Cryptract isn’t particularly original, but it’s a well-constructed SRPG with a fair gacha system and tons of content. But it’s the game’s strong sense of narrative momentum that distinguishes it from its genre stablemates.

We literally haven’t got a bad word to say about Bad North. It’s a delightfully well-paced strategy roguelike that’s as fresh on your first run as it is on your 10th, with new features, enemies, skills, and troops drip-fed to you as you play. You’ll constantly be developing new strategies and trying to make the most of your limited number of troops. We have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending it to everyone. That premium price point won’t look so high when you’re on your 10th run.

I can see Yokai Dungeon being a superb game after an update or two, but unfortunately, that’s not how reviews work. As of right now, the game needs to change its controls, perhaps to a one-touch method mentioned earlier. Also, the game needs to reduce how many adverts it shows and make sure gameplay stops if it runs an advert mid-way through a go (which no game should do).

Dead Z Meat is a very focused experience – with the single player campaign being the only mode on offer – but the issue is that it doesn’t focus on very much. If you’re looking for a solidly assembled lightgun style title on Switch you can do a lot worse than this, just don’t expect to be amazed.

An interactive romantic comedy film isn’t a bad idea. Just not a particularly exciting one. Which perfectly sums up Half Past Fate.

So if you’re looking for something a little different in the FPS genre on the Switch – and don’t want to delve into the past – then Project Warlock might be worth considering. Yet the ports of the first two Doom titles ultimately represent far better value, and offer a much more rewarding and balanced experience.

It has a thumping and varied soundtrack, an eye-catching visual style, and a impressive range of play modes.

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.

Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a superb example of a simple idea executed to absolute perfection.

Manifold Garden is a striking and hugely impressive puzzler – but it’s certainly not for everyone. But perhaps that’s part of the appeal. Scratch that – it definitely is.

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.

A deep and rewarding rhythm action title that is surprisingly accessible.

Ultimately moon too often hides its often blinding originality behind unclear design and an unnecessarily slow pace. For those with patience this is a game worth investigating – but for most this is a cult classic probably best avoided.

Sadly it never manages to be a completely satisfying experience, but you certainly can’t fault its ambition.

For anyone who still holds fond memories of the early days of 3D platformers this is an almost essential purchase.

Umihara Kawase BaZooKa is a hard title to pin down. Okay, perhaps that’s too much of a cliche – as ultimately it’s an arcade game with some nonsensical flourishes.

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

There’s no getting away from the fact that Hide & Dance!, is a simple game deep down, but what it does it does well. For the price this is certainly well worth investigating for casual and hardcore rhythm action game fans.

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.

Pixel Pro Golf is a wonderfully shrunk down mobile golf game. It’s got a few problems, but for the most part you’re going to play with a smile on your face. And the progression is smart enough that pushing on through one last course is going to become a habit.

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.

Dashero: Sword and Magic plays by the usual rules, stomping along the same path that plenty of other games have strode down before. It’s fun in small doses, but it doesn’t have the staying power to stick along if you’re looking for something to fill up longer play sessions.

Tofu Drifter is certainly an interesting one. It could be brilliant, but it doesn’t quite manage to keep you entertained. If it was just a drift game that let you take to the track whenever you wanted then it’d be getting a better score, that’s for sure. As it stands, the weirdness that permeates the core idea turns out to be more annoying than endearing. Sure, people need their tofu, we’ve got nothing against that, but as mash-ups go this one misses the mark.

Golf Skies is an entertaining, short blast of golfing silliness. It’s tricky enough to keep you engaged, but doesn’t quite have the score-bettering compulsion of some of its contemporaries. Still, it’s a great way to fill a spare ten minutes.

Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells is a slick, accomplished, perfectly acceptable slice of meaningless entertainment. It ticks all of the right boxes, and you’re going to enjoy the time you spend with it. There’s really nothing more to be said.

It’s a solid, addictive, and well-made idle-RPG. The pace sometimes feels uneven, with periods of frantic activity punctuated by spells when you’re waiting for something to tap on, but the overall journey is addictive, compelling and fun. Just be ready to exercise some patience, and accept that you’ll be in it for the long haul if you want to unlock every chapter.

The matching itself is a fun enough diversion, and the Tintin trappings are definitely going to appeal to fans of the quiffed journalist. But the entertainment value slowly but surely leaks out of the game as you fail, fail and fail again.

