The word "hardcore" has undergone an interesting journey since the creation of the app store, and seems to be defined differently by different people. Most marketers on the app store would have you believe that unbeatable games (such as in the "infinite" genre) are automatically hardcore since you can't beat them, and they just grow in difficulty as time goes on (incidentally, I've made this argument myself before). Others would say that because a game simply requires great reaction time and a lot of practice that it's hardcore, a la Super Hexagon. While games of this variety do boil down to raw skill, they are more often than not overly simple because everyone wants to make games that the soccer mom's kids can play and buy IAP on. When I say I'm looking for something hardcore, I mean that I want something that is difficult, but not simple. Something that requires me to build mastery of the game itself, and not something that's just going to kill me more slowly based on how long I've been playing for. Games that exist on PC don't count. If I wanted to play a game that was also on PC, I would play it on PC. The hardcoreness of iOS as a platform is determined by its exclusive titles, because anything I can do with a touchscreen, I can do better with a mouse+keyboard / controller. Show me where iOS is hardcore. The game(s): - Must not be on PC - Must not be one-factor simple (such as an infinite runner) - Must provide challenge reliant more on skill than luck (less rng = good) Am I talking about unicorns, or do these games actually exist in recent years? Just to note, I'm a huge fan of the Infinity Blade and Chaos Rings franchises, and I'm already familiar with all the major MOBAs - these games have the essence I want to see on iOS.
I would put Hardboiled in this category. Don't think it's on PC but is much inspired by Fallout, with the post-apocalypse setting and turn based combat. I find it mighty challenging.
Cubix Challenge http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=264485 Cubix Challenge is a hardcore puzzle game. It has 120 levels, with a new mechanic introduced every 10 levels. The first several levels go quickly, but it gets really difficult! A lot of people that play don't get past the halfway mark (I don't even get that far, but I am not "hardcore"). It is definitely a thinking game. Full disclosure: I am married to the developer of this game.
There are literally hundreds of games in the App Store that fit this description. I suggest that you dig through the TA review archives. Or go to the App Store and look at the Game Collections.
I dunno if I've misunderstood but I don't think that a game being available on PC as well as ios makes it less hardcore. If it's the same content as a PC version, and would be classes as hardcore, why does playing it on a different platform make it less so? Not everyone has access to a PC, so while I prefer some games on PC and would choose that version over mobile in most cases, I know not everyone can do that, and making titles on available on numerous platforms gets the game into more players hands. I don't think you are looking for unicorns though, there's plenty of stuff that meets your definition of hardcore for ios, you've just gotta look for it, appreciate the AppStore is massive but it's worth spending time to find the stuff that meets your requirements imo, and maybe also be prepared to take a chance, something that might not look hardcore for you, could be just that, games are mostly cheaper on ios, so usually it's not a big loss if a game isn't enjoyable for you.
I would also add: Oceanhorn Implosion Space Marshals Battleheart Legacy Heroes & Castles 2 Mines of Mars Wayward Souls Added Wayward Souls to make the list feel complete as it would feel off without it. I dont have it yet, but Crashlands seem to belong in the list.
Sure, as well as all the other Butterscotch Shenanigans games. And Mage Gauntlet. And pretty much every Forsaken Media game. And a bunch of Crescent Moon games. And the Modern Combat series. And a dozen of Kemco RPGs. And AG Drive. And Ripper. And Badlands 2. And Hero Emblems. And The Easy New World. And Mage Rampage. And the Halo mobile games. And Galactic Keep. And Nubs. And Pixa. And Heroki. And Pip. And Silver Bullet. And on, and on.
