The App Store Revival
Despite having somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 games on my iPhone, I don’t really play too much these days. I’m either at a computer (with access to better games) or generally more inclined to read a Kindle book if I have some free time. But that doesn’t stop me from trying new games and keeping my eyes open for a potential hooker.
I have noticed something in this search — it seems that the iPhone/iTouch/iPad app store is bringing back game genres that have been all but extinct on the PC (or, at least, very low profile). Look at adventure games, for example. Not a raging PC thing these days, but they’ve become mini-rock stars on the iPhone, as the touch screen is perfect for adventure titles. Monkey Island, Beneath a Steel Sky, 1104 and more have sold really well as apps, and I suspect that if more of the older classic adventure games were released, they’d do just as well.
Gamebooks have seen a revival on the iPhone as well, with the mix of reading, dice rolling and basic RPG elements well within the gadget’s abilities.
I’ve even gotten into a genre of game that I’ve avoided up to this point — roguelikes. I got Fargoal for 99 cents the other day, and have since gotten hooked on the better-looking (but slightly more buggy) 100 Rogues. You’d think that in this day and age, there wouldn’t be a lot of appeal for permadeath turn-based dungeon crawls, but it really works splendidly on the iPhone — and is incredibly addictive as well.
It’s just encouraging to see that these genres aren’t on their way out, but were waiting for a platform that would support and nurture their growth.
- Posted in: iPhone
What I want on the iPhone, I haven’t found. I want a full-fledged Turn-Based Strategy game like Advance Wars, Vandal Hearts, or Final Fantasy Tactics that I can pause and go back into whenever I want just by hitting the home button.
I miss turn-based strategy games.
Have you tried Tilt to Live? It’s slowly taking over my household.
I don’t have an iPhone, but it’s good to see these mobile devices attract more ‘hardcore’ games. Things like Quake or Monkey Island on mobile devices are great to see, because they broaden the audience for these kinds of games and allow other people to appreciate what we’ve known and played for years.
As for that Adventure genre: it’s very much alive on PC. It may not be as high profile as it used to be in the 90s, but the sheer volume of new adventure games constantly being released likely exceeds that era.
A quick look back at recent times shows such adventure games as Sam & Max Season 3, Tales of Monkey Island, Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, Machinarium, A Vampyre Story, The Whispered World, The Path, Dark Fall Lost Souls, I’m Not Alone, Runaway: A Twist of Fate, Still Life 2, Simon The Sorceror, Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island and many more.
I’m just waiting for the space-sim genre to experience a similar revival, but it’s not looking good.
Beej, try Battle for Wesnoth — it’s very FFT in construction, very popular and always expanding. I also read of an upcoming Advance Wars-style title, forget the name tho.
Adventure games actually have been out on the DS way before this, even being million sellers. Roguelikes too: Nintendo even released two Pokemon ones called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. There even are wizardry remakes out.
Seriously, anything the Iphone does the DS has done and much better. Only advantage is the Iphone apps are dirt cheap.
Dblade: combine dirt cheap with the ability to always have them with you. Sure, the DS is portable, but I have mine around me literally under 5% of the time it would be useful to game on. That’s where the iPhone shines as a casual gaming device.
@Beej: You might want to check out Battle for Mars, it’s an Android game right now but the devs make iPhone games too so they might be working on a port. Sounds close to what you describe.
http://larvalabs.com/product_detail.php?app=25