I downloaded Magic 2013, Duels of Fate, Ascension, and Shadow Era ( Along with Sacred Odyssey to play a Zelda type game ) and so far I really enjoy Shadow Era. Duels of Fate, I like that it shows animations and all that for cards, but all I did was start the app, select single player, and instantly I am in the fight with little to no instructions. I haven't lost in five fights but I feel like the transition from brand new to the genre to fighting went really rough.
Avernum Isn't Avernum similar to the old Ultimas for the Apple ][e ? If so I would say it is a turn based RPG.
Mtg I have never considered MTG as an RPG even though you could argue that you are playing the role of a Wizard looked and a deadly mage battle with his or her arch rival, and there are RPGs that use cards in the Pen and Paper realm such as Torg, Deadlands, or the Savage World. Still in the end analysis I would classify it as a card game with RPG elements.
Thanks for mentioning those! I've been playing ABS for a little while now and enjoy it minus the depth of cooking. But Ash is amazing! Sure it's 16-bit instead of CGS's 32-bit, but the story is so well written! And clever dialogue is a plus! Actually laughed at it. Gonna dig in more tonight. Thanks! I've also found Dragon's Odessey: Frane. And though it's not turn-based, it has huge depth when it comes to adventuring and exploring as well as a PC sized story (being its a port). Great RPG for iOS. I highly recommend it!
There's an iPad online RPG I can't recall clearly, something like Aquarius... does that ring a bell for anyone? I want to add it but can't find the name. Added: Avernum: Escape from the Pit HD [iPad] - computer/western RPG MapleStory Live Deluxe – side scrolling action Age of Oblivion - jrpg Dungeon Blade S2 (DBlade) - side scrolling action Magic 2013 [iPad] – RPG themed card combat The Dreamhold – text based Dungeon Solitaire – RPG themed solitaire 10000000 – match 3 / endless runner RPG hybrid Elphis Adventure - casual side scrolling action Hero of Magic II - tower defense I was not sure where to put Avadon and Avernum but for now I filed them under Western RPGS. In the near future, especially with the release of Baldur’s Gate, I will add a Computer RPG section that might fit these 3. Thanks for pointing out Avernum, I added that.
Are you thinking of Aquaria? (offline game.) I have it but I haven't finished it yet. I think it's more of a metroidvania style game rather than an RPG.
I swear, half of the apps I loved have disappeared from the app store...this thread reminds me of that the most. I don't sync and often forget to DL purchases made on iTunes which leaves me SOL. I haven't checked if it's on the list; but one great ccg/tcg which only features SINGLE PLAYER is Alien Menace, so add it if it's not already recognized on the list. It's no longer in the AppStore currently (actually, I think it might still be in the French AppStore), but hopefully, it will be back.
Disappearing apps is a good point; in a perfect world I'd like to delete items from the list that aren't avaliable because unattainable RPGs defeats the point of finding new gems. However, I'm not sure how to track when apps are removed (and some like Sword & Pokers yo-yo on and off App Store). I still have AlienMenace on my device (got it free and still in my queue) and am surprise it's now awol. Too bad there's not some public domain graveyard archive where abandoned intellectually properties can be dropped off for whoever is interested. Edit: Thinking about it more if I notice something is pulled I'll keep it listed and add a symbol indicating missing in action status, that might help given the back and forth with how apps are removed and sometimes put back.
It's interesting you mention this because I face the same dilemma on my site: you never know when an app is suddenly going to reappear. I keep entries up, because I figure it's still interesting information, and there may still be some people playing the game who would appreciate the links I try to post to help-forums, and when I get a chance I update the game info with the fact that it has been removed, but I wonder if I should put them into a separate "currently dead" list? EDIT: re Avadon/Avernum, I would say definitely Western RPGs or Classic RPGs. They're not really action though as they are turn-by-turn combat. I wonder if your list would benefit from a "Classic" category where you could also put retro-style RPGs? EDIT 2: I just noticed that you linked to my site, which is really kind! I'm sticking a button on my site to link back to this thread.
Thanks! Your site was a revolutionary find for me early on and a big motivation in development of this list, rpg-site.com doesn't get the attention is deserves in my opinion. I use to check it nearly daily for the game catalog and the not-updated-enough blog. I am flattered by your link. Rpg-site.com is a great reference for finding quality iOS RPG games at a glance. I like your current format of keeping them in the main listing and have often noticed "deceased" games on rpg-site.com to lament how amazing they look. For example, I noticed Tap Quest on rpg-site.com then when it showed back up was enthusiastic because I assumed it was forever gone (and it's a decent game); same with the ultimately disappointing Luna Story. Since you keep more detailed information I think that is much more helpful in reference to pulled games. However, as the App Store market ages and frequency of pulled apps increases it might be good to bury them in a separate list. Good advice, I will add a "classic" category when I next update. I am hoping to see more games of this type in the near future and am hopeful with Baldur's Gate there will be a line of imitation and successors (maybe eventually Ultima games).
