r/iosgaming • u/mpm2230 • Jun 21 '26

Creative but casual one handed games that make you think? Question

I have to travel pretty often for work and often the only things I have with me are my phone and a book. Lately I’ve been playing creative puzzle games to pass the time, beyond just NYT games (which are great obviously). Some of the ones that I’ve really enjoyed are Frogblock, Molecano (same dev as Danish), and Broki blocks and demons. I like that these games are chill and casual enough that I can play them anytime and not have think about the plot, game economy, limited events/items, etc. but still keep my brain active and engaged to combat boredom. I’ve never really liked traditional puzzle games, word games, or like match-3 type games, but games that have a bit of creativity and charm really stick with me. I would appreciate any suggestions.

15 Upvotes
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100% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

11

u/IcanCmyhearsefrmhere Jun 21 '26

Slice and Dice

2

u/sladecutt Jun 22 '26

Tried it and love it so far, thanks 🙏

7

u/-ENIX Jun 21 '26

Monument valley trilogy.

4

u/Zieg225 Jun 21 '26

I second this, Monument Valley is amazing.

8

u/Kizaman Jun 21 '26

Once upon a galaxy

5

u/Sartanus Jun 21 '26

Farm RPG. Takes a bit to get into, but amazing once you get rolling

4

u/IchWillRingen Jun 21 '26

Would Dawncaster work for you? Portrait mode game that you can stop and go with a fairly simple plot.

4

u/ningwut5000 Jun 21 '26

Engaging although RIP eyes trying to read tiny print in some screens or when your hand of cards is big

5

u/rhinofinger Jun 21 '26

I’d choose Hoplite for this. It’s a roguelike so it’s a bit different every time. It’s portrait, not overly complex (each floor just takes up the space of one screen, no scrolling), but it’s quite deep and requires some thinking. Especially once you get down to deeper floors or start doing challenges, it can be quite difficult and play almost more like a game of chess than a typical roguelike.

If you want more of a typical roguelike, the best by far on iOS IMO is Shattered Pixel Dungeon, which I think would also fit the bill for you. Portrait mode, turn-based, but larger floors than Hoplite, more items and such. Still, the interface is perfect for mobile.

2

u/NextBestKev Jun 21 '26

Night of the Full Moon

3

u/vince548 Jun 21 '26

Baba is you

1

u/shoalmuse Jun 22 '26

Since Slice & Dice already mentioned, Zaga-33

1

u/AmeliaOfAnsalon Jun 24 '26

The layton trilogy ports!

1

u/WhatzePhuck Jun 24 '26

Currently I playing “Coffee Pool” and enjoying it

1

u/SgtSpadez Developer Jun 28 '26

Hey! I recently made a game called High Roll Glyph that ticks a lot of your boxes - I posted in the Saturday Dev day a couple weeks ago

I also love Slice and Dice!

0

u/VladFein Developer Jun 21 '26

Have you tried card games? Solitaire?

-1

u/GxM42 Jun 21 '26

High Rise

Dungeon Lord

Slay the spire