so I may do that.

Jom said:
Try Fate Grand Order! It's great!

Fiiine... I've heard that game is a fucking trap though!!!

Nakasan said:
I've enjoyed ff xv pocket edition. Loving elder scrolls legends ccg right now.

Square enix have gone in pretty hard on mobile, so check them out. Life is strange is on android now so if you've yet to play that I'd recommend it.

Tell tale have their library on mobile, sega have a really good selection too. Capcom... Is there a bit I suppose.

Mortal Kombat is really good on mobile!

There's a lot to dig in to, but if you wishlist a few games from the devs above google is pretty good with its suggestion list!

I don't like XV very much so I don't see myself jumping in on the pocket edition. I didn't know you could wishlist games on mobile though.

Transistor said:
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is super fun. Yes it's gacha, but you never need to spend a cent with all the in game currency they throw at you

I played it a little before and got kinda emo about not having any characters I wanted or something. I sort of wonder if I should spend some time with Star Ocean Ana... a... anam--- WHATEVER.

somedaythefire · Jul 31, 2018

Why? Just download some games and play them. There's no need to be "converted".

Valcrist · Jul 31, 2018

somedaythefire said:
Why? Just download some games and play them. There's no need to be "converted".

To be clear, the "convert" part is because I hate mobile games. Every single one I've tried has mechanics that I find disgusting. I'm just trying to be open-minded and see if there are actually some out there that I'd like.

Jom · Jul 31, 2018

DarknessTear said:
Fiiine... I've heard that game is a fucking trap though!!

Just stay F2P!

Cyanity · Jul 31, 2018

Super Hexagon. Infinitely replayable, one time fee. Amazing game.

Edit - Downwell is also amazing and a one-time charge for quick, endlessly replayable skill-based gameplay.

DOUBLE edit - Don't Starve is also on Mobile. I haven't tried it yet, but the original game on PC is great, and the mobile version seems to have all its features, including the Shipwrecked DLC.

Filipus · Jul 31, 2018

https://www.inklestudios.com/80days/

I think the game was originally made for mobile so yea.

Saucycarpdog · Aug 1, 2018

DarknessTear said:
To be clear, the "convert" part is because I hate mobile games. Every single one I've tried has mechanics that I find disgusting. I'm just trying to be open-minded and see if there are actually some out there that I'd like.

I'm not too familiar with JRPGS but here are a few premium one's I've heard about:
-Dungeon Maker
-Witch Spring
-Most games from Kemco

Some casual RPGs to help you lull into touch controls:
-Postknight
- Knights of Pen and Paper 2
- Rogue Hearts
(IAPs in the above 3 are all pretty fair)

When you're ready for more hardcore RPGs:
- Evoland 2
- Battleheart 2
- Warhammer Quest 2

Qvoth · Aug 1, 2018

buriedbornes
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Nussygame.Buriedbornes

i cannot in good conscience not recommend this, even if i don't have it installed anymore
can be played offline too

Strings · Aug 1, 2018

The Alchemist Code has better production values than any SRPG released on 3DS (and isn't a watered down mess like FE:H). Give it a shot.

RM8 · Aug 1, 2018

I'll try! Mobile is awesome to be honest.

Horizon Chase:

This is legit one of my favorite racing games ever, not only on mobile. On Android, I think you can try it for free and make one single "premium" purchase.

Downwell:

Briliant game on any platform, plays pretty well on mobile and a vertical screen feels way more natural anyway.

Street Fighter 4 Champion Edition:

In the case of this game I'm not going to pretend it's "just as good" as having normal controls - but it actually works quite well and it's honestly the only good fighting game on phones.

Lost Frontier:

Advance Wars style strategy game, can get quite challenging!

XCOM Enemy Within:

It's the full experience on mobile, one of the most impressive PC/console-to-mobile ports I've seen to be honest.

Battle of Polytopia:

This was legit one of my most played games last year. It's a simplified take on Civilization-like games, and it's completely free. No ads, no timers, nothing! Only optional civilizations.

Tetris:

Tetris works surprisingly well on mobile, and this version has some really cool exclusive modes.

Kingdom Rush series:

The only good tower defense games IMHO. They're all really good, I honestly can't pick a favorite (there's 3 of them so far).

Pac Man CE DX:

I don't really know what to say, lol, it's a good port of a good game.

Reckless Racing series:

Fun and challenging top down racers. I personally recommend RR2, but 3 is also pretty good.

Possum Armada · Aug 1, 2018

Solitairica

Basically a run based solitaire battle game with upgrades, special decks etc. Super fun and no micro transaction bullshit.

Rodney McKay · Aug 1, 2018

My favorite series on Mobile is Kingdom Rush.
The first one is free and the others (Kingdom Rush Frontier and Origins) are usually pretty cheap. There's also a 4th one coming, but no release date yet.

