Games of the Year

RPGFan Games of the Year 2022: Best Mobile Game

GOTY 2022 Best Mobile Game Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent

Winner: Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent

Fans of the original Octopath Traveler may be champing at the bit in anticipation for its sequel, Octopath Traveler II, but Square Enix’s mobile title Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is a very worthy entry in the series to bridge the gap. Retaining all of the series’ staples, from its iconic HD-2D art style to its fantastic soundtrack and unique chapter-based storytelling, Champions of the Continent did not sacrifice anything that makes the series so memorable.

Champions of the Continent has a whole list of features that many other mobile titles shy away from. Its fully-explorable environments are host to many hidden pathways, leading to treasures and challenging foes. During combat, swapping party members and allocating what abilities to use happens on a per-turn basis, with absolutely no auto-battle function in sight. It’s very refreshing to see how much effort the development team put into crafting a quality mobile experience.

by Sam-James Gordon


Runner-Up: Echoes of Mana

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a resurgence in interest from Square Enix in bringing the Mana series to modern platforms, and this year we received Echoes of Mana. Its gameplay takes inspiration from earlier titles in the series, such as Secret of Mana, with the map navigation especially reminiscent of yesteryear. Combat isn’t quite a fully-realised action affair, instead opting for a similar take to other modern mobile action RPGs. 

Storywise, the player journeys through Echoes of other games in the series, which gives past characters a new spotlight and often puts fresh spins on past story arcs. It’s enjoyable for enduring fans of the series, yet it is held back by a reliance on the ever-present gacha system to obtain your favourite characters.

by Sam-James Gordon


Readers’ Choice: Best Mobile Game

Winner: Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent

Runner-Up: Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds

Sam-James Gordon

Sam-James Gordon

Sam-James, AKA Sam, has been a fan of RPGs since childhood. He grew up on games like Final Fantasy VIII, Legend of Dragoon, Grandia and the Breath of Fire series. The PS2 was a golden era of gaming for Sam, before many of his favourite series became dormant, and is loving the modern resurgence with games like Eiyuden Chronicle, Penny Blood, and Armed Fantasia.