Submitted by Sammy Snyder on
It is unknown how Apple Arcade is going to affect the Apple App Store. Will most of the premium games be hidden behind Apple's paywall, leaving nothing but a freemium games graveyard? Or will it be business as usual? If 2019 was a preview of what's to come, then it doesn't look good for the App Store this fall. It's hard to know the exact reason why, but this year was not a great year for mobile games on iOS devices. We struggled all year to find decent titless to highlight for our App of the Week. This made us wonder if the good games already disappearing from the App Store for Apple Arcade?
Whatever the reason for the poor year, there were a couple of fun games that we couldn't stop playing. Remember, iPhoneFAQ.org is not a review website. We don't test a ton of games and there are plenty of fun titles that we probably missed. This is just the best iOS games we played this year.
Dr. Mario World (Original Review) Nintendo has finally figured out mobile gaming with Dr. Mario World. I'm not saying other titles like Super Mario Run are horrible, but the $10 price tag with no new levels is a little hard to swallow. Dr. Mario World is the type of game you rather play on a smartphone than a console. The game mechanics are perfect for touchscreens and it is populated with tons of popular Nintendo characters from the Super Mario world. The game is free-to-play with the option to spend real world money on in-game currency. You can keep playing as long as you keep winning, or you can always jump over to the super addictive versus mode. Dr. Mario is a blast and makes us excited for the upcoming release of Mario Kart Tour.
Golf Blitz (Original Review) Even people who don't like golf will enjoy Golf Blitz -- a well done versus game where everyone can compete. Noodlecake Studios has figured out the perfect formula for multiplayer. In Golf Blitz you compete in speed rounds of golf against four other players. The first player to sink their ball earns 3 points, second place earns 2, third earns 1 and last place earns zero points. The person with the most points at the end of 4-6 rounds wins.
The rounds are fast-paced and take power, speed, accuracy and luck to win. You also have an arsenal of trick balls like the Super Ball or Sticky Ball to aid you, but choose wisely. There are many different strategies you can deploy to win. You can smack your opponents balls out of the way, blow them up with your Grenade Ball or just dazzle them with your speed and accuracy. The courses are wacky, the characters are fun and the game is challenging and addictive. The best part is that each round is evenly matched so nobody has an unfair advantage.Honorable Mentions
Newest iPhone FAQs
The Angry Video Game Nerd this year highlighted one of the worst smartphone games, Life of Black Tiger. However, the weird simulation title is oddly attractive with its tear jerking story, broken English narration and brutal gameplay where you slaughter innocent critters like bunnies. Unfortunately, the iOS version hasn't been updated in ages making it incompatible with current devices. You'll have to drop $10 to download it on the PlayStation Store if you want to play it.
We instead highlighted 3 other animal simulation games like Life Of Black Tiger available on the App Store. There are no shortage of bad English animal simulation games -- a new genre of gaming you may not want to miss.
- Cat Condo 2 (Free) A cute tapper game if you're looking for mindless entertainment to pass the time.
- Five Nights at Freddy's 6 (FNaF 6: Pizzeria Simulator) ($2.99) I personally didn't enjoy it, but fans of the franchise seem to enjoy it.
- Hyper Light Drifter ($4.99) Top down adventure game with interesting pixel art.
This is my last article for iPhoneFAQ.org. I'm not sure if someone else will pick up the App of The Week mantle, but it has been fun sharing my love of mobile gaming with all of you for the last few years.