Games you can play without internet
Posted by gerryshown00
from the Computers category at
15 Sep 2022 11:19:41 am.
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Thankfully, not having signal doesn’t mean you can’t play some of the best mobile games on the market. Intentionally or not, many developers have made great games that don’t need an internet connection at all.
I always keep a collection of them on my phone for whenever I have a bit of downtime and no internet, and these are the ones I’ve been returning to time and again.
Some of them are free, some aren’t. I’ve stayed away from those requiring continuous attention, or where you need to spend a lot on in-app purchases to make them enjoyable.
Without further ado, here are 14 of the best offline games to get you through your own long commutes or endless travel days. They’re all available on both iOS and Android, with no Wi-Fi needed!
Monument Valley 2
The original Monument Valley breathed fresh air into mobile gaming. It combined gorgeous graphics with challenging problems and wonderful, wordless storytelling in a way we’d never seen before.
Set in a colorful, Escher-inspired world, its only fault was that it was over all too quickly, leaving players desperately wanting more. Now they’ve got it.
The sequel delivers new levels and characters, but otherwise doesn’t tinker much with what made the first edition so good. It’s a mesmerizing experience, with puzzles that regularly convince you that you’ll never be able to solve them. Until you do.
Each level is different: sometimes you control both the mother and daughter characters, sometimes one or the other. Platforms move up and down, sections rotate, columns move around, and there’s suddenly a path to the exit that didn’t exist a second earlier.
It’s a game that’s far better to explore than to explain, easily worth the few dollars it costs. Don’t expect it to get you all the way through a transcontinental flight, though. Like the original, you’ll finish it in a few hours of dedicated play, and be left wanting more yet again.
Dungeon Cards/Rogue Cards
Definitely one of those games that’s simple to pick up and yet has a surprising amount of depth, I’ve spent far more hours playing Dungeon Cards recently than I care to admit.
Called Rogue Cards on iOS, the mechanic is straightforward: your character lives in a 3×3 or 4×4 “dungeon†filled with traps, chests, potions, weapons, enemies, and more. Moving into an enemy with a weapon in hand (usually) deals damage to them, attacking without a weapon deals damage to you as well.
On a very basic level, it’s as simple as that, but it’s the nuances that keep you coming back for more. Some weapons affect only one square, others impact an entire line or larger area. Chests can contain helpful or harmful items, while potions can have positive or negative effects, or none at all.
Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they make a big difference in how you play. Characters, dungeons, and special powers are unlocked by collecting the gold and gems left when you kill an enemy, and the game changes significantly based on the combination of all three.
The pixel-art graphics are functional rather than beautiful, but they do the job just fine, and mean that Dungeon Cards will run on just about any phone you have. The game is free on Android, and while you can pay to unlock characters, there’s no particular need to if you’re happy putting hours into the game instead.
You can also watch an ad to double the amount of gold you receive at the end of the game, or pay a couple of bucks to receive it automatically. On iOS, you’re essentially paying the gold-doubling fee upfront when you buy the game.
The Room: Old Sins
Released way back in the mists of time (ok, 2012), The Room quickly became a classic. One of those rare games that managed to be genuinely scary at times, the level of detail and difficulty meshed perfectly with the mysterious storyline, and made it arguably the best mobile puzzle game available.
This, the fourth edition in the series, follows right along from the previous three. An ambitious engineer and his wife have disappeared, and the trail leads right to the attic of their house. Inside lies a peculiar dollhouse… and that’s where the fun begins.
Every detail matters as you explore your new environment, and it’s easy to overlook something when you’re in a hurry. It almost feels like you’re really touching the objects you find, with hidden mechanisms and new clues waiting to be discovered as you examine them.
With its dark plot, atmospheric graphics, and haunting soundtrack, this is one game you’ll definitely want to play with headphones if you’ve got people around. Just try not to jump out of your seat too often!
Carcassonne
I first came across Carcassonne in its original board game form, a popular 2-5 player game where you join tiles to create roads, rivers, cities, and meadows, then make the best use of a limited number of pieces to outscore your opposition. It’s the perfect way to while away a rainy Sunday afternoon, and my girlfriend and I have played many, many hours of it.
Since the board game is a bit too large to fit in my day bag or play on the train, I was very happy to discover the app-based version, and even happier to find out how good it was. Bright and colorful, the 3D landscapes look great, and the game is easy to pick up and play whether you’re a Carcassonne veteran or coming to it for the first time.
All of the usual features are there, including various expansion packs like Inns and Cathedrals and The Princess and the Dragon which bring fun new elements to the standard game. Multiplayer mode can be a bit buggy, but Solo mode (which works offline) has never given me any problems.
In it, you can choose between one or two AI opponents and select their playing style. There’s a noticeable difference between Aggressive and Builder, for instance, and you’ll need to change your own approach to win.
The base game costs $5-$6, and you can unlock one of the expansions by creating an account. It’s perfectly playable like that for as long as you like, but if you want to mix things up with the other expansions, they’ll set you back a few dollars each.
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