#as in like this is pt 2 of a 3 pter

[pup-pee]

DONT B SO JUDGEMENTALLLLLL

theyre going through smth

he gets it

JLA ((1997)) #63

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda (Part 2)

a/n: I’m terribly sorry this is late but it’s been a busy week. Please forgive me. Currently finishing up part 3!  Warning; this is angstyyyyyyyy

Joel Miller x Reader 

Word Count: 2186

PART 1         Masterlist 

-------------------------------------------

Awkward tension disseminated the stifling space they found themselves trapped in. Ellie and Y/N’s attention darted to the cranky man, an element of surprise sneaking up on both.

Y/N fidgeted nervously picking at the hardened callus adorning her right palm. Her cheeks flared to life nearly unmissable to the common eye, but Joel? No, not a day passed he didn’t linger a second longer than appropriate. Shit, he practically lived for an accidental touch of the shoulder or brush of the leg. Joel was in stuck in hell and acutely aware of the angel and demon at war. Y/N was magnificent and he sure as hell didn’t…doesn’t say it enough.

Hastier than usual, Y/N grabbed her backpack with expert speed sprinting out the door towards freedom. She flew like a bat outta hell. Sunlight danced across her face. The warmth a welcoming distraction. Y/N gulped an anxious breath quelling her jitters. Whether by choice or not…she was fate’s bitch again.

Ellie’s hands waved maddeningly trying to nab Joel’s attention but the cowboy stood frozen transfixed by the last five minutes.

“Uh, earth to Joel?!”

Reality snapped back in place as Joel stared at the proud youngster. An aggravated grunt was all he mustered walking towards the door and out of this shithole. Ellie trailed behind.

The trio journeyed further down the path the wilted map laid out, one step closer to Wyoming, to a new beginning. Eager to break the discomfort, Ellie reached for her book. Anything was better than nothing, right? El thought so.

“Hey, I got a new one for you guys.”

The pages whipped in the wind forcing her to lose track of the current page.

“Any day now would be nice, ya know?” Joel’s prickly mood settled the score. Things were definitely soaring past uncomfortable and landed on planet catastrophe. Y/N stopped kicking dust up on Joel’s heels.

“Cut the shit, Joel. Let the girl speak.”

His answer or lack of must have been sufficient enough for Y/N as they moved onwards. Y/N grew fond of the child eventually loving the sweet but sour teen chiseling bit by bit but Ellie was worth the risk. Always.

A lighthearted tone filtered through their ears; a welcomed noise to the alternative.

“Why can’t you hear a pter—pt”

“Pterodactyl. It’s a dinosaur.”

Ellie repeated; the word feeling foreign on her tongue.

“Whatever. Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom?”

Y/N smiled waiting for the punch line. Joel staggered ahead trying his best to ignore the current ladies of his life. Y/N counted to ten; “Oh out with it already! Enlighten us.”

An innocent laughter accompanied hardly allowing Ellie to reveal the answer; “Because…the p is silent!”

She broke into a fit of giggles amused at her own joke.

“Wow, might have to file that way away for a rainy day kiddo.”

They trekked six more hours before finding stable campgrounds. One by one, their sleeping bags rolled along the frosty, unforgiving terrain just close enough but never touching. With the sun long set and a fire ablaze, everyone settled into their nightly routine which usually consisted of Ellie reading her comic books and Joel retreating so far into his own head. Easier that way... It annoyed the living piss outta him. His hand clenched wishing to lace his fingers with hers, a pathetic token of affection. But the rational part of his brain told him to shut it off and bury it so deep not even he would know its residence.

“I’ll take first and second watch. Y’all catch some sleep.”

His eyes shifted over Ellie; “And don’t think you can stay up all night reading, tomorrow’s a big day for all us. That includes you, Y/N.”

Two silent beats passed. Joel resumed; “And don’t think I don’t know bout Frank sneakin you that sack of books you keep poorly hidden. Don’t fool yourself, darling. I’m always one step ahead.”

Her eyebrow rose in morbid curiosity; “Just because some of us are determined to quite literally suck the fun out of this shitty world doesn’t equivalent said person having absolutely anything to say about mine.”

Ellie agreed quickly nodding intuitively; “Oh, Y/N. What would I do without you?”

Her rebuttal was quick witted; “Not sure, die maybe?”

“Yep, you are so my favorite.”

A miserable grumble echoed back; “Heard that.”

“Goodnight o loveable child I never wanted but slowly let into my cold wretched heart regardless.”

“Sweet dreams, sucker.”  

Hours ticked by bringing him to the cuff of midnight madness. Joel surveyed the frozen forest scattered in shadows and secrecy. He hated when there wasn’t a clear-cut option. When it was kill or be killed, you’re suddenly forced to choose and fast. Little snores filtered the frigid air reminding him they at least would live to see another day.

 For the next couple minutes, Joel scavenged his memories; the ones that tugged at him most frequently were with his beautiful baby and Y/N. Every birthday, holiday, and Saturday movie night of their lives was spent creating infectious happiness. If only he had stayed the night he opted to run or kissed her without hesitation, given an ounce of himself so she could possibly understand the gaping hole she forever filled in his heart. She was his best friend, his confidante, his past. Too scared to be lovers, eternally looped in boundless temptation.  

