Trying to revive this multi-year thread series :)
So at long last... welcome (back) to my weekly mobile game recommendations based on the most interesting games I’ve played and that were covered on MiniReview this week. I hope you’ll find something you like.
New to these posts? Check out the first one from 375 weeks ago here.
Let's get to the games:
Besiege [Game Size: 978 MB] (Free Trial)
Genre: Simulation / Sandbox - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Some
tl;dr review by Maya:
Besiege is a creative physics-based simulation game where we construct absolutely ridiculous medieval siege machines to complete destruction-focused objectives across a large set of campaign and sandbox levels.
With no time pressure and dozens of intricate parts to build with, the challenge quickly becomes figuring out how far we can push our own imagination before the physics engine sends everything spinning into chaos.
While it was overwhelming at first, once I settled in, it became surprisingly fun to experiment, tweak designs, and get lost in the building process.
The game features 50+ levels spread across a world map, plus a sandbox mode for custom designs.
Most of the enjoyment genuinely comes from the construction phase, where we can try out wild ideas and watch our machines succeed or fall apart in often hilarious ways. The actual destruction physics aren’t the most detailed, though.
But maybe best of all, we can download other players’ machines from a “Workshop”, and upload our own creations. This is a great way to play around with everything from catapults to rockets, sports cars, and helicopters.
The touch controls for building are great, with pieces snapping nicely and the interface feeling smooth overall. But controlling the vehicles in action is less refined. The reliance on a single virtual stick for both steering and acceleration doesn’t feel ideal, and separate controls for movement would have made driving much more satisfying.
The game’s clean visuals suit the puzzle-like nature of its levels. However, the sound design is underwhelming, with many elements like flame torches just not having unique sound effects.
Besiege is free to try, with a $7.99 iAP unlocking the full game.
It’s a genuinely enjoyable sandbox-builder with tons of freedom and creativity, making it especially great for those who love tinkering with machines and then watching physics do its thing.
Check it out on Google Play: Here
Oniro [Total Game Size: 4.13 GB] (Free)
Genre: Role Playing / Action - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Full
tl;dr review by NimbleThor:
Oniro is an old-school hack-and-slash action RPG by the indie developers of the popular AnimA ARPG, where we slay demons, craft gear, and gradually build our character through stats and skills.
The core gameplay has us explore a massive dungeon-like world using a left-side joystick to move and skills slots equipped with various abilities to defeat enemies and bosses.
We start by picking a bow, sword, or staff, but the game actually features 20 weapon types and an interconnected skill tree that lets us freely customize our build based on 21 class archetypes.
While the distributable stat points, enhanceable gear, and loot that drops to the ground provide that classic RPG feel, the game didn’t instantly hook me. Partly because magic-based combat lacks interesting early-game skills, and the enemies are very predictable. Thankfully, playing as a sword-wielding warrior felt better balanced.
The biggest downside is the pacing. It takes 3-4 hours to reach the first real city, which is where the game slowly starts to expand with new, deeper mechanics. Much of the early game is a slow grind of walking through dungeons while kiting enemies using our weak attacks.
With that said, Oniro is a very well put-together RPG built with care for the genre. The environments are neat, and the boat-battle against a huge kraken was a highlight.
The touch controls also work well, there’s external controller support, and the entire game can be played offline, which is fantastic.
Oniro monetizes via very few incentivized ads, and iAPs for more in-game resources, pets that collect gold, cosmetics, and enchanted weapons that scale with our character’s level. It’s a fair monetization for a single-player game, and I never felt held back as a free player.
If you’re looking for a slow-paced action RPG to dive tens of hours into, this is an easy recommendation. You just have to survive the slow start.
Check it out on Google Play: Here
King of Dragon Pass: Text RPG [Game Size: 365 MB] ($10.99)
Genre: Strategy / Text-Based - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Some
tl;dr review by Maya:
King of Dragon Pass is a deep, text-based strategy game where we lead a struggling medieval tribe, balancing politics, warfare, trade, and religion.
