Mobile gaming is awful these days. The vast majority are just cash grabs.
That said I look forward to Balatro being released
Anon checks out mobile gaming
Submitted 4 months ago by Early_To_Risa@sh.itjust.works to greentext@sh.itjust.works
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Comments
Swarfega@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 months ago
“These days?” As if it was ever good?
Swarfega@lemm.ee 4 months ago
It was in the early days of the Apple App Store. Games were 79p to buy. No in-app purchases and were generally good indie titles. “Helsing’s Fire” comes to mind. Miss that game!
Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 4 months ago
Before it went f2p, yeah. Angry bird, pvz port, world of goo, ridiculous fishing, all fun stuff
jballs@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
I played the original Plants vs Zombies back in the day and thought it was pretty good. I got a new tablet recently and decided to try out the latest version - and holy fuck it is significantly worse. Rather than trying to be a good game, every possible aspect has been monetized.
So yeah, I’d say the early 2010s was a time where you could at least find some good stuff that wasn’t ruined by enshitification.
r00ty@kbin.life 4 months ago
Well, it is kinda true. Many old games I had on my phone that were free and didn't have ads, in the last few years have received updates to do literally nothing, but include ads. So "these days" is the case for some.
suction@lemmy.world 4 months ago
These days mate, you’ll be arrested and thrown in jail if you just say mobile gaming is good
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 4 months ago
I happily wasted a lot of time playing Worms and angry birds back in the day. It was even better on a tablet. Doodle Jump was another good one.
Those were the days of yore, before in-app purchases and microtransactions.
Ibaudia@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I remember playing Perfect Cell on iOS when I was younger and having a really great time
HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 4 months ago
The secret is to find one that works on aeroplane mode
GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
With a bit of know-how, you can make a mobile version that works quite well: github.com/blake502/balatro-mobile-maker
pelya@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Come join is at !androidgamers@lemmy.world
We have more than 200 members, and more than one screen of posts!
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
There was a dude on reddit who started doing short reviews of mobile games he liked, then ended up creating an app that focused on curated community reviews. It’s not perfect but at least it’s got decent filters for genres, which alone makes it a hell of a lot better than wading into the play store
pelya@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I’ve seen several curated recommendation websites born and die over the years. I’m surprised that MiniReview still works.
There’s also slant.co and multiple blogs like AndroidPolice, although they all now feature sponsored content - ads for shitty Android games.
Paranomaly@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
This really upsets me and periodically bums me out. I used to like trawling through the top lists to see the various games that were on mobile. This is back in like 2011-2013. Typically monetization was either a free/premium version split, or an energy system. Now it’s beyond 99% garbage with 99% of the last 1% being ports. The 1 of 1? Slice and Dice, that game rocks.
StreetCash@lemm.ee 4 months ago
and then you go through the top paid games just to find… the same top paid games from the last decade. Nothing of value is being created or getting recognition
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 4 months ago
There could be a vicious cycle where game devs who want to be taken seriously don’t touch mobile games, so as mobile game devs develop skills and experience, they move away from the platform.
Also a lot of the thick frameworks that many devs rely on these days require a lot of computing resources that maybe mobile devices have trouble keeping up with. I could see scenarios where a mobile game is worked on for a while but abandoned due to awful performance in early testing while a similar desktop game doesn’t get killed because it’s being developed on a high end system and later gets optimized to run better on weaker systems.
Though tbh, I have no idea how top phones compare with high end desktops these days and am just assuming that they are way behind, while low end desktops might be more comparable to high end phones for performance.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
Same. I used to play a number of games, and even paid for a few, but the gems are just too hard to find these days.
So now I pretty much never play games on my phone, which does a few things:
- phone battery lasts a lot longer
- my time on my phone is more productive
- I use a lot less data, so I pay less for my plan
- I don’t need flagship phones (not a photographer)
So now I mostly use my phone for:
- phone things (calls and texts)
- audiobooks
- news
- videos - I restrict myself to downloaded videos to help reduce wasted time
I have a Switch and Steam Deck, and quality game selection is much better there anyway.
DragonOracleIX@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
The only games I ever have on my phone now are gachas and paid for games.
Also, I agree that Slice and Dice is awesome. I got the itch version which came with both android and linux versions.
Donjuanme@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Slice and dice, magic research (2), Simon tathams puzzle pack, Bart Bontes color series, unciv, pathpix, pirates outlaws…
There isn’t only ports and garbage, you just need to go deeper than the front page (and not ever browse by “free”)
flying_sheep@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
There’s also a good loop hero port
sicarius@lemmy.world 4 months ago
The hours I’ve sunk into slice and dice! That game rocks!
