Despite the present issues, Castaway Paradise in its current state is still more vacation than vexation.

It’s all solidly assembled, but it just feels a little too generic despite its wacky main character. Certainly one for the more hardcore run and gun fans out there.

Many won’t be able to adjust to the sometimes unfair difficulty spikes of course, but if you’re an FPS fan you owe it to yourself to at least give this a try.

Notably, KAMI isn't exactly mind-blowing, or even exciting. It's more of a calming, zen-like experience that never really does anything that will wow you, but is still rather pleasant.

For a team with an unspoken rule of adding a signature twist to well-trod concepts, Golfinity’s gameplay hooks seem to hew disappointingly close those of Blinkbat Games’ much-talked-about time killer.

Faily Rider is a big slobbering chunk of dumb mobile fun. It careens around for a while, crashes into a few things, and then you wander away slightly dizzy but not really any the worse for wear.

The big takeaway here is that Gang Nations resembles other games in its genre, but it does stretch out in some different directions, and that alone might be enough reason to give it a try – especially if you’re looking for one more base builder to add into your mobile rotation.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for something to play with your kids, that’s educational as well as entertaining, then Infinite Arcade is definitely worth a shout.

Once you’ve built up a super team and seen all of the amusing animations over and over, will Boom Boom Football still offer enough to hold your interest? That’s a question that can only be answered in the long term, but there’s no doubt that it’s a refreshing change from the norm.

Mini Motorways is a well put together puzzler, and reasonably well priced – but we’d recommend playing it on another platform if you have the option.

For some Frog Detective won’t offer enough actual detective work, but it’s still a gently amusing ride that will certainly appeal to younger gamers.

As far as a Wheel of Fortune clone goes, however, there’s little wrong with how What’s The Phrase actually plays. The question is whether you’ll want to, or if you’ll just opt for the real deal by Sony, which is also on the App Store.

In any case, The Collectables is easy to grasp, fast-paced and gorgeous, kind of like that bad boy/girl you had a crush on back in the day.

It’s not an essential purchase, but for those who like their shooters on the challenging side Gravitar: Recharged is worth checking out.

1001 Attempts a steal at its launch price, and is an easy game to jump right into.

Dadish is a real charmer. It boasts pixel art visuals that are crisp and colourful, lovable characters, and more than a few lines of killer dialogue.

Ultimately, If there's one thing working against Chimpact, it's just how simple it is. The game gets repetitive after a while, and even with different game modes, it never feels different enough to keep me coming back in my moments of mobile addiction.

Outside of its quirky storyline and off-base puzzles, The Mystery of Marie Roget pretty much keeps things middle of the road. Many of the mini-games are super fast and easy to solve, barely even qualifying as “mini” by some standards. You do have some fun diversions to keep you entertained, however, such as the mirror that provides clues and the morphing item collection screen that takes the form of an aquarium. If you don’t mind a little rough voice acting and the occasional frustrating puzzle solution, Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s The Mystery of Marie Roget will give you a fantastic ride from beginning to end.

Another solid, yet standard, game from TeamLava. It has all the fixings of its predecessors and as such is likely a game that will do very well. If nothing else, it offers the same type of play that its fans have come to know and love and does so in a new visual style. In fact, Pet Shop Story tends to look a lot better than the past games in terms of overall art quality and animation (even if many of the avatar assets are reused constantly). All that said, if you are a fan of the TeamLava Story games, then this is an app you'll probably enjoy as well.

Flipon is a fast paced puzzler that’s fun enough while you’re playing it, but struggles to make a lasting impression.

For those of us who are old enough to remember the days of quarter-munching arcade classics, X-Men does a great job of scratching our itch for nostalgia.

It isn't forgiving, and it forces you to get better, or simply accept your inferiority as a consumer of dirt. The challenge curve will be the direct determinant of whether or not you like the game: either you'll fight through and emerge victorious, or fail often and feel insulted.

At its core, there is not a whole lot on offer gameplay wise. You're essentially playing slots over top of some basic RPG elements. That being said, there are much worst things to spend your money on. If you're looking for a unique way to waste a couple minutes at a time, King Cashing will do just fine.

While Table Top Racing may have a few kinks to work out in the control department before your Micro Machines are running smooth, there’s no denying the imaginative breadth of this game’s inviting household environments, and the incredibly big races that are crammed into such a small package.

Kaze and the Wild Masks is a bit of a hard sell. On one hand it does everything it wants to exceptionally, but what it wants to do has already been done. And, arguably, much better.

Metal Slug 2 is a fun experience, enhanced further by bluetooth co-op multiplayer and a Mission Mode, which allows you to practice stages which are giving you a difficult time on their own. The only real downside to this version is having to overcome the various hurdles the controls sometimes present, but that's still a pretty considerable hurdle.

Dead Age isn’t for everyone. But rather than that being a flaw, it shows that the developers understand their place within the game landscape. There’s a need for the big games with universal appeal that everyone can talk about around the water cooler or with their friends on Facebook. There’s also a need for niche games that appeal to smaller but more dedicated audiences. If you fall into its niche, there’s a good chance this game will be a captivating experience.

The controls are well judged but not as fluid as in something like Ridge Racer (at its best), and the tracks are solid if never truly exciting. There is a dizzying amount of content here though, so if you’re a fan of the original then this sequel is a must buy.

ForestVille looks great and plays well enough, but it's not the "Ville" game many of us were hoping for.

Ultimately there’s no escaping the fact that Haven Park simply isn’t as fun or polished as its obvious inspirations. Despite this it never feels like a cash grab or a soulless clone, and is still well worth investigating if you’re after a new relaxed indie experience.

What NFL Kicker 13 is screaming out for is a little more. The gameplay is fun for a while, but the lack of additional game modes seem like they will hurt long term replay value.

What Army Antz would really benefit from is online multiplayer and a quick and scrappy skirmish mode away from the campaign. Without either, it doesn’t entirely hit the spot.

I've been incredibly impressed with Gameloft's recent free releases. World at Arms is no exception. It takes the concepts found in more typical base builders, speeds things up a bit, and tosses in a wealth of interactive elements to make something that feels more like a game and less like ticking a few boxes and waiting.

Despite its disjointed story and unnervingly weird weirdness, Shattered Image is a relaxing reprieve from your typical mind-crunching HOA gameplay. You’ll find yourself zipping through the game as obstacles magically fall away with the slightest effort. Just don’t expect the how and why to make much sense. Everyone’s a little mad here. And definitely a little weird.

If you had a fondness for games like Ruby Skies and Adventure World, Disco Zoo does a fine job of scratching that itch. If you believe that overly simple games are an offense to gamers everywhere, this probably isn’t the NimbleBit game for you.

It's not a bad concept, and it's executed fairly well. However, somewhere along the way, it just somehow manages to feel bland in comparison to the original concept. In short, it feels like just another endless runner.

As the first social game to come out of EA's 8lb Gorilla micro-studio, Ghost Harvest is at least off to a good start. It has its own unique style, and the setting isn't one that has been done to death.

Overall, even leaving the performance issues aside, it’s unlikely that Mini Guns will be the best mobile game you’ll ever play. It’s fun, but once you’ve collected all the minis on offer, the game loses its major hook. Still, for the first several hours or days you might just discover that you’re more of a fan of strategy games than you were before.

By limiting the actual amount of time you can play without spending money, Let's Golf! 3 goes from a fantastic golf game to an exercise in frustration.

It could do with more graphical panache and less interruptions, but Moveless Chess is still a cool and interesting take on something that’s been around for a very, very long time.

We don’t wish to spoil the plot too much, but suffice to say Werewolf feels like it could have done with a little more time polishing how it wraps things up. Despite this Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest does far more right than wrong, and a disappointing ending doesn’t ruin the good work of the rest of the game. Those looking for a new visual novel should definitely give this pleasantly dark entry in the genre a try.

If you’re in the market for a game to give to your kids who are just getting into gaming, or if you enjoy very basic platforming games, Momoka is a fine choice. But veteran gamers that are looking for something that will put their skills to the test will want to keep on looking.

The folks looking for gorgeous, evocative graphics or wild diversity between levels will not find what they are looking for here. However, the minimalist spirit of previous Gamebrain offerings does come through in a new type of experience that fans of the developer will likely enjoy. With clever mechanics and a relaxing pace, purists will enjoy the satisfaction of advancing through these 60 levels of increasingly more difficult gravity-based puzzles.

It all results in a game that is enjoyable enough while you’re playing it, but it doesn’t leave a massive or lasting impression.

In the end, if you're into more classic-styled board games with a mind-bending twist, then GridBlock may be right up your alley. However, the free download only allows you access to the first two sections, with the rest of the 80 levels available at a $2.99 purchase.

Yes, this is not a game for everybody. But if you’re looking for a flight sim on the Switch then you can’t do much better than this.

If you’re already a fan of shooting / hunting games, there’s enough here to compel you to look down a scope and into the heart of a fourteen-point tofu buck.

It's a simple diversion, but like most PopCap offerings, it's one that can be hard to put down. There's nothing really spell-binding or new here (after all, we're talking about a port of a 8 year old Flash game), but Candy Train proves to be a pretty great little distraction for those with quick fingers and a few minutes to kill.

