Remember when you paid for a game, and then you played it? Hard as it may be to recall, this was once the norm. Since smartphones came along, Freemium games - where you play for free but pay to speed things up or unlock more - have been in the ascendancy. And while in-app purchases aren’t always a bad thing, sometimes it’s nice to just pay upfront and settle down to play.
With that in mind, here are 10 of the best recent mobile games – all released in the second half of 2015 – that are worth shelling out for, with no subsequent in-app purchases. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Growing trees was never this fun before – or, in fairness, this fast. Prune is a wonderfully-relaxing grow ‘em up that has you swiping your vegetation to adulthood, while bathing in the blissful visuals and music.
Her Story
iOS (£3.99)
Interactive video games have got a bad name down the years, usually with good reason. Her Story rights the wrongs of the past though: a gripping thriller that sees you solving a crime by digging into videotaped interviews with a prime suspect.
This War of Mine
Android / iOS (£10.99)
A high price, but this thought-provoking war game sets a high bar for quality. This isn’t a war game in the sense of moving tanks and troops around though: instead, you’re in charge of civilians, trying to survive in a war-torn city.
The Room Three
iOS (£3.99)
All three of The Room games are well worth your money, but the latest is a great place to start. It’s a collection of physical puzzles set on a mysterious island. The puzzles are truly challenging, while the graphics are stunning. It’s coming to Android on 11 January, too.
PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist
Android / iOS (£3.99)
YouTuber PewDiePie may have made his name on a platform focused on free content, but his mobile game is a premium affair. It’s also much better than you’d expect from a celebrity licence: a well-crafted platformer with bags of humour.
Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon
Android / iOS (£1.61 - £2.99)
An excellent sequel to Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, which sees you creeping around a (possibly) haunted mansion in eight-legged form, trapping insects and solving puzzles. It’s genuinely eerie, with lots to explore.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
Android / iOS (£2.29 - £2.32)
Mobile’s best survival-horror series reached its final stage with Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, with its horrific animatronic animals taking the battle to your character’s home. Expect plenty of moments when you’ll jump out of your chair.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Android / iOS (£3.90 - £3.99)
If you thought your father occasionally struggled with parenting, imagine if he’d been an octopus pretending to be human. That’s the quirky premise for Octodad, but it’s more than a tentacled gimmick: there’s a challenging adventure here.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
iOS (£3.99)
Set this alongside This War of Mine in the pantheon of mobile games that may make you cry. Brothers is an adventure with a proper storyline (yes, about two brothers) and some exquisite graphics. It even manages to make virtual joysticks work (fairly) well on the touchscreen.
The Deer God
Android / iOS (£3.85 - £7.99)
The price difference is disappointing for iOS gamers, and it’s fair to say this pixel-art adventure is an acquired taste. It’s worth trying to acquire it though: a beautiful game where you play a deer (and other animals) making its way in the world.
What have we missed? The comments section is open for your recommendations of excellent premium games.
