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Going on a long journey? The 12 best games for travelling

With Tokyo Game Show looming, there are a lot of gamers throughout Asia who are hastily packing their suitcases to visit the region’s biggest games event. Whether press or public, these gamers have got a journey ahead of them—be it on the train across Japan, or on the plane over the sea.

Gaming, fortunately, is a hobby that can turn that wasted time into time well spent. Catching up on old classics, plumbing the depths indie gaming has to offer, and even full AAA experiences are all possible on-the-go thanks to advances in portable hardware. But which games deserve the hard drive space they’re stored on? We’ve picked out a few choice titles (per modern portable system) we think no gamer on a long journey should do without.


Nintendo 3DS

Etrian Odyssey IV

travel eo4
travel eo4

Few genres have captured the feel of being a lonely explorer as well as the first-person dungeon crawler. The Etrian Odyssey series has been successfully mashing up the best bits of ancient dungeon crawlers like Wizardry with some of the best JRPG battles the genre has to offer. Tactical choices will serve you well both in battle and out, as highly strategic boss fights are complemented by each class’s wealth of customization options.

Each floor is a new experience, and many become puzzle-like mazes that compel you to try to progress just one floor further. But no obstacle is ever so frustrating as to halt your progress entirely, making for a great portable experience. For a compelling JRPG you can sink hours at a time into, Etrian Odyssey IV is hard to beat.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

travel layton
travel layton

Any of the Professor Layton games will do, but the latest is a fine conclusion to the series’ second trilogy. Filled to the brim with fiendish puzzles of a staggering variety, but always offering ways out for those who get stuck and just want to progress, the series is a natural fit for gamers with hours to kill. It doesn’t hurt that the characters and plot are compelling enough to motivate you to keep going hours after you might’ve put a more bland puzzle collection down.

Radiant Historia (DS game)

travel radiant
travel radiant

The 3DS has an extensive library of old DS games you may have missed. But few are as under-appreciated as this JRPG gem from late in the system’s life. Tactical battles that keep you on your toes even in random battles, one of the most engaging and twist-ridden plots to grace the DS, and great visuals make this one that more gamers should be embarrassed to have skipped.

The timeline-hopping mechanics give you plenty to do, as you unravel the mysteries and try to force fate in the direction you desire. But the game can occasionally leave you at a loss as to what to do, so it’s advised to download a walkthrough onto your phone or computer, just in case.


Playstation Vita

The Walking Dead

travel twd
travel twd

Telltale’s The Walking Dead, whose second season just recently finished, is a groundbreaking achievement. For those who have yet to try it, you’re in for roughly 20 hours of some of the most gripping audiovisual entertainment being made today. Heralded by fans as superior to both the TV show and the comic on which the franchise is based, the story is a non-stop ride, but the characters are the real treat.

The interactive and branching choices only make it more compelling, as you affect the social dynamics of your group but are ultimately helpless to change most people’s fates in the nightmarish scenario everyone finds themselves in. Just…make sure you’re not sitting by any kids when you play this on a plane.

The Walking Dead is also available on Windows, iOS, and Android.

Guacamelee

travel guac
travel guac

A whole new spin on the metroidvania genre, Guacamelee leaves Metroid’s slick gunplay and Castlevania’s complex-yet-fiddly melee and magic in the dust. The game opts instead for a Street Fighter-inspired battle system, complete with combos and shoryukens (which also help you navigate the levels, in true metroidvania style). The game’s visuals are a treat, even if some of the meme-inspired jokes might fall flat a year after the game’s initial release.

(See: Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition review: bigger title, better game)

Unlike its forebear Super Metroid, the game always gives you a destination to head for, even if it doesn’t tell you exactly how to get there. This prevents you from ever getting stuck without a clue what to do, and the challenge rooms you’ll come across are fair rather than frustrating. The least repetitive and most “just ten more minutes!” of the action titles on Vita.

Guacamelee is also available on Windows.

