There's a mobile game for everyone and every fandom these days. Even your most technology challenged family member may have a game they like to play on their smartphone! Now that video games are accessible on our mobile devices, we can always have incredible sci-fi and fantasy sagas at hand.
To combine our love of science fiction and fantasy worlds with our admiration for well-crafted mobile games, we've put together a list of some of the best handheld games you should be playing. Good luck, and have fun!
Clash of Clans
- Photo Credit: Supercell
Once you get the hang of it, Clash of Clans is probably one of the most addictive games out there. Players are tasked with building their own society (their 'clan'), using the resources gained by attacking other players through the game’s fighting features, while also protecting their own resources from invaders.
Go ahead and make some digital friends in this wholly interactive game. Players hunt for gold and elixir to build the power of their clan, clash with other clans, interact with spells, and discover a whole trove of mythical creatures that either help or hurt your clan.
Final Fantasy VII
- Photo Credit: Square Enix
In general, we're trying to avoid PC and console ports on this list, but we couldn’t ignore one of the most reliably entertaining games out there. Final Fantasy VII is one of several Final Fantasy games released for iOS and Android, and it's aged well.
The award-winning game came out to great acclaim in 1997, and remains one of the greatest fantasy games of all time. The story follows the exploits and adventures of mercenary Cloud Strife.
This latest re-release offers players the ability to skip random encounters and utilize an automatic max-stats command.
Fallout Shelter
- Photo Credit: Bethesda Softworks
Fallout Shelter is an extension of the Fallout universe popularized in the excellent PC and console gaming series.
In the game, players build their own Vault in which they shelter an entire population of people, and function as the Overseer. They’re responsible for delegating out responsibilities to the citizens, and keep them happy and alive by providing power, food, and water. Basically, players are leading these people to survival in a post-apocalyptic world. They’re at the helm of their community, and that includes rescuing survivors from the so-called “wasteland” to be put to work within the Vault.
The game has won a handful of awards, including Best Mobile Game at the 2015 Golden Joystick Awards.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Photo Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
From a deck of 30 or so cards, players become the master of their fate in this handheld game. Players select a hero with a unique power, with the goal of sending a barrage of attacks against their opponent, to lower the opponents' score to zero. With each victory, players get a new set of more powerful cards, and other in-game prizes.
Basically, it’s the virtual version of all those card games we played with our friends growing up. Set within the Warcraft world, this online collectible card game comes from Blizzard Entertainment.
Goblin Sword
- Photo Credit: Eleftherios Christodoulatos
The goal as a player in the 2D medieval fantasy game Goblin Sword is good old-fashioned fantasy: defeat monsters, collect bounty, and avoid the evil wizard. Sounds pretty basic, right? Goblin Sword has been praised for its difficulty level, so don’t expect an easy win from this one. It's downright addictive… all 89 levels.
Myst
- Photo Credit: Cyan, Inc.
The very same PC puzzle game you loved from the 90s is now available in its entirety for Android and iOS.
In Myst, players are the Stranger — a figure who has come into possession of a book which allows them to travel to the island of Myst. It’s a graphic adventure game that requires players to solve a series of puzzles before moving on to the next world, or Age.
Myst was the best-selling PC game until The Sims hit the market, and inspired four follow-up games, as well as spin-off games and novels. For those of you who just can't get enough Myst, the sequel Riven: The Sequel to Myst is also available on mobile.
RELATED: The 11 Best Sci-Fi Video Games
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
In this shamelessly light-hearted addition to the superhero gaming world, players work their way through the Marvel universe as their favorite character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The line was released in 2012 alongside The Avengers movie; the sequel LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 came out in November of 2017.
The series follows the release of several LEGO sets inspired by the various characters in the Marvel world. These are simple but well-designed games that are a great place for newbies to the mobile gaming scene to start. This line also makes a refreshing change from the more grimdark superhero games out there.
Featured photo from "LEGO Marvel Superheroes" via Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
This article was originally published on October 12th, 2016.
