One of the best features of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is its immense catalog of apps.
Almost 2.5 million applications populate the store, and while not all of them are top-notch, there certainly is a good selection. Games in particular are a crown jewel, so much so that Apple has dedicated them an entire, separate tab in the big redesign unveiled last year at WWDC.
iPhones and iPads have titles that span from those that are sheer fun to small, artistic-driven gems, all the way to powerful, decision-making, story-focused games that have little to envy to triple-A titles on consoles and PC.
Here are 11 great games no iPhone user should miss:
1. The End of The World — $0.99/£0.99
"The End of The World" is not a game for everyone. Its beauty is born out of an overwhelming sadness, which would suit best broken-hearted people.
But that shouldn't be a reason not give developer Sean Wenham your money — whatever his motives were, this game's polarising, almost magnetic setting (a beautifully recreated Newcastle, England) will keep luring you in, as the story of how the world has ended unfolds.
Slowly, the sadness gives way to glimmers of hope, and the message changes from one of depression to one of recovery in the search for a way to move on.
The side-scrolling exploration title won't remain in your head because it's fun, but its gorgeous artistic direction and the rollercoaster-like feelings it evokes will certainly make you think.
If anything, by not treating its themes with a black-or-white, right-or-wrong perspective, The End of The World makes you reflect at each point; and in doing so, it has something many games lack: A distinctively human feel.
If you're looking for a game that screams happiness, you should look elsewhere. For anyone in search of something that will make them think and feel, the emotional charge of "The End of The World" will almost certainly leave you better than it found you.
2. Life is Strange — $2.99/£2.99
"Life is Strange" is one of the few titles in this list that was not born on mobile, but it's such a beautiful game that developer dontnod made the right call when it decided to port it over to iOS (there is no Android version yet, though one is supposed to come out "soon").
And the good thing is that its simplistic controls work just fine on your iPhone's touchscreen, so you won't have to worry about that.
The driving theme of "Life is Strange" is its story: Beautifully written, thought-provoking, full of twists, and often gut-wrenching.
The protagonist is Max, a teenage girl who moves back to her hometown — a fictional city in the Pacific Northwest — to study photography; but, in a sudden moment, she discovers that she has the power to rewind time.
Time-bending is the mechanic that unlocks all of Life is Strange's possibilities as a fun game, and that sits perfectly with the role play aspect of it.
You will live a week in Max's life between home and school, as the plot thickens and the events unravel. And bear in mind: This, too, is a game where every single decision you make has consequences, so be careful in the way you want to shape your own story.
The beautiful cartoon-ish art will also help you to fully immerse in a deep, rich, satisfying, powerful game, which will inevitably leave you asking for more.
3. Far From Noise — $2.99/£2.99
"Far From Noise" is a weird game. For starters, it's almost hard to classify it as a game at all.
What happens, when the game starts, is that you find yourself inside your car, teetering on the edge of a cliff, and likely about to meet your death.
There's not much you can do, obviously, except talk. But there's no trace of fellow humans: Your interlocutor is in fact not a person, but a deer.
Death seems impending throughout your talk — which can go on from one to two hours in a single run — but the setting is still remarkably serene, between the sun setting on the horizon and the waves crushing onto the shore.
The dialogue itself manages to be funny and thoughtful all at once, inspired both by transcendentalist philosophy and just the right pinch of wit.
The decisions you make throughout the story influence what happens next, so replayability is high in "Far From Noise."
However, make no mistake — this is a game that asks you to take your time to think, not to smash buttons or run like crazy.
If you want an interesting, thought-provoking name that remains enjoyable while doubling down on a frenetic pace, you really should look no further.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider