Together with the graphics and ease of gameplay, the soundtrack helps make The Big Journey one of the most accessible games on the market, something that can be enjoyed and adored by players of all ages and skill levels.

It might get repetitive if you play it for too long, but the initial draw (pun not intended) means you’ll soon be quite endeared towards it. Even if it does take you a while to unlock any equipment upgrades.

Oh Death Road to Canada, how I’ve waited for this moment. How I’ve longed for getting digital facsimiles of myself and my friends killed as I clumsily try to make my way through your particular brand of zombie apocalypse. So you have a few flaws. I have several myself. What truly matters is that we can finally be together — and I can’t ever imagine a day where that won’t be the case again.

Boggle With Friends is a more seamlessly social take on an old classic with a few twists that will be either adored or reviled. If you’re a fan of social word games, this will probably be one you enjoy. If you’re looking for something fresh and different or need to be convinced of the merits of the genre, this is one you might want to pass on.

There’s a really cool and enjoyable puzzle strategy game in Ticket to Earth. The problem is all the supposedly random bits end up making things feel unfair. Failing a level because the tiles happened to spawn in a way to help an enemy chase me down isn’t challenging, it’s cheap. Missing out on collecting important items on the board because they often appear where enemies can grab them first isn’t fun, it’s frustrating. I really, really want to like Ticket to Earth, but I just don’t have the patience for its poor balancing.

All together, Cosmic Express is the perfect combination of interesting puzzle mechanics, challenging-but-manageable stages, and lovable characters that keeps us coming back for more. There are some levels (we’re looking at you, Andromeda 14) that we’ve spent hours trying to figure out, yet we never grow tired of. This is thanks to the fact that there is no undo pressure to complete a specific stage, endless freedom to try as many combinations of track layouts as we like, and adorable aliens waiting along with us the entire time.

There’s so much I enjoy about Oxenfree’s weird story, but to spoil it would be to ruin half the fun. Suffice it to say that if you like adventure games at all, you need to play Oxenfree. There are a few bumps along the way, but it’s absolutely a journey worth taking.

While Golf Zero might not have the universal appeal of Colin Lane’s earlier works like Wrassling or Dunkers, those who master it will likely have fallen in love completely. It’s just that it’s so hard, those who master it are likely to be few and far between.

TypeShift is the type of challenging, mind-bending and vocabulary expanding word game that helps demonstrate why Gage has developed a reputation as one of the strongest mobile game developers around. Likely to captivate both word puzzle connoisseurs and crossword fans alike, TypeShift is one of the best twists on the word game genre in recent years.

Bit City is a solid, and highly addictive game that is as close to as perfect a blend of clicker and city builder as you’re likely to find anywhere. It might not make a lot of game of the year lists, but it’s one that’s unlikely to be forgotten quickly.

After The End has the beauty, charm, and challenge that casual puzzle fans will surely enjoy. There are some frustrations to be had, but they’re worth overlooking. After the End: Forsaken Destiny will be best suited to people who enjoy a slow, thoughtful pace over a frantic, high energy one. But it also offers a mysterious and engaging adventure that will reveal itself to those patient enough to pursue it.

Miss Fisher and the Deathly Maze is a lot of fun while you play it. It just that happens to be a double edged sword. It leaves you rushing through it, then longing for more. It’s a promising start to a potentially very interesting story. It just needs longer future episodes, and a slightly more challenging set of clues and puzzles to live up to its potential.

The Deep Paths is okay. If you keep the volume low or play on mute. And you have the patience of a saint for clumsy controls/menus. And you don’t ever use maps in games. I suppose if there weren’t similar games that have been out for a while that do what this one does better, it wouldn’t seem quite so bad. Unfortunately for The Deep Paths, we live in a world where Legend of Grimrock exists.

Beyond the Unknown: A Matter of Time may not set the Hidden Object Adventure world on fire, but true devotees of the genre owe it to themselves to check it out.

