• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Mobile Game of the Year 2015 - Voting

M

More_Badass

Member
gagWkSB.jpg
JlaydKm.jpg
RCYb65O.jpg
RhwTCnc.jpg


Yes folks, it's that time of year

The mobile platform had one hell of year in 2015. From the plethora of ports like Transistor and Don't Starve, to the original games like Horizon Chase and Prune and anticipated sequels in Sorcery and The Room sequels, to long-awaited follow-ups to early mobile milestones like Spider and Aralon, mobile gaming delivered week after week.

So...on to the voting!

Guidelines
  • You may vote for any mobile game released in 2015, on any mobile platform (IOS, Android, Windows, etc.). Go by the date when the game released on a particular platform.
  • Dedicated handheld platforms such as Vita and 3DS are excluded.
  • You may list up to 10 games for your ballot. The games must be numbered, and consecutively listed in numerical order from 1 to 10.
  • Please leave at least one comment per game.
  • Comments on games must begin on the same line as the game title itself, following a semicolon (;)
  • You may list any number of honorable mentions in your ballot, and these must be indicated by an "x."
Sample Voting list
Code: 
1. Game A ; Comment on Game A.
2. Game B ; Comment on Game B.
3. Game C ; Comment on Game C.
4. Game D ; Comment on Game D.
5. Game E ; Comment on Game E.
6. Game F ; Comment on Game F.
7. Game G ; Comment on Game G.
8. Game H ; Comment on Game H.
9. Game I ; Comment on Game I.
10. Game J ; Comment on Game J.

Honorable Mentions
x. Game K ; Comment on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Comment on Honorable Mention Game L.

Scoring
I'll be using the common scoring system, seen in the general GOTY, Narrative, etc. threads. Honorable mentions will not receive points.
Code: 
1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point

Due to the sheer volume of games that release on mobile, it can be difficult to find a definite list of 2015 releases. Here are a few sites that might help:
- Metacritic's Best iOS/iPad games of 2015
- Android Gaming thread
- GAF's monthly iOS threads: December 2014/January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Voting concludes on Wednesday January 20, 2016 at 11:59 PM PST.

And yes, there will be a results thread this time. Last year, that got sidetracked due to some IRL situations (mainly a death in the family), so I never got around to it. But there will definitely be one for 2015

If anyone's interested, here were the final results for 2014:

1) Monument Valley
2) Threes
3) 80 Days
4) Hitman Go
5) Hearthstone | Terra Battle
6) Out There
7) The Banner Saga
8) Valiant Hearts
9) Wayward Souls | Kingdom Rush: Origins
10) FTL

8qL72va.jpg
1x8I2WQ.jpg
vd72TT9.jpg
71uKX8O.jpg
 
K

killercow

Member
Just gonna post my list, no time for comments yet:

1. Lara Croft GO
2. The Room 3
3. Dark Echo
4. Downwell
5. Lifeline
6. This War of Mine
7. Her Story
8. 80 Days
9. Geometry Wars 3
10. Planet Quest
 
R

Rosur

Member
  1. Lara Croft GO
  2. Final Fantasy Record Keeper
  3. You Must Build a Boat

Are the only 3 I've played that came out this year (don't do much mobile gaming). Also got Hitman GO in Jan but that came out last year.
 
A

Already Torn

Banned
1. Fallout Shelter ; In addition to being totally playable without micro transactions, having a lot of charm to the visuals, and getting me back into the Fallout series, this is also the best softcore porn game since the Sims. Regularly updates will also keep you coming back if nothing else.
 
S

Saucycarpdog

Member
1. Downwell
2. Horizon Chase
3. Prune
4. Lumino City
5. Room Three
6. Dandy
7. Her Story
8. Lara Croft Go
9. Attack the Light
10. Card Crawl
 
A

awp69

Member
1. Hero Emblems - I've probably spent more hours on this game than any other game in my lifetime - console, PC or mobile. That's saying something. It's not just a match-3 RPG. It's got the charm and story of the best JRPGs around with incredibly deep and strategic combat. Not merely matching gems. But fighting through buffs and rebuffs, timed traps, setting up the board for that skill you know you need or the health to save you.Yes, it's also incredibly hard...even on easy. Finding that right combination of what emblem and skills will ultimately take down a boss, dying and getting that sweet satisfaction when you finally get the job done. This is a game that will forever live on my iPad.

