Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. That is to say, while these, like all the games we cover here, are games you can play on your phone, they are games that operate outside of the two big ways of playing games: the Google Play Store and Apple. AppStore.
This means that it may take some work to download AppStore or alternative APKs, or that games can simply be played in your phone's browser. However, we will make sure to detail this for each game. Either way, read on to find a new game or experience to play outside of the AppStore.
In terms of the Internet, Pocket Gamer is ancient, but even though we're particularly old (though I'd say our team is a fourth or fifth wave team) we weren't around at a time when liquid crystal display gaming was prevalent – or even present, outside of the occasional Happy Meal. Heck, even though Nintendo handhelds were one of our initial targets, we never even touched Game & Watch.
So, why now? Well, that's because Lucas Pope, creator of Papers, Please, Mars After Midnight, Curse of the Obra Dinn, Helsing's Fire and, well, a lot of games actually, has released Moida Mansion: a stylized, LCD-inspired game that he challenges you to talk in the titular mansion, find your friends and go out.
Moida Mansion is an incredibly creepy mansion, in fact, the first rule of the Adventure Club, of which you are a member, is to never, ever enter it. The big problem is that the TAC mascot walked in and the rest of the group quickly followed.
Having the style of a handheld with a liquid crystal display, there are a couple of very interesting things going on. For starters, LCD displays worked by coloring some pre-existing lines in various combinations, so assets are deliberately reused in the same place in different places. Secondly, the interface relies on limited button inputs. In this case, buttons to move left or right, a button to go up stairs, and a fourth to activate (and move between) interaction points.
The reason this isn't a simple search and rescue is the presence of the Monsta, who will sometimes appear at windows or doors and be approached during your search. It's not an exact science, but you can normally perform a search if the Monsta is not present in the room. This is absolutely fine until you reach dead-end rooms and appear at the exit, but this can be avoided with careful planning and movement.
You can play Moida Mansion for free on its Itch.io page. I have to say, after playing it on both PC and mobile browser, mobile portrait mode seems like the absolute best way to play it.