Sarah’s death had permanently hardened him reliving the screeching cries of Y/N, the utter desperation tied in her howls, and the forlorn terror taking ahold of Tommy at the sight of Sarah’s lifeless limbs. The aching emptiness of her death shaped him into the monster he was today…maybe always has been. Y/N was a reminder of everything decent he ever had and for was reason alone to keep her at arm’s length no matter the cost. Joel Miller was a man of his word…most of the time.

Dampened twigs snapped beneath worn boots in the distance between him and the girls. His girls. Deep down Joel knew things could never pan out even in pre-Outbreak. He hid like a coward in plain sight from anything out of his control and that usually meant Y/N. Never predictable, a constant that scared Joel to his core. But not now, not when survival predictably remained on the forefront of his mind. He made a promise to Tess and he’d be damned if he didn’t do his best to fulfil it. Life was merciless and winter didn’t help their shared misery. He too was thankful to be closing in on their predicted coordinates, to Tommy.

A small hand rested atop his shoulder squeezing slightly. Joel tensed turning around. The pair exchanged looks. Her voice was soft like churned butter; “Let’s switch. You go rest up.”

At her cruelest, Y/N was compassionate. A calloused palm connected with her warm cheek. Y/N inadvertently leaned into the reassuring stroke. Her hypnotic eyes fluttered open at the foreign sensation jolting back. She sighed. Why did it always feel so natural with Joel? Why was this curse laid upon Y/N, to love and never truly know love. She was convinced it was some cruel cosmic prank handcrafted just for her. He lingered, thumb caressing the corner of her rosy lips. Flickers of hazel filtered through his irises allowing himself a moment of reprieve and relaxation. He bathed it in.

Their blissful bubble burst too quickly pummeling them to reality. Y/N pulled away instantly missing the welcomed heat.

“Y/N…”

With lightning speed, Y/N propelled off the soggy ground sprinting near a clearing. When deemed far enough, Y/N paused her back facing Joel. He stopped leaving minimal space.  

“No. You don’t get to do this. Not now, not ever. You hear me, Joel Miller?”

Confusion was written all over his face; “Darlin’, please talk—”

Y/N shook her head, her shoulders slumped forward; “See Joel, you can’t say things like that. I’m not your girl, you’ve made that abundantly clear time and time again so what else could we possibly have left to discuss, hm?”

“That’s not fair.”

A chortle slipped from Y/N only angering his budding temper.

Her gaze seared into his; “You really wanna do this?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”  

“Fine, let’s fucking go.”

Y/N angled her body facing Joel.

“You love the way I make you feel. The endless compliments, the incessant worship, the prioritized attention, I mean the list just keeps going. You give me just enough of yourself and then inevitably pull away. Girl after girl just waltz through and I let you because I figured it was better to have you in any capacity than not at all. I fucked up by putting you first, but you allowed it, didn’t you?”

She bit the inside of lip refusing to cry in front of him. He didn’t deserve the privilege. His mouth opened ready to interject. Y/N continued.

“I’ve been in love with you for so fucking long, humiliation would be too nice of a term. Don’t bullshit or bait me. Every morning I wake up, I have to swallow this bitter pill. So no offense but fuck you for using me to make you happy until you felt like you didn’t need me anymore and left me wondering where I went wrong.”

Words flew fast; “Yer putting words in my mouth! Haven’t even given me a fighting chance. You’ve already called the winner.”

Y/N’s hands fisted by her side in attempt to suppress her irritation.

“I gave you two decades. I hated myself for imagining you. Every kiss, every caress, every fucking thing. And then you--.”

His heart jumpstarted genuinely fearful of the path they were going down.

“The night we made love, I thought I’d finally won, that the heavens aligned or some bullshit. You’d never kissed me like that before. When I found you gone in the morning, I still held out, you were going to be different. You fucked me and discarded me for the newest model. Guess you got it out of your system.”

“S’not how I remember it.”

“No? Remember making me your glorified secret until Outbreak Day? You were embarrassed and I was heartbroken. Luckily, some higher power saw fit to give me a six-year breather until running into you …and Tess.”

Joel was solemn, remorseful and unsure what qualities she found attractive.  

“Is it my turn yet? Great. Now listen here, I was an asshole and a manipulator, and an overall garbage human. I worked too much, made no time for hobbies of my own, I didn’t...don’t understand why you--.” His voice shook for barely a second finding his footing quick; “You deserved an entire galaxy. I couldn’t give you that, not on my best day. Eventually, you would resent me. An ordinary loser who couldn’t begin to make you happy.”

“That wasn’t your choice to make alone. It takes two to tango.”

“I know.”

“We’ve done this dance before. I’m tired, Joel. I wanna live just for a second without this hostility, this fury underneath my skin. I need to—exist.”  

Ellie’s sweet snorts erupted the intensity. Thank God, the youngster isn’t eavesdropping for once. The rustle of trees casted dazzling shadows and a far spookier imagery.

“It’s bout time we go our own ways. Don’t you think?... Joel, I’d rather live without you than like this.”