2. Warhammer: Deathwatch - Wow. I was taken back at the amazingly dark, Alien like atmosphere in this game. Yet another incredibly challenging game. This one with pitch perfect turn-based strategy. Building up your marines with powerful weapons. Holding your breath as more creatures lurk in from the shadows to take you down. And the agony of losing all that XP you were saving for the next big skill or pumping up your stats. Best SRPG (maybe not quite RPG) of the year by far. Tense and as GLORIOUS as PittaGAF said it would be.

3. Lara Croft GO - Taking a winning puzzle formula from Hitman GO and raising the level of production through the roof with one of our favorite video game characters, Lara Croft GO was more than just a puzzle game for me. With great atmosphere and sound, it truly was an adventure and a brilliant add-on in recent months made it special all again.

4. Implosion - Easily one of the best action games on iOS. Mixes the hack n' slash combos with a Devil May Cry feel with dual stick shooter mechanics for a stellar mobile experience. The scale and beauty of the game along with a deep (if a little too complex for me) skill system nailed the total package.

5. Air Attack 2 - There's been a few good shmups this year, but none came close to Air Attack 2. Incredible graphics, water effects, destructible environments, cool boss battles, a kick ass tail gunner mode. What more could you possibly ask for? This is an instant classic.

6. Heroki - Take a inspired developer and pair him up with Sega and you get a truly special adventure. Platformer? Not really. You're flying through Metrovania-ish levels finding hidden items, figuring out just where you need to go to open that door, fighting all kinds of strange creatures and at the same time just marveling over the colorful, inventive world of Heroki. Some had higher hopes for the game, but for me it was pretty damn close to perfect. And I hope Heroki can become a new mascot for Sega in the iOS world with future endeavors.

7. HopiKo - Twitch gaming at its best. Another game that takes new mechanics in platforming to the next level. Insanely difficult with timing and precision that has to be spot on. Layering it with sets of five levels just adds to the stress and nerve cracking gameplay. Fail that last level and it's back to square one. My favorite twitch game of the year.

8. Horizon Chase - Go back to the days of Outrun, modernize it and give it perfect touch controls and you've got one of the best arcade racers on mobile.
9. Ire: Blood Memory - Next to Hero Emblems, this was probably the game I spent the second most time with this year. Brutal Dark Souls like gameplay with amazing monster design and that weighty, deliberate weapon combat that feels straight out of a Souls game. Yes, it's free to play. But I got through half of a very challenging game without spending a cent. And then, I just had to support these remarkable devs with a total of $7 in IAPs. Twenty or thirty hours later and I still have plenty of currency. It's harder than hell, but even if I keep dying, it's still a blast.

10. Chaos Rings 3 - An entirely different entry in the CR series both in story and its move from 2D to 3D, this JRPG is one of the best on iOS. An effort on a grand scale that manages to have characters you care about, a deep "gene" system, spectacular battles and make it perfectly match the needs of mobile users, including the ability to save anywhere.

Honorable mentions:
Dark Echo
Gunbrick
Downwell
Lost Within
Space Marshalls
Tales from Deep Space
Templar Battleforce RPG
Silver Bullet
Pow Ping Pong
Fearless Fantasy
Alpha Squadron 2: Edge of Oblivion
Shadowmatic
Prune
Power Hover


Not putting these in because with so many awesome original games I decided to exclude ports. But these were all great on iOS and Android:

The Talos Principle
Sproggiwood
Titan Souls
Geometry Wars 3
This War of Mine
Tiny Keep
Adventures of Pip
Lumino City
Pac Man CE DX
Galactic Keep
 
M

More_Badass

Member
1) Dark Echo
A masterful execution of minimalist design. Blending stealth, horror, exploration, and puzzle elements, Dark Echo was a tense experience enhanced by its fantastic sound design: guttural growls, croaking frogs. the buzz of agitated flies and the groaning of heavy doors
pe9xZuA.jpg