They're tower defense games (WAIT DON'T SHUT THE DOOR!) and IMO the best of the genre. They're challenging, pretty fun to learn (took me a while to get good at them and learn the strategies), and are filled with content. Each level can be played 3 different ways, there's multiple difficulty challenges (I'd recommend casual for just starting out, go harder once you max out the tech tree), different heroes to choose from, and all 3 games have gotten a lot of free new levels.

The heroes, meteor attack, and placing temporary units gives you enough to do that you probably won't get bored sitting watching things play out like many tower defense games, and the layer games are even better (you get a usable hero power in Origins).
There are "premium' heroes you can buy, but they aren't needed. Most of the time they just make things easier IMO, which isn't that fun (feels like cheating to me).

The same company also makes a game called Iron Marines that's similar to the Kingdom Rush series, but more of a full on RTS (no multiplayer though).

I constantly replay these games (usually whenever I get a new phone) and they're prefect to play while sitting somewhere or waiting for something. They're hands on enough to keep you occupied, but not SO complex that you need a huge time investment to get started.

brokenswiftie · Aug 1, 2018

I recommend

Super Hexagon
Mini Metro
Out There Omega
XCOM enemy Warfare
Really Bad Chess
Square Enix Go games
Minecraft

Any Questions · Aug 1, 2018

Filipus said:
https://www.inklestudios.com/80days/

I think the game was originally made for mobile so yea.

80 days is magical. Also get Alto.

neilyadig · Aug 1, 2018

If you like "sim" style games, definitely check out the ones from the Japanese developer Kairosoft: http://kairopark.jp/android/en/

They have a ton of titles and most are very high quality. Usually an option to play a free version or a paid version. Big fan of Game Dev Story and Station Manager (which I'm currently playing).

Keyouta · Aug 1, 2018

I just bought the Final Fantasy Tactics port on Android. I think it's great so far though I do wish it had controller support. It's on sale right now for like $7. Having great fun with it. First time playing since hearing all the gushing whenever the title's brought up.

texhnolyze · Aug 1, 2018

You're not supposed to be 'converted' to mobile gaming. Just treat it as a mean to use your time when you have nothing to do outside. You can simply grab your phone, play for a couple of minutes or so, and continue with your business.

So yeah, I'm against playing premium games on mobile. Unless you like to play at home with no worry about the battery life, which would kill the purpose of mobile gaming for me. I'd rather play console/PC games at home.

Chasing · Aug 1, 2018

DarknessTear said:
I'm curious if War of the Lions still has the same audio problems as the PSP version. I can probably deal with that though. I do need to give it a replay, so I may do that.

It has audio issues where sound effects don't necessarily sync up to the action, but I'd say it's still the definitive edition of the game, with all the QOL of the PSP version and none of the slowdown issues.

bxsonic · Aug 1, 2018

I can only list games that I know from iOS. But I highly recommend these:

Kairosoft Games - There are tons of them available on Android. Game Dev Story is still my personal favourite
Kingdom Rush Series
Phoenix Wright Series & Ghost Trick - I prefer playing these on mobile than the 3DS
Tomb Raider Go, Deus Ex Go, Hitman Go
Monument Valley 1 & 2
The Room Series - Very immersive on the iPad. Not sure if they're on Android
Hero Emblems - IMO, very underrated match 3 RPG
Lifeline Series - Not really a "game" but I really enjoyed some of them

I don't really play f2p games so I can't really recommend any of those. Mobile gaming is great and there's really no reason to choose between mobile or console games. I enjoy both equally.

Sedated · Aug 1, 2018

Pubg mobile. Play it.

Elfforkusu · Aug 1, 2018

Gacha sucks, as in sucks, as in it is a vortex that will pull you in and spit you out only after taking much or all of your time and money. Avoid

Rand a. Thor · Aug 1, 2018

The room, Squeenix Go Series, Horizon Chase, Solitarica, Monument Valley Duology, and Kingdom Rush have been covered, so that's a good start. And you mentioned Part time Ufo, great game. I'd also suggest:
-Arkanoid VS Space Invaders
-Shadowmatic
-Pixelo(most Nintendo Like Picross on mobile)
-Riptide GP
-Power Hover
-Gorogoa
-Returner 77
-Evoland 2
-Isoland 2
-Dandara
-Super Brothers Sword & Sorcery
-Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty
-Adventures of Poco Eco

Some of these are also on more traditional platforms, but the touch screen controls suit em better. Dandara especially despite being a very taxing metroidvania, has a movement system that suits the mobile platform way more than using buttons and analog sticks.

notBald · Aug 1, 2018

RM8 said:
I'll try! Mobile is awesome to be honest.

Amazing post. Been searching for mobile games for my iPhone and your post got more interesting games than numerous top 100 websites.

