There’s something very charming about Android pixel RPGs. Surely, they evoke nostalgia with their 8-bit visuals, teleporting gamers to the good old NES world, but they do attract your attention with their distinctive graphics.
Best 8-Bit and 16-Bit Role-Playing Games on Android
In addition to nice chiptune background music, a pixel art role-playing game offers nostalgic content that only a true RPG fan will understand. Here's a rundown of the 10 best pixel RPGs on Android:
Crusaders Quest
Crusaders Quest is a beautiful 2D side-scrolling RPG with cute pixel graphics. The game lets you enter a charming world filled with adorable baddies and collect hundreds of 8-bit characters. You will be tasked to defeat the forces of evil that are hell-bent on destroying the heavenly land of Hasla. Select a party of warriors, archers and mages and fight enemies to restore peace and order. The game’s unique skill block battle system offers some strategic depth. As blocks appear on the bottom of the screen, you will have match them and use the most devastating skill blocks at the right time to defeat enemies.
Bit Heroes
Old-school dungeon crawler fans will love everything about Bit Heroes. Inspired by 8-bit dungeon exploration games, Bit Heroes offers lots of randomly-generated dungeons, a simple but nifty crafting system, pets and a PvP mode. One of the best aspects of Bit Heroes is the ability to capture monsters and use them to fight enemies. While exploring dungeons, you will come across various enemies. The game switches to combat mode when your hero comes closer to an enemy. Battles are inspired by old school turn-based combat. You will have to tap a hero or pet’s skill to attack enemies in turn-based battles. The game boasts chiptunes music that will certainly make you feel as if you are playing it on an NES.
RPG Onigo Hunter
Onigo Hunter’s brilliant 16-bit graphics will definitely take you down memory lane. You will play the role of a monster hunter who is tasked to investigate the disappearance of the King. You will have to explore several locations, fight enemies and set traps to capture monsters. You can later combine all captured creatures to convert them to gear. This pixel RPG game has a huge monster catalog and an extensive skill list. You can change your equipment, which gives a new look to your character every time you equip armor or weapons to him.
Knights of Pen & Paper +1
Knights of Pen & and Paper +1 brings the good ol’ pen and paper role-playing experience on Android. The game simulates real life pen and paper RPG and lets players play the role of in-game humans who take the roles of various characters, such as archers, knights and mages. The game’s retro pixel-art graphics are perfect to say the least. There are lots of quests, monsters, items and equipment. You will be exploring dungeons, fighting monsters, uncovering traps and hidden treasures, visiting the blacksmith and the tavern for new equipment and characters. The fantasy world of pen and paper RPG is waiting for you and I am sure you will love this unique role-playing experience.
Merchant
In almost every role-playing game, there’s a merchant ready to offer gear and items for in-game currency. In Merchant, you will get this unique opportunity to play the role of the elusive shopkeeper. But this Android pixel RPG game lets you do more than just sell items. You can send heroes on quests and use the materials they brought back at the shop to craft gear. You will have several crafters working under you, ready to create high-quality equipment for your heroes. You will have to equip gear to your heroes to ensure they defeat more monsters and bring back more materials. As a shopkeeper, your goal is to earn profits, grow your inventory and be the best merchant in town, but you should also ensure that your heroes are victorious. Merchant is a unique and excellent RPG hero/shop management game and it’s available for free on the Google Play Store.
Pocket Rogues
Pocket Rogues is an action RPG that features real-time battles in randomly-generated dungeons. Battles against hordes of monsters can be pretty tough, but seasoned RPG players will love it. The game also lets you build your own fortress and customize heroes. Each random dungeon has unique monsters and lots of loot, and of course boss battles. You will be facing huge bosses and the pixel art graphics makes them look more fearsome. Since the game is played in real-time, it focuses more on character movement and skills. You will have to dodge enemies, avoid traps, and use hero skills to fight multiple monsters. Controlling your character is important, especially when there are several enemies approaching you. Timing and proper controls are key to win battles. The game is played purely from a top-down perspective - this combined with excellent pixel art gives you a perfect rogue-like experience.
Dash Quest Heroes
Dash Quest Heroes is a fast-paced Android pixel RPG game with a very simple control system. It has nice top-down pixel graphics. As your hero explores caves, forests, castles and hills, you will have to tap the right and left side of the screen at the right time to hack and slash approaching enemies and block their attacks. On your adventure, you will collect gear and equip them to make your character more powerful.
Dash Quest Heroes’ simplified control scheme makes gameplay more fun and engaging. You can create and customize heroes, choose your preferred class from a host of hero classes and get access to more than 200 skills and 40 spells to supercharge your hero. The game also features mini games like archery and fishing.
Buff Knight! - Idle RPG Runner
Buff Knight is an excellent Android idle RPG with pixel graphics. This runner game lets you step into the boots of an unstoppable knight or a fiery sorceress. Your goal is to make your character stronger so that he/she hacks and slashes incoming enemies or unleashes spells on their enemies without taking much damage. Your knight or sorceress will always be on the run collecting treasure chests, artifacts and items. You must equip the best gear to them to make them more powerful. The game has two different game modes - A story mode and an endless runner mode. The game’s pretty fast-paced and you can even control the speed at which your character is running/attacking.
Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG
Dead Shell is one of the best Android pixel RPG with a dark sci-fi theme. The retro Doom look will surely make you fall in love with this game. Dead Shell’s unique one-touch controls lets you explore and attack enemies by choosing the most effective mercenaries. The game has several battle-ready characters, each equipped with laser blasters, axes and the iconic BFG as seen on Doom and Quake. Levels are procedurally-generated, so no two dungeons will be the same. The game can be pretty hard play once you reach deeper into the abyss of planet Plutonia.
Tiny Dice Dungeon
Tiny Dice Dungeon is an extremely addicting “roll playing” game that takes inspiration from tabletop role-playing system. Besides the likeable chiptune background score and excellent pixel art, Tiny Dice Dungeon has a unique battle system. You will be rolling powerful dice to battle enemies. Gamers who have played tabletop RPGs will be familiar with the dice system. The game also lets you capture monsters and tame them to fight alongside you against enemies. You will also craft new weapons and equip them to your characters to ensure your dice-rolls in favor of your heroes are more effective against enemies.