(AfroGamers.com) So, you got your mobile phone and you’ve got your usual games that require some skill and investment. You know: Call of Duty: Mobile, The Division. If you’re like me, you’ve got Pokemon TCG or Might and Magic. Sometimes, you got to have something that eats up less time. Something that can be played while watching a show. A low-effort or no-effort game that you will return to.
Here are three such games that won’t even eat up much storage.
Papa’s Burgeria (Flipline Studios)
The Papa’s games are mobile OGs. Flipline Studios figured out the formula for fun, repetitive lite-simulations games much like our second entry. The studio makes the kind of game that you will keep coming back to manage your shop and might even have you sinking time than necessary into it.
Papa’s Burgeria is the first of the Papa’s games I picked up and is a great introduction to the gameplay you can expect in other titles such as Papa’s Pizzeria and Papa’s Wingeria. While there is some business management in here as far as buying equipment and decorations for your shop to improve productivity, the game is a time management sim first.
In the Burgeria, you will serve up burgers to customers who give you their orders. You’re expected to cook the burgers as requested, put the orders together, and get it out to them in a timely matter. Faster speed equals a good performance and means both return business and more profit for you.
I recommend this one for time management veterans who want a fun challenge you can knock out during commercial breaks or a dragging show or game. Also, the Papa’s games tend to run on the inexpensive side being $1.99 for all games except for Papa’s Freezeria which is $0.99.
Game Dev Story (Kairosoft)
Kairosoft is a studio that also figured out the formula for mobile simulation games and actually influenced a lot of game studio simulators, the best known one being Game Dev Tycoon from Greenheart Games (also on mobile and Steam).
The studio is essentially “The House That Game Dev Story built” with most titles being some variation of GDS. If it’s a business game, it takes after Game Dev Story but it’s a village sim it’s more like Dungeon Village. For the studio’s sports sims, most are in a vein similar to Pocket League Story. But most games can be traced back to Game Dev Story, especially with featured characters/employees in each game.
In a nutshell, GDS has the player running a small gaming studio and building it up over a 20-year period. In that time, players will see new consoles, conventions, and award shows. If they’re sturdy with developing games and hiring the right talent, they could move millions of copies, get games in the Hall of Fame (making them sequel-worthy), or win one of the four Year End Awards.
I’d say Game Dev Story hovers between low effort and no effort as you do have to manage your employees via hiring, firing, training, and promoting but once they’re in place, you’re really just assigning devs to one of three stages of the development process and maybe naming the game if you think it’s worth it.
Of the games on this list, the Kairosoft games are the more pricier ones and that wasn’t always the case! They run anywhere between $4.99 for the older ones and $7.99 for the more recent titles with a Doraemon branded title running for $14.99. Let’s not even get into the prices of the game on PSN.
Regardless, the games have the same effect as Papa’s where you’ll return to manage your studio and try to develop better games each time. If you like this one, I recommend the Manga Works which is a little different in it being a manga artist career sim.
Zen Basketball GM (ZenGM)
If you dig basketball but don’t want something that will dine on your battery and storage or hit you with a promotion deal upon opening, Zen Basketball Manager is what you’ll want to get.
It’s a text-based basketball management simulation but it strips down the deeper management aspects such as lengthy contract negotiations and managing the stadium and coaching staff. Instead, you mainly handle the players you put on the team.
By “handle”, I mean you sign your rookies, you renew or cut players, and just allocate how much money goes into the facilities. At any point, you can move to another team and manage it. If you want absolute control over the league (or an easier playing experience) smash GOD MODE.
With that you can edit players, contracts, league rules, tournament and season length and contract caps. It’s with GOD MODE that the game’s involvement ramps up a bit but you’re not having to play the game or watch ads.
Zen Basketball Manager is free-to-play and has no ads. ZenGM has baseball, football, and hockey management games that feature a banner ad. I highly recommend their games for the sports fan who multitasks or who just loves sports.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.