When I was studying abroad in Japan, I found myself often taking public transportation. The ability to get around freely was awesome, but the jostling of the trains and buses wasn’t really conducive to reading, and the rides could often take a long time. To keep myself entertained, I found myself turning to mobile games. Since I’ve returned to the US, I have slowly built a repertoire of phone games for all the times when I am in waiting rooms, long car rides, or just bored. Here are my current 5 favorite games, counting down to number 1!
5. Pocket Love
This cute game focuses on an itty-bitty you and your itty-bitty partner, making an itty-bitty house. “Pocket” is definitely the right name for this game! In an adorable chibi-adjacent style, you can build your home, decorate, adopt pets, and go on dates! Slowly build your wealth by cleaning up the community and playing minigames, and interact with characters for sweet conversations. The game is very feel-good and doesn’t require any kind of upkeep. It does have a lot of ads, but they are all presented as options to get more in-game currency, and none are forced on you if you don’t want to watch them. I check in on my little avatar and the one I made of my boyfriend every so often when I have a few minutes to fill.
4. NYT games
Another game I picked up quite recently is the New York Times game application. Over the course of the lockdown, did you try the “Wordle?” Are you a fan of sudoku or matching games? You may love this app. Each day you can access the games created for the New York Times such as Connections and a daily crossword, which I discovered recently. It’s all your favorite small word games in one app.
3. Mementomori
Mementomori is a fantasy gacha battling game with some of the most beautiful game art I’ve ever seen. The story is a bit fast-paced and could be better developed, but that’s mostly because the game is trying to get you to the fun part, which is the fighting. In a world where a dominant religious group is hunting down witches, and several curses are dominating the population, the main character takes up arms to fight back. Along the way, she makes friends with many witches in hiding, and they build their strength. There are several elements of gameplay, but almost all involve the smooth auto-battling that makes the game fun and laid-back. If you enjoy auto-battling, collecting characters and leveling them up, and prefer a light story, this may be the game for you!
Life Makeover is a cross between a fashion game, romance game, and a social simulation game, with a gacha twist. This highly rated app keeps getting better and better each update, adding elements to make it more entertaining. The 3D, seemingly endless dress-up options allow your creativity to really shine. But that’s not all — this game has a murder-mystery plot! Following the death of the protagonist’s sister, you must simultaneously take over her private detective business and solve the mystery of her demise. While the protagonist’s solution to many of the problems seems to be “changing clothes” (in order to give the player fashion-related tasks), the actual quest she is on is interesting and keeps you moving. In addition, you meet many cute potential love interests along the way! These love interests, as well as other NPCs, can be collected through the gacha system and awards to raise points on outfits. Guilds, an in-game social media platform, a home that you can design, and a brand studio where you can make your own patterns and clothing pretty much provide anything a fashion lover could want in a mobile game!
Taking the cake for my current favorite mobile game is an otome/science-fiction battle game. If you’ve never heard of otome before, it comes from the Japanese word for “maiden,” essentially indicating the game is made for young women. Typically, these games are romance-focused, but not always. Love & Deepspace is one of the coolest and most unique combinations of genres I have ever seen, especially when it comes to those available on mobile! In this game, you play as a monster hunter in a futuristic city. While unraveling the secrets of this world and fighting back against violent attacks by deep space creatures, you meet a handful of male love interests. You can text, call, interact with, and go out with any of these characters. When you’re tired of the romance part, you can pair up and go absolutely decimate some inhuman evil. And did I mention, this game has some of the most well-done 3D art in the otome genre? As a friend of mine said when I sent her photos: “I can see every nonexistent pore.” This story’s game, graphics, and multifaceted gameplay really tops what a mobile game can do.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a quiet game to fill your transit time, or a detailed story that will keep you up at night, I recommend you take a look at any and all of these games. The incredible art, engaging stories, or even the frustrating sudoku of the NYT game app are all worth your time investigating. Happy gaming!