It tasted putrid leaving an unpleasant taste in her mouth; “Ellie is the only reason I’m here. That girl softened something in me and I know you hate that and yer a hardass but guess what, Joel? You aren’t the only one that lost somebody so quit being so damn selfish and buck up. It’s more than just you and me, old man.”

His signature scowl was more than enough for Y/N to know he got the message. She awaited his rebuttal but it didn’t come. She stood resolute and waited again met with nothing. His upper lip snarled but Joel nodded nonetheless. Dreadful relief flooded her system. The metallic taste of blood overcame his senses realizing he’d torn the inside of his cheek. Say something, anything you idiot!

He didn’t. Because this wasn’t a fairy tale and he wasn’t a prince. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellie awoke with a loud yawn, alerting the group. Y/N and Joel ignored each other packing in complete silence. Ellie’s eyes bounced from grump to grumpier electing not to rock the boat. Y/N pulled the map showing Ellie the trail; “How many days does that equal? My math isn’t, uh, 100% reliable.”

Joel butted in; “Day or two give or take. Almost to Jackson County which means it just a few miles at that point. Time to get goin’.”

El trudged through the infinite icy slush together. Her socks were damped sticking to weirdly to the heel of her left foot. Though crisp, cool air was much welcomed compared to stale, humid summers. Turns out, global climate was indeed not a joke. Luckily, that too fell with the collapse of society. With their destination soon in sight, Y/N could’ve sworn a spark of hope ignited in her veins.

----------

Tags: @beltzboys2015-blog @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @wildmavs @brittlebarbie @freyafriggafrey @deansgirl79​ @neoqueen306​

[waynekelton]

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS

The best RPGs are ones that offer unique environments, well-rounded/written characters, and unusual, original plots. Some of these games are more action-oriented while others are strictly turn-based, but they all have distinct, immersive visions in which the player might find their own ego subsumed, for a time, as deeply as is desired.

Bored of RPGs? How about some board games instead?

Below is not only a collection of great games, but they're also paragons of the genre and represent ‘role-play’ at its finest whether you're playing on Android or iOS.

Community Favourites

Our readers have their own wishlists of top RPGs they'd want to celebrate. We can't we'll be able to rotate them into the main list, but that doesn't mean their voices can't be heard. If you're looking to widen your RPG net, these recommendations from other PTers might fit the bill:

7 Mages

Severed

Monster Hunter Stories

Avernum series

The Quest HD

Aurum Blade

Dungeon Chronicle

Partia 3: Knights of Partia

Demon's Rise 2, Shieldwall Chronicles & Strike Team Hydra

Battle Chasters: Nighwar (Review)

Developer: Handy Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

It took as a while to get a review of this out the door, but it was well worth the wait. This indie darling has proven very popular amongst the PC crowd, and with it's slick performance, engaging turn-based tactical mechanics and engaging narrative, it's no surprise it was a hit with us as well. It's a little on the pricier side of but well worth your money if you're looking for a fully-fleshed out RPG experience with all the trimmings.

Not much more to say about it beyond that - you can check out Brittany's review for a more comprehensive verdict but this is a pretty good RPG that's been expertly ported to mobile, and we're all the better for it.

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

Developer: Trese Brothers Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $6.99

One of 2019's best releases so far and an excellent addition to the RPG roster, STF is the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of effort making quality premium games on mobile. You customise your captains and your crew and sail amongst stars trying to eek out a living in a hostile universe. Trade, go on missions, fight pirates and aliens... this is a very diverse sandbox RPG in space, and an excellent port of the original PC version.

The only thing to keep in mind when jumping into Frontiers is that there's a lot to consider all at once, and the openness is almost intimidating. There are some tool tips and an initial main quest that will teach you some ropes, but beyond that one criticism is that its not very good at explaining itself. Still, trial and error is not the worst thing and the more you learn, the more fun you'll have as you explore all the different play-styles and gameplay options. On top of that, the developers are constantly updating the game with free content, so you'll be well served in the future.

Barbearian (Review)

Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen Platform: iOS Universal Price: $8.99

Nick sums up our thoughts perfectly on Barbearian in his review: 

Barbearian is a real-time action/RPG that features frenetic combat full of huge hits against vast hordes of enemies. The constant motion, explosive hits, and overwhelming odds of it reminds us of running around Diablo III maps looking for more things to kill. It looks great, is loaded with smashy goodness and visceral feel, and is a ton of fun to play. It offers plenty of challenge without nearing the rage-quit-and-never-look-at-the-game-again reaction some similar games seem to elicit. The ability to micromanage the difficulty and completely control the UI layout is just icing on the cake.

An easy one to recommend to RPG fans and definitely GOTY material.

Demons' Rise

Developer: Wave Light Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $7.99

This dark fantasy, turn-based RPG is a favourite amongst PT staffers, and the sequel reviewed very well when it came out. Even three years later, it still manages to draw new players with its deep approach to tactical combat, and it's D&D-style treatment of the game world. While there's an argument to be made that Demon's Rise 2 should also be on this list (either in addition to, or instead of), which one you end up picking up you're not going to regret your choice.

