Mobile gaming is at a weird point in its life cycle. Between commercials featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger telling us to set up air strikes, and the incessant Candy Crush notifications, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for people looking for grown-up mobile entertainment. But behind all the goofy/brainless stuff, there are some real gems out there. If you’re looking for a great mobile gaming experience without feeling or looking like a 5th grader, here are 7 games that’ll fit the bill:
Eklips
We’ll be straight with you—Eklips is basically the modern man’s Tetris. Beautifully designed in an interesting new format, this minimalist puzzle game has a simple premise: make squares around a small dot in the middle of the screen by moving, rotating, and re-configuring different shapes. It’s simple, easy to play, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. iTunes
Soda Dungeon
No, that’s not a typo. We’re recommending a game called Soda Dungeon, and before you freak out and email us about how terrible of a suggestion this is (some of you are laughing, but it has absolutely happened before), just hear us out: Soda Dungeon is a classic RPG game that involves exploring a dark and dangerous dungeon to find gold and other items to upgrade your… soda shop. It’s funny, it’s weird, and it’s actually super addicting. It’s cheesy, but not in the typical “I spam my friends on Facebook with invites to FarmVille” kind of way. iTunes Android
Open Bar!
Fun fact: This game as absolutely nothing to do with alcohol. Actually, it’s a beautifully sleek line puzzle game from the team at Gingear Studio. The concept is pretty simple: Use bar combinations to solve the puzzles in ways that make sense. It’s fun and challenging, and if you’re looking for a simple way to pass the time (seriously, you’ll play this for hours), Open Bar! is a great way to do it. iTunes Android
Recolor
Coloring is an excellent way to wind down and decompress after a long day at the office. It’s methodical and therapeutic, and studies show that it eases tension in the brain. That’s probably why adult coloring books are coming back in an incredibly big way, as of late. Recolor is one of the most popular entertainment apps out right now because it offers the therapeutic fun of coloring without the mess and hassle. Extremely simple to use and featuring over 500 beautiful illustrations, Recolor is an exceptional way to pass the time, relieve stress, and create some pretty cool “art.” iTunes Android
Alto’s Adventure
It’s rare to experience such a simple game in such an incredibly beautiful and well-thought-out package. Alto’s Adventure is a single-player snowboarding game that, on paper, probably sounds a little lame. The player jams down slopes, hills, and over flag lines, collecting points with stars, glowing markers, etc. What makes it special is its incredibly beautiful interface that allows players to travel through several different terrains—from beautiful mountain vistas to steep forested canyons—all with the same goal of making it to the bottom of the slope. If an easy-to-play and truly gorgeous time-waster is what you’re looking for, Alto’s Adventure is a top-tier candidate. It’s worth every penny of its 4-dollar price tag. iTunes Android
Steppy Pants
We admit it—Steppy Pants is another goofy game. In fact, it’s pretty stupid, right down to its very premise: It’s a game about learning how to walk. We already know your mindset: “How hard could walking be? I’ve been doing it for two or three decades. Hell, I don’t want to sound too cocky, but I’m kind of a walking pro at this point!” A game about walking?! You got it! That’s how we felt, until we downloaded it and spend literally two hours trying to figure out how to do even the simplest tasks, like avoiding cracks, walking across streets, etc. We love Steppy Pants because it’s solid brainless fun that won’t make you stick out like a sore thumb if the person sitting next to you at the airport decides to creep. The sound effects are awesome, and the graphics are terrible—but in a really great way. Not quite 8-bit, but honestly not far off. iTunes
INKS.
Our favorite feature on this list, INKS. is essentially what would happen if you mixed a Jackson Pollock painting with pinball. It’s as beautiful as it is fun to play, and allows players to be entertained not just by playing pinball, but by creating living works of art live, as they happen, during gameplay. The coolest thing about it is that because each ball played can never be directly duplicated, each work of art is different and unique. The concept is almost too brilliant. iTunes
