If you ask an average person to name some mobile games, you’re likely to come across the same batch of names: Candy Crush, Angry Birds, Doodle Jump and maybe some old schoolers mentioning Snake. However, since the inception of mobile gaming the from has flown simple arcade-style games bringing some incredibly exciting, and entertaining, ideas to the table.
Let’s take a look at eight of our favourites.
Monument Valley (1+2)
First released in 2014 and followed up with a sequel in 2017, Monument Valley is a gloriously unique puzzle game set on bending your mind.
You play as princess Ida, journeying through mazes of optical illusions and impossible (non-Euclidean) objects, with each level featuring a different central mechanic.
For lovers of indie games, it can be conceived as a kind of lovechild between Braid, Fez and Antichamber.
Its graphical simplicity, narrative affect and refined gameplay add up to it being a must play for anyone with a mobile device.
Florence
Released for iOS and Android back in 2018, later receiving Windows, Mac and Nintendo Switch ports in 2020, Florence is a game which will surely touch your heart.
As a short narrative experience which some may label an interactive novel, Florence sees players live through the ebbs and flows of a relationship, playing as a young woman finding her feet in her 20s.
Its simple gameplay and heart-warming story showed me that story-rich, emotional experiences can be carried around in your pocket.
Gorogoa
Like Monument Valley, Gorogoa presents players with perspective-shifting puzzles which designer Jason Roberts affectionately termed an “elegant evolution of the puzzle game”.
Manipulating imaged tiles on a two-by-two grid, warping in and out of each to find matching perspectives, Gorogoa packs a fascinatingly novel game mechanic. What’s more, underneath the mechanic is a touching story about understanding the world around us.
And if that isn’t enough for you, the hand-drawn graphics crafted by Roberts are surely enough to draw you in.
Playdead’s INSIDE
While not strictly a mobile game, first being released on consoles and PC back in 2016, INSIDE was quickly ported to iOS proving that world-class indie games can fit right into your pocket.
Crafted by Playdead, the team behind Limbo, INSIDE is a fascinating puzzle platformer which sees you play as a boy exploring a disturbing, dark world.
Led by its non-verbal narrative, INSIDE is surely one of the best indie games of the 2010s.
Pokémon Go
This one you’ve surely heard of.
Upon release, Pokémon Go totally recontextualised what mobile gaming meant. It drew players out of their homes to explore city streets and secluded patches of countryside in order to catch their favourite Pokémon. This marked a moment when mobile games truly became mobile, requiring players to physically move and engage with one another across real physical space.
Because of this Pokémon Go isn’t simply a mobile game, it’s an augmented reality (AR) mobile game. Making it the very first AR game to truly break into the mainstream.
Chances are you’ve already played it, but whether you have or not, pick it up today. It’s truly a once-in-a-generation type of game. If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can grab yourself a Pokémon Go account that will give you a jump start with all the best Pokémon’s that you need.
A Dark Room
Stripping gaming back to its basic components—text on a screen—A Dark Room may not look like much, but it’s what’s inside that counts.
The game is an interactive story featuring many branching paths led by the player’s choices.
Without modern graphics or music, the game harks back to old school text-based games. But before that scares you off, A Dark Room serves as a solid reminder of why those games were so successful as, well, good writing is good writing.
Reigns: Her Majesty
In an age of Tinder and similar swiping clones, Reigns: Her Majesty offers up an experience which give a refreshingly comedic take on the phenomenon.
You play as the ruler of a medieval kingdom receiving suggestions from your advisors, and to act on them you simply swipe left or right. This humorous take on the swipe we are all too familiar with sees you balance the consequences of your actions, managing your kingdom’s wellbeing and resources.
While it’s certainly more light hearted than many games on this list, Reigns acts as a nice self-aware reminder of what we’re really doing when we swipe.
Samorost 3
The third instalment of Amanita Design’s iconic cosmological point-and-click adventure, Samorost 3 is the perfect amalgamation of everything that makes the studio’s games so memorable.
You play as a charming white-clothed Gnome equipped with a horn, exploring planets, solving puzzles and making some wonderfully whacky noises along the way.
Players of any of Amanita Design’s games will surely remember them, for their iconic visual style, intuitive gameplay and downright charming aesthetics. Not to mention that their soundtracks, particularly with Samorost 3, are truly incredible.
This glorious release, available on both iOS and Android is sure to bring smiles and inspiration in equal proportions.
Mobile gaming has certainly come a long way since its origins. Today, more gamers than ever are engaging with mobile games, resulting in the industry bloat we see as large studios pile more and more into the medium. That said, beneath the surface there are a tonne of inspirational games worth their weight in gold. These have been eight of our favourites, but if we’ve missed any of yours do be sure to let us know!
If you’re more of a multiplayer fan, it’s time for you to get ahead in your favourite title. Games like Clash of Clans require a lot of grinding in order to be one of the best in the game, that’s why it’s recommended to get a Clash of Clans account which provides you with top tier Town Halls that can dominate everything that comes in your way.
Author: MindReflex
Video game freak. Analyzing everything that caches my eyes. Always looking to achieve Gold.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are independent and may not reflect the opinion of the 7labs team.