Fans of tactical RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, and MMO-style combat will really take to the campaign and won't regret adding this game to their collection.

Also look out for: Wave Light have recently released another fantasy-themed tactical RPG called Shieldwall Chronicles. We quite liked it, although whether it's better than Demon's Rise is a matter for debate (we think probably not). Still, if you've already checked out DR and are looking for a new challenge, Shieldwall would be a good place to start.

Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $9.99

Planescape is strange and idiosyncratic, its characters ranging from a chaotic fire-lord whose passion is simple, total consumption and destruction of the world around him to a cherub from the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts. Its take on a D&D system isn’t particularly balanced, for the stats and character builds favor wisdom above all, both in terms of raw bonus experience and the extra interactions and dialogue options. But the story is to die for. 

The multiplanar quest of an immortal, tormented, amnesiac main character to know thyself is at once alien and deeply human. Enjoying this pre-millennium classic before its enhanced edition debut last year meant overlooking a multitude of practical shortcomings; the non-scalable and at times grainy graphics, to say nothing of bugs and lost content. Now one can meet the protagonist and experience his joys and sorrows with ease, if not comfort. The game’s peccadillos are entirely the point, its strange, singular vision undimmed by age.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Developer: Aspyr Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $9.99

In a galaxy far, far away, in a distant time immemorial, the Sith and Jedi wore very different masks. To make something as nostalgic and cherished as Star Wars new again, BioWare and LucasArts flung their players millennia into the past and pitted them against Darth Malak in a struggle for the fate of the galaxy.

The characters remain iconic and memorable to this day (HK-47 as a murderous, seemingly punctilious droid, for example), and the now-standard paragon-neutral-renegade trifecta of alignment-based decision rubric for RPGs was a natural fit for the Star Wars mythos. Choose light or dark, good or evil: these archetypes resonate because they work, as does the class- and skill-systems which were tweaked from the paper RPG baseline.

Legend of Grimrock (Review)

Developer: Almost Human Platform: iOS Price: $4.99

What is Grimrock? Four prisoners marked for death are flung into the heart of an ancient mountain to see trial by the elements. By delving deeper as a party, defeating the enemies and unravelling the riddles, you will overturn your sentence and start afresh. The mysteries of the game’s titular dungeon, whose design indicates was intended a prison for a multitude of strange beings, mount with each level until the mother-horror is finally met on the deepest level. An old-school game with grid-based real-time combat, riddles, puzzles, traps and hand-crafted (read: non-procedural, non-roguelike) levels. Good looking and thoughtfully made, its battle pace and minimal input requirements make it a natural fit for mobile.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

D&D spent a long time banished to the corners of a select few lives, shining for hours at a time in small gatherings held regularly among the elect. There have been many implementations of the various settings and rule systems of the original grand-daddy of pen-and-paper RPGs, but Baldur’s Gate is perhaps the most significant and enduring of them all. (Sorry, Temple of Elemental Evil and friends, close but no cigar).

Chrono Trigger

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99 

A journey for the ages, with a motley crew visiting each era to repair the mistakes of the past and break other timelines, zig-zagging across character arcs and plot holes with aplomb. The RPG elements are just as great as the story, both of them equally...timeless. And the soundtrack is nuanced and varied, with mysterious, mournful threnodies as well as rousing boss-battle hymns. The game keeps popping up everywhere, and for good reason, for its characters, music and story both exemplify the JRPG genre and somehow transcend it. Chrono Trigger is Chrono Trigger; to play it involves learning about RPG conventions and mechanics but to experience it is so much more, a different creature altogether.

Titan Quest (Review)

Developer: THQ Nordic Platforms: iOS Univeral, Android Price: $6.99, $8.99 

A diabolic, pan-Hellenic action-RPG whose loot system and mythic references have earned its place in the pantheon. See the world, from the Aegean to Bosphorus, to the Nile, slay its beasts of prominence. At the time of its release in 2006, the game seemed redundant and derivative; now it shines in a mobile market where a premium game with fascinating, nay, compelling, rich pool of random loot, none of it locked behind premium currency or lootboxes, is something of a rara avis. Serviceable combat, shiny loot, excellent pacing and nice controls: this is good simple fun.

Transistor

Developer: Supergiant Games Platforms:  iOS Universal Price: $4.99

The world is falling apart, being destroyed from without while society crumbles and the citizens of Cloudbank panic and retreat from their formerly comfortable lives. Transistor’s pace has only one setting, relentlessly pushing the player to new areas while a narrator overdubs the scenery and battles with evocative, if florid, prose. Transistor’s techno-utopia has clearly gone wrong at some point, and the whole city is flooded with swarms of the Process, a monochrome enemy whose various forms eerily mimic lifeforms.

The modular battle system with its flexible customization options is fun and satisfying, for any program you acquire can be equipped either as a primary (active) ability, a modifier boosting another active, or as a passive. The relative small number of programs means that this mix-and-match is always interesting, never burdensome. The combat itself is real time with the special ability to ‘pause’ the game and plan out actions.