Zombie Tactics doesn’t have the depth of some games, nor the throwaway lightness of others. It sits somewhere in the middle, drawing you in with its familiar ideas. It’s not quite an RTS, not quite a single player MOBA and not quite a tower defense game. It’s something in between and you’re going to have fun exploring the options that it offers you.

Otherworld Legends won’t change the way you look at ARPGs, but it’ll entertain you for long enough that you won’t begrudge it its foibles too much. There are better action slashers out there, but this one fits really pretty well into pocket-sized gaming sessions.

Numsol is one of those perfect mobile puzzlers that scratches your head-scratching itches in all of the right ways. It’s not going to change the way you think about the world or anything like that, but it’ll keep you pleasantly entertained for a good long while.

Motorball is a smash and grab arcade blast of fun. It sets out its stall from the first match and doesn’t let up. Whether you’ve only got a couple of minutes to spare or a few hours to waste, Motorball is going to deliver.

Everything is well presented, and there aren’t any real problems with the game that are going to frustrate you. But the fact of the matter is you’re going to have seen everything that Aggretsuko: The Short Timer Strikes Back has done before, and that isn’t really enough to recommend it.

Gacha games can be overwhelming for beginners, but there’s no such danger here. If you’re looking for a warm and sunny RPG to fill the remaining summer months, Epic Odyssey is worth a download.

Unlike a lot of other games it seems genuinely interested in making you not just a better sudoku player, but a happier one as well. Throw in some lovely simple presentation, well-written tutorials that walk you through everything and a clever number pad that lets you input your integers, and you’re left with another soothing and absorbing Zach Gage hit.

Tales of Crestoria, for most of us, is big and confusing and probably not worth the effort. Tales of… fans will definitely get more out of it, but even then they’re going to spend a lot of time confused, befuddled, and letting the game take care of itself.

There’s nothing wrong with Donuts Delivery, but it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart or keep your attention. You’ll enjoy it for a few minutes, but the first time you put it down it’s unlikely you’re ever going to pick it up again.

Elemental Dungeon is fun in all the right ways. It’s unlikely it’s going to win any game of the year awards, but it’s a brilliant way to waste a few minutes. This is the perfect shaped commute roguelite, and it’s going to keep your fingers and your brain busy without getting you too furious or frustrated.

Peak’s Edge is a smart and engaging experience that’s easy to pick up and pretty damn hard to put down. There’s thinking to do, and loads of stuff to unlock as well. If you’re looking for a roguelite with a hefty chunk of bite, then it’s definitely worth picking up.

If you’re looking for a dyed-in-the-wool racing experience, you’re not going to get one here. But Forza Street offers up some sharp and entertaining slices of mobile action all the same.

If nothing else, Heart of Surging Flame with the brand new collaborated song ‘After It All’ composed by famous Dutch DJ duo Yellow Claw is an excellent reason to download the game right now. If you enjoy strategy RPG games, Arknights is unlikely to disappoint.

Evertile: Battle Arena is a great addition to any smartphone. Once you’ve picked up the basics there’s loads of room for experimentation. And not only is the community thriving – there’s always a game waiting for you – it seems really welcoming too.

2 Grind 2 Furious is one of those games that you can’t help but play. And you can’t help but play it with a smile on your face. The destruction is just the right side of crazy, and there’s enough interaction that you feel like you’re responsible for it. Looking to let off some steam? Then 2 Grind 2 Furious is the game for you.

Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall is an entertaining distraction. It’s better than the last series of the show, in that it won’t leave you confused or furious, but it’s still not the mobile Game of Thrones experience a lot of us are waiting for.

Overall, we’re not sure exactly what more we can say about Crossy Road Castles. It’s one of, if not the, best Apple Arcade games yet, with a wide variety of inventive levels, beautiful visuals, and loads of unlockables. The real star of the show is the intense multiplayer, which is as addictive and chaotic as anything Nintendo has come up with.

At worst, it’s a little bit fiddly during the busier scenes, though Feral does allow you to pause the action and distribute orders in bulk to minimise the frustration. Everything else gets our praise: the presentation is lovely, it runs without a hitch, and if we’re being perfectly honest we’re just happy to see a strategy game of this ilk on iPad, which too often goes criminally overlooked in the world of mobile gaming.