2) Sorcery 3
80 Days may have the greater scope, but I've always considered Sorcery the more engaging series due to the combat, magic, more text, and 3 expands on the formula with an open world across two timelines and its myriad secrets.
qKYv55g.jpg


3) The Room 3
Easily the best in the Room series. The hub-based structure and multi-room puzzles imbued the game with a greater sense of exploration and discovery, the puzzles are more tactile than ever, and the story was the most compelling yet due its multiple endings and eerie atmosphere
5H9T0GZ.jpg


4) Lara Croft GO
Even more so than Hitman GO, Lara Croft GO distilled the core elements of the Tomb Raider series into a gorgeous puzzle adventure. The dual pistols are there, the ledge handstands, the dangerous traps and crumbling ledges, the mysterious ruins, the deadly fauna, all wrapped in a mobile-friendly turn-based package
Xt3Ib0m.jpg


5) Galactic Keep
A challenging sci-fi RPG that's clearly a labor of love, from the unique alien design and the fascinating flavor text to the varied array of classes and equipment.
TsyrvKD.jpg


6) Space Marshals
A polished dual stick shooter that features a level of strategy and tactics not often seen in the genre. Stealth and flanking is as critical to survival as precise aim and powerful weapons. And the post-release content only made a great game ever better
z3gUdDs.jpg


7) Lumino City
Perhaps the best example of a PC port that feels made for touchscreen since Papers Please. Lumino City was fun on PC, but the tactile puzzles are even more immersive with touch controls. And the hand-made art style makes for one gorgeous adventure game
S7SSdxn.jpg


8) Hero Emblems
There are many match-3 hybrids that blend that mechanic with elements from other genres. but Hero Emblems feels like an RPG first, with a strategic match-3 battle mechanic. A sprawling map, flashy combat, varied skills and upgrades, and many hours of content makes Hero Emblems one of the best games in the genre.
NvD6hei.jpg


9) Implosion
The best hack-n-slash on mobile, with the quality of a game you'd expect to find on Vita or Steam. Featuring fast and fluid combat that switches seamlessly between stylishly swordplay and powerful guns, excellent visuals, and a hefty amount of content, Implosion is easily in the top tier of mobile action games
863upeI.jpg


10) Door Kickers
Frozen Synapse might be king in terms of multiplayer, but Door Kickers has its strengths in other areas. Unique campaigns, dozens of maps, and deep strategy makes for challenging and satisfying tactical action. The emphasis is on efficiency, as you coordinate simultaneous breaches with flashbangs or have your breacher blast through a locked door for a loud entrance while your stealth team moves in from the back to take out the distracted enemies.
FYj4xYg.jpg


---

Honorable Mentions

Trigonarium
4nahQGE.jpg


Prune
KAffQ8q.jpg


Warhammer 40k: Deathwatch
EAIrtqC.jpg


This War of Mine
Wq1LuqP.jpg


Transistor
3PF7eZN.jpg
 
A

awp69

Member
Thinking I may change mine to all non-ports. Because if I include ports, I'd have to change my list to include some others -- most definitely The Talos Principle.

And I think there are plenty of great mobile only games to choose from.

For now, I am putting Space Marshalls in (removing Sproggiwood) to be consistent. It too is deserving of a place in the list regardless.
 
N

Ninja Dom

Member
I haven't played too many new iOS games this year.

I'm still a very heavy Boom Beach player, almost 2 years now.

This year my ranking is:

  1. Horizon Chase Beautiful 60fps Out Run style racer. Lots of courses and content and just so smooth.
  2. Pac-Man 256 Stupid game that I can't stop playing. Can be played vertically one handed which is an immense bonus on a mobile phone.
  3. Lifeline I really enjoyed this and the fact that it had Apple Watch support made it even better. Text based space adventure game.
  4. Her Story Was okay. It passed the time for a day. Very well made but zero replay value and it heated up the iPhone badly.
 
V

Voidance

Member
I haven't gotten around to all the major releases this year, and I only nominate what I play.