Final Fantasy IX

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $20.99

Nick once considered this the best of all of Square's Final Fantasy ports, so now that we're officially adding JRPGs to the list (for the moment, might spin them off to their own list-ED), we thought we'd pay homage to the grand-daddy of all JRPGs with their finest mobile offering. FF9 was released at the turn of the millennium, and moved the series forward with new mechanics whilst also paying homage to the classical games.

As far as the mobile version is concerned, you couldn't ask for more. Officially it's a remaster of the original game with features such as HD movies and in-game graphics, and they added in an auto-save feature which is essential for the drop-in/drop-out nature of mobile gaming. The only downside of this and any of Square's FF ports is the pricing - at £20 full price, which is far more than what most mobile gamers are willing to pay.

Final Fantasy-like Alternatives

Once upon a time, we posted a feature of Final Fantasy alternatives. We're trying to consolidate a bit, so we're migrating that information here for your convenience. We'll expand on this section during a future update, but for the moment, here's a shortlist of Nick's recommendations if you're looking for a FF like game, but don't want to pay the price of admission:

Doom & Destiny

Doom & Destiny Advanced

Symphony of the Origin

Revenant Dogma

Dragon Quest

Dragon Fantasy

Phantasy Star II Classic

Hall of Fame

These games graced the list in a previous life, but have since past on into legend. Here's a reminder, in case we forget:

The World Ends with You

Avadon: The Black Fortress

Shadowrun Returns

What would your list of the best mobile RPGs look like? Let us know in the comments!

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS

The best RPGs are ones that offer unique environments, well-rounded/written characters, and unusual, original plots. Some of these games are more action-oriented while others are strictly turn-based, but they all have distinct, immersive visions in which the player might find their own ego subsumed, for a time, as deeply as is desired.

Bored of RPGs? How about some board games instead?

Below is not only a collection of great games, but they're also paragons of the genre and represent ‘role-play’ at its finest whether you're playing on Android or iOS.

Community Favourites

Our readers have their own wishlists of top RPGs they'd want to celebrate. We can't we'll be able to rotate them into the main list, but that doesn't mean their voices can't be heard. If you're looking to widen your RPG net, these recommendations from other PTers might fit the bill:

7 Mages

Severed

Monster Hunter Stories

Avernum series

The Quest HD

Aurum Blade

Dungeon Chronicle

Partia 3: Knights of Partia

Recently Released

One recent release of note is Nomads of the Fallen Star (pictured), a sci-fi sandbox RPG with a tactical turn-based strategy layer. It's been ported from PC and would be a shoe-in for this list, if it weren't for some lack-lustre implementation. The mobile interface especially is well below what you'd expect for a game of this nature. Still, we highlight it because it's the kind of game we like seeing on mobile, and there's always the chance the interface will be fixed in the future.

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

Developer: Trese Brothers Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $6.99

One of 2019's best releases so far and an excellent addition to the RPG roster, STF is the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of effort making quality premium games on mobile. You customise your captains and your crew and sail amongst stars trying to eek out a living in a hostile universe. Trade, go on missions, fight pirates and aliens... this is a very diverse sandbox RPG in space, and an excellent port of the original PC version.

The only thing to keep in mind when jumping into Frontiers is that there's a lot to consider all at once, and the openness is almost intimidating. There are some tool tips and an initial main quest that will teach you some ropes, but beyond that one criticism is that its not very good at explaining itself. Still, trial and error is not the worst thing and the more you learn, the more fun you'll have as you explore all the different play-styles and gameplay options. On top of that, the developers are constantly updating the game with free content, so you'll be well served in the future.

Barbearian (Review)

Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen Platform: iOS Universal Price: $8.99

Nick sums up our thoughts perfectly on Barbearian in his review: 

Barbearian is a real-time action/RPG that features frenetic combat full of huge hits against vast hordes of enemies. The constant motion, explosive hits, and overwhelming odds of it reminds us of running around Diablo III maps looking for more things to kill. It looks great, is loaded with smashy goodness and visceral feel, and is a ton of fun to play. It offers plenty of challenge without nearing the rage-quit-and-never-look-at-the-game-again reaction some similar games seem to elicit. The ability to micromanage the difficulty and completely control the UI layout is just icing on the cake.

An easy one to recommend to RPG fans and definitely GOTY material.

Demons' Rise

Developer: Wave Light Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $7.99

This dark fantasy, turn-based RPG is a favourite amongst PT staffers, and the sequel reviewed very well when it came out. Even three years later, it still manages to draw new players with its deep approach to tactical combat, and it's D&D-style treatment of the game world. While there's an argument to be made that Demon's Rise 2 should also be on this list (either in addition to, or instead of), which one you end up picking up you're not going to regret your choice.

Fans of tactical RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, and MMO-style combat will really take to the campaign and won't regret adding this game to their collection.

Also look out for: Wave Light have recently released another fantasy-themed tactical RPG called Shieldwall Chronicles. We quite liked it, although whether it's better than Demon's Rise is a matter for debate (we think probably not). Still, if you've already checked out DR and are looking for a new challenge, Shieldwall would be a good place to start.

Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $9.99

Planescape is strange and idiosyncratic, its characters ranging from a chaotic fire-lord whose passion is simple, total consumption and destruction of the world around him to a cherub from the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts. Its take on a D&D system isn’t particularly balanced, for the stats and character builds favor wisdom above all, both in terms of raw bonus experience and the extra interactions and dialogue options. But the story is to die for. 

The multiplanar quest of an immortal, tormented, amnesiac main character to know thyself is at once alien and deeply human. Enjoying this pre-millennium classic before its enhanced edition debut last year meant overlooking a multitude of practical shortcomings; the non-scalable and at times grainy graphics, to say nothing of bugs and lost content. Now one can meet the protagonist and experience his joys and sorrows with ease, if not comfort. The game’s peccadillos are entirely the point, its strange, singular vision undimmed by age.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Developer: Aspyr Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $9.99

In a galaxy far, far away, in a distant time immemorial, the Sith and Jedi wore very different masks. To make something as nostalgic and cherished as Star Wars new again, BioWare and LucasArts flung their players millennia into the past and pitted them against Darth Malak in a struggle for the fate of the galaxy.

The characters remain iconic and memorable to this day (HK-47 as a murderous, seemingly punctilious droid, for example), and the now-standard paragon-neutral-renegade trifecta of alignment-based decision rubric for RPGs was a natural fit for the Star Wars mythos. Choose light or dark, good or evil: these archetypes resonate because they work, as does the class- and skill-systems which were tweaked from the paper RPG baseline.

Legend of Grimrock (Review)

Developer: Almost Human Platform: iOS Price: $4.99

What is Grimrock? Four prisoners marked for death are flung into the heart of an ancient mountain to see trial by the elements. By delving deeper as a party, defeating the enemies and unravelling the riddles, you will overturn your sentence and start afresh. The mysteries of the game’s titular dungeon, whose design indicates was intended a prison for a multitude of strange beings, mount with each level until the mother-horror is finally met on the deepest level. An old-school game with grid-based real-time combat, riddles, puzzles, traps and hand-crafted (read: non-procedural, non-roguelike) levels. Good looking and thoughtfully made, its battle pace and minimal input requirements make it a natural fit for mobile.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

D&D spent a long time banished to the corners of a select few lives, shining for hours at a time in small gatherings held regularly among the elect. There have been many implementations of the various settings and rule systems of the original grand-daddy of pen-and-paper RPGs, but Baldur’s Gate is perhaps the most significant and enduring of them all. (Sorry, Temple of Elemental Evil and friends, close but no cigar).

Chrono Trigger

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99 

A journey for the ages, with a motley crew visiting each era to repair the mistakes of the past and break other timelines, zig-zagging across character arcs and plot holes with aplomb. The RPG elements are just as great as the story, both of them equally...timeless. And the soundtrack is nuanced and varied, with mysterious, mournful threnodies as well as rousing boss-battle hymns. The game keeps popping up everywhere, and for good reason, for its characters, music and story both exemplify the JRPG genre and somehow transcend it. Chrono Trigger is Chrono Trigger; to play it involves learning about RPG conventions and mechanics but to experience it is so much more, a different creature altogether.

Titan Quest (Review)

Developer: THQ Nordic Platforms: iOS Univeral, Android Price: $6.99, $8.99 

A diabolic, pan-Hellenic action-RPG whose loot system and mythic references have earned its place in the pantheon. See the world, from the Aegean to Bosphorus, to the Nile, slay its beasts of prominence. At the time of its release in 2006, the game seemed redundant and derivative; now it shines in a mobile market where a premium game with fascinating, nay, compelling, rich pool of random loot, none of it locked behind premium currency or lootboxes, is something of a rara avis. Serviceable combat, shiny loot, excellent pacing and nice controls: this is good simple fun.

Transistor

Developer: Supergiant Games Platforms:  iOS Universal Price: $4.99

The world is falling apart, being destroyed from without while society crumbles and the citizens of Cloudbank panic and retreat from their formerly comfortable lives. Transistor’s pace has only one setting, relentlessly pushing the player to new areas while a narrator overdubs the scenery and battles with evocative, if florid, prose. Transistor’s techno-utopia has clearly gone wrong at some point, and the whole city is flooded with swarms of the Process, a monochrome enemy whose various forms eerily mimic lifeforms.

The modular battle system with its flexible customization options is fun and satisfying, for any program you acquire can be equipped either as a primary (active) ability, a modifier boosting another active, or as a passive. The relative small number of programs means that this mix-and-match is always interesting, never burdensome. The combat itself is real time with the special ability to ‘pause’ the game and plan out actions.

Final Fantasy IX

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $20.99

Nick once considered this the best of all of Square's Final Fantasy ports, so now that we're officially adding JRPGs to the list (for the moment, might spin them off to their own list-ED), we thought we'd pay homage to the grand-daddy of all JRPGs with their finest mobile offering. FF9 was released at the turn of the millennium, and moved the series forward with new mechanics whilst also paying homage to the classical games.

As far as the mobile version is concerned, you couldn't ask for more. Officially it's a remaster of the original game with features such as HD movies and in-game graphics, and they added in an auto-save feature which is essential for the drop-in/drop-out nature of mobile gaming. The only downside of this and any of Square's FF ports is the pricing - at £20 full price, which is far more than what most mobile gamers are willing to pay.

