Post-apocalyptic RPG for mobile: narrative, offline, with choices that matter

The post-apocalypse is one of the settings that suits an RPG best: scarce resources, factions with their own reasons, people asking for help when you’re barely getting by yourself. On mobile, though, most of the genre is base management on timers or shooters. If what you want is real role-playing — reading, deciding and living with the decision — the list gets much shorter.

What to ask of a good post-apocalyptic RPG on mobile

• Choices that change things. Not a cosmetic good/evil meter, but different routes, characters and endings.
• A character that matters. Attributes and background that open or close options, not just numbers going up.
• Playable in short bursts. Phones get used on the bus, in a queue or before bed. Short sessions without losing the thread.
• No need to be online. A wasteland without signal has its charm, but the game should work all the same.

DustFall: the wastes, on foot

DustFall is a narrative RPG by Iluro Studios. You were born in Refuge 19, underground, and the day the water starts to run out you walk into the wastes to find an answer. Its oddest feature is that you don’t play it with your thumb, you play it by walking: the pedometer counts your real steps and they move you across the map. (If that sounds interesting, we cover it in depth in walking games.)

But under the pedometer there’s a full RPG: 5 acts, 56 places on the map, over 750 illustrations and music.

Survivor creation

You pick a background and a temperament and spread points across seven attributes. It isn’t set dressing: depending on who your survivor is, some ways out open up and others don’t.

Dilemmas with no easy answer

Helping has a price and every faction has its reasons. You’ll run into the Cosmic Knight and his wards, a robot selling funeral insurance, Yara at the Scrap Market and the water rationing in La Junta. Depending on how you treat the world — and who — the journey ends in one of 13 endings.

Aimed combat

Combat is turn-based and you aim at body parts: head, torso, legs, each with its own hit chance. Wounds land where you get hit, and armour can deflect a blow entirely. It’s tactical but short: a fight doesn’t eat the whole session.

Permadeath, if you dare

With permadeath on, if you fall your save is wiped. It’s optional, but it changes how you play completely: every long route and every fight gets a second thought.

Offline, no account, free

DustFall works fully offline and without an account. It’s free on Android and iPhone, in English, Spanish, Portuguese and German. For more scenes before you download it, see the DustFall page.