1. Hero Emblem ; An excellent match-3 meets JRPG made better by the addition of an easy mode. I put close to 100 hours into the game, which is unprecedented for me anymore.

2. Final Fantasy VII ; It's one of my favorite games ever, and the cheats make successive playthroughs even better.

3. Lara Croft GO ; A fantastic puzzler/platformer that kept the spirit of the larger franchise while adapting it to mobile devices perfectly.

4. Sproggiwood ; One of the very few rogue-likes I enjoy due to the sense of progression and fun, strategic game play.

5. Transistor ; A great port of a great game. I got farther in this than I did on the PS4 due to the ease of control and excellent mobile adaptation.

6. Implosion ; One of the best hack-and-slashers I've played in the last 4 years regardless of platform.

7. Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch ; Excellent strategy game that made great use of the license. Tense, horrific, and thrilling.

8. Horizon Chase ; A fun racer that makes it easy to waste 20 minutes at the end of your lunch break. Very well done and never too difficult.

9. The Room 3 ; I gotta play more of this, but it seems like it's worthy entry in the fantastic Room series.

10. Downwell ; I haven't gotten as far as I want simply due to the difficulty, but it's a solid game with great mechanics.

Special mention: Galactic Keep ; I didn't play it after the big patch that fixed some annoyances, but I loved all the effort and thought that went into the game, but the structure and repetition did nothing for me. I haven't written it off yet, as it's still a very special and well-made game. Maybe I'll revisit it this holiday and move it up.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
2014 Voting results:

1) Monument Valley
2) Threes
3) 80 Days
4) Hitman Go
5) Hearthstone | Terra Battle
6) Out There
7) The Banner Saga
8) Valiant Hearts
9) Wayward Souls | Kingdom Rush: Origins
10) FTL
 
A

awp69

Member
More_Badass said:
I really have to get into Implosion again
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just changed my list to include it (a good thing that other people's lists help remind you of games). Totally awesome, but I kind of screwed up my upgrades during my first play. That was probably my only complaint is that the upgrade system was pretty confusing. But it is by far one of the best action games on iOS. Maybe if I pay attention more the next time I can understand and use upgrades better.
 
G

Grim Patron

Member
Here's my list:

1. Lara Croft GO ; Square Enix Montreal is super talented. I hope they do Deus EX GO next.
2. The Room Three ; One of the best experiences I've had in gaming this year.
3. Horizon Chase ; The best mobile racing game that is also coming to consoles. Plays like a dream with Out Run vibes in a modern art style.
4. Hearthstone: The League of Explorers ; A game that is part of my daily routine gets its best expansion yet.
5. Final Fantasy VII ; Beat the game for the third time on iPad when it released. Great port.
6. Downwell ; Spelunky for iOS?
7. Transistor ; Fantastic port by amazing developers.
8. Her Story ; Unique and a great experience.
9. HopiKo ; 2015's twitch platformer.
10. Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey ; Great production values but lacking in content.
 
S

StormBrute

Member
Didn't play a ton of mobile games this year.

1. Attack the Light ; An astonishingly fun and charming RPG. If there are any Paper Mario fans reading this, get this game.
2. Downwell ; Simple, fast, challenging, and fun. It has enough randomness to keep things interesting, but not too much that you ever feel really screwed by a run.
3. Lara Croft GO ; It's not the toughest or most ingenious puzzle game from what I've played, but it's decently made and provides a light puzzle experience.
 
P

Platy

Member
1- Downwell
2- Horizon Chase
3- Pokemon Shuffle


...I didn't played lots of 2015 games on my phone this year =(
 
T

thesonovabeach

Member
Cool thread. I'll check some of the stuff you guys posted out.

For me (on Android) :

1: You Must Build A Boat ; This is Puzzle Quest on crack. Such an awesome rythm, music and game design.

2: 99 bricks ; an awesome and smart variation of the Tetris concept (with physics !). I heard there will be a psvita remake. Can't wait !

3 : Lifeline ; the concept is smart, the execution is unfortunally poor because the writing is poor. The humor is pretty bad and things go way too fast at the end. But I had some intense moments.
 