Your time spent with Dragon Quest of the Stars will be positive or negative depending on how you feel about gacha games in general. This does nothing to break the mould, and that might be absolutely fine for you. It is Dragon Quest too, so if you’re a fan of the franchise you might get a kick out of this simply for that. As we mentioned earlier, it’s not a bad game, it’s just a pretty standard example of a gacha.

Each individual piece of this skiing adventure is brilliant, but it’s the combination of everything that makes it a must play. We can’t give Grand Mountain Adventure anything but a perfect score because everything it does it does well, and there’s a ton of content on offer for those that pay the inexpensive IAP to unlock it all. The developers have only got themselves to beat if they choose to work on a sequel.

The fast-paced nature and communal moments between rounds just thrilled us in a way that the usually sedate Auto Chess gameplay doesn’t. We’d encourage everyone to give this a go – even if you really don’t like the genre. This is a fantastic jumping off point, at the very least, so you might just end up enjoying it anyway. We sure as heck did.

It runs smoothly, has great touchscreen controls, and weapons feel suitably different from each other. We just honestly don’t see why you would bother to play this over the far superior Call of Duty Mobile.

Old School RuneScape is under no threat whatsoever from losing its crown as best mobile MMORPG, and those that actually don’t mind autoplay experiences are far better off playing Lineage 2: Revolution, which is simply a better version of this garbage in every single way.

If you originally played Heroes of Might & Magic III back in the day we even more strongly urge you to ignore this. It bares very little resemblance to the original and feels quite insulting to fans. Skip this one and hope that a proper new mainline entry arrives on PC at some point, as Ubisoft has much better form on that platform.

Battle Breakers might appeal to any of the few remaining mobile gamers that aren’t absolutely exhausted with this rubbish at this point, but everyone else will simply look away in disgust. Just don’t waste your time on this utter rubbish.

Overall, those who love GWENT already should absolutely grab it on mobile – particularly if you’re a PC player, as you can just pick up where you left off and play the same account on the go. Newcomers should also check it out, as mobile is the best platform for it – particularly if you have an iPad and can take advantage of the larger screen.

Arena Allstars isn’t the most elaborate production you’ll find on mobile, and it feels a bit underdeveloped in places, but if you’ve yet to sample the joys of auto chess on mobile, this is a good place to start.

If you’re the sort of person that absolutely adores MMORPGs and are constantly on the lookout for something that scratches that old classic PC itch, Ragnarok M has something to offer – particularly if you played it back in the day. We’d question its longevity though, in a market that’s poised to get RuneScape and Warhammer: Odyssey in a matter of months. Even now, we’d still argue that you’re better off playing Old School RuneScape or Villagers and Heroes. Both offer a far better version of the classic MMORPG than this does, with a more engaging world and quests to complete.

Overall, it’s a huge thumbs up from us for Call of Duty Mobile. This release very much blurs the lines between console and mobile, feeling every bit the huge profile console release on our phones. The fact you get so much for free is astonishing, and Tencent and Activision wisely stayed clear of pay to win – even if the freemium monetisation will remain off-putting to some.

Mario Kart Tour isn’t perfect, but it is Nintendo’s best offering on mobile yet, and one that manages to completely avoid pay to win in the freemium space. That’s pretty commendable stuff.

My overall impression of Assemble with Care was that Apple has launched a service that is well worth every penny. I never had a problem shelling out money for good looking premium titles. But being able to pay for a bunch of games and playing the ones I like the look of was a brilliant idea.

Overall, Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE is well worth checking out for series fans, and it offers enough for fans of gacha games to check it out. You might even enjoy it if you’ve never played or dislike gacha games, as the combat system is very fun indeed.

Perfect World Mobile is very much a small step in the right direction, but it’s not quite enough to allow it to stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a shot of nostalgia or an extremely polished mobile MMORPG, this will suffice. If you’re looking for innovation, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Overall, we’re pretty impressed by Men in Black: Global Invasion. It uses the licence well, improves on a number of different areas from Pokémon GO, and the gacha RPG aspects feel like the missing piece of the puzzle. Our only criticisms at this point are that it’s a bit barebones and could really use a few more game modes to feel more fully fleshed out. We’re also mildly concerned at the potential level of pay to win required for the later, more challenging campaign battles. But, if you like Pokémon GO and gacha RPGs, this is an awesome blend of the two. We’d thoroughly recommend at least checking it out.

So should you buy Dead Cells on mobile? That ultimately depends on whether or not you have a controller. If you do, it’s a no brainer. This remains an absolutely fantastic metroidvania experience and having the ability to take it anywhere with you is a joy.

