Simogo Legacy Collection review: love letter to iPhone gaming’s glory days

It may be hard to believe now, but the App Store was once a thriving place for innovative indie games. The ubiquity of the iPhone coupled with the relative ease of development for the platform meant that small studios were able to get their games in front of huge audiences, leading to a great time of experimentation that unfortunately did not last. But if you want to relive those better days, the new Simogo collection is just the thing for you.

You may recognize the name Simogo from more recent titles, such as the noir mystery Lorelei and laser eyes Or a vibrant, interactive pop album Sayonara Wild Hearts. Before that, the studio was a creative force in the mobile space. the Simogo Legacy Collectionas it’s called, collects seven games from this period, plus a companion app, all of which were developed over the course of five years between 2010 and 2015.

The most striking thing about the collection is the huge selection of games. It’s hard to believe they were all made by the same team. Some early titles, such as the arcade game Cosmo Spin And the charming automatic platform Bumpy roadfeels like a little more elegant in common types of mobile phones. But from there, you can see that the studio has become bolder and more confident. Beat the stealth thieves It is a rhythm action game A year’s journey It is an adventure about going on a vision quest inspired by folklore. (And in the group too A year’s journey A companion app, which details the strange creatures you’ll encounter in the game).

Things get weirder from there: Device 6 It is a combination of game narrative and mystery; Sailor’s dream It is a mixed media storytelling experience; Rounding out the collection is the more traditional title, SPL-TA puzzle game that burrows into your mind, like Tetris.

If there’s any connective tissue between these disparate releases, it’s an incredible sense of style and a clear sense of purpose. All games can be very different, but each has a specific focus and vision. You can tell that each has been carefully crafted in every element, from the visuals to the game design to the music.

The same goes for the group itself. I played the game on Switch 2 (it’s also on Steam and the original Switch) and it recreates the mobile experience by essentially turning your device into a giant smartphone, complete with a basic menu where all the games appear as app icons. There’s a whole host of extras you can dig into, including playable prototypes for some of the games and other bonus material, such as a podcast series released as a companion to Sailor’s dream. Don’t fall asleep on your music player; There are some amazing trails here.

the Simogo Legacy Collection It’s not just a well-designed collection of some great games; It is important work for conservation. You can still find it in the App Store for now, but Apple’s digital store can be hostile to older games, so this release warrants likes A year’s journey and Device 6 Can be continued through other platforms. It’s also a great reminder of how vital those early days were and how the best things stand the test of time.

_{the Simogo Legacy Collection Available now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2.}