Believe it or not, I am actually looking into each and every single title posted here unless I've already played it. Good recommendation! I was a bit put off by all the reviews commenting on how short it was, but I'll keep an eye out for it to go on sale. Haha, nice disclosure. I'm really enjoying this, though. I picked it up after you recommended it and I'm over halfway through now. It's pretty polished and has some great design progression. Grabbed it. Definitely going to try, it looks like a blast. Okay, but there's millions of apps. I don't personally trust TA reviews or the apple store itself to sell me anything in its "Collections" but PC ports, games I've already played, and games that are just popular because they're AAA. Three people already telling me I should get it... that speaks pretty clearly. Will let you know how it goes. I already own Implosion and Heroes & Castles 1/2 and love all of them. Good calls. I'm personally not a fan of Zelda-esque games so I passed up on Oceanhorn but I like the idea of Space Marshals so I bought that one as well. Battleheart and Mines of Mars are on my to-buy list for later. Towelfight 2 was extremely easy. Quadropus Rampage was easy to beat, but has the super difficult modes added in, which is great. Flop Rocket is that "one factor" game I want to avoid, so that doesn't count. Crashlands is also on PC, so I really have no reason to get it on mobile. Modern Combat is also super easy, even the multiplayer. "Ripper", "Easy New World" and "Pip" aren't pulling anything up in search... The Halo games are on PC and - I don't know about the second one because I haven't played it yet, but the first one was crazy easy. I did pick up Silver Bullet and the free titles listed.
I'll second (or third or fourth) Wayward Souls, and I'd throw in Downwell too. However, for a seriously hardcore experience on iOS, I'd put HoPiKo up there. Marvellous game that is designed from the ground up for touchscreens and is both hard as nails and a blast to play. There's a real sense of achievement when you crack a level on your, er, 200th attempt.
If you like 4x strategy games, I can highly recommend the newly released Planar Conquest. Thread is here: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=281146
The question is hardcore what? Hardcore procedural platformer/runner? Hardcore strategy? Hardcore RPG? Hardcore ARPG? It would be a lot easier to answer this question with more information from the OP as to what games should be recommended. There are a lot of amazing experiences on the App Store but taste is where it really comes down to it. I hate Downwell with a passion - it does nothing for me. Now if I could save stages and portal to them after I got there that would be a different story, but the roguelike element turns me off (while I'm sure others love that). However, FF Tactics is an amazing hardcore game. Or the original Plants vs Zombies, especially near endgame. So many enemies and levels that require an intensely structured strategy to win. But both of those games take research and time to figure out and practice (practice more for FF Tactics than PvZ). Alternatively FFIV is a pretty tough game, and if you can get through it without a strategy guide you are a pretty amazing person. Especially if you can get Excalibur in your own.
Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. I'm having a blast with most of the titles I have grabbed so far. Magic Rampage and Nubs aren't really striking me as difficult yet (the former feeds you tons of potions and hands you powerful weapons, and it's hard to get into a situation where you need them to begin with - the latter is more time-consuming than it is hard). Ire - Amazes me how much they went after an explicit Dark Souls feel. It oozes out of everything from the environments to the UI to the mechanics. Still formulating an opinion on it. Wayward Souls - loving it so far. Fantastic enemy design. I'm having a hard time with the game not effectively communicating what class abilities actually do, but it's keeping me trying. Space Marshals - Interesting system. Feels like a legitimate stealth game in that there's ambushes ("backstabs") but also doesn't in that it forces you into direct combat sometimes. Enemies with several layers of defenses are a run-around-the-table game in a best-case scenario if you're able to manipulate the AI into not directly detecting you while you're nailing it with grenades and the like. Silver bullet - need to make more progress here. Can't say much of it other than that the controls are kind of clunky. Own it on PC already. Uuuugh. The apparent quality and functionality it boasts is tempting. I don't mind the price tag, but it's also coming out on PC in a couple months. I will keep an eye on it, because I do love 4X games and it looks fantastic. I was vague in the OP because the point I'm getting at is that I want to dig up all of the good hardcore stuff iOS has to offer, regardless of genre. I included the fact that the game shouldn't be one-factor because the app market is saturated with games like subway surfers, jetpack joyride, and match-3/4 games. Specifically requesting some degree of complexity narrows down the number of titles that qualify and lets me get right into the best the app store has to offer. That said, I've probably beaten PvZ 5 times and I already have FFWotL and FFIV. Good recommendations, still! I'm also betting that some other people will see some of the suggestions in this thread and be able to more easily find titles they'll enjoy. There's a lot that gets broadcast on TA that just doesn't fit this bill, and the app store itself is truly a needle/haystack scenario when it comes to quality hardcore gameplay.
Simple Rockets. Taught me the basics of rocket flight, and would teach me more advanced stuff if I ever wrap my head around it.