If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll get a kick out of seeing your favourite Pokémon and trainers in such stunning detail. The writing is also a joy, providing a genuinely engaging story that we didn’t feel the need to skip. Core Pokémon RPG fans will find the battle system too easy, with little challenge. Heck, even gacha RPG fans might find the poor AI baffling, as their Pokémon don’t use the elemental strengths to their advantage often.

Overall, we just can’t recommend Farm Punks though. On paper it makes little sense and in practice even less. Every aspect of it is unsatisfying, from the lifeless controls to the pointless upgrades. Save your time and play literally anything else instead.

Gears POP! is a mixed bag. We appreciate the attempt to change up the Clash Royale formula, but we won’t personally make the transition. Gears POP! is a busier, less balanced, and uglier game with an unsatisfying cover system that doesn’t do enough to change up the formula.

You can get by just fine in Gigantic X without spending a penny – provided you’re willing to put in the grind. We’re just surprised to see such insanely high prices as these, and can only assume that the developers are targeting whales exclusively. Overall, it doesn’t do much to harm Gigantic X, as the game surrounding it is absolutely solid and well worth checking out for the sort of player that likes to grind out loot.

If you can play Hyper Light Drifter on another platform, then that might be the best way to experience it. If not, the mobile version is a solid alternative of an excellent game. It’s a must play either way.

Not only is it dull, repetitive, and mind-numbingly easy but it’s clearly not even finished. Everything about it just screams “placeholder”. The low-res forest background, the not at all cute Pokémon design, and the awful PS1 era 3D visuals. It looks like a developer made a proof of concept for a Pokémon game.

Ultimately, it’s a game best experienced for yourself, and we recommend it to literally every single person who owns an iOS device. Sky is a breathtaking, heartwarming, and incredibly rewarding experience.

Ultimately, Mighty Quest For Epic Loot’s longevity for you depends on how much time or cash you’re willing to drop into it, and how seriously you take PvP. If you just want a game that will provide you with a steady stream of loot per day for minimal effort, this is solid.

Our biggest disappointment is down to the gameplay itself, which is so bog standard and dull that we already feel like we’ve seen enough on day one. That’s the most damning indictment of all.

Overall, we’re pretty impressed so far with Teppen. It’s going to take some getting used to as it does offer a style of gameplay we’re not familiar with, but it feels fresh and exciting in a way that card battlers have struggled to ever since Hearthstone made it big. We’re also huge fans of the presentation, which is pretty stellar, and the inclusion of genuine Capcom properties is very welcome indeed. A good start for this new card battler.

If you’re on the lookout for a new strategy MMO – and, in particular, if you’re new to the genre and find the games you’ve tried confusing or overwhelming – First Hero is worth a try for the combat alone.

Overall, we can’t recommend Total Party Kill enough. It’s one of those perfect mobile games that can keep you busy for a few minutes or hours, depending on how much time you have on your hands. You might not be able to make it to the end, but you sure as heck will try.

If you’re looking for something that you genuinely need to play and master to beat your opponents, just skip this one. It’s an exercise in spending money – not strategic prowess. We can’t really recommend it to anyone but the rich, who’ve got the cash to fork out on being the best.

It’s also a great choice for those that are new to management simulators and are a bit intimidated with the depth usually on offer. If that’s you, LEGO Tower will ease you in gently and within an hour you should feel confident enough to move onto something more challenging. Because ultimately, anyone looking for a game with a bit of meat on its bones will likely find LEGO Tower a bit unsatisfying. That’s the price the developers had to pay to build a game for a younger audience though, so we’re loathe to criticise NimbleBit too much for that. Solid stuff.

Overall, BTS World isn’t my cup of tea at all, so its to the game’s huge credit that I ended up really enjoying my time with it in spite of that. The plot is excellently placed, the collections addictive, and the interactions with the characters is genuinely charming.

The 3D is consistently ugly and the character animation is shoddy and occasionally non-existent. It just all makes the game a deeply unpleasant title that you don’t ever feel any desire to invest your time in.

We’re still very early days in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the little of it we’ve seen so far. It’s captured our imaginations in a similar manner to the books and movies, and makes good use of the Pokémon GO mechanics for the most part.

Overall, we find it pretty easy to recommend Fury Survivor: Pixel Z. It’s an awful lot of fun, with crunchy combat, lots of stuff to collect, and some great visuals and special effects. The freemium mechanics weren’t very intrusive during our run either, so that’s another win for this awesome new beat ’em up.