Final Fantasy-like Alternatives

Once upon a time, we posted a feature of Final Fantasy alternatives. We're trying to consolidate a bit, so we're migrating that information here for your convenience. We'll expand on this section during a future update, but for the moment, here's a shortlist of Nick's recommendations if you're looking for a FF like game, but don't want to pay the price of admission:

Doom & Destiny

Doom & Destiny Advanced

Symphony of the Origin

Revenant Dogma

Dragon Quest

Dragon Fantasy

Phantasy Star II Classic

Hall of Fame

These games graced the list in a previous life, but have since past on into legend. Here's a reminder, in case we forget:

The World Ends with You

Avadon: The Black Fortress

Shadowrun Returns

What would your list of the best mobile RPGs look like? Let us know in the comments!

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

The Best RPGs on Android & iOS

The best RPGs are ones that offer unique environments, well-rounded/written characters, and unusual, original plots. Some of these games are more action-oriented while others are strictly turn-based, but they all have distinct, immersive visions in which the player might find their own ego subsumed, for a time, as deeply as is desired.

Bored of RPGs? How about some board games instead?

Below is not only a collection of great games, but they're also paragons of the genre and represent ‘role-play’ at its finest whether you're playing on Android or iOS.

Community Favourites

Our readers have their own wishlists of top RPGs they'd want to celebrate. We can't we'll be able to rotate them into the main list, but that doesn't mean their voices can't be heard. If you're looking to widen your RPG net, these recommendations from other PTers might fit the bill:

7 Mages

Severed

Monster Hunter Stories

Avernum series

The Quest HD

Aurum Blade

Dungeon Chronicle

Partia 3: Knights of Partia

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

Developer: Trese Brothers Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $6.99

One of 2019's best releases so far and an excellent addition to the RPG roster, STF is the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of effort making quality premium games on mobile. You customise your captains and your crew and sail amongst stars trying to eek out a living in a hostile universe. Trade, go on missions, fight pirates and aliens... this is a very diverse sandbox RPG in space, and an excellent port of the original PC version.

The only thing to keep in mind when jumping into Frontiers is that there's a lot to consider all at once, and the openness is almost intimidating. There are some tool tips and an initial main quest that will teach you some ropes, but beyond that one criticism is that its not very good at explaining itself. Still, trial and error is not the worst thing and the more you learn, the more fun you'll have as you explore all the different play-styles and gameplay options. On top of that, the developers are constantly updating the game with free content, so you'll be well served in the future.

Barbearian (Review)

Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen Platform: iOS Universal Price: $8.99

Nick sums up our thoughts perfectly on Barbearian in his review: 

Barbearian is a real-time action/RPG that features frenetic combat full of huge hits against vast hordes of enemies. The constant motion, explosive hits, and overwhelming odds of it reminds us of running around Diablo III maps looking for more things to kill. It looks great, is loaded with smashy goodness and visceral feel, and is a ton of fun to play. It offers plenty of challenge without nearing the rage-quit-and-never-look-at-the-game-again reaction some similar games seem to elicit. The ability to micromanage the difficulty and completely control the UI layout is just icing on the cake.

An easy one to recommend to RPG fans and definitely GOTY material.

Demons' Rise

Developer: Wave Light Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $7.99

This dark fantasy, turn-based RPG is a favourite amongst PT staffers, and the sequel reviewed very well when it came out. Even three years later, it still manages to draw new players with its deep approach to tactical combat, and it's D&D-style treatment of the game world. While there's an argument to be made that Demon's Rise 2 should also be on this list (either in addition to, or instead of), which one you end up picking up you're not going to regret your choice.

Fans of tactical RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, and MMO-style combat will really take to the campaign and won't regret adding this game to their collection.

Also look out for: Wave Light have recently released another fantasy-themed tactical RPG called Shieldwall Chronicles. We quite liked it, although whether it's better than Demon's Rise is a matter for debate (we think probably not). Still, if you've already checked out DR and are looking for a new challenge, Shieldwall would be a good place to start.

Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $9.99

Planescape is strange and idiosyncratic, its characters ranging from a chaotic fire-lord whose passion is simple, total consumption and destruction of the world around him to a cherub from the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts. Its take on a D&D system isn’t particularly balanced, for the stats and character builds favor wisdom above all, both in terms of raw bonus experience and the extra interactions and dialogue options. But the story is to die for. 

The multiplanar quest of an immortal, tormented, amnesiac main character to know thyself is at once alien and deeply human. Enjoying this pre-millennium classic before its enhanced edition debut last year meant overlooking a multitude of practical shortcomings; the non-scalable and at times grainy graphics, to say nothing of bugs and lost content. Now one can meet the protagonist and experience his joys and sorrows with ease, if not comfort. The game’s peccadillos are entirely the point, its strange, singular vision undimmed by age.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Developer: Aspyr Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $9.99

In a galaxy far, far away, in a distant time immemorial, the Sith and Jedi wore very different masks. To make something as nostalgic and cherished as Star Wars new again, BioWare and LucasArts flung their players millennia into the past and pitted them against Darth Malak in a struggle for the fate of the galaxy.