P

-psygnosis-

Neo Member
1. Card Crawl
2. Lara Croft GO
3. Lifeline
4. Swap Heroes 2
5. Prune


I haven't played Her Story yet, I might need to update this still :d
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
I've played quite a few mobile games this year, but I tend to be quite behind the curve, so most probably weren't 2015 games. I'll need to look into when they were released.

I'll come back with my choices soon.
 
R

redcrayon

Member
1. Hero Emblems

The only mobile game I played this year, it's great value at £2.50 for what is a meaty campaign with no microtransactions or stamina bar.

It plays like puzzle quest styled like the early FF games, with battles decided as match-3 puzzles. You have four party members, and the skills they use (that you can choose and upgrade) occur when you match gems of their colour. Matching 3 will do a basic action, four a special move, and five also create an 'emblem'. Including that emblem in a match will cause a super-move that can change the whole battle depending on the colours used (one of the paladin's ones creates a bubble that absorbs damage for a few turns).

You choose exactly which skills each character will use from a selection, some you find, some you buy, along with various equipment. Battles increase in complexity but there's a nice array of challenges presented, as status effects are presented as flaming or poisoned gems that inflict damage until matched. The party share a HP bar that the healer tops up by matching her gems, a shield bar that the paladin tops up by matching his (any excess points cause him to attack instead), while your Mage and warrior focus on inflicting magical and physical damage respectively, which is a really nice abstract way of representing the already abstract party roles like tanking etc.

It just does a great job of rendering lots of elements of a turn-based JRPG as a puzzle game, while adding new ideas of its own.
 
D

duckroll

Member
No mentions of Framed so far? I thought it was pretty damn short, especially for the price point, but the actual content which was there was really solid. Also, why can't I vote for Terra Battle every year? These rules suck! :)
 
M

Mdk7

Member
1. Downwell ; Soooo addictive, it's just a blast to play. Simple yet clever concept, great execution, love it.
2. Pac-Man 256 ; A brilliant brand new take on a cult classic, and another great game to play on the go.
3. Horizon Chase ; The stunning art direction completely sold me on the game in a heartbeat, but the gameplay is tight as hell too.
4. Daddy Long Legs ; A quirky physics-based endless runner, damn fun to play and dramatic in its brutal difficulty.
5. Implosion ; Brilliant hack'n slash, with amazing production values and surprisingly competent gameplay.
 
K

killercow

Member
duckroll said:
No mentions of Framed so far? I thought it was pretty damn short, especially for the price point, but the actual content which was there was really solid. Also, why can't I vote for Terra Battle every year? These rules suck! :)
Click to expand...

Framed came out last year, I was only considering games that were out this year :)
 
A

Aarglefarg

Member
1. Dragon Quest V ; A classic RPG, often recognised as one of the best, which I was finally able to play. The portrait-only screen orientation isn't a problem for me as it is a natural way to hold a phone.
2. You Must Build A Boat ; It lost some of the benefits of the simplicity of 10,000,000, with the extra systems added. It's still a great puzzle game.
3. Framed: Android release was this year. It ended too suddenly but it was mostly well designed.
4. Lara Croft Go ; A good extension of Hitman Go. It offered a slight challenge but I have barely played the free update content which seems to be harder.

I didn't include games that are on mobile that I mainly/only played on another platform: Her Story (only played on PC), Dragon Quest VI (mainly played on DS, mainly last year, but some on mobile), Pokemon Shuffle (only on 3DS). Also I only use Android. The other mobile game released this year that I played is Final Fantasy: Record Keeper, and it didn't appeal to me.

I just bought Framed...
 
E

EvilKatarn

Member
1) Fate/Grand Order

Why? It's a neat turn based RPG with characters from the Fate franchise. I've spent too much time on this game.
 
Sakura

Sakura

Member
1. Idolmaster Cinderella Girl Starlight Stage ; Of the two phone games I've played this year, this is the only one I've enjoyed/still play.
 
E

eyeball_kid

Member
1. Downwell ; one of the best-feeling games I've played in a long time, regardless of platform, and makes great use of the iPhone's vertical screen format.
 
