Recent RPG release Epic Odyssey demonstrates why core mobile games are now better than ever
Early mobile games built up a reputation for being great, easy-to-learn experiences that you could play in short bursts. As they gradually became more complex over the years, some of this enjoyable simplicity was lost. Now, however, developers are working to find ways to make mammoth RPGs and demanding multiplayer games suit the platform – and many are doing a wonderful job of it.
On the flip side, we've seen a giant rise in hypercasual games. These generally offer very straightforward gameplay hooks designed to keep you coming back for maybe a minute or two at a time. They can be good fun, but a great many mobile gamers also crave more core experiences, like battle royale games or MOBAs.
This means we're seeing ambitious games like Catalyst Black and PUBG Mobile come up with creative ways of providing both depth and accessibility on mobile. These ideas range from innovative drop-in, drop-out matchmaking systems to smaller maps designed for shorter play sessions.
We're also seeing many more games launch with different types of idle mechanics. They've almost become an essential part of mobile RPGs, and they're another great way of making core games more approachable and playable on mobile. They vary wildly from game to game, but for a title like Hiker Games' Epic Odyssey, they complement the more complex RPG mechanics at its core, provide a different way to play, and assure that you're always making some sort of in-game progress.
If you'd like to see how idle mechanics can be used to enhance a classic RPG adventure, you can grab the free-to-play Epic Odyssey from Google Play and the App Store now.