Final Fantasy X HD

travel ffx
travel ffx

In fact, Final Fantasy is so well represented on the Vita that there’s a half dozen other titles that could be recommended here. But FFX helps stave off travel-induced frustration by being fairly linear, while still offering a wealth of side content for those getting bored with the (thoroughly enjoyable) plot. Add the in-game sport of Blitzball into the mix after a few hours of playing and you’ve basically got two entirely different experiences to flip between should you get tired of either.


iOS/Android

Broken Sword: Director’s Cut

travel broken sword
travel broken sword

Telltale may be the modern masters of the adventure genre, but Revolution delivered some of the best of the old school examples. This, a remastering (with added content!) of the original Broken Sword, is probably their masterpiece. It’s consistently funny, with puzzles that just make sense (though if you disagree, the helpful hint system is never out of reach), and a solid mystery to unravel.

Broken Sword: Director’s Cut is also available on DS.

The World Ends With You

travel twewy
travel twewy

One of the best, most innovative, and most surprising JRPGs of the last generation, this unique Square-Enix title underwent some changes in its port to mobile devices, but lost none of its charm. Especially appropriate for any Tokyo-bound travellers, the game fuses its Shibuya setting into every facet of its gameplay—from stat-granting clothing that is affected by what’s fashionable in each area, to the ear-worm soundtrack, to the graffiti-inspired enemies and pins that power your special moves.

(See: Games in Asia’s favorite JRPGs)

The game quickly morphs from what seems fairly predictable at first to one of the best JRPG plots in recent years, dragging its hero from unlikeable emo to fan-favorite badass as it does so. Once it gets going, it doesn’t let go—gaming’s equivalent of a book you just can’t put down. Constantly adjustable difficulty settings keep you from getting stuck and being unable to advance the plot.

The World Ends With You is also available on DS.

Chrono Trigger

travel chrono
travel chrono

Because if you haven’t played this game, there’s really no excuse. And if you have, there’s a fair chance that a(nother) replay wouldn’t hurt. It’s one of the fastest-moving JRPGs ever, with no random battles, no grinding necessary, and a narrative that doesn’t stay in one place long enough to get stale. There’s a reason it’s revered as a stone cold classic, and the game loses very little in the transition to mobile.

Chrono Trigger is also available on DS and (in the US) PSP/Vita.


Laptop

Civilization V

travel civ
travel civ

This is a game people regularly sink a six or more hours into even without the excuse of air travel. This back-to-basics rejuvenation brought countless lapsed Civilization fans back to the series, and won scores of new fans for itself too. While later expansions ironed out kinks and added new layers of complexity, at its heart it remains simple to learn but endlessly compelling.

Multiple paths to victory and styles of play await any who dare risking entire days to the addictive empire-builder. Civilization V is a testament that turn-based isn’t an outdated, lazy format. Here it allows you to be thoughtful, and play at your own pace—even when jet-lagged beyond belief.

Planescape: Torment

travel planescape
travel planescape

The PC has countless classic RPGs that come highly recommended. But when you ask a hardcore PC gaming crowd which of these had the best story to tell, few games are mentioned as frequently as Planescape: Torment. Highly unusual in both its setting and its cast, the narrative has won universal acclaim for being memorable, unique, and just outright riveting.

The visuals may be somewhat dated, and the gameplay (based on D&D rules) isn’t going to wow fans of modern WRPGs like Skyrim or Dark Souls, but the strong plot and characterization carry the classic on their own merits. A spiritual successor was recently Kickstartered, so there’s never been a better time to discover what you missed out by skipping this gem.

Deus Ex

travel deus ex
travel deus ex

The third game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, was impressive, and deserved all the praise it got. But let’s not forget why people were so excited to see that game announced in the first place. The original title beats the third for its depth of customization, wealth of options in how to approach any scenario, and subversive themes. Shady government ethics, automated security devices, and worrying amounts of surveillance all make the game seem prescient—but politics aside, it’s an undeniable classic of techno-noir.


Armed with these recommendations, you should have no trouble keeping yourself occupied on those long journeys (without resorting to rewatching sub-par popcorn movies). When more and more people are having trouble finding time to game, those ten hours on a plane can become a blessing rather than a curse to the well-prepared gamer.

…Just remember to charge your devices.


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The post Going on a long journey? The 12 best games for travelling appeared first on Games in Asia.


The post Going on a long journey? The 12 best games for travelling appeared first on Games in Asia.