Crazyorloco

Crazyorloco

Member
1. Hearthstone - just came on android this year. F2P done right. It's my Game of the year overall on phones. Gameplay, style, sound are all great. Plus it's addictive. Wish they could add an offline mode so I could play this even more. (screen name is Grr8jon is anyone wants to play against me)

2. The Foos: Code for an Hour 5+. Play this game. It's free! it's great. Pretty underrated I feel. Gets your brain working. - Geared to younger children so kids can get into this too.

3. Hitman: Sniper. Great graphics, physics, and sound. Game gets pretty hard later on.

Honorable mention: Pokemon Shuffle. If it was not so hard to get lives I would put this up there as number 2. It's addictive and fun.
 
K

kiguel182

Member
Okay, I'm awful with doing numbered lists but I'll give this a shot (even if I'll doubt the order anyway).

1. Lara Croft Go ; This game is a true gem. Clever level design from beginning to end. It not only respects the original games to a great extent but also expands the reach of the series further. It's a perfect example of how to design levels and it oozes style.

2. Horizon Chase ; Not only is this one of the prettiest games of the year it also does almost everything else right. The controls are smooth, the progression is tough but fair and it offers tons of variety and options while playing it. It forces you to get good at the game to progress without being frustrating and that's a great feat in and out of itself.

3. Her Story ; Another of my favourite games of the year Her Story is an accomplishment in the medium. It makes the player a passive participant in the action and allows it full control of how to understand it's narrative. The fact that it doesn't hold your hand at all makes every discovery you make feel meaningful since you arrived there on your own. It loses some steam after you figure out the main keywords and turns into a bit of a guess game by the end which make this game fall short of what it could be. It's still an amazing experience that everyone should play.

4. Downwell ; This is the kind of game that nails movement and then it's designed around that in the best way possible. The game totally nails the main mechanic of falling down the well and managing your momentum while doing so avoid and killing enemies in the process. The controls work perfectly on touchscreen and don't detract from the experience at all. I'm kinda tired of the rogue-like aspect of games and I feel it detracts from the experience here making it seem like you waste your time when a run doesn't go that well. The permanent unlocks are neat but don't change the game enough to erase that feeling.

These are my top 4 and the ones I played the most. As an aside, I played Her Story on the PC but I'm assuming the game is exactly the same on mobile. I'm also really enjoying Prune but I am only at the beginning so I don't feel I can put it here with confidence. Tales From The Borderlands is also a possible candidate even if I'm playing it on the PS4 but I also need to finish before settling.

Also, those 4 games are probably 4 of my favourite games of the year. People who say mobile only has crap games really don't know what they are talking about.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
Downwell is on Steam, but still in development on Android. Windows only, no Linux.

On iOS, but I don't own Apple products.
 
N

Nelo Ice

Banned
Crazyorloco said:
1. Hearthstone - just came on android this year. F2P done right. It's my Game of the year overall on phones. Gameplay, style, sound are all great. Plus it's addictive. Wish they could add an offline mode so I could play this even more. (screen name is Grr8jon is anyone wants to play against me)

2. The Foos: Code for an Hour 5+. Play this game. It's free! it's great. Pretty underrated I feel. Gets your brain working. - Geared to younger children so kids can get into this too.

3. Hitman: Sniper. Great graphics, physics, and sound. Game gets pretty hard later on.

Honorable mention: Pokemon Shuffle. If it was not so hard to get lives I would put this up there as number 2. It's addictive and fun.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on The Foos. Looks perfect for my little cousins. Going to get them to download it in hopes they either become interested in CS or they learn something.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Baldur's Gate 3 Wins Game of The Year at GDC 2024
News Hype
3
415
manfestival replied
What modern games have really good PC optimization ?
Opinion
14
655
Furiousrunt replied
Are Japan’s console and mobile game markets shrinking in favor of PC games? Developers discuss
Opinion Game Dev
39
2K
Randall365 replied
Metacritic's 14th Annual Game Publisher Rankings
20
848
crackajack replied
THE BEST RPG OF ALL TIME IS.....................................
2 3 4 5
243
11K
Davevil replied
Top Bottom