My list of games is basically the same. I think they are legitimately rare, and we believe at the time that they are not. It's like YouTube. You find one 3blue1brown or Adam Neely and you think there are a hundred more. There aren't.
These weren't hidden gems either, these were front and center promoted links in the App Store. I'm sure it's possible to find experiences like these in modern games, but I've given up hope long ago. I don't have time to sift through the trash.
I don't think there's a mobile game out there that has given me more entertainment.
Just over 200k is my high-score and I've yet to witness the 6144 card. Still out here trying though!
But as you say, still out there trying.
Of course, the shitty free clone 2048 took the concept, made it worse, and somehow (because it was free) captured the majority of the market.
I still play Threes! regularly as well.
Unfortunately that isn't just true for games but also for apps. I wish Apple had focused more on building a healthier App Store ecosystem.
Soon we'll be able to install whichever apps we like in the EU thanks to the DMA. I think there is a hunger for alternative app stores.
But then predatory freemium games like Clash of Clans and newer replacements for Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies burned me out. They eliminated any desire I had to invest time or money or attention into mobile games. Popular freemium games in the App Store now bury any new gems. It's quite disappointing.
A better GPU isn't going to help the situation.