Offline ipad games
May 22, 2013 5:37 PM   Subscribe

What are some good games that I can play while offline? I've seen this question but I am looking specifically for games. I know I can download books and stuff. I want to PLAY! On an airplane. Without paying for Internet. Help me out.
posted by bq to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (36 answers total) 45 users marked this as a favorite
 
Need more info on what you like, but my offline standbys are Ascension, Ticket to Ride and Can't Stop.
posted by Etrigan at 5:55 PM on May 22, 2013 [3 favorites]


Plants vs. Zombies
posted by blueberry at 5:58 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


kingdom rush! hours of fun.

here
posted by bobdow at 6:00 PM on May 22, 2013 [2 favorites]


Can you give us more detail about the kind of games you enjoy? Without knowing that my recommendations are pretty scattershot.

My favourites are 10,000,000 which is a match 3 game; Flow which is a visual puzzle type thing (unlock the extra levels before you fly); The Room if you like puzzles; Drop 7 if you like a sort of math based Tetris; and Fairway Solitaire which is golf-themed solitaire (sounds crazy but is fun).
posted by Joh at 6:05 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


In addition to what's already been mentioned, I'm fond of Carcassonne, World of Goo, and Machinarium, as well as the Final Fantasy Tactics port. But I agree that if there's a certain kind of game you like to play, that would be helpful for more-targeted answers.
posted by cellar door at 6:13 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]




My favorite is a puzzle game called Monorail. Also, Fruit Ninja.
posted by bleep at 6:21 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


In addition to many already mentioned, Peggle, Flick Golf, Sporos, Lost Winds.
posted by valleys at 6:33 PM on May 22, 2013


I lost last weekend to Civilization: Revolution. If you like Civ games it's a great adaptation.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:39 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Carmageddon and the GTA series are offline, I think. Whether you want to play those where passengers can see is another question.
posted by zippy at 6:48 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Angry Birds. There's a reason it's one of the best selling iPhone/iPad games of all time (if not THE best selling of all time). If you haven't played it, it'll keep you entertained for hours and hours and hours. If you want something free, download the free versions from the app store. They only contain the first few levels, but they'll keep you entertained for sure.

BONUS! If you have an iPhone too, in my opinion, you're better off just buying the cheaper iPhone version.

Yeah yeah, Angry Birds may be cliche at this point, but it's stupidly fun.
posted by 2oh1 at 6:54 PM on May 22, 2013


I am embarrassed to say how many hours I've spent (lol can't even count that high probz) playing a stupid game called Subway Surf. Basically you run and you collect coins and have little mission achievements and characters you can unlock and stuff. I find it a wonderful little mind-numbing diversion.

And now I've unlocked the little girl wearing a frog suit, and I enjoy watching my little frog person waddle through the game way more than I should.
posted by phunniemee at 7:03 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Word Welder
posted by alms at 7:03 PM on May 22, 2013


Bastion
Blast Points just went free
Is the Baldur's Gate 2 port out yet?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 7:14 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


There's a sim city adaptation for iOS. You will waste weekends.
posted by Sara C. at 7:18 PM on May 22, 2013


All of the (I think they're now Hasbro but used to be Milton Bradley) games like Boggle, Scrabble, The Game Of Life, Yahtzee, etc can be played offline. If you like that sort of thing, they are all well done and a lot of fun to play, even against computer opponents.
posted by hippybear at 7:28 PM on May 22, 2013


Response by poster: Sorry, I like word games and puzzle games, don't like Angry Birds.
posted by bq at 7:33 PM on May 22, 2013


It's not doing much for me, but people love Triple Town.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 7:34 PM on May 22, 2013


I have spent the most hours of my life playing the following:

Angry Bird
Plants v. Zombies
Bejeweled 2 - not Bejeweled Blitz; that one is not as fun
Scrabble
Tetris

I have heard that Candy Crush is highly addictive and have thus far resisted downloading it.

The problem for me is always battery life.

On preview - regarding word/puzzle games, if you subscribe to the NYT crosswords, you can download as many of them as you want in advance of your flight (downloading them requires internet access), and then work on them on the flight, offline. It looks like there is a one-week free trial, and then you can buy a month for $3, and if it still works like it did a year or two ago, during that period you have access to as many puzzles as you want.
posted by insectosaurus at 7:39 PM on May 22, 2013


If you like puzzle games, check out Azada. Azada 2 also exists, but it's not as good. Also seconding the 4 Elements games.