While MU Origin 2 doesn’t bring anything substantially new to the franchise, and hardened RPG players are liable to baulk at the degree to which you can play the game on autopilot, it’s a slick, streamlined, good-looking, and comprehensive addition to the mobile RPG genre. Grab it now for free on Google Play or the App Store.

Overall, we’re really quite taken with Warriors of Waterdeep. It’s not going to compete with the best of the SRPGs out there but if you were looking for a mobile RPG that offers very snappy gameplay without the usual autoplay, gacha, or IAPs that infest these types of games you really can’t go wrong.

On the surface, Godzilla Defense Force looks like a generic copy of an overpopulated genre of game, but it delivers more than expected. I have played a lot of city builders/ base managers and none of them has had me focused on my screen for this long.

It’s nothing new or special, but it’s comfort food in mobile game form. There are few ads and the difficulty curve isn’t too harsh (although it’s still not the best) – if you’ve not tried a time management title before there are far worse places to start.

Ultimately Dumb Ways To Draw is well presented but has very little to offer to anyone other than the least demanding of gamers.

Overall, Golf Blitz is a failure of design. In trying to make golf a faster-paced, frantic multiplayer game, Noodlecake has lost sight of what golf is really about.

Overall, we’re quite enjoying Tale of Wind so far. It’s not the most innovative MMORPG on the market but it does enough to distinguish itself from the wealth of autoplay MMOs out there. Its strength is in its focus on group content, and there’s a serious wealth of this. There’s no real padding or filler in the experience, like in its competitors, as it just chucks you right into the team play right away.

I like this game, I think it’s a fresh twist on a stale franchise which is nearing the end of its lifetime. With that being said, I feel like there is a future for this game as a party trick. Something cool to show your cousins for five minutes before it bores you and play something else.

Creative Destruction is a free-to-play game, so a lot of its peripheral gameplay is centred around its in-game economy, where you get to gear-up for maximum bragging rights on the battlefield. It works in Fortnite, and it works here too. If you’re looking for an alternative to Epic’s blockbuster, you won’t find much better than this.

Overall, we enjoyed our time with LifeAfter. It’s a fun post apocalyptic adventure that streamlines the likes of Ark and Minecraft for mobile. It just needs a little more time in the oven to become a must play.

Between these two interlocking gameplay hemispheres, Star Trek: Fleet Command has a huge amount to offer. Fans of the series should enjoy the game’s sense of exploration and its idiosyncratic cast of characters, while fans of strategy-MMORPGs in general should appreciate this novel take on the genre. If you choose to boldly go, you won’t be disappointed.

Ultimately, there’s a lot in Hello Hero: Epic Battle that you’re likely to have seen before, and if you’re burned out on mobile RPGs you may fail to be won round by its charms. But if you’re only looking for a change from genre cliches like dragons and magic, you’ll appreciate the effort that Fincon has gone to to create a fresh, imaginative, and polished world.

It’s not quite the same as being on the open road, but if you’re in the market for a spot of gentle drama and some pleasingly sensible driving, Truck Simulation 19 is worth taking for a spin.

You get to meet all these quirky characters, you finally have levels where there is more to do then swallow everything, but then the game just ends. I like everything about this game, it’s just too short to recommend.

Aqua Moto Racing 2 is an arcade racer through and through, with a soundtrack that could have come from OutRun. It doesn’t have a lot of variety, and the lack of multiplayer may be a sore point for some, but what it does do is frantic drifty racing in glamourous locations. If that sounds like your sort of thing, you won’t be disappointed.

One Hour One Life might seem like it trivializes one of life’s immortal truths, but it also challenges you to do something with the time you have. This is a lesson we can all stand to learn.

Perhaps the highest compliment that could be paid to Legend of Solgard is that it’s not what you assume it might be just from hearing the genre in which you’d place it. It’s got something to offer all kinds of mobile gamers, from the very casual to the much more serious, and should expand the definition of a King title beyond what we’ve all known it to be for years now.

If you’re a fan of city building games, then you will love this. If your not a fan of city building games, then you’ll love it more. It is the perfect game to spend any train journeys playing, it fills you with a real sense of accomplishment and does tedious activities like collecting revenue from shops automatically. Your focus is very much on what do I build next, how do I increase my revenue and keep my city safe.