I've been digging into some iOS titles over the past month or so to keep me entertained during my travels, and found a few gems (after digging through lots of junk, of course). Any recommendations for games that would keep me having fun during long bus rides from Boston to NYC? I'm more into traditional-ish game structures instead of infinite run and titles that are bogged down with IAP and pay-to-play. (Yes, I know I just died, and no, I don't want to spend .99 to get more lives.)

Here are my favorites so far:

Bean Dreams - What a cute little platformer! It's short (already about 75% through after only a couple of hours of play), but it's quirky and a good time.

Don't Look Back - Controls were a little frustrating at first, but this was a creepy and interesting game that I'll revisit a few more times.

Flappy Bird - Nothing gets me to meditate as deeply as playing this. No joke.

God of Light - Nice light/reflection-based puzzler that worked my brain in some really clever ways.

Monument Valley - Easily the best game I've played on iOS yet. It, and its expansion, are worth every penny. Watercolor Escher painting meets a strange ICO-like feeling of isolation and exploration. Loved every damn minute of this game.

Rayman Run/Fiesta Run - Good stuff, beautiful visuals and fun soundtrack (borrowed from Origins/Legends). Some P2P stuff in here, but it's worth a few runs through the levels.

VVVVVV - Absolutely ridiculous. Metroid-influenced exploration blended with Atari style graphics, Super Meat Boy-esque rooms, and one of the best chiptune soundtracks I've heard in years. The add-on (Gravitron) is also fun for a few minutes of casual fun here and there.

Sometimes You Die - Talk about meta. The iOS game that makes you question all other iOS games. It doesn't break the fourth wall, it burns it down. Bonus: the hidden orange rooms were insane and took me about an hour to get through.

On deck: Superbrothers, Penumbear, Tiny Thief, Volt, World of Goo

There are a ton of CAVE titles whose official localizations only exist on iOS. Both Mushihimesama games (as well as Bug Panic, which I personally think is a really great game!), most of the Dodonpachi titles, Deathsmiles (I know that was also on 360), ESPGaluda I and II, probably more I forgot about. ALL of these have been great for iOS.

Recently S-E had a sale, and I've been playing Final Fantasy Dimensions. In one sense, yes, it's this weird derivative of FFIV and FFV mashed together into one game. On the other hand, the areas about it that make it unique to FF (spending job points to increase maximum job level, two fully different parties simultaneously exploring two sides of the world for most of the game, etc) make it worthwhile. And even the derivative stuff feels good. Getting dragon grass to heal a dragon, seeing Mogs and Cid and fighting summon monsters to earn them ... I can dig all that.

I enjoy the crap out of 2048.

the only official localization of the original Shin Megami Tensei is on iOS. I played it a full 60 hours, went neutral route. I think, as a history lesson on the franchise's story and mechanics, it's a great experience. Also great music (get those headphones out since the iOS speakers won't do it justice!).

And finally, for people who deal with a host of mental health and mood disorders, I've been finding a lot of good in this thing:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/good-blo … 38527?mt=8

GOOD BLOCKS. Just try it. Even if you hate this kind of self-help, positive self-talk stuff ... give it a try. I'd love to hear what people think of it.

Ramza

I spent five minutes with this, and already feel better about my day. Thank you for sharing!

Sorry, had to emphasize those two quotes. Mobile gaming is like experiment of what happens when you have a massive library with little to no quality control.

The last games I have played on mobile are Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds and one game that is essentially a Scrabble knock-off. Usually I have my old DS (loaded with an NES emulator) with me if I travel as an alternate.

I don't know if you can just knock mobile gaming for this. Aren't there some console games flooded with micro-transactions?

Then again... I guess mobile games kind of started that whole idea

There are two Bemani games for iOS that I can't find anywhere else: Jubeat and Reflec Beat. These are really the only iOS games that I play, but the appeal was so strong that the first iPad that I got was largely purchased for its ability to play Jubeat.

My girlfriend has spent a lot of time playing Game of Thrones: Ascent on the iPad recently, and seems to really enjoy it.

I have loads of iOS games I adore. Here are some:

80 Days - one of my favourite games of 2014. Like a beautifully realised text adventure tracking a steampunk Mr Fogg's journey around the world. So many cities to explore as you choose your route.

Sorcery 1 and 2 - From the same developer (Inkle) but based on the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, they took fantasy gamebooks that were already great and made them greater by building completely new navigation from scratch. Wonderful adventures.

The Room 1 and 2 - beautiful puzzle box games that just wouldn't play quite as well on any other system. Not to be missed.

Rebuild - Not unique to iOS but a good pick nonetheless. Rebuild is a strategy game which has you retaking a city after a zombie apocalypse.

Sword and Sworcery - A gorgeous experience with amazing pixel art. Just a thing of beauty from start to finish.

Lost Treasures of Infocom - Classic text adventures.

Monument Valley - Incredible puzzle journey playing with perceptions of 3D space.

Papers, Please - A PC game that works brilliantly on iPad. You play a border guard deciding who gets in and who doesn't. Dark, miserable and very different.

I've played Papers Please and Sword&Sworcery on PC, and I agree they're both wonderful.

I've never heard of these "The Room" games. I'll be sure to check them out.

Also, I had no idea the old infocom text adventures (Zork etc) were on iOS. That sounds like fun!

It has been a while, but I've played a good number of iOS games over the past few months, so I wanted to get back here and update/add stuff to my original post.

Both still hold true. I haven't gone back and done any full replays, but I will at some point. Great games! I've also played a ton of crap over the past few months, but I'll save the trouble of bringing those up.

