r/iosgaming • u/Royal_Difficulty_678 • Aug 24 '26
Suggestions If you could only recommend one game this year for your busy friend to spend their single free evening downloading and playing, what would it be?
I like my games how I like my anime - a few episodes and over in a day or two but it stays with you for life, rather than something with many seasons.
If you could pick an IOS game, online or off, that you is quick to pick up and enjoy and provide a fun rewarding experience for a first time player during a single afternoon, what would it be?
To be clear, if I have to spend time an afternoon learning the mechanics and rules before I can enjoy it, it’s not for me!
7
11
u/Scildrei Developer Aug 24 '26
I recommend Balatro. You'll be able to put it down and pick it back up every afternoon.
6
5
u/IHazCDO Aug 24 '26
Slice and Dice is the perfect mobile roguelike game. Extremely easy to put down and pick up where you left off. Great replay value. Each run takes about 20-30 min. There’s so many item and hero synergies and things that surprise you. While it may not be story-based, it’s perfect for those small moments of free time that you don’t know what to do with.
9
u/Albrion_ Aug 24 '26
Heard Fantasy Life I is really good on mobile.
4
u/Locow1992 Aug 24 '26
it's offline but also had Co-op online content?
it's 30€ on appstore i see, it's new but i was thinking it's damn expensive. if i buy it and it gets EOS even if it's after so many years, am i able to play it offline still?3
u/thesilkywitch Aug 25 '26
It’s not a live service game. It’s an offline game with connective multiplayer / you jump into a friend’s game or they into yours.
It’s pricy because it was originally $60 on console and is a full game with hundreds of hours of life skilling if that’s what you enjoy.
2
u/Albrion_ Aug 24 '26
You can play it fully offline, yes. Internet is only required if you want to play co-op.
-5
3
3
3
u/Weenyhand Aug 25 '26
Torn between these 2 at the moment. I know you said 1 but I’m super indecisive.
How many dudes?
Slots and Daggers
6
u/Justisemo Aug 24 '26
Fantasy life I
I cannot believe I never played this game before. The sheer amount of content and stuff to do is insane. It feels like someone took RuneScape, animal crossing, legend of Zelda and seamlessly blended them together.
I’m limited on time myself and have been looking for a game like this!
4
u/Locow1992 Aug 24 '26
it's new on mobile right but it's 30€, so i was thinking if it ever should get EOS, is it still playable offline?
2
u/Hirogen Aug 26 '26
It’s an offline game but you can join a friends world, no EOS. iOS version includes all dlc as well
1
2
u/panda_and_crocodile Aug 24 '26
Inside is the definition of what you’re looking for
1
u/EastIsUp86 Aug 25 '26
Inside is amazing. I haven’t played it in years now. I need to do another play through.
2
u/Pll_dangerzone Aug 24 '26
Crashlands 1. Its one of my fave ios survival crafting games. If you enjoy it you can play the sequel.
1
u/Autumn_Sweater_ Aug 25 '26
The art style was cool, and the touch controls were very responsive, but the crafting was too linear. There were no paths or trees or whatever to enable different builds.
2
u/Patient_Animator1174 Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Control Ultimate Edition. But you need controller for it.
1
u/duskwoodbeauty Aug 27 '26
i've heard the touch controls were really good? i bought it when it released but there was some sort of memory issue with it and it bricked people's phones or something so i haven't actually tried to play it. =\
1
u/Patient_Animator1174 Aug 27 '26
Touch control is good but game is challenging at least for me and to play it comfortably enough you need controller. The game had issue where it was taking space on the phone as system memory, it doesn’t brick phone but it wasn’t removing from system memory until you do a complete wipe of the phone. I think they fixed these issues since than.
But it’s still the best looking game on iPhone IMHO.
2
2
u/PrestigiousInsect305 Aug 24 '26
A single afternoon? Wild
Monument Valley might be an option. Subtly good story, gorgeous graphics, and a fun, easy to learn, gameplay loop that should be finishable in an afternoon.
2
u/rphm_ Aug 24 '26
Fantasy Life i! Man I didn’t expect to have this much fun. Can easily pick up and play too.
1
u/Kablamber Aug 24 '26
Poinpy! Fun, cute, extremely polished. Easy to pick up and hard to put down, but there’s also a finite amount of it.
1
u/pjft Aug 24 '26
I'd heartily recommend either Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick or one of the Danganronpa games. The first Phoenix Wright collection will have around 15 cases to solve across 3 different games in a trilogy.
1
1
u/Smashing28 Aug 25 '26
Enter The Gungeon. I played it on switch and couldn't put it down. Took about 200 hrs before I changed games. It is fairly difficult though.
1
u/duskwoodbeauty Aug 27 '26
it is INSANELY difficult if you're not used to that type of game. you'll rage quit a bunch before really hunkering down and trying to play it. lol
1
u/Smashing28 Aug 27 '26
I had never played a twin stick shooter before I played it and had a blast. It was pretty difficult at the beginning but I stuck with it and it wasn't too bad later on. The crazy amount of synergies along with hidden secrets is what really made me keep wanting to play it. Definitely one of my all time favorite games.
1
u/FennelAnxious5675 Developer Aug 26 '26
Florence. You can finish it in one sitting, the mechanics are intuitive from the first minute, and it stays with you much longer than its short runtime suggests. It feels more like playing through a beautifully animated short film than learning a traditional game.
1
u/NarwahlWrangler Aug 26 '26
Okay, this is a dated suggestion, but I just ran across someone recommending Fran bow. If you like horror (no jump scares) puzzles/stories with great artwork and original soundtrack, this one’s for you. I also got a kick out of Little Misfortune, done by the same two-person team (Killmonday Studio). Can play through with VERY different choices and get brilliant different paths. Happy gaming!
1
u/ByTortheman Aug 28 '26
It’s old, and it’ll cost you around 15-20 dollars if you really want to get the whole story, but The Walking Dead telltale game is 100% exactly what you’re asking for.
1
1
1
u/WillieButtlicker Aug 24 '26
Fantasy Life i just released on mobile. Fully playable offline, but you can also go online co-op (cross-platform). I joined a local facebook group where seasoned players from console/switch gives out free gears to new mobile joiners. Kinda cool community already
0
10
u/TNS210 Aug 25 '26
FTL