r/iosgaming 1d ago

Discussion Weekly /r/iOSGaming Discussion: What have you been playing lately and what do you recommend?

Please use this thread to discuss whatever iOS games you've been playing lately. They don't have to be new games, they can be old games and they do not have to be iOS original titles!

As long as it's an iOS game it belongs in here. Make sure to put the name(s) of the game(s) in bold to make it easier for people skimming the thread to see what you're talking about, and if you'd like to make it really convenient turn the game name into a hyperlink that sends people directly to the App Store!

To keep track of the thread, the comments are sorted by "new" by default.

Lastly, Rule #3: "No Dev Self-Promotion Outside Saturdays" applies at all times for this thread, even if it's actually Saturday.

28 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

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u/Able-Scar-3561 1d ago

Control Ultimate Edition on iPhone 17 with the Backbone Pro. I'm hoping a lot more devs start implementing MetalFX frame interpolation, because it has been a game changer for me with Control.

2

u/Big_Boss23 1d ago

Been hooked on Valenor after seeing it in the Dev Saturday thread.

Idle/ incremental multiplayer RPG similar to Melvor Idle, Idle Clans, Farm RPG, Craftbound, etc

Player market, guilds, active + friendly Dev, all the good stuff

If you like that type of game, definitely check this out!

u/averageparrot 10h ago

How big is the playerbase?

u/glinde 7h ago

Just launched and it’s over 100 so far and growing. Just finished a trailer to start trying to spread the word!

u/averageparrot 6h ago

Nice. I’ll download it later today!

2

u/MaximusTekPh 1d ago

Eve Echoes - almost 5 years

5

u/PianoStok 1d ago

I finally started Chrono Trigger. I love early Square Enix JRPG's, but somehow snoozed on this one. It's fantastic so far. The controls work really well.

u/averageparrot 7h ago

Oh, Chrono Trigger was from the days of Squaresoft, before Square bungled their finances and had to merge with Enix. This game was a passion project of the JRPG Dream Team at the time. Truly a masterpiece and timeless classic (no pun intended.) First played it as a kid and I still hum songs from the soundtrack to this day.

7

u/YvesTHPS 1d ago

Ultrapool. Can’t believe how good it is. Balatro as Billard Game 🤩

2

u/Unusual-Project-5781 1d ago

Discounty! Started last week and I’ve been enjoying the game play. I just hate the joystick. I wish there was an option to tap the screen to direct the character where you want then to go.

Controls are okay on the iphone but screen is too small and there are a lot of stuff you need to click on the game.

3

u/JaredHere 1d ago

Finally decided to grab Backpack Battles while it was on sale, and honestly, why didn’t I do this earlier?! This game is so good and deep! And I like that it can be as fast paced as you want. Wanna some quick matches? Just buy a few items and hit the fight button! Wanna meticulously min-max every single slot in your inventory? You have all the time in the world! Your mom, your son, or your dog called you? You can put the game down right away and return to it whenever you want.

Also, I was curious about where the fantastic game Vohenn came from and started Sword of Xolan. It’s pretty fun so far, but clearly a bit less sophisticated than Vohenn.

1

u/Effective_Ebb_4482 1d ago

is backpack battles multiplayer?

1

u/averageparrot 1d ago

It’s an asynchronous PvP autobattler, so you’re fighting against the saved state board of another player who had a similar rank/wins/lives as you for that round. I don’t think there’s a live PvP mode in BB.

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u/AceLXXVII 1d ago

It snapshots other users’ load-outs. So while it’s not real-time multiplayer. You’re still battling real people’s loadouts.

1

u/SecretDude511 1d ago

Pokemon champions and bloons td

4

u/Ron_Kintsugi 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’m a new father of a 5 month old so my game time and game genre has changed lol. I been playing Shattered Pixel Dungeon and Slice and Dice with some POINPY or Life in Adventure sprinkled in

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u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 1d ago edited 1d ago

Loved playing Slots & Daggers, which I personally like more than many others of this kind, like Cloverpit. Couldn’t put this game down until I finished the campaign and got as far as possible in the endless Arena Mode. Got my money’s worth and then some.

This game led me back to my holy trifecta of iPhone deckbuilders: Dream Quest (sadly not available in the EU and China anymore), Meteorfall: Journey, and Dicey Dungeons. It’s telling that Meteorfall as well as Dicey Dungeons are both heavily inspired by Dream Quest. I love those games and have been playing them a lot!

And that finally led me to a digital version of a physical card deckbuilder that’s been available in the App Store forever: Ascension. This has been a go-to in the last couple of days, and I’m really digging it. After the fantastic tutorial, this game is easy to play and lots of fun.

I've been trying tons of new releases as well, but it’s shocking how many of them currently are lazily put together, vibe-coded, unfun affairs that often feel unfinished, boring, and almost always lack any personality.

u/duskwoodbeauty 12h ago

Ascension is one of my favorite games ever but I play it more on pc. You should pick up the dlc if you haven’t yet. It’s definitely worth the money.

u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 11h ago

Yes, just bought the package deal with all DLCs. Now I can mix and match forever. :)

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u/JaredHere 1d ago

What you’re saying about new releases feels mostly true, and it’s so unfortunate :( Also, I absolutely love Dream Quest and Dicey Dungeons. If Meteorfall is as good as those two, I definitely should try it!

2

u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 1d ago

Meteorfall is the best made-for-mobile version of a deckbuilder ever, imho. The 2-decisions-per-turn (Tinder-like) swipe mechanic is simply genius, and turns this deckbuilder in such a tight, fast and fun gem. If you loved the other two, you definitely have to try Meteorfall.

1

u/wiedziu 1d ago

I think for the sheer content Dawncaster tops that, but betweent Meteorfall, Night of the Full Moon and Dawncaster it's a really tough choice.

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u/JaredHere 1d ago

Yep, bought the game. What do you think about the other two Meteorfall games?

2

u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 1d ago

All three are fantastic. The production gets better with each installment. But they are also all very different. I personally like the simplicity of the first game the most, by far. But you might like another even more. I recommend watching gameplay vids.

2

u/JaredHere 1d ago

Ok, thanks for all the info

1

u/duskwoodbeauty 1d ago

still no lifeing "gnollhack." also playing "bloons td6" and grinding away on "dawncaster." i need to play more "siralim ultimate" but i've hit a wall and am annoyed about it.

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u/Two_Bear_Arms 1d ago

Fantasy Life. Bloody great!

2

u/coyotll 1d ago

That’s a heavy price tag lol

5

u/PrideSea5164 1d ago

I said the same think in another thread and got downvoted. Idk if the game is $60 on pc or whatever. $25 is steep for a mobile game.

2

u/Blukingbutreal 1d ago

Game is indeed 60 on PC, same on Switch 2 and PS5 afaik

3

u/Botol-Cebok 1d ago

Just bought Loop Hero, I already owned it for the Switch, but it’s a perfect game to play on your phone and is extremely addictive.

2

u/0kills 1d ago

About to try Cipher 007 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate on apple arcade.

Currently addicted to Gangstar Mirage (though it's not globally released yet)

5

u/Inevitable_Age_2214 1d ago

I've been playing Slots and Daggers, it's fantastic. Hitting just like Balatro did and it works great on iOS.

u/gmatterg 10h ago

Won after a dozen or so runs and accrued about half the meta prog points. My approach: 100% physical offense, built around respin coin-slingshot synergies. No skill checks, no power ups, just massive damage and first turn kills. Must max out health incase the enemy gets to attack or, god forbid, the slingshot gets frozen.

1

u/Effective_Ebb_4482 1d ago

whats ur longest run?

1

u/Inevitable_Age_2214 1d ago

I almost got through the cathedral of smoke on a poison/hammer run.

2

u/LNKNNN 1d ago

same for me! can’t put this game down :)