In addition: Moxie or Bookworm. Both are really great word games.
posted by bibliogrrl at 7:59 PM on May 22, 2013


I have an Android tablet but you should be able to find this stuff. For the record, I think Angry Birds is boring, thoughtless and moves so artificially slow.

I got very seriously hooked on Fruit Ninja (arcade mode specifically) and Tower Defense... there are a lot of Tower Defense-type games because they are pretty fun but I think mine was called Tower Defense: Lost Earth. Can be easy at first, but eventually it got harder and you have to be more strategic with the guns you choose and where you place them.

If you like word games, I was also hooked on a game called Wordplay, but apparently it must be called something else on an iPad. My version is this. It's a new twist on word games (at least to me) where you find words where tiles touch. Very challenging.

I also learned how to play Mexican train, which is game with dominoes. Kind of feels like a card game. Also pretty addicting.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:00 PM on May 22, 2013


Osmos. Plug in headphones and time just flies by.
posted by HMSSM at 8:18 PM on May 22, 2013


Tentacle Wars is a brutal puzzle/strategy game.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 8:21 PM on May 22, 2013


Puzzle Agent and Puzzle Agent 2 are great. I've also heard good things about City of Secrets and The Secret of Monkey Island. For word games, check out Letterbox and Word Solitaire.
posted by creativenothing at 8:53 PM on May 22, 2013


FIFA 13
posted by dfriedman at 8:58 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm addicted to Hill Climb Racing, which isn't really racing as much as side-scrolling endurance with upgradable cars. Stupidly addictive.

I can second Plants vs. Zombies. Easy to play short rounds, but keeps you playing if you have a long flight.

And if Carmageddon is anywhere as fun as the PC Carmageddons that preceded it, it is my next iPad purchase for certain. It's a racing game in which you can win in three possible ways: win the race, destroy all of your opponents, or kill every pedestrian on the map. (You'll need to kill the peds to get enough time to race anyway.) I hope it has all the good powerups, like Bouncy Pedestrians and Mutant Tail Thing.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:14 PM on May 22, 2013


IGN just released a free code for Minigore 2: Zombies

I'd check SlidetoPlay and PocketGamer for new releases.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:15 PM on May 22, 2013


Word and puzzle games, great! I forgot my favourite one, which is a puzzle game called Trainyard. It's a logic puzzle, and it's fantastic. I played through the pay version, the free version, and the add on packs. Twice!

Another couple of word games, Spell Tower and Muddled.
posted by Joh at 9:19 PM on May 22, 2013


Bookworm Adventues.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:23 PM on May 22, 2013


I have heard that Candy Crush is highly addictive and have thus far resisted downloading it.

Ugh. IT IS. It is also "free" in the sense that it regularly asks you if you want to pay for or appeal to Facebook friends for certain things. You can ignore most of it but not everything. If I'd known this I wouldn't have started, but it's too late for me at this point.
posted by grapesaresour at 11:39 PM on May 22, 2013


If you like Metroidvania style exploration platformers, may I recommend Aquaria and Waking Mars? Swords & Sworcery is also a fantastic timesink. All three are somewhat puzzles-laden.

For word-based puzzlers, check out Puzzlejuice and Spelltower. They're both machines for time homicide.
posted by sleeping bear at 11:54 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: If you like puzzle games, I would consider paying the money for the game "The Room". I just finished it. It was awesome and beautiful and fun. Highly recommended.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 4:52 AM on May 23, 2013


Oh man! If you want a puzzle game with a great narrative, play Ghost Trick. It came out first on the DS, I think, but the iDevice port is fantastic. It does some really cool stuff. And it definitely works offline.
posted by mean cheez at 5:56 AM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Puzzle games, you say?

Ars Logica by Mefi's own Tell Me No Lies is quite good. Or the free version too, I guess.

I've also lately been enjoying nozoku, Polymer, Flow Free, Sporos, and the incredibly difficult Spacechem.

The majority of puzzle games will work without an online connection.
posted by ook at 7:11 AM on May 23, 2013


Spelltower, King of Dragon Pass
posted by Sebmojo at 8:32 PM on May 23, 2013 [1 favorite]


A few more offline games I've been liking lately: Geared, Shikaku, Slitherlink.
posted by Lexica at 9:20 PM on June 5, 2013


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