Top ten nostalgic mobile games

By Ryan Bright

Looking Back

Photo taken By Pixabay

Throughout the years, many games have crossed the mobile platform, and, of those, a few hold true within the memories of our childhood. In honor of these nostalgic memories and hours of gaming, here are the top 10 nostalgic mobile games of our era.

10 - “Doodle Jump”

“Doodle Jump” stands out as a simple but memorable mobile game. Although it lacks the fun and interesting features of the other entries, it’s not to be ignored. The goal is to climb as high as one could  while jumping from platform to platform. In concept it was a good game, but it suffered from being a bit too slow. “Doodle Jump” also proved to be hard to consistently keep players invested, which is why it sits low on this list.

9 - “Temple Run” (+ “Subway Surfer”/ “Temple Run 2”/ “Minion Mayhem”)

“Temple Run” and its clones, “Subway Surfer,” “Temple Run 2,” and “Minion Mayhem,” are ranked nine on this list. “Temple Run” is an interesting concept; similar to “Doodle Jump,” the idea of this game was to make it as far as possible, but this time, with a twist. Obstacles and high paced gameplay made things a lot more difficult, but also more fun. Players had to keep up with the rising difficulty or lose which made the game much more challenging. Many groups tried to make similar games featuring the same game features, but among them all there seemed to be one problem: progression. This game type lacked an interesting progression other than live gameplay. Unlockables seemed pointless and the game slowly was overtaken by other more diverse titles.

8 - “Fruit Ninja”

Easily noted, “Fruit Ninja” took a new approach when compared to the games that came before. “Fruit Ninja” took care to create a fun and engaging experience with a well paced progression system that unlocked new game modes and weapon effects as the player explored its many challenges.

7 - “Cut The Rope”

“Cut the Rope” is a simple puzzle game most known for its cute, green and petlike mascot. The little alien creature loved candy, and needed the player to aid in getting it by ‘cutting the ropes’ that made up each level. This proved to be a satisfying game that never felt like there was always something to do. It's only flaw is that it wasn't as popular as the other games on this list.

6 - “Where’s My Water”

A sister game to “Cut the Rope,” “Where’s My Water” is a puzzle game where the player cuts away paths for water to flow to the goal. This game was unique but relatable, still having the top down gameplay of “Cut the Rope,” but allowing for more creative and personal solutions to the game’s puzzles. This puts it higher on the list, as many of the other games lacked that depth of player creativity.

5 - “Jetpack Joyride”

“Jetpack Joyride” could be compared to “Temple Run,” so why is it ranked this high? Unlike “Temple Run,” Jetpack solved a lot of the problems that “Temple Run” failed to correct. It provided the rush thrill, along with the progression needed to keep players invested. Jetpacks and powerup upgrades felt meaningful rather than just a slight increase in numbers. It has proved to be a strong game even to this day.

4 - “Clash of Clans”

The iconic “Clash of Clans” is a strong contender on this list. With its massive popularity and expansive growth, it's understandable how this game would be in the top five. Clash focused on building and raiding, a simple cycle that was found to be very addicting. It also allowed for player creativity as each player was able to make their own custom village and defend it as they wished. The game also promoted unity and cooperation amongst members, as they would band together in clans to fight off rising foes.

3 - “Angry Birds”

“Angry Birds” is arguably one of the most, if not the most, Iconic game on this list. Hours of fun throwing birds into towers turned out to be a million dollar idea. What's the only thing keeping this game from the top? Even though it was popular, it had a limited scope of player attention. After a while, the game became boring and couldn't hold up to the next two games above it.

2 - “Plants Vs Zombies”

What's more fun than blasting zombies with vegetables? “Plants vs Zombies” was an amazing game with near endless gameplay. The game lasted longer, keeping up the danger in every second, which held player attention for longer. It had player customization, and the player got to choose how to defend themselves. On top of that, it had the progression and story to get players truly invested.

1 - “Minecraft”

Without a doubt, “Minecraft” is the best game on this list. Its mobile editions were memorable pastimes for many, where anyone could sink into a world of their own. Exploration, building, survival and natural progression all wrapped together to create a memorable and heartwarming experience. From the first house to the ender dragon, “Minecraft” was never a bore. Even now, it has gained over 30 million downloads proving to still be popular to this day.