iOS RPG of the Year - Chaos Rings

The end of 2010 saw a flood of new, high-quality titles released on Apple's devices. But back in April, the godfather (or drunken uncle, depending on your viewpoint) of JRPGs, Square-Enix, released Chaos Rings for the iOS, and the whole genre has been playing catch-up since. Chaos Rings has all the stylistic features of the best S-E offerings: stylish design, intriguing story, and a clever character customization system. But beyond that, Chaos Rings feels like it was meant to be played on the mobile platform. Controls are responsive and clear, unlike many other iOS RPGs, and the game lends itself well to stop-and-go, portable gameplay. Despite being one of the more expensive iOS titles, the game would not feel out of place as a full retail release for the PSP or Nintendo DS. At least until next year, Chaos Rings holds the distinction of being an RPG fan's killer app on the iOS. The competition in this category was surprisingly fierce, as a number of worthy challengers appeared to challenge for the title of Best iOS RPG. Among them were independently-developed 16-bit love-letter Ash, clever roguelike 100 Rogues, and tech-demo-meets-action-RPG Infinity Blade. If 2010's quality releases are any barometer for the types of iOS RPGs we'll be seeing in 2011, the future looks very, very bright for the platform indeed. Runner-up: Ash