I've yet to find anything as good as I had on my Windows Phone. That is, games that are fun for 5-10 minutes without IAP begging. I don't mind paying for games, but IAP pop ups in a quick short game kills my enjoyment.

One of my favorite mobile game is "I am a box". It no longer exists for iOS, but it might still be available on Android. It's a simple game where you rotate a box as colored ships approaches, each side of the box is colored and you need to present the matching color towards the ships.

Kolibri · Aug 1, 2018

One that I like and hasn't been mentioned yet is Retry by Angry Birds dev Rovio.

It's definitely inspired by Flappy Bird, but it has way more 'game' to it and I enjoyed it very much in short sessions.
You control a terrible airplane by pushing the screen (like Flappy Bird), but when you keep holding it you make a looping. By timing this correctly you have to avoid obstacles and collect coins on the way.

Edit: wtf, I can't find it anywhere anymore, including Rovio's website. Sorry about that, it's been a long time since I played it.

Valcrist · Aug 1, 2018

Whew! Lots of posts and games listed while I was asleep. I'll be sure to check some of these out and maybe update. Gotta get my phone first, which is tomorrow.

Chasing said:
It has audio issues where sound effects don't necessarily sync up to the action, but I'd say it's still the definitive edition of the game, with all the QOL of the PSP version and none of the slowdown issues.

The big audio issue I speak of is the lack of reverb. Somehow they got rid of the reverb and it makes the music sound lifeless in the PSP version.

sir_crocodile · Aug 1, 2018

Kemco jrpgs are trash btw. iap nonsense in em.

Redcrayon · Aug 1, 2018

Hero Emblems is a great pick. It's a like a cross between a match-3 puzzle game and a spoof of the early FF games. Very cheap (I paid £3 a few years ago) and with no ftp/gacha stuff. I still go back to it quite a bit, it's really engaging.

There's a sequel on the way too.
https://toucharcade.com/2015/01/14/hero-emblems-review/

Bunga · Aug 1, 2018

Whilst a part of me is reluctant to recommend Hearthstone because it's tough as a new player to get your card collection growing, I must say it is an absolutely fabulously made game and very addictive - it's a huge deal that your collection etc. carry over to loads of other platforms including tablets and PC if you have either.

Valcrist · Aug 1, 2018

Bunga said:
Whilst a part of me is reluctant to recommend Hearthstone because it's tough as a new player to get your card collection growing, I must say it is an absolutely fabulously made game and very addictive - it's a huge deal that your collection etc. carry over to loads of other platforms including tablets and PC if you have either.

Hearthstone is a little bit of a money sink, and while I love the game and its aesthetics, I don't see myself dropping down the money to try to build a good deck.

Hentailover · Aug 1, 2018

Jom said:
Just stay F2P!

This, playing for 3 years, haven't dropped a cent on it yet, If anything, earned 50 bucks from selling my NA acc XD

Disclaimer: Above statment is made by a person who had multiple long periods of EX+ luck in gacha and does not represent the average experience

Chaos17 · Aug 1, 2018

I was like you OP until I met Granblue Fantasy because it doesn't rely on normal gacha system.
Each hero are unique, you don't have to get trash fodders to fusion for getting a new unit, nope just level up!
You can easily play it as casual gamer without needing to buy anything and rich players can become your friends lol
There is no pvp, no ranked ladder to play each week to get diamonds, it's pure 100% pve.

(If you ever played Etrian odyssey serie, Granblue Fantasy synergy system between characters is really close to it)

How do you get diamonds then?
Events! Each events have stories that will give you diamonds.

Equipment system has a lot of depth, you can have synergy between characters too.
Anyway, if you're interested you can take a look at the wiki https://gbf.wiki/Main_Page

Another cool thing about it is that you don't need to download any app and can also play on pc when you feel like it just by using that link
http://game.granbluefantasy.jp/#top

This is the only game that kept me coming back to mobile and seriously NOW is the good time to start because super event with LOT OF FREEBIES!!
You might feel overwhelmed at the begining because all systems will be unlocked but don't be because really they're goals to do depending of your range level, you don't have to do everything at once.
Also, the game is getting a lot of QoL improvement to be more beginner friendly.

p.s: This month GBF will have an event feature ZONE OF THE ENDERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Bunga · Aug 1, 2018

DarknessTear said:
Hearthstone is a little bit of a money sink, and while I love the game and its aesthetics, I don't see myself dropping down the money to try to build a good deck.

Totally get that mate. I've stopped and started the game so many times I've lost count - more so in recent years due to them upping their expansion release rate.

Hentailover · Aug 1, 2018

Chaos17 said:
snip about GBF

It's also one of the most generous games out there. They have periods where they just give you free gacha pulls regularly, not just singles, sometimes you get like 10 days of one free bulk 10 pull a day... like right now for example.
Granted, GBF is more of a browser game you can also play on the phone than actual phone game. so UI and such will feel a bit odd for a phone game.