ClockworkOtter@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Yup! I wanted Slay the Spire, but the port is awful and this fills that void.
Vent@lemm.ee 4 months ago
I bought Slice & Dice after reading this comment and others in this thread and yeah, it’s pretty great. Thanks for the recommendation!
ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Good mobile game = ports from PC games and emulators
miHoYo games could be so much more if they are PC/Console games instead of mobile.
The only truly mobile game that I can think of that I can say is good is Pokemon GO, and I don’t even like it but is the only game that truly uses the uniqueness of the mobile plataform as a game feature.
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I’m in a closed beta for WalkScape, which is a single-player RPG that uses your pedometer for all game progress. Travel to another location? Chop down trees? Craft a bronze mining pick? Stomp grapes into wine? All of them progress only as you take steps throughout the day. A great little game to check in on now and then, and I feel utilizes the mobile platform well.
P4ulin_Kbana@lemmy.eco.br 4 months ago
That’s a good idea, but it’s hard to work considering that true gamers don;t walk at all. /s
ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Seems like a good idea, maybe we’ll have 2 good mobile games than.
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 4 months ago
That sounds like the best things I currently use PoGo for. I love chewing through eggs with my daily bike rides
derpgon@programming.dev 4 months ago
I, for the love of God, cannot play Genshin on mobile. The controls are absolutely garbage. On PC tho, it is really good.
ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
My problem with Genshin is not even that. The game is a mobile first and that limits the mechanics of the game.
If the basic Normal/Hard Hit + 1 skill + ultimate is shit on mobile imagine if they implemented combos like DMC.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 4 months ago
Pokemon Go was good enough that I didn’t even mind that it was a NSA plot!
hglman@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
The only computer most huamns have ever used is a smart phone.
KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
this makes me sad
Psythik@lemmy.world 4 months ago
If you’re under 20 and not in the US or Europe, probably.
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
I have some news about worldwide demographics
Resol@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I used my first computer around 2004. I was under 20, and not in the US or Europe (uhh… Morocco is literally 14km from Spain so it’s close enough, right?)
SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Don’t Starve. Shattered Pixel Dungeon.
Bam, there goes the next year of your life.
Xanthrax@lemmy.world 4 months ago
OSRS, chess.com
OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
First two are proprietary. 2009scape mobile ftw
Artyom@lemm.ee 4 months ago
I was early into mobile gaming, and it used to be AWESOME! It was a platform oozing with potential. Every game that came out on mobile was excellently crafted…until Candy Crush came out. It literally ruined the whole genre.
ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
I wouldn’t exactly call Doodle Jump the pinnacle of gaming.
acceptable_humor@lemmy.world 4 months ago
If you play games like monument, dadish, 20 minutes till dawn and games similar to that you’ll see how polished mobile games can be
Artyom@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Doodle Jump wasn’t the pinnacle of gaming, but everything about it was polished to perfection. The devs really put in the effort and finished the game, which is a rare feeling even in AAA games today.
Rubanski@lemm.ee 4 months ago
But the potential was there, not a mtx nightmare in 80 percent of games. I would still say that great games like minedustry or better are still possible nowadays
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Perhaps not, but it was definitely fun.
Anders429@programming.dev 4 months ago
Of course not. That title belongs to Fruit Ninja.
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 4 months ago
The best game I’ve played on Android is the Kotor port.
The second best game I’ve played is the Into the Breach port.
Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 4 months ago
Into the breach might work really well on phone. 🤔
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 4 months ago
It does, the gameplay works well on a small screen (actually better than Kotor in some ways), and I’ve generally found that turn-based stuff works well on touchscreens. Twitchy action stuff doesn’t work so well - I found the GTA ports unplayable.
Also, I think Aspyr did a really nice job retooling the Kotor UI for smartphones, and they also did Kotor II.
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Into the Breech works well on every level.
Though I do occasionally want an endless mode…
glitchdx@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Every good game on mobile is a port of something made for another platform.
velvetThunder@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
Well there are Gems like Temple Run, Subway Servers, Jetpack Joyride (earl Angry Birds). But most are cheap garbage with lots of ads.
ChapulinColorado@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Plants vs zombies was originally pretty good. I had originally bought it many years ago. Tried to play it again recently and the thing I paid for is some ad infested dumpster fire. Made me ignore all mobile games. Even the good ones can be ruined as you have no control of updates when you change phones.
