8 Cross-Platform Games I Fell In Love With Twice
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Some games we hear about as soon as they launch. Others we see as recommended games underneath other recommended games on Steam. Here are eight games I first played on my phone before experiencing them on a console or PC.
8 Timelie
Timelie is currently in the running for one of my favorite games. I’m not going to argue that this is one title you absolutely cannot sleep on—that’s a hard case to make for an environmental puzzle game. Nonetheless, this is one game I find engrossing every time I pick it up. It didn’t bother me at all to start Timelie over from the beginning when I repurchased it for the Switch 2. I find each stage captivating and absolutely adore the silent relationship between this girl and the cat who both serve as the main characters of the game.
7 Kentucky Route Zero
I first heard about Kentucky Route Zero as one of the games playable on Android with an active Netflix subscription. When I downloaded the game, I was blown away by its production values. The storytelling is eerie and superb. The limited use of music absolutely fits the vibe. I love narrative adventure games, and this is one that I not only enjoyed on my phone, but was happy to see on a big screen as well when I later purchased it for my Nintendo Switch 2.
6 Oxenfree
Like Kentucky Route Zero, Oxenfree is another point-and-click adventure game that’s a Netflix exclusive on mobile devices. The benefit of purchasing this game for consoles is that I no longer have to keep my Netflix subscription active in order to enjoy it. This similarly mind-bending narrative is one that’s currently still on my eShop wishlist, but I have every reason to believe it will feel at home both in handheld mode and docked. After all, this is one I’ve tried playing with a Bluetooth controller on my phone.
5 Figment
This is technically a two-for-one deal. I didn’t just buy the original Figment for my phone, but I grabbed the sequel as well. I discovered both games on the Epic Game Store for under $2 each. I was then later surprised to find them in the eShop for a couple cents less! I haven’t played much of Figment yet, but it’s a well-reviewed game that, at the price it regularly goes on sale for, is hard not to recommend.
4 The Forest Quartet
The Forest Quartet is an indie game that feels every bit like an indie film. You play as a ghost solving puzzles and witnessing how the surviving members of your musical band both grieve and process your death. I honestly can’t recommend the mobile port unless it’s been patched since I first bought it, because I find the game to be nearly unplayable due to the unclear touch targets. But on the Switch, the puzzles are much easier to navigate and understand.
3 Morphite
Morphite is one game I have started and uninstalled on my phone several times. Each time, I’m surprised by how much this lo-fi polygonal take on Metroid Prime sucks me in. Then I gradually grow frustrated with the virtual controls. And since the game doesn’t work with any of my Bluetooth controllers, I eventually throw in the towel as the enemies get more difficult. It currently sits on my eShop wishlist, where I’m confident the physical controls on the Switch will better do the game justice.
2 Life Is Strange
I own all the Life Is Strange games as well as the similar games from the series’ original developer Don’t Nod. For years, I’ve described this series as my favorite in gaming, and it’s only recently that I’ve started to fall similarly hard for other titles. Thing is, I actually first experienced the original on an Android phone. It’s almost hard to imagine now that I played through the entire adventure on the small screen of a conventional phone, but it worked well, and I was sad to see that the prequel was the only other entry to come to mobile devices.
1 Raji: An Ancient Epic
I married into an Indian family, so I was intrigued when I stumbled across Raji: An Ancient Epic, a Prince of Persia-style action game based on a culture that I find increasingly familiar. This was a Netflix exclusive on mobile devices, but it’s no longer showing up on the Play Store for me. Shame, since it played very well with a Bluetooth gamepad and looked rather impressive on a small OLED screen. While the action does get a bit heavy rather quickly, I appreciate the way the plot is rolled out. I haven’t beaten the game yet, but I can now do that on my Switch 2.
Most of these games are indie titles. Turns out, most of my favorite Android games are cross-platform indies. This list is far from exhaustive. To leave you with a few more on the way out, be sure to check out The Wreck, Coromon, and Lost Words: Beyond the Page as well. That said, not every game is better on consoles. Monument Valley is one game that began on mobile and, despite being available for the Switch, still feels more at home on a phone.
