Fallen London
Go on strange adventures in a sunken world
Free (with IAPs) Developer Failbetter Games, failbettergames.com Platform Universal Requirements iOS 9.1 or later
Fallen London is a text-based roleplaying game set in an alternate-reality fantastical Victorian London under the sea, populated by the lords and ladies and merchants and urchins you might expect, as well as the devils and tombcolonists and tentacled creatures you might not.
It can be a little overwhelming at first, but the basic setup is a map with several unlockable locations that each feature several unlockable “storylets,” plus an “Opportunity Deck” of a limited number of cards with extra adventures.
Each storylet or opportunity begins with a brief description and one or more possible actions that either end or progress the mini adventure, but since even death leads to more storylets, there’s no such thing as a wrong choice.
Actions often have requirements, such as a skill like “Persuasive” or “Watchful,” or that you possess certain objects or qualities, all of which are measured numerically.
Want to go to the ball? You’ll need to call in favors, an action that requires you to be level 7 connected to Society and for you to possess 500 Silk Scraps and 5 Scraps of Incendiary Gossip. You collect these from other tasks, leveling up with easier ones to reach the more interesting challenges.
You’ll often find yourself repeating the same action to grind until you’ve met the requirements for another, which can feel especially uninspiring when you’re only allowed a maximum of 20 actions (40 for subscribers) before you have to wait for them to refill, but since you level up a little even for a failed challenge no action is really wasted. As you unlock more storylets it can feel tiresome to have to keep scrolling down to the same one over and over again, but the interface is good.
Of course, one major benefit to this pacing of the game is its longevity. It’s a perfect fit for iPhone, an ongoing adventure that you dip into every now and then, following your own path at your own pace, setting your own goals to explore parts of the world or form romantic relationships or make a name for yourself in whatever way you see fit. And with regular free updates, new stories each month for subscribers, and additional purchasable content, it’s an imaginative world you could spend a huge amount of time in.
the bottom line. An expansive and engrossing alternate-reality universe that fits perfectly on your phone.