Interesting Mobile Games

sakoki

Hello,

I'm looking for android games to play during some upcoming travels, and was hoping for some suggestions.
I don't like or care about any of the well-known mobile games like cut the rope, doodle jump, temple run, clash of clans, candy crush, etc. I know this may be a bit difficult, but if at all possible, the games should be engaging enough for an avid gamer to consider them over PC games. One example of such a game is device 6 - or at least I think so, the game is an iOS exclusive for whatever reason, so I haven't been able to play it.
The games don't have to be free, and they don't have to be long (in fact, I suspect most games I'd enjoy are neither), but they should be engaging for more or less their entire duration. I think I wouldn't particularly enjoy something hectic, but I'm not really sure, so don't let that stop you from suggesting something that fits the other criteria.

P. S. Sorry if this thread somehow doesn't fit this forum, I'm a new member and not a forum person in general.

UseR2006

Beat Hazard, Eldhelm, Hearthstone are the mainstays for me on my mobile. To be honest i don't play a lot of games on my phone though.

SanderJK

https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/154983/android-games#latest is our Android game thread, but our search function is horrible and it took me some time to dig it up.

My first recommendations of games that operate outside of the "f2p/gacha" grind are the following:

Alphabear - scrabblelike game that adds in the difficulty of managing which new tiles you reveal with each letter you use. Free to try, but to get a decent experience out of it you have to buy the removal of the energy mechanic ($4 I think). Note that to advance you do end up grinding in a sense: You need better bears to get higher multipliers.
Kairosoft games - All of these are light sim games. About game development studios, or soccer clubs, or horse racing, or being a pirate. They have lite versions to try but again buying for $4 or so gets you the real deal.
Lara Croft Go - a turnbased puzzle game. Simple but challenging.
Square's 1990s RPGs - Square has basically all the Final Fantasies up until 7 (9 is coming), Chrono Trigger, The World Ends With You, FF Tactics etcet on the store. They can be a little finnicky on a small screen, they use really ugly aliasing on some of the snes ones, but they are complete 50 hour games. They are priced quite high though.
80 Days - A game in between a visual novel and a light economy/travel sim where you are Passepartout guiding your Master around the world in 80 days Jules Verne style... with heavy steampunk influences.
Ridicilous Fishing - movement based simple fishing game where you try to hook good fish and avoid hazards, and then you shoot all the fish. It excels on balance and feeling.

When travelling, consider 2 things:
Does the game require an internet connection? Will I have it?
And phonegames eat battery like crazy. Consider getting an external powerpack when you travel anyway. My 6000mAh pack ($20) is a lifesaver for longer travel.

Aktn Bstrd

I like puzzles and dragons a lot. There is a thread on here for it.

Shadowfire

Seconding 80 Days. It's really great.

Another really good one is The Devil's Attorney. Puzzle based courtroom shenanigans with an 80s styled intro.

The Sorcery games are a really great RPG/Choose your own adventure deal.

99 Bricks is like Tetris but with physics. You have to build your tower as high as possible without it falling over.

One of my favorite games of last year, mobile or otherwise, was Lifeline. Another choose your own adventure, but you're choosing someone else's adventure. The interaction is all through dialog as you guide Taylor after s/he crashed on an unknown world. There are breaks in the game, where you'll make a decision and Taylor well say "ok I'ma go do that brb." Then you wait, and go about your day. Later on Taylor will send you messages that come in as notifications almost like texts. It's a cool way to present the story that got me heavily invested for the couple days it lasted.

Raiden333

Games that I keep coming back to:

Lara Croft Go: As said, relatively simple but fun turn based puzzle game. Love the art.
Desert Golfing: Very mellow minimalist 2d golfing game. It's my go-to when I need to kill 10 minutes in line or something.
Threes: number-combining puzzle game, also good as a casual timekiller.
Ridiculous Fishing: One of my favorite mobile games, but it relies on tilting the phone to control it, so hard to play when in a car in motion unless you're on a straight freeway or something.

Fireflash

Crashland just got released recently and it's pretty good. It's a crafting adventure game. It's crafting with resources you get from creatures and the environment, kinda like Don't Starve. Except there's no survival mechanic and you can't fail (if you die you lose a few of your materials and respawn at your saved spawnpoint. Just need to go back to your corpse to retrieve your mats) . Instead you follow a story and sidequests while discovering new recipes to make yourself stronger. It's really addictive and only costs 5$