Hey all,

RetroArch on a smartphone is downright bodacious, but I absolutely need a physical controller for most games. While I’ve been fiddling with it, I’ve discovered a couple DS games that work surprisingly well as touchscreen-only games. I wanted to share my thoughts & see if anyone else has recommendations for other “playable on a touchscreen” games:

1. Zoo Keeper is a very fun match-3 game. With the DS you’d use the stylus to move the tiles around, but it’s perfectly suited for a modern touchscreen, too. Whole thing appears to be playable without any controller. I’ve sunk tons of time into this in waiting rooms, lately.

2. Sega Casino - not nearly as strong of a recommendation as Zoo Keeper, but it’s totally playable without a controller. I’ve only really played the Texas Hold 'Em game, but it scratches that poker itch.

RPGs (Squeenix, Pokémon, etc) work pretty well since they’re mostly menus, but still require a controller (software or otherwise) to interact. I’m thinking Ace Attorney might be a good fit, but I haven’t acquired a copy of that yet.

I’m looking for other suggestions! Ideally, totally playable without any software/hardware controller. I’m curious to know what else might be out there.

I’m also recommending exploration - I never would’ve played Sega Casino on a DS, but it turns out to be a great “mobile” game. No ads, no microtransactions, no subscription, and no tracking. I can play a little poker without feeling like I’m being preyed upon.