Quite cute and charming in its way, it might be lightweight in tone — but there’s plenty of depth within this prison sandbox strategy game. Control issues let it down a little, but it’s still a rather fine mobile adaptation.

Despite the postmanly inconvenience of carrying a letter up 100 floors of a cursed tower, we’ve enjoyed every near-death step, every trap door surprise, and every zombie-eaten fece.

The need to keep your finger on the screen throughout gameplay means #breakforcist is a better experience on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad mini than on the larger iPad devices. High scores are likely to come with some serious cramping on the iPad 4 or iPad pro for example.

In the end, Justice League Action Run will reach its audience – fans of the television show and DC enthusiasts that can accept a new-look Justice League. With so many other runners to choose from, it’s appeal beyond these groups will likely be limited. If you are so inclined, check it out and you might be pleasantly surprised. It’s not revolutionary, nor is it genre-defining, but it’s good enough to keep you hooked through all 150 missions. You just might even walk away with a sense of accomplishment in the end.

Incidence will not enrapture everyone who gives it a try – it’s probably more of a love it or hate it kind of game. Additionally, the premium price point might prove a barrier to entry for some, as it’s the sort of game you’re more likely to devote a few hours to completing rather than making it a permanent fixture on the precious home screen. But, with the prospect of additional levels and new challenges with future updates, it’s best to consider Incidence a low-maintenance long-term investment.

Sable Maze: Forbidden Garden has a lot of strong points without any glaring flaws. The story is a little predictable, but you really won’t mind as you stumble through the richly detailed scenes solving puzzles with an inventory full of items. Plenty of fun and plenty of challenge, just don’t tell your mom how useful she would be if she were an ermine.

Mul.Mash has beautiful graphics, an immersive soundtrack, and thoughtful design features (progress-saving notwithstanding) that any arcade game fan is going to love. It’s clean, robust, and a gorgeous update on a Pong-meets-Breakout mashup, done well for mobile.

Rival Gears Racing is a reasonably attractive looking racing game, and its bare components are quite effective. It lacks soul and personalty though. When those are the key parts to luring you in for more, it’s a substantial issue. For a while, you’ll dip in for a brief race or two. Before long though, the gaps become wider. Its only real hope is if you manage to co-ordinate with friends and join up together. That’s a pretty neat feature but one that stands out in a tide of fairly average gameplay.

Criminal Case: Pacific Bay is the perfect game for those short on time but still wanting a quick gaming fix. I found it ideal for dipping into throughout my day but it didn’t stand a chance when I had an extended period of time to dive into a game. It’s essentially everything that works so well for free-to-play casual gaming, as well as everything people hate about the concept. If you’re someone short on time but in love with hidden object gaming, it’s perfect. Just don’t be surprised if your interest wanes before the content runs out.

With its lovely aesthetics and unique mechanics, Causality is a satisfying challenge that will make you feel pretty darn accomplished for getting through it. If brains need workouts to get stronger, I can guarantee that Causality will have your brain doing some handstand pushups in no time.

While different versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon has been available for mobile for quite a while now, it’s never been as good as it is with RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch, the first iteration of the game that fully takes advantage of the capabilities of today’s mobile devices.

In theory, Chief Puzzle Officer has all of the makings of a solid, even innovative, match-three game. In reality, poor performance on both Android and iOS mean that many players will likely give up before getting a chance to really understand and appreciate what its developers were hoping to do.

It’s really quite hard to find anything to be overly critical of with Tiny Striker: World Football. For some, that it takes so long to break out of England might be a source of annoyance — as might it being limited to European sides at this time (it is called Tiny Striker: World Football, not Tiny Striker: European Football after all). But on the whole Tiny Striker: World Football is a great game from top to bottom that goes above and beyond what we’ve grown to expect from flick football games.

When the strongest criticism that can be leveled against Rabbids Crazy Rush is that it feels an awful lot like another great game, it’s doing something right. However, it does make it hard to declare this one a ‘must play.’