IMO you should keep removed apps on the list. According to my PC version of iTunes, I have over nine thousand apps (which is a fraction of what I HAD, I was forced to abandon my original account in late 2010 or so); I use your site as often to check if some familiar names still show up in Appshopper as for anything else. (I made sure Alien Menace was still in the store before deletion, I just didn't count on the fact that it would disappear from the AppStore a couple months later when I grew nostalgic for its gameplay. turns out that I DO have it in iTunes, though). Removal has absolutely nothing to do with the quality, or lack thereof, of a game. Aside from the common "reappearances" apps often make, another important element of the AppStore to note is that (I believe) it is possible to hide an an app from future purchasers, while leaving it available for re-download for those who did DL it while it was available. My suggestion would be to mark the removed apps in some prominent way, perhaps a diagonal red stripe with unavailable written on it across the screenshot, or something to that effect.
Wanted to re-download Dungeon Solitaire today after playing a few games I've purchased but had yet install over the past month, all hopelessly uninspired and unimaginative. Gone from the AppStore...WTH? Goddammitsomuch, I swear Apple has it in for me, because I probably tie up more of their bandwidth than anyone here not named Syntheticvoid or Sanuku. I'm going to wait until the next time I'm completely blitzed and then jailbreak my phone, so I can use the "real" backup features that are unavailable in Apple's absurdly locked down devices and ecosystem. I'll never plug my phone into my pc sober, after watching that POS known as iTunes wipe my apps off (apps that began with the letters n-z of the alphabet) of my old iPod touch several times, all because of some damn duplicate file name. BFD, tell me before you screw my device up and just let me unplug, ferchristsake.
I just stumbled on Spectral Souls, not sure how I missed that one but it loosk promising. Also need to clear space for Bard's Tale. I noticed that App Shopper retains the description and screenshots for games after deletion but removes them from it's searchable database (as with original Tap Quest); this is a cool feature if only App Shopper's deleted game inventory was searchable. I just read up about the upcoming iPad/PC Ultima game, now all I need is an iPad... Quest for the Avatar on NES rocked. I am leaning this way; one day I will find the time to determine what is removed or not. Thanks, I re-added it. I think I accidentally deleted it last update. +1 I'm jailbroken because I hate Apple's screwy iTunes product (and never pirate games). Ironic how Apple has lended to iTunes disposability by supporting cloud saves.
Thank you! I don't really spend much time promoting it because really it's a labour of love rather than a commercial site. Oh and given I don't update that often, if you just want alerts to when there are new listings, I always Twitter them (@istara) - I've also set my Twitter feed up to Tweet new RPG articles on TouchArcade, for my own benefit really as I couldn't get the TouchArcade app to feed me that easily. Ironically, not long after I created it, I posted about it in here (trying to be really polite and non-spammy) and got an infraction point for mentioning a "personal blog". Yet I can have a huge great link to it in my signature every time I post, which feels far more spammy in some ways Re TapQuest: that one appeared to come back a few months ago - maybe a year ago now? - but sadly the expansions-download never seemed to work properly. It also appeared to have some bug whereby it kept forgetting all the levels you had cleared or something, possibly it was because I still had the old TapQuest on, I forget. I dropped by the TapQuest blog a few times but there were no updates. So sad. I hate it when great games go abandonware. I once wrote a post on it (which I managed to overwrite) but - and sorry for this tangent but I just feel like sharing! - three amazing abandonware games which I would adore to see ported to iOS - or Android too I suppose - are: 1. Jewel of Arabia: I even managed to get in touch with one of the original devs, but they had no plans to revive it 2. Mazera: amazing game for Palm OS, a sort of RPG adventure puzzle hybrid, so varied and original, and with nice secrets 3. Systems Twilight: an amazingly deep, complex, challenging and satisfying puzzle-RPG, with possibly the most brilliant ending of any game ever, people either solved it by accident or (as in my case) managed to get it off a newsgroup or something, I guess the ending possibly couldn't be done in iOS/other operating systems, but oh it was so clever. And strangely satisfying. PM me if you want a spoiler! Anyway if I could plug just one game for sheer retro RPG joy - it would be Yipe5. Anyone who hasn't given that a try really should do. It's lovely and it's funny and it's original and quirky and satisfying (and that's speaking as someone who literally found zero of its "secrets" - I need to replay at some point!) Oh and I can't wait for the "new" Baldur's Gate, though I'm going to get the Mac version. I can't really get into iPad gaming, I find the device too large to use in bed and don't always carry it around with me unlike my iPhone, which is welded to my hand pretty much.
Ultima Forever is an uncoming "free-to-play" cross platform MMO based on Ultima IV: Quest for the Avatar. I am causciously optimistic. There aren't many other games like Baldur's Gate coming that I am aware of but I am sure there will be others.
