40 Best iOS Games Of All Time

23. Papa Sangre II

Release date: October 31, 2013

Developer: Somethin’ Else

How can the highest reviewed iOS game on Metacritic for all of 2013 only end up in the second half of our list? It’s because Papa Sangre II is one of the most divisive titles around, with a bunch of people who loved it for its creativity and atmosphere and a smaller but still vocal contingent who found it too boring to even be properly considered a video game. Intriguing, right?

Here’s the thing: Papa Sangre II is a “video game with no video,” according to its creators, an exercise in fear driven entirely by sound. Its official App Store tells you that if you’re reading it, you’re already dead, and your next step is to try to survive the afterlife long enough to get back to the other side. “Powered by Your Fear,” indeed.

That doesn’t mean it lacks action, just that you need to rely on your own imagination to fill in the blanks. Lots of blanks, honestly. The game does boast a high profile voice acting talent in Sean Bean, and its audio, appropriately, is stellar. Critics couldn’t stop raving about it upon release, and it’s certainly different from almost anything other than its own predecessor.

If you’ve never played it, Papa Sangre II is the kind of experience worth seeking out just to see if it’s for you. Whether you’re willing to pay for the privilege … well, that’s a completely separate question.

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