Originally a PC/Mac game, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain could have been an awkward conversion. Instead, it transfers to the small screen pretty well. It’s a fine new take on a familiar format — one that’s sure to make you hope that there will be future Fighting Fantasy games done in this manner.

Hidden Folks is really just a long, connected series of smiles earned through its painstaking attention to detail and consistently lighthearted sense of humor. Although it’s technically a seek and find or hidden object game, it should appeal even to players who’ve never been interested in that genre before.

In the end, from the graphics and soundtrack to personalisation and sizeable rewards for ad views, 3 Sprockets really knocks it out of the park with Digby Forever. It’s unlikely to hold gamers looking for a complex or entirely original gameplay experience, but for those on the hunt for something endlessly fun, it should be able to hold a homescreen spot for quite a while.

Despite the mechanical issues, we’ve still really enjoyed Evergrow. Its combination of space shooter, tower defense, block-placing puzzles, and Katamari-esque growth works surprisingly well together, creating a satisfying challenge that is never too frantic. Each level contains a set number of coins to collect and two bonus objectives to complete, there are eight color gems to track down, and four different endings to unlock, offering plenty of reasons to replay stages. And those replays are never repetitive thanks to the different placement of power blocks offering a new Chromaroid every time. Just the adorable, cheerful facial expressions of the Chromaroid are enough to warrant giving Evergrow a try, but its fun and unique gameplay provides a reason to stick around.

Set Sail’s simplicity really works in its favor. It may not sound like there’s a lot going on, but once you start juggling four or five kinds of ships, mentally keeping track of which one needs rigging and which one needs repairing, then start digging into the price points to maximize your profits, things start to get hectic. It’s more of a mental game than a physical reflexes one, but it’s still a great twist on the money management genre.

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.

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.

My Majesty always feels a little lightweight. While the decisions might feel hefty, the results never feel worse than a matter of ‘oh well, hit the reset button’. You can meet up with historical characters along the way, which is a neat way of encouraging you to play more. It gives you a small sense of achievement, but My Majesty doesn’t quite have that ‘just one more go’ factor that Reigns does. It’s all fine enough, but not overly enticing. Enjoy it while it lasts, then don’t be surprised if you find your interest inevitably waning.

Malevolent Machines is simultaneously great and lacking in a few too many key areas. It’ll remind you of 90’s style arcade hits — but you’ll soon realize that it doesn’t actually have much to offer, and you’ll end up wishing there was more going on.

Every aspect of the game feels minutely considered, like the fact that the skulls of victims you’ve killed remain in the level and will be kicked around as you pass by or the way still-alive characters shake and glance around nervously once they’re aware of your presence. The inclusion of hints, full solutions, and level skips; tons of achievements and leaderboards; and optional gore sliders to reduce the blood and carnage indicate Blue Wizard was truly thinking of all their players when they created this game. It worked: this Valentine’s Day, we’ve given our heart to Slayaway Camp.

Chroma Rush is far from a bad game. It’s a fun diversion in short bursts that should definitely appeal to the color-arranging fans of Blendoku. But its simplicity and lack of polish make it feel like an appetizer before the next meaty entry in that series, or even something that should have just been a game mode within Blendoku 2.

OK Golf by OKIDOKICO doesn’t have a lot of charm, but then again, charm isn’t something it needs to have. It accomplishes everything it promises in the name – it’s an ok, but not particularly amazing, golf experience that can be enjoyed by golfers and non-golfers alike. What sets it apart from other mobile golfing experiences is its diorama-style holes. You never have to wonder what’s around the corner because you’re always working with a full 3D topographic view from tee to flag. Although the graphics aren’t exceptionally detailed, it’s very much beautiful in a minimalist sense.

Postknight is an adorable, engaging RPG from the creators of the towerless tower defense game Tiny Guardians. As in Tiny Guardians, developer Kurechii has taken some elements from a popular genre and reworked others, resulting in a game that is both familiar and novel.