The characters remain iconic and memorable to this day (HK-47 as a murderous, seemingly punctilious droid, for example), and the now-standard paragon-neutral-renegade trifecta of alignment-based decision rubric for RPGs was a natural fit for the Star Wars mythos. Choose light or dark, good or evil: these archetypes resonate because they work, as does the class- and skill-systems which were tweaked from the paper RPG baseline.

Legend of Grimrock (Review)

Developer: Almost Human Platform: iOS Price: $4.99

What is Grimrock? Four prisoners marked for death are flung into the heart of an ancient mountain to see trial by the elements. By delving deeper as a party, defeating the enemies and unravelling the riddles, you will overturn your sentence and start afresh. The mysteries of the game’s titular dungeon, whose design indicates was intended a prison for a multitude of strange beings, mount with each level until the mother-horror is finally met on the deepest level. An old-school game with grid-based real-time combat, riddles, puzzles, traps and hand-crafted (read: non-procedural, non-roguelike) levels. Good looking and thoughtfully made, its battle pace and minimal input requirements make it a natural fit for mobile.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

D&D spent a long time banished to the corners of a select few lives, shining for hours at a time in small gatherings held regularly among the elect. There have been many implementations of the various settings and rule systems of the original grand-daddy of pen-and-paper RPGs, but Baldur’s Gate is perhaps the most significant and enduring of them all. (Sorry, Temple of Elemental Evil and friends, close but no cigar).

Chrono Trigger

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99 

A journey for the ages, with a motley crew visiting each era to repair the mistakes of the past and break other timelines, zig-zagging across character arcs and plot holes with aplomb. The RPG elements are just as great as the story, both of them equally...timeless. And the soundtrack is nuanced and varied, with mysterious, mournful threnodies as well as rousing boss-battle hymns. The game keeps popping up everywhere, and for good reason, for its characters, music and story both exemplify the JRPG genre and somehow transcend it. Chrono Trigger is Chrono Trigger; to play it involves learning about RPG conventions and mechanics but to experience it is so much more, a different creature altogether.

Titan Quest (Review)

Developer: THQ Nordic Platforms: iOS Univeral, Android Price: $6.99, $8.99 

A diabolic, pan-Hellenic action-RPG whose loot system and mythic references have earned its place in the pantheon. See the world, from the Aegean to Bosphorus, to the Nile, slay its beasts of prominence. At the time of its release in 2006, the game seemed redundant and derivative; now it shines in a mobile market where a premium game with fascinating, nay, compelling, rich pool of random loot, none of it locked behind premium currency or lootboxes, is something of a rara avis. Serviceable combat, shiny loot, excellent pacing and nice controls: this is good simple fun.

Transistor

Developer: Supergiant Games Platforms:  iOS Universal Price: $4.99

The world is falling apart, being destroyed from without while society crumbles and the citizens of Cloudbank panic and retreat from their formerly comfortable lives. Transistor’s pace has only one setting, relentlessly pushing the player to new areas while a narrator overdubs the scenery and battles with evocative, if florid, prose. Transistor’s techno-utopia has clearly gone wrong at some point, and the whole city is flooded with swarms of the Process, a monochrome enemy whose various forms eerily mimic lifeforms.

The modular battle system with its flexible customization options is fun and satisfying, for any program you acquire can be equipped either as a primary (active) ability, a modifier boosting another active, or as a passive. The relative small number of programs means that this mix-and-match is always interesting, never burdensome. The combat itself is real time with the special ability to ‘pause’ the game and plan out actions.

Final Fantasy IX

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $20.99

Nick once considered this the best of all of Square's Final Fantasy ports, so now that we're officially adding JRPGs to the list (for the moment, might spin them off to their own list-ED), we thought we'd pay homage to the grand-daddy of all JRPGs with their finest mobile offering. FF9 was released at the turn of the millennium, and moved the series forward with new mechanics whilst also paying homage to the classical games.

As far as the mobile version is concerned, you couldn't ask for more. Officially it's a remaster of the original game with features such as HD movies and in-game graphics, and they added in an auto-save feature which is essential for the drop-in/drop-out nature of mobile gaming. The only downside of this and any of Square's FF ports is the pricing - at £20 full price, which is far more than what most mobile gamers are willing to pay.

Final Fantasy-like Alternatives

Once upon a time, we posted a feature of Final Fantasy alternatives. We're trying to consolidate a bit, so we're migrating that information here for your convenience. We'll expand on this section during a future update, but for the moment, here's a shortlist of Nick's recommendations if you're looking for a FF like game, but don't want to pay the price of admission:

Doom & Destiny

Doom & Destiny Advanced

Symphony of the Origin

Revenant Dogma

Dragon Quest

Dragon Fantasy

Phantasy Star II Classic

Hall of Fame

These games graced the list in a previous life, but have since past on into legend. Here's a reminder, in case we forget:

The World Ends with You

Avadon: The Black Fortress

Shadowrun Returns

What would your list of the best mobile RPGs look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best RPGs on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/