Over the past few years Square Enix has be re-releasing the old Final Fantasy games (I - IV and maybe more) for mobile (iOS & android) and as far as I remember all of them require always active internet connections to play. I tried to play on a plane recently and could not unless i paid for the wifi. For a single player game that originally had no network connectivity. Or you can download an android emulator and rom and play without needing internet. Now this is not ideal because the input is not the best. The native apps have built for mobile controls, but require internet.
Mobile games are horrible for this. You can’t even load Tetris or Oregon Trail on mobile without an internet connection, making them useless for travelling on planes etc.
I will never understand why the original software owners aren't monetizing Smartphones like mad.
These games could be ported to iOS and Android with minimal changes and still be succesful.
I tried a Final Fantasy for Android and it was decently playable, I was hoping for Final Fantasy Tactics (which according to Wikipedia was released in 2013 but only for Japan), and very especially for a followup. Square Enix seems to be among the very few that do that, I guess Nintendo doesn' want to cannibalize their mobile platform (they're facing a typical Innovator's Dilemma).
The Final Fantasy III remake port (as in III by the japanese numbering, not american III which was VI) has been out for awhile already on Android. It really works pretty decently for being on a phone/tablet, I recommend checking it out if you can stomach $15.99:
The game is a port of the DS remake to begin with, I doubt "coming to Ouya" is much more work than maybe adding controller support to the Android build.
The Final Fantasy Tactics port to iOS is actually quite good. I played it on my iPad, and it seemed almost perfectly suited to a touch interface. The only issue was a slight interaction delay/misfire for when I would press on-screen buttons, but since it's not a twitch game, it's a minor thing.
There's an Android port as well, for $13. That's a great price to play a great game - although I'm not sure how well it plays on a phone.
For the most part, I do agree with your sentiment: the gaming experiences I have read about, seen and experienced on smartphones and tablets tend to not be what I'm looking for. For example, I started playing Bastion on my iPad, but eventually stopped because I really want a gamepad for that kind of game. Same with a lot of the other Square ports.
I agree that there are... issues with Squenix games from time to time on mobile (e.g. font issues on the new remasters of FF I-VI), but none of the games I mentioned enforce cloud saves.
Porting the mobile port back to PC is one of my biggest complaints with remasters. Final Fantasy on PC went that route and I would honestly rather pay Square $15 for an emulated version then the releases we got.
The whole discussion of phone games reminded me that more and more developers are porting/revamping older games for mobile devices, and some of them aren't busted like the Chrono Trigger PC port. This is honestly pretty excellent. I just recently learned that Ys 1 and 2[0] and a bunch of older Square Enix games[1] like Dragon Quest and Secret of Mana were on Google Play for Android. I'm always surprised when games that are legitimately enjoyable, work properly on a phone/tablet or support some kind of controller, and have zero transactions outside of paying for the game come to mobile. I've been pleasantly surprised by casual games like World of Goo and Greed Corp, plus there's emulation of certain old consoles, but full-size games on mobile are a huge step forward. Haven't tried casting, though I've read it's possible; proper casting would be a game changer.
If you haven't played them yet, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy I-VI are all available on mobile app stores. DQ IV-VI in particular are very charming and hold up well (imho!).
If you're more of a western RPG guy I believe Icewind Dale and Baldur's gate are on there too.
Hi there. I made the mistake of paying and playing this game on a smartphone and it is my duty to prevent you from making the same mistake. The controls are absolutely horrible but the worst is really that your phone needs to be connected to the internet in order to play this game. So if you were planning to play this on the plane then you can already give up with this dream.
Nintendo likes to keep it's IP on it's own hardware, but Square Enix (for one) has released several of it's most famous RPGs on Android (most of the Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger, etc.).
Updates do have to be made to support a touch interface, which is why I think you're request is not a trivial undertaking for most companies. RPGs work, but I can't imagine playing a game like Contra on a touch screen.
I just noticed Chrono Trigger is available for iOS. Haven’t bought it yet but I hope the port is a good one. I also enjoyed FF7 on my iPhone. Glad to see Square is rereleasing titles for mobile.
I would kill for Nintendo to release a few old titles on iOS.
I have one of the Final Fantasy games on my cell phone, and the user experience is really not good for a cell phone game.
One kind of game I expected to do really well and I'm still waiting, is graphic adventure games.
In either case, I think the problem is recognizing that smartphone games are similar but different to handheld consoles, I'm sure there are plenty of insights to be had - maybe game sessions of 5-15 minutes instead of whatever handhelds have
This article says they're equal, but maybe it's a chicken and egg problem :)
You can do all that in the iOS version, the Android version is a pretty direct port of the iOS version. The changes you list are basically necessity when converting to a touch based interface.
There are no L/R buttons, so you need to be able to swipe between characters. It's a mobile game and the screen is smaller so zooming into secrets is needed, and you need to be able to tap on enemies to select or else you'll just automatically attack the first person in the field.
I don't exactly agree with GP but I do understand where he's coming from. I enjoyed FFIII for iOS and got quite far into it, but it's hardly a touch based game. 99% of the time you're manipulating a virtual joystick.
Final Fantasy III for Android has been completely rethought for touch controls and it shows. Pinch to zoom for secrets, clicking on enemies to select, swiping across screens for changing characters in equipment/magic/status view. Well worth the $16.
Regardless of ads or Internet connectivity requirements, I can find hardly any acceptable games on phones/tablets, in mobile app stores. If you want to play games on the go, I suggest a proper videogame console, like a 3DS.
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