Smart-phones have become synonymous with gaming in recent years. People that buy these phones want to be able to play the latest and greatest games. This is obvious from many of the big publishers pushing out mobile versions of the games we all know and love. Games like Dead Space, Assassins Creed, and even Mass Effect have some form of mobile offering. With the increase in graphical power the games are looking closer and closer to console quality experiences. Yet it is the smaller titles that seem to get more buzz on mobile, and in this writers oppionon this justified.
The new iPhone 5 boasts a list of new features, such as a best in class graphics, faster speed speeds and more ram allowing for new and exciting games. With all these new advancements the simple fact the iPhone lacks buttons limits the types of games that can work on the platform. Yes a console port can look almost as good if not better then many of the games on handhelds out on the market today, the fact they are not built for the lack of buttons make them less then ideal experiences and sometimes downright horrible to play.
People in the indie space show time and time again that even with limitation new and exciting ideas can come out. Games like Super Hexagon or Sword and Sworcery show what can be done with the platform and the tools at hand. games built from the ground up to take advantage of the platform it was built for. The tactile nature of touching a screen presents new ways to interact with games making it a more personal experience. They do not require an artificial control to be placed on-top of visuals and rather have the player interact directly with the game.
Super Brother worked from the ground up building Sword and Sworcery for the platform. The little details they used on the game made it seem second nature to touch the screen to cause action. It took ideas of adventure games and placed it in the palm of your hands perfectly and shows how that sort of game should be made. The art style did not require graphical power to look good nor did it need a complex control scheme of onscreen buttons to work. Simple touches were all that was needed and it worked beautifully.
This is what more games studios need to take to heart. More games come out every day and I am excited to see what new and exciting ideas the mobile space bring to gamers. But for every Sword and Sworcery we get just as many games with onscreen controls or lackluster mechanics that do not fit the platform. There is a space for both types of games but I hope that the increase in power does not stifle the concept of ideas. The only way I play a game on my phone over my console is if it offers me something not only new but something that I can only find from the mobile platform. With the indie space constantly coming up with new ways to use the hardware at hand, I am excited to see what will hit the mobile stores in the coming months.