Chaos17 · Aug 1, 2018

Zone of Enders event collab will let you have that music from the original game on your homepage

Hentailover said:
It's also one of the most generous games out there. They have periods where they just give you free gacha pulls regularly, not just singles, sometimes you get like 10 days of one free bulk 10 pull a day... like right now for example.
Granted, GBF is more of a browser game you can also play on the phone than actual phone game. so UI and such will feel a bit odd for a phone game.

Yup and seriously I don't almost play anymore console rpgs because of GBF, this is my never ending rpg, lol

Tetrinski · Aug 1, 2018

I've hated every gaming experience I've ever had on a phone, which is good since I love reading the paper and staying up to date. Then one day I tried Threes, and didn't have a clue of what was going on with the world for like a month. I've hated every gaming experience I've had with a phone ever after, but God was Threes good. It won't take advantage of fancy phones but it's a perfect example of how to perfectly design a game with a very specific platform in mind.

Valcrist · Aug 1, 2018

I'm interested in Granblue Fantasy, have been for a while since my friends love on it so much... isn't it getting a western release eventually? Been waiting for that..

Ravelle · Aug 1, 2018

I bounce of phone games really quick, even the so called fantastic gacha games because they're pretty much all the same.

I've been enjoying Jurassic Park Alive though, it's like Pokemon Go but with dinosaurs without the need to grind a thousand to level or evolve them.

DarknessTear said:
I'm interested in Granblue Fantasy, have been for a while since my friends love on it so much... isn't it getting a western release eventually? Been waiting for that..

It has a western release sort of, you can download it and change the game to english in-game. I've tried that because people seemed to like it but I didn't like it much because it was more a browser game on your phone instead of a phone game, the UI is pretty terrible.

Hentailover · Aug 1, 2018

DarknessTear said:
I'm interested in Granblue Fantasy, have been for a while since my friends love on it so much... isn't it getting a western release eventually? Been waiting for that..

Western release is for console action RPG. Browser/mobile version is NOT getting western release, just translation. Basically, you can play it fully in english, but you still have to side load it, since it's only on japanese stores.

GamerEra · Aug 1, 2018

Honestly you should probably avoid it if you can. It'll save your phones battery life and save you from impulse buying some gacha crap.

jackissocool · Aug 1, 2018

RM8 said:
I'll try! Mobile is awesome to be honest.

Horizon Chase:

This is legit one of my favorite racing games ever, not only on mobile. On Android, I think you can try it for free and make one single "premium" purchase.

Downwell:

Briliant game on any platform, plays pretty well on mobile and a vertical screen feels way more natural anyway.

Street Fighter 4 Champion Edition:

In the case of this game I'm not going to pretend it's "just as good" as having normal controls - but it actually works quite well and it's honestly the only good fighting game on phones.

Lost Frontier:

Advance Wars style strategy game, can get quite challenging!

XCOM Enemy Within:

It's the full experience on mobile, one of the most impressive PC/console-to-mobile ports I've seen to be honest.

Battle of Polytopia:

This was legit one of my most played games last year. It's a simplified take on Civilization-like games, and it's completely free. No ads, no timers, nothing! Only optional civilizations.

Tetris:

Tetris works surprisingly well on mobile, and this version has some really cool exclusive modes.

Kingdom Rush series:

The only good tower defense games IMHO. They're all really good, I honestly can't pick a favorite (there's 3 of them so far).

Pac Man CE DX:

I don't really know what to say, lol, it's a good port of a good game.

Reckless Racing series:

Fun and challenging top down racers. I personally recommend RR2, but 3 is also pretty good.

I'm definitely gonna try some of these out

RM8 · Aug 1, 2018

notBald said:
Amazing post. Been searching for mobile games for my iPhone and your post got more interesting games than numerous top 100 websites.

I've yet to find anything as good as I had on my Windows Phone. That is, games that are fun for 5-10 minutes without IAP begging. I don't mind paying for games, but IAP pop ups in a quick short game kills my enjoyment.

One of my favorite mobile game is "I am a box". It no longer exists for iOS, but it might still be available on Android. It's a simple game where you rotate a box as colored ships approaches, each side of the box is colored and you need to present the matching color towards the ships.

Since you're on iOS, I'd add Kero Blaster and Oddmar (run and gun platformer from the maker of Cave Story and beautiful Rayman-like platformer) as two of my favourite mobile games!

Also Bike Baron (Trials-like) and FEZ.

Cloud-Hidden · Aug 1, 2018

This is not a new game, and this will not take advantage of your powerful phone, but you should absolutely play Game Dev Story from Kairosoft (the original, NOT Game Dev Tycoon).

You can snag it for less than $3 probably, and it will totally suck away a few days of your life.

Mobile phone game lovers, convert me.

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