With the new Nintendo Switch console dropping next month, I’ve noticed my love for 4K-aesthetics starting to decline and my nostalgic urges starting to grow.
No, I’m not going to dig through boxes in my garage for Mario Kart on Nintendo 64, and I’m not planning on unwinding my Singstar mic either. I’m talking more recent than that.
Whatever happened to those games that came out on the iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch, that defined the millennial generation one school bus trip at a time? Sure, they didn’t have the best gameplay, but you can’t deny their iconic legacy.
So, if you’re like me and you’re feeling super nostalgic at the moment, allow me to introduce you to the best iPhone games that will take you back to a simpler time.
Plants Vs. Zombies
This game is so old, chances are you first downloaded it on an iPod Touch. In a nutshell, Plants Vs. Zombies is just your average tower-defence game, but it’s lasting legacy can be found in today’s obsession with house plants. It is available for download on the App Store, but beware the soundtrack is catchier than that track from Tones And I. You have been warned.
Jetpack Joyride
Jetpack Joyride is essentially the ‘helicopter’ game with better aesthetics and a plot. The story behind this Halfbrick Studios bestseller follows Barry, a struggling gramophone salesman, who finds a jetpack in a lab and uses it to escape his boring, everyday life. You can’t make this stuff up.
Tiny Wings
For a game with such pretty aesthetics, it was shockingly difficult to play. Tiny Wings and Flappy Bird were the two iPhone games that made everyone want to throw their very expensive phone at a wall. Why we kept on coming back to play, I’ll never know.
Temple Run
There’s only one thing to be said: Crash Bandicoot walked so Temple could Run in iPhone games.
Tap Tap Revenge
Tap Tap Revenge was the greatest game for all music nerds. It was essentially a cheaper (albeit less fun) Dance-Dance-Revolution, where you controlled the music. Sadly, it’s the only app on this list which isn’t available on the App Store anymore.
Fruit Ninja
The act of swiping and slicing pieces of fruit was not only the most satisfying thing one could do on an iPhone, but it convinced everyone they could work at Top Juice. Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, Fruit Ninja had us swiping for what we loved long before Tinder even entered the picture.
Doodle Jump
Doodle Jump, or as I like to call it, the Old Town Road of iPhone games world, spent what feels like my entire high school existence at the top of the app charts. And to be fair, I wouldn’t have it any other way.