Isoland is a beautiful point-and-click puzzler with a storybook aesthetic that immediately draws you into its bizarre and enigmatic world. Although its plot feels disjointed at times and many of the game’s mysteries favor memory over deduction, it makes up for these shortcomings by providing players a plethora of puzzles and the freedom to solve them at their own pace.

The Marvel Tsum Tsum would all have their Cuteness stats maxed all the way out by default if there was such a thing. There’s no fighting that, so it’s silly to even waste your time trying. Whether you spend a ton of time with the game is another matter, but there’s definitely more to it than it may first appear, and it’s worth a download for the Marvel fan in your life to try out.

Ketchapp Winter Sports may not wow, but it does have a lot going for it. Its graphics are bright and welcoming. The gameplay is simple and intuitive. Perhaps best of all, it’s fast and frustrating in the best possible way without being addictive. It’s easy to pick up and put down without any sense of missing out. Rather than making the game forgettable, this will likely add to its longevity.

You will die a lot, and it will get frustrating. But the monetary investment for this premium game means you have endless lives and can keep trying for as long as it takes without any continues or energy systems to get in the way. So if your fingers are itching for a fast-paced arcade game that looks familiar but feels fresh, Stagehand will be worth the try.

Voyageur is an intriguing tale of sci-fi style exploration that gradually switches from fascinating to a little too ponderous for its own good. It never quite reaches the heights of its potential, but you’ll still find it strangely compelling. Until, that is, one day it’s not.

Given the scope of SAO in general, it only makes sense for Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag to be a sprawling, almost intimidating affair, but happily, it’s fun enough to be enjoyable even if the story makes your head hurt a little.

Evil Factory looks great, sounds great and plays great. It’s certainly an above average game that many players will take the time (and spend the money) to race right through. Like the feeling you get after binge-watching the latest series of a great show, completing the initial story arc will leave you wanting more.

A form of auto-MMO, One Piece Thousand Storm is a pretty enjoyable ride, whether you’re a fan of the franchise or simply want to try something new. If you’ve played any of the various MMOs on mobile before, you’ll be somewhat familiar with how this game plays out — but that doesn’t mean it’s not oddly compelling at times.

As a standalone experience, The Frostrune is lacking. But as the gateway to another world, it shines like ice in the morning sun.

For a game that relies on dimensional travel and ancient evil spirits, Secrets of the Dark: The Flower of Shadow feels remarkably cohesive and down-to-Earth. The puzzles are a joy to solve, the mini-games keep you guessing, and the visuals hit the sweet spot between realistic and artistic.

There’s nothing wrong with Realm Grinder, really. It’s a decent enough clicker/idler that looks nice and is easy to jump in and out of. It’s just that you could play most any other clicker/idler and you’d get the same amount of enjoyment out of it. If you’ve never played a game like this before, if you’ve been waiting for one that’s medieval fantasy kingdom building themed, or even if you’re just bored and curious, it’s not a terrible way to kill a bit of time.

In terms of pure gameplay, there’s no question that Pokemon Duel is superior to Pokemon Go. The competitive nature of it also means it’ll be less faddish and more likely to get better with age. It’s simply too imperfect in its current form to be as fun as it could be, so if you want to dive into it while it goes through its growing pains, be prepared for more lulls than LOLs.

A Normal Lost Phone is thoughtfully designed, leveraging voyeurism, curiosity, responsibility, and compassion to tell a strong, character-driven story unlocked through satisfying puzzle-solving.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links might lack some of the depth of the original, but it’s still a pretty good mobile conversion. By cutting certain elements down, you’ll be able to get more accomplished than you would have before.

It’ll likely keep you occupied for a few minutes, hours or even days. Just don’t be surprised if when your battery dies you find yourself wondering if it was really time well spent.

Scopely has covered pretty much all the expected bases with WWE: Champions, and there’s little doubt that fans of sports entertainment are going to be hooked as soon as they launch it for the first time and have The Rock guiding them through a tutorial match against Stone Cold Steve Austin.

