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7 mobile games that made the successful translation to console or PC

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7 mobile games that made the successful translation to console or PC

At Pocket Gamer, we often write about PC and console games that have made their way to iOS and Android.

Games like FTL and Papers, Please that started life on Steam but ended up on iPad. Nintendo expats like LostWinds and Mutant Mudds. And ex-Xbox games like Bastion and The Walking Dead.

But what about the other way? Games that were born on the App Store, and have gone on to found success on other platforms? We don't normally talk about them.

So, with that in mind, here are the seven best games that have transitioned successfully from mobile to home console and PC.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP - PC

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Sword & Sworcery isn't like other RPGs. It's not got spiky-haired anime heroes or sour-faced orks. Instead, this gorgeous role-player is dressed in chunky pixels and muted hues, to conjure up a world unlike anything we've seen before.

Luckily, PC players got to experience it - and that sumptuous other-worldly soundtrack - too. Now if only we could get a version for PS Vita…

Threes! - Xbox One

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It's the game that captured Twitter for a while, and captured our hearts forever. Seriously: accept no substitute. This is the only puzzle game you'll ever need, and one of the most compulsive games ever created.

You'd think it wouldn't work on stodgy old consoles, but the Xbox One has a smart user interface that feels like it was designed for Threes.

The "Xbox Snap" feature means you can have Threes on the main screen, while watching TV on the right hand side, too. You can now even order a pizza via an Xbox One app, too, so the dystopian future envisioned in Wall-E has never been closer.

Fruit Ninja - Xbox 360

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Just like Threes, Microsoft took a simple, family friendly mobile game and brought it to its console in a way that really fit the system.

So we get Fruit Ninja Kinect, which replaces touchscreen swiping with limb flailing. Instead of using your finger to chop up a coconut, you swing your arm like you're doing Kung fu.

It's one game that made good use of the under-appreciated Kinect, and tricked a fair few gamers into exercising for a while.

Jetpack Joyride - PS3

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We've heard arguments that this is the most addictive mobile game ever made, and it's certainly Halfbrick's best game. A title that was so good, the original iOS version was making game of the year lists in places that generally don't even tend to cover mobile games.

The PlayStation version isn't anything special, in truth, but the fact it exists at all is testament to its popularity. This a game everyone should play, and we wouldn't be shocked to see it come to Xbox One or PlayStation 4 one of these days.

Everything else is being remastered there.

The Room - PC

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Point and click adventures have made a spectacular comeback, recently. But The Room is a little different. There are no characters, dialogue trees, or much a story. Instead, it's all about the puzzles.

So you gawp at intricate boxes (which look better on PC) and paw at weird switches, latches, keys, and buttons. A mouse isn't quite as tactile as a touchscreen, sure, but it does the job.

Sadly, the superior sequel isn't on PC yet. Fingers crossed!

Super Hexagon - PC

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If ever anyone tells you mobile games are for kids, whip out Super Hexagon and ask a baby to get past 10 seconds. Yeah, didn't think so.

Its's a brutally tough but rewarding game, and the PC version almost feels designed for YouTubers and Twitch streamers to scream about.

Like most games on mobile, it's been copied since, but you can tell this one is a Terry Cavanagh original. The soundtrack, eye-blistering visuals, and razor-sharp design are proof of that.

Super Hexagon reminds us that mobile games can be as hardcore as anything else. And that you're not as good at games as you think you are.

Year Walk - PC

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Simogo is absolute, cast-iron proof that mobile games are to be taken seriously. It's best game, Year Walk, is a deep, engaging (if a little short) adventure, that is as dark as it is interesting.

The sharp art style and foreboding atmosphere plays well on a larger screen. And little was lost in the translation from mobile. Best of all, the price has been kept low.

Simogo never seems to get the attention from the wider gaming world that it deserve, so if you've not played Year Walk yet, grab it on PC, plug in some headphones, and enjoy.

Adam Cook
Adam Cook
Adam Cook is a freelancer who has written for Pocket Gamer