So I have a big dilemna. On console and PC, I absolutely love RPGs. All the way from Zelda on Gameboy or FFIII on SNES when they came out, to Resonance of Fate or Fallout New Vegas last year and many in-between. By far my favourite genre, and as a games professional one of my goals is to someday make an RPG. BUT for some reason I can't seem to like RPGs on iPhone, such as the Zenonia series. They are just too time and attention demanding for the context in which I use my iPhone (commute, waiting room...) Anyone feels the same? Any light, easy to get into RPG to recommend and talk me over?
I've never really put much time into any on IOS either despite playing them to death on other systems. Not sure if it's the touchscreen, the too small text, or just the almost adequate but not very polished ports. Might give Final Fantasy tactics another go although I've never really managed to get into that one on any of the systems despite wanting to.
Zenonia is hardly comparable to Final Fantasy or Zelda and not even representative of modern iOS RPGs. Consider Fall of Angels (JRPG), CrimsonHeart (KRPG), or Knighturn (SRPG).
I have the opposite viewpoint: I find it difficult to spend any quality time with RPGs on any other platform but iOS. Over the past year I've picked up Torchlight, the Deathspank series, Trails in the Sky, Deux Ex: Human Revolutions, Two Worlds 2, and several other RPGs on a variety of platforms, but I either don't have enough time at home to play them properly (or in the case of the PSP ones I just hate using it on the road). Conversely, during the same time period I've put hours upon hours into games like Bard's Tale and Fantasy Chronicle. They're easily accessible, easy to jump in and out of, have rational save systems, and play pretty darn well. I am looking to the new Tales game coming out on the 3DS, since I do find myself using my 3DS on my commute. But I'll still be playing RPGs on my iPhone, too.
Actually, there's a plenty of KRPGs, like Fantastic Knight, Exitium, recently brought Soul Tamer Kiki, Aurum Blade and many other... I can't tell other names, for I'm mentioning only universal ones (iPad user here). Also Pocket RPG, Knights of The Phantom Castle, Guardian Saga, of course Bard's Tale, Princess Fury and so on, and so forth...
Thanks for those suggestions, I'll check them out. Any RPG that's not Fantasy? (tricky one even on other platforms i know ^^)
That's how I feel, too. Not just with RPGs, but just gaming in general. I have my iPad with me at just about all times, so I can jump into any of my iOS games on the fly. When I want to play Skyrim or something on a console or PC, I literally need to plan ahead just to manage making any substantial progress. iOS gaming is just way more convenient.
Agreed! Ayways, as log as the game is good, I'll play it on whatever platform. The only games I truly prefer on console are shooters, traditional fighting games, and RPG games along the lines of Dragon Age, Fable, or Elder Srolls.
I'd say try ravenmark for strategy(or battle for Wesnoth) and Ash(Ash 2) for a classic tb jrpg. As for an action Rpg try Mage gauntlet or secret of mana. for Krpg I'd go with crimson heart or queens crown. For a 3d action Rpg there's pocket Rpg. For a classic nes jrpg go with dragon fantasy. For a storybook type Rpg check out dungEons and such. For a 3d jrpg there's FFchaos rings or crimson gem saga. For a puzzler type arpg try across age dx. For a 3d first person western type Rpg go with Aralon.
I don't know how you can stand the Minoraxis KRPGs....the dialogue is absolutely horrendous. I'd rather play Zenonia than have to sit through it.
For a first person, turn-based retro-WRPG with interesting exploration and puzzles, go with Undercroft, which is conveniently free. For a third-person turn-based WRPG with nice 3D graphics and a bit of steam-punkish flavor, go with Rimelands. Couldn't get into any KRPGs, personally, but YMMV.
There's no true J/C/K-"RPG" on the iOS. You have very few ports of other games like Bard's Tale that's more like RPGs but nothing else comes even close to being console-quality. Why? Because devs make enough money simply re-using each other's code and design. Talk with sprites with "!" over their heads, go and kill X of monster Y, "story" that has something to do with vanquishing evil, and that's about it. It is about as linear as an endless runner. iOS gaming wasn't ever about quality, it's about how much money can I make from spending the least amount of effort and appeal to people who never played games before. There are so many classic gems that people can imitate, but they don't want to, because it's easier to make a Zenonia clone than a FF-clone.
Ash 1 had a very interesting and well-written story and as for games in retro-WRPG styles, their strengths lie in exploration, as indeed were those of their famous PC predecessors and inspirations. They do have interesting world-building, though. And, unlike JRPGs and homages to them, occasionally some choices in quests too. The Quest and it's expansions especially. There is also Avadon on iPad (which I don't have) from Spiderweb Software, which is allegedly very well-written. In fact, Spiderweb is a veteran indie PC dev who specialized in providing complex, choice-laden, old-school and well-written experiences to PC-RPG fans, when the big RPG developers went into graphics + mainstreaming direction. For JRPG selection, sure, handhelds have more quality stuff. But I found quite a few very satisfying games on iOS, which scratch the itch that big commercial RPGs on PC were unable/unwilling to reach for some years. And being new to JRPGs, I enjoy quite a bit what iOS offers in that direction too, old ports or no. Occasional indie gem like Ash being a nice bonus.
J/k RPGs aren't even true RPGs. Any hardcore/devoted RPG-er will tell you that a Final Fantasy game isn't a RPG but has RPG elements. It's a linear adventure game with character leveling. Like I said before, putting letters in front of RPG doesn't necessarily make it so. For more insight, research Western RPGs vs Japanese/Korean RPGs. Bioware will probably turn up a lot because there's some animosity between them and Square Enix.
completely agree, the whole situation with letters and rpg elements is ridiculous and as a result there are basically almost no more rpg produced. it even was the time when mm series or battlespire for example were not considered as real rpgs, but by today standards they are top rpg for sure.
