Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Honest mobile games for Android and iOS

Baldur's Gate 3 is coming. It's being developed by Larian Studios, known for its original humor, crazy imagination and unorthodox approach to RPG schemes. As proved with Divinity: Original Sin II. But before we head into the new Baldur's Gate, the Enhanced Edition if the original is a fantastic prelude. Especially since it's available on mobile devices.

It's an RPG from a previous era, with archaic systems and controls. Eyes used to The Witcher may have trouble accommodating to the isometric 2D, but once that happens, you're in for an adventure of a lifetime. Both parts of Baldur's Gate tell an adventurous story that focuses primarily on survival, discovering who we are and what the bad guys want from us – saving anything is entirely optional.

There are great adventures, mysteries, plenty of dungeons, battles, and powerful artifacts. The original score by Michael Hoenig is also one of the soundtracks ever in western RPGs. In Baldur's Gate II, we traverse perhaps the best-designed city in the genre's history – Athkatla. And all that – not without minor hitches – was brought to the screens of smartphones and tablets by people from Beamdog.

Controls require a little getting used to, but after a few minutes, it just clicks. There's really only one non – playable stage that's hard to go through on smartphones because of the controls – the Planar Prison – but that's an optional location. It would drive me crazy already in the original, and I have no regrets skipping that one. And the rest is still a beautiful adventure with momentum others are trying to match.

1. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition on Google Play

Life is Strange

If one episodic adventure could be successfully transferred to smartphones, so can be the others. That's why the availability of Life is Strange on mobile devices shouldn't surprise anyone. After all, it's not about the complicated gameplay, it's about the excellent storyline.

Because it is the story that makes Life Is Strange the unique experience it's considered. We play Max Caulfield, an adolescent girl who returns to her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, after a five-year absence and begins studying at the Blackwell School, while dreaming of a career as a photographer. Together with a friend, she tries to solve the mystery of the disappearance of another student, and in the process discovers that she has the power to manipulate time.

It's a beautiful story that, despite its crime backdrop, proves very emotional. Mystery is one thing, but the excellent main characters entering mature life make this game special – especially because they face various difficult choices, which is a hallmark for Telltale Games.

The game also has a nice gimmick – the mechanics for manipulating time. Now also available on mobile.

1. Life Is Strange on Google Play

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

It's been so many years... and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still considered one of the best (if not the best) games in the Star Wars universe. Following the success of Baldur's Gate 2 (achieved in cooperation with Black Isle) and Neverwinter Nights, BioWare created another RPG that's still considered a timeless classic.

And no wonder. We'd never had such a complex adventure before. Yes, the excellent Jedi Knight series offered insane lightsaber duels, but it was KotOR that drew us in like a bog for a long time. It looked great, had a story that we could shape with our choices (including the decision about which side of The Force to join).

As in the BioWare RPG – we gather a team and embark on an expedition, this time around to a distant galaxy in the age of the Old Republic. We started out as a powerful but amnesiac person of the race we'd select, and we tried to discover the truth about ourselves, and to save the Republic. The plot twists and characters went on to become legendary – and the entire structure of the game served as the foundation for Mass Effect.

As the game never had any overly complicated control system, translating it to smartphones seemed inevitable. Sure, it takes a while for us to get used to navigating the numerous data tabs, equipment menus, etc. but it quickly becomes intuitive and natural. Most importantly, it's an opportunity to catch up with one of the best games set in the universe from George Lucas.

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the Google Play Store