J.A.M. would have done better to double the level count, or tweak the upgrades so that it had more of the few purchasable items that felt exciting and optional. I'm far more inclined to throw my money at a game that feels like it respects my time, not one that feels like it's asking me to buy survival.

It starts off superbly, with the promise of a dark, mature fantasy tale wrapped up in an utterly stunning multimedia package, but once you get into the meat of the story it becomes little more than a succession of dull, often-annoying combat sequences.

In its current state, simian.interface is clever and well worth experiencing, but far too brief for its own good.

A great concept partially foiled by really shoddy implementation.

It’s an impressive title in many ways, but certainly doesn’t feel entirely comfortable on the Switch – it’s certainly a game for fans of the genre and nobody else.

If you like rhythm games, Demons' Score is a must buy because, well… iNiS. Fans of iNiS have been clamouring for this moment ever since the App Store first opened its doors.

Jewel Mania's problem, then, is that it never dares to be different.

It doesn't have the deepest city building mechanic, and the simplified combat leaves something to be desired, but when put together the two halves make for a largely enjoyable experience.

Despite some minor issues we can safely recommend Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island though, especially to those who enjoy farming simulations.

If you can shrug off those ads, which would take shoulders of steel, Flick Kick Football Legends has a lot to offer. But I’m probably not alone in thinking I would have gladly paid a few bucks to play this game and saved myself some misery in the process.

Touchgrind Skate 2 is going to be a seriously awesome, in-depth skater for some players, and a troublesome, niggly experience for others. What's for certain is that the App Store very much needs these kinds of unique and innovative offerings in spades, and we're excited to see what comes out of Illusion Labs next.

When you’re restricted by a game that’s all too keen to make you suffer for not throwing money at it though? That’s when Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is all looks, lacking in real substance and classiness. It’s frustrating when it’s so close to being a great game.

Overall, Tap Zoo 2: World Tour is really more an official upgrade to Tap Zoo rather than a true sequel. Other than a few new features, the core play isn't different at all and the visuals, though higher quality, are still relatively similar. That said, the design is still solid, but the game loses points with its collection of bugs.

Touchscreen issues and a lack of controller support aside, Modern Combat 5 delivers on what it set out to do.

Something that should be checked out simply because of what a technical accomplishment it is. On top of that, the game is utterly ridiculous; its tone is so over the top that it's delightful. Gameplay-wise, though, it's not quite polished enough to be truly enjoyable.

The Dark Knight Rises, like The Amazing Spider-Man, is a game that I desperately want to love, but I'd be fooling myself if I didn't say it could be a good deal better. Add in additional hand-to-hand combat options, debug the crashes, and diversify the missions and you'd have a perfect game.

If you're tired of the overused tropes of fantasy-styled games, Arcane Empires mixture of magic and steampunk gadgetry should come as a welcome change of scenery.

So if a game has some clever ideas, looks pretty and sounds fantastic, but is kind of a monotonous grind under all of that... well, that's where you end up with Guardian Cross, I guess.

Deity Wars is the CCG equivalent of counterfeit Manolos; sure, it's almost as good as the real thing, but if you can get the real thing for the same price, why would you bother?

Why does a game that promises and sets up for an adventure feel so small...like it never left the comfortable shores of the status quo?

Speed Limit is somehow more than the sum of its parts, and has an undeniably endearing and addictive quality that makes it – for most of the time – pretty irresistible.

Fading Fairytales is cute, and it offers a compelling story. If you don’t mind an otherwise typical turn-based strategy game that takes its time, you could do worse than visit this storybook world.

Ultimately Dadish 2 still offers up enough tight platforming thrills to make it well worth a look for 2D platformer enthusiasts, regardless of the system you play it on. The endearing presentation is just the cherry (radish?) on the cake.

It all works fairly well, though with those difficulty spikes I mentioned sometimes winning can feel more like a matter of luck instead of actual skill.

That’s a shame, especially when The Incorruptibles - Knights of the Realm is so nearly the Age of Empires game we’ve all been waiting for. As it stands it’s a reasonable substitute, but it remains merely a substitute that you dip into for a spare ten minute session rather than something that will grab you for a significant length of time.

For the price, you'll be getting a very competent city-building simulator. There are hours of gameplay and a number of different maps to choose from for building multiple cities, so the value is unquestionable.

Nemo's Reef is still a worthwhile download for fans of the movie, or for anyone who's enthusiastic about underwater life. Just don't expect anything as thrilling as weaving in and out of the jaws of a Great White.

It's an innovative title with cute, expressive mascots and it really tries its best to please its audience, but any game that requires you to perform for stars requires controls that go beyond "just okay."

If nothing else, Arena of Heroes is an interesting experiment that succeeds in changing something that seemed intrinsic about a specific type of game and showing how it could be done differently.