#sworcery - A real treat, and absolutely worth the price of admission ($2.99 for iPhone, $4.99 for hi-res iPad). The soundtrac still haunts, and there's even a rando arrange album with a few very noticeable names on there. Point-and-click style adventure that feels a bit like a platformer, a bit like a Zelda-type game, and a bit like a weird dream you experience during one of those moments when you accidentally fall asleep on the couch and wake up like, wait, what was that dream about? So good.

Bastion - This was a cool experience that got a little long in the tooth toward the last third of the game or so, but was still very much worth it (and with NG+ worth a replay). The way the world builds itself as you explore and the constant narration that reflects the in-game events really drive the story and make it feel really interactive. Gotta mention the notable soundtrack, too. I used the touch controls since it seemed easier for the iPhone 5, but you can use more traditional style flatpad controls if that works for you.

EDIT: just finished round 2 of Bastion, and loved it way more than the first time around. NG+ plus infinite lives plus awesome, upgraded weapons? Why, yes. Also, the tunes are so damn good.

Dead Space - A watered down experience compared to the console game, but I was surprised by how well it was done and how well the controls work. Not a very long experience, but it's creepy, and the way the balance of combat and exploration is structured keeps things from being overwhelming or unfair since you don't have the luxury of a full controller.

Goblin Sword - MAN. Goblin Sword! This is like a little nugget of SNES beauty squeezed onto iOS. At first the levels felt repetitive (each level within their respective areas has the same tileset and BGM), but this game is so damn fun. Challenging, too! The levels seem to be just long enough, and the challenges - finding three gems in each level, as well as two treasures that contain either money or new equipment/armor - are enough to keep you guessing, but aren't so hard that you'll be throwing your iOS device out of frustration. I've been playing this game for about two months now, and am still unlocking new things. The dev updated the game a month or so ago with 16 new levels - for free! Well worth it.

Kero Blaster - Another great retro-style platformer, with a bit of a Contra/shooter type of weapons upgrade system. I bombed through this in about two and a half hours, but loved it and will absolutely play it again. $4.99 is steep for such a short experience, but the quality is top notch. Another game that's just challenging enough, although you do have total control on the upgrading and progression of your weapons. Need more health? Buy another heart from the store. Want to upgrade your laser instead of your bubble gun? Get it done, son.

Rico - I'm only about 10 minutes into this, but I love it. Old-school platforming with awesome music. Can't wait to dig into this one.

Traps and Gemstones - Didn't expect too much from this, but it's a fun Metrovania style game that has you as an Indiana Jones type dude exploring a pyramid to find 25 lost relics that need to be restored. As the game progresses you get new items and skills that open up another chamber or two of the pyramid, and the next thing you know you've spent three hours collecting gems and solving puzzles. The art style looks campy, and sometimes it's hard to remember where you've been because the pyramid chambers look similar, but there is an in-game map that has little dots on rooms either where you can reach the relic, or where there's a pedestal that will allow you restore one of the relics you have. Like Kero Blaster, $4.99 is a bit much, but this is a game I'll easily play one or two more times, so I'll get my money's worth.

Anyone who hasn't tried it yet I recommend Final Fantast Record Keeper. It's a pretty neat game.

For all of you with new enough devices. I'm still on a 4th-gen iPod Touch, which stops at iOS 6. FF:RK requires iOS 7 (as does most of the new, high-end mobile games). It makes me a sad little panda bear. I will have to upgrade, someday.

lol, same deal. My mom asks me why none of her apps work anymore on her Gen 1 iPad...

Ittle Dew? Ittle Dew. ITTLE DEW!

This is a cracked out LttP homage that pokes fun at the Zelda franchise and makes it into its own game. The puzzles are genius, and the use of the three weapons/tools gets lots of mileage throughout the entire game. I've made it to the very end, and instead of doing the last thing I need to do before finishing I'm exploring and doing the optional puzzle dungeon. Worth every goddamn penny.

I downloaded The Executive on Friday night, and have been playing for at least a couple of hours each day since. Touch-fighter meets rhythm game meets mining sim meets I don't even know what. Absolutely worth the $2.99.

I tend to get bored with iOS games pretty quickly, so I never really buy any, but I'll occasionally play some free ones. The ones I did plonk down money for are Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run, and I haven't regretted it for a single second, but then I'm a huge fan of the modern Rayman games.
It's an auto-runner, but the stages are not endless: you have a set number of stages with 100 lums each and you just have to reach the end (and preferable get all the lums) by timing your jumps. Not super original, but the graphics and music set it apart from most other titles of its ilk.

This game is SUPER high on nostalgia, but I got bored of the gameplay pretty fast. Nostalgia was pretty much the only thing pushing me forward, and it only got me so far.

Fiesta Run is great! After playing it for quite a while, I couldn't go back to Jungle Run because of the control scheme. Fiesta has jump on the right, Jungle has it on the left, and you can't swap controls in Jungle Run. Either way, both are damn good!

And hey, they JUST announced a new one!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRjXVjmb9nw

Good god, that looks awesome!

AppSpy preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2dy8uAgBA0

Looking good. Love that you can change direction and go back to areas you've already run through.

In my veins, please.

Interesting (and maybe slightly worrisome?) that they're going for free-to-play. I'd gladly pay them for this, like I did for the other games.

Not an iOS-exclusive at all but I was away for the last couple of weeks and got hooked on FTL (Faster Than Light). A pretty simple game of getting across star systems on a spacecraft that (to me) is crazy difficult. Reminded me of Rogue-likes in the way I got used to failure and still wanted to try again.