AeroLemming@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Subway surfers has gone to shit. There are flashing popup ad nags that show up WHILE you’re playing now.
flying_sheep@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Except for slice&dice
Raab@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Old-school RuneScape being on mobile makes it the best mobile game of all time
Kvothe@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
OSRS just feels like it was meant for mobile even playing as a kid. Loving the mobility of no exp waste now
julysfire@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Besides some small things like Sudoku or Crossword, OSRS is the only game on my phone
NuWuX@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
Terraria, but it’s a lot better on PC. You can transfer your character files and maps with a little effort though.
DevilutionX is pretty good if you liked Diablo 1.
And then there are the insane lists of ROMs/emulators.
squidspinachfootball@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Pokemon was a fun emulate, anything else people like? Kirby games might be good too. Hmmm
fadingembers@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 months ago
GBA Final Fantasy ports are great as well as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Also highly recommend Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga and Golden Sun
windowsphoneguy@feddit.org 4 months ago
Slay the Spire.
Rusty@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
It was unplayable for years on android 13 and would crash every time. Finally they fixed it.
Aaroncvx@lemmy.world 4 months ago
This is the ultimate mobile game
mp3@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
At least there is Stardew Valley.
christopher@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is fun
ssm@lemmy.sdf.org 4 months ago
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is cross-platform now, so technically it’s not mobile-only. And DCSS is much better than SPD, imo, as someone who has dumped unholy amounts of time into both.
where_am_i@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
There’s an insane number of PC ports. You can play Myst or GTA SA.
On the multiplayer side, genshin is very much your traditional MMO, if you like that. You can also play Eve or Hades star.
In terms of a competitive scene for years we had vainglory (forever in our hearts), and now we have LoL wild rift.
winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Yea but touch screen controls are the worst. I hate using those virtual joysticks
Ibaudia@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Genshin is more your traditional singleplayer Gacha with MMO elements in my opinion. Also the first successful open-world Gacha so it gets some brownie points for that.
Vent@lemm.ee 4 months ago
The mobile games industry was killed by ports and low-effort cash grabs. Seems like nobody makes good games that are specifically designed for mobile anymore, and almost all ports suffer from poor controls and/or just not being as good as the original versions.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 months ago
Stuff like Pokémon Go and Ingress were very promising. Although I feel like Pokémon Go was too low effort and should have had very fleshed out Pokémon mechanics such as wild encounters, turn based battles, etc.
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Nova series was goodish
Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world 4 months ago
A year ago or so I would have said Clash Royale
But now… nah.
You’ll find plenty of videos that explain this better than I can, but at this point the devs clearly hate the community, the game is more pay to win than ever, evolutions are completely broken and the devs barely care to balance the game anymore.
It’s pretty obvious that at this point they just want to squeeze as much money as possible from the game before it completely dies out.
Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
you get the problem PC has (zillions of devices of different hardware/os configs) but at an even lower performance minimum. heavily limits what developers actually can do with it.
also doesnt help that more than half your userbase doesnt want to actually pay for the game.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 4 months ago
PPSSPP but its too hard to use the touchscreen controls for most titles.
rustyfish@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Are we going to act like Plants vs Zombies doesn’t exist?
Vent@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Gotta plug one of my favorite mobile game studios: Afterburn. They only have 3 puzzle games. All are relatively short and 100%-able. Every single one is fun and full of heart. Golf Peaks, Inbento (bought by Crunchyroll), and Railbound.
EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I’ve been wanting to make a mobile game out of spite because if this
Game development is super hard tho and I’ve only done like 3 game jams
mke@lemmy.world 4 months ago
- DATAWING was short & sweet.
- Transmission is full of pretty and interesting puzzles
- Simon Tatham’s Puzzles is a godsend
- I found Mindustry through the play store
I don’t know, anon, I had fun.
Wanderer@lemm.ee 4 months ago
I got mini mentor on my PC. Felt like that would have been a great game to have on a phone
Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
i remember polytopia used to be good
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 months ago
Minecraft is on mobile, and alot if other platforms…
yamanii@lemmy.world 4 months ago
It’s really bizarre how phone gaming’s golden age was before the smartphone era, having buttons helped a lot. Later java ME games and symbian everything were very cool, I still listen to the songs of Asphalt 4 to this day.
Don’t get me wrong there are cool games too after mihoyo started getting ambitious, but they also ported their games to PC and consoles where it’s better to play.
KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
the only good mobile game was MCPE, now it’s minecraft bedrock
BrotherL0v3@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I have been enjoying Slice and Dice. Roguelikes scratch a certain itch for me.
southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
For once, anon is not fake. May still be gay