Drip Drip, if nothing else, is a unique RTS that deserves credit for trying something new.

SUP Multiplayer Racing isn’t going to be the most amazing racing game you’ll ever play. What it can offer, however, is a decent amount of fun with pretty cool customization. It’s free-to-play (with all that implies), so there isn’t anything to lose by giving it a go, even if it’s just a quick run down the track. Plus, with two button controls, it’s the kind of game the whole family can enjoy, from grandad to your favourite kindergartener.

Casual fans of HOGs are better off spending time with an adventure that moves a bit more quickly.

All of this is packaged in the typical Hothead Games visual style. Of course, a lot of the other stuff is common to the other games as well, but Big Win Racing is presumably catering to players who prefer stock cars to footballs, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Fat Princess: Piece of Cake is not a bad example of a match-3 RPG, it’s just a rote experience once you get past the fact that you get a free game for playing it long enough.

It’s just not a title that stands with the best JRPGs on mobile. But this is a single entry in a planned series, and sequels often bring big improvements.

The presentation is still top notch, the quotes are still witty, and the overall experience is still fun. There's nothing revolutionary here, and if you've already grown tired of the formula there's nothing in Doodle Farm that's going to change your mind – but the rest of us will be happy we picked up our pitchfork and overalls to spend a day down on the farm.

Yankai’s Triangle was a pleasant surprise — both because I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, and because I didn’t know what to expect in the first place. It’s a deceptively tricky puzzle game that just might pull you in if you give it a chance.

Food Fight isn't a very deep game. It's really just War with a little something extra sprinkled on top. Not nearly as deep as Ascension is, but it's sort of unfair to compare them directly. Playdek has done a fantastic job bringing the game to the mobile devices. And while it won't be my go-to game anytime soon, this is definitely the sort of title I'll revisit every once in a while to grab a game or two.

As frustrating as The Contender can be, there’s still enjoyment to be had. The frustration isn’t an angry frustration; it’s more a disappointed frustration because it’s so close to awesomeness, yet so far. To use another sports and games analogy, if The Contender were a dart, Frosty Pop has hit the green of the bullseye. That’s good. It’s a point. But if it tucked its elbow in a little on the throw it’d be in the red — and that’s what every developer is aiming for.

Micro Machines isn’t the Micro Machines I remember from my youth, but then it was never going to be. What it is is an interesting little diversion with some solid ideas that, while it won’t take over the world, is a lot of fun while its got its claws in you.

It’s a shame that Pirate Power doesn’t have better pacing. The characters are funny and well designed and written, the upgrade and ship building is attractive, and the good overall aesthetic kept me grinding even when it became a chore.

Paradise Bay isn’t extremely special excepting its rarity in this new age of mobile gaming, but even if it isn’t paradise, it’s a pleasant island to pass the time on.

Ember’s world world is incredibly robust, and I’m fairly sure most genre fans will enjoy wandering through it. However, anyone playing on a normal-sized mobile phone is in for a pretty big headache (both metaphorically and physically). If they were to update the game to make the text more legible on phones, there’d be nothing holding us back from giving Ember a hearty recommendation.

The truly rewarding moments in The Trace are exploring its gorgeous, accessible world and feeling like you are a physical part of it.

After a time, Oz: Broken Kingdom gets a little samey, and there are issues with running out of energy (a common problem for free-to-play games), but it’s a pretty fun ride regardless. Oz: Broken Kingdom doesn’t revolutionize the genre in any way, but it’s the kind of game that you’ll enjoy playing when you get the chance. Progress is reasonably simple to achieve thanks to its short and fast paced battles. And if we ever managed to liberate the land of Oz in the end, we think we’ll feel pretty pleased about that too.

Contra Returns builds something reasonably strong on its nostalgic foundations, and while it isn’t a patch on the original, who really expected it to be? This is a fist-clenched blaster that’s packed with enough entertainment to keep you pushing through.

While Laser Quest might not have the heft of some games, it’s still an entertaining experience. It’s simple enough that you can get to grips with it in no time whatsoever, and the levels are short enough that you can crack through a couple of them in a few minutes. This isn’t a game that’s going to get under your skin, but it’s a decent way to pass some time and stretch your brain. Don’t expect too much from it and you’ll find a solid experience that you’re going to enjoy.

In the end though, Titan Quest’s issues are more of an annoyance than anything that will ruin the fun. And it is a fun game that manages to capture much of what made dungeon crawlers so popular.

Able Black still tells a good story, albeit a short one. If you’re into tales about robots with identity issues (and who happen to like Nintendo), Able Black is worth rifling through.

The gameplay is just challenging enough to be satisfying, and is definitely recommendable to previous fans of the franchise.