Every choice we make, from negotiating with rival clans to reenacting ancient myths, can have long-term unforeseen consequences for the rest of the game. So the gameplay is as much about storytelling as it is about strategy in the traditional sense.
The sheer variety of branching events and the weight of our decisions is what truly makes the game stand out. We might negotiate a marriage alliance one year, hunt a giant the next, and reenact a sacred myth to gain divine blessings the year after, but each choice can have ripple effects decades later.
While the gameplay revolves around text and stats instead of flashy combat and fancy animations, the stakes still feel all too real due to the rich lore, complex decision-making, and the constant pressure to keep our people alive.
The interface is basic and lacks quality-of-life tools, but the game’s depth and replayability easily outweigh its rough edges.
King of Dragon Pass is a $9.99 premium game.
This is one of the most intricated and rewarding narrative-driven text-based strategy games on mobile, making it perfect for anyone who enjoys slow-burn, consequence-heavy adventures.
Check it out on Google Play: Here
Dandy Ace [Game Size: 1.72 GB] ($9.99)
Genre: Action / Roguelike - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Full
tl;dr review by Maya:
Dandy Ace is a fast-paced, isometric action roguelike that feels like a magical blend of Hades and Dead Cells, yet manages to carve its own identity with a brilliant skill-combination system.
We play as Dandy Ace, the world’s most famous magician, who has been trapped inside a cursed mirror by the jealous illusionist Lele.
To escape, we must battle through chambers filled with enemies and hazards, collecting and customizing combat cards along the way.
These cards grant us various attack skills, which we equip in our four active slots. Pink cards represent spammable standard attacks, yellow cards are powerful skills with large cooldowns, and blue cards are movement abilities like dashes or teleports.
But here’s the twist! Any card can be upgraded with any other card to inherit extra properties, creating effects that range from subtle boosts to wild ability overhauls. The sheer number of possible combinations makes experimentation addictive, and swapping builds mid-run is fast.
Progression seems inspired by Dead Cells, with permanent unlocks like new cards, potions, passive trinkets, and the ability to sell unwanted cards. The branching paths between chambers also feel familiar, offering different routes and enemy types before the final showdown.
While combat is sharp and I strongly recommend playing the game with an external controller, menu navigation oddly isn’t fully controller-friendly, despite the game being a PC port.
Also, the art, music, and voice acting aren’t exactly the game’s strong suit. In fact, I ended up muting the soundtrack and dialogues without missing much.
Dandy Ace is a $9.99 premium game that is also free via Google Play Pass.
The game is far more fun than I expected, with its card-combo system alone making it an easy recommendation for action roguelike fans.
Check it out on Google Play: Here
IQ Dungeon 2: Inherited Light [Game Size: 267 MB] (Free)
Genre: Puzzle / Adventure - Offline
Orientation: Portrait
Required Attention: Some
tl;dr review by Alex Sem:
IQ Dungeon 2: Inherited Light is a sequel to a humorous story-driven puzzle game with dozens of levels that test our out-of-the-box thinking and logical puzzle-solving skills.
Just like in the first IQ Dungeon game, our task is to guide a band of adventurers on a perilous journey to save the troubled kingdom from the evil forces of darkness. The story is set 15 years after the previous events, so expect to meet a couple of familiar faces.
The puzzles range from solving purely logical tasks to some unusual sequences where we must tap, swipe, or drag the screen to find creative solutions to the problem. There is a "tendency" indicator, telling us which set of skills is required for each specific puzzle.
In addition to the main story, we get to collect special coins, which are used to acquire action figures from loot boxes, all featuring the characters we encounter. Collecting enough of these unlocks special minigames that help us earn in-game currency, or have a good time in general.
Speaking of currency, it is needed to purchase hints. And while most of the puzzles are pretty straightforward, I still spent quite a few of those. Thankfully, they can be accumulated by watching ads.
Alternatively, there is a single $4.99 iAP that disables ads, unlocks unlimited hints, and effectively turns the game into a premium experience.
IQ Dungeon 2 is an excellent continuation of the original game, which will undoubtedly be enjoyed by fans. Or just people who fancy light, humorous puzzle games.
Check it out on Google Play: Here