It’s the kind of indie puzzle delight that should stick in your memory for a while to come. It’ll easily remind you of just what can be accomplished when a developer pays attention to what works so well on a mobile format. The only thing you’ll be wishing for is the addition of more levels.

It’s never less than beautiful to look at, but there’s only so much swiping you can do before you begin to switch off and not quite enjoy the experience as you were before.

I’m a bit disappointed with Strange Telephone, to be honest. It had a promising start, and I was interested in seeing where it all went, but after so many repeated trips to the same not-really-random worlds while floundering around trying to figure out how to progress, I just got tired of it.

With a reasonable one-time purchase on the App Store and on Google Play, it’s certainly worth taking the chance that you’ll unlock weeks of fun and frustration for less than a fancy cup of coffee. You’ll probably want the coffee too after you’ve poured a few all-nighters into seeing how far you can take things, but the point is if you’re debating whether to give Super Gridland a try, do it. It’s early, but this might just be one of the best games of the year.

For those that can look past the in-app purchases and enjoy the gameplay for what it is, WarFriends will be a welcome addition to their home screen. For everyone else, the journey into WarFriends will likely be both frustrating and short-lived. But whether you ultimately find yourself loving or hating WarFriends, it’s worth a try, because we have a feeling that this is a game people will be talking about for quite a while.

Variety is Sea of Lies’ strongest point. The story is told in chapters, with each one unveiling a clever little twist once you complete it. You’ve also got a handy little kit you’ll use to dust objects for fingerprints, seeing as how you’re a detective and all. Those two features alone keep you guessing as to what to do next, but throw in the clever hidden object scenes and gold hunting mini-game and you’ve got an excuse to keep playing all the way to the end.

A familiar experience, but also an improved one compared to earlier games. Eventually you’ll still reach a stage that’ll take you a while to complete, but you’ll just about forgive it. Much like before.

One can only hope that this game is successful enough to justify a sequel of its own (a new Sonny 2 if you will) down the line, perhaps with slightly more elaborate gameplay graphics and a slower progression in difficulty.

More important than whether the game continues life as a paid app or is free, the prospect of an update means that there’s hope some of the glitches currently holding the game back can be worked out.

Kids will love just how cute Hank is (because he really is), but don’t be surprised if even their attention wanes after a time. To get the most out of My Talking Hank, you’re going to have to play the long game of checking in so often that it’s going to feel like a second job. That’s not so appealing in the long run.

The micro-games do get pretty hectic as you progress but never to the point of feeling impossible.

Even with its room for improvement, Snowball! is a frosty treat for fans of pinball and pixel art. For those who don’t want to venture out into the cold, Snowball! will evoke the spirit of winter without the seasonal side-effects.

When you do manage to eke out a victory, however, and balloons are popping, Birds flying, and Pigs falling over, Angry Birds Blast is true to its name. It has much of the Pig-bashing and Bird-saving excitement we look for in our Angry Birds games, wrapped in the joy of puzzle-matching with dynamic power-ups. Although it sometimes feels too generic and like it missed out on some Angry Birds-specific thematic opportunities, we still consider this yet another bullet on the Birds’ long list of successful avian excursions and human diversions.

Batman – The Telltale Series has been a very enjoyable story overall. I certainly don’t regret the time I’ve spent with it. However, I do feel a bit let down by Telltale’s handling of the port. Mobile and PC/console platforms are very different in terms of performance, but with all the technical problems that have been a constant irritation across five different episodes, I have to wonder if any real effort was put into this particular version at all.

There might not be that much tactical depth here, but this is the sort of game you’ll dip into for a couple of minutes only to look up after a few hours have passed. And that’s really the hallmark of this genre. It’s unlikely that this is going to dethrone the clashing king of the genre, but if you like your action a little more helicoptery and your gameplay closer to the hard end of the midcore, then War Commander: Rogue Assault is well worth a look.

This digital version is interesting, but it’s not much more than that.

There’s an entertaining game here, if you’re willing to slog through it. And when you do manage to get to the end you’re really going to feel like you’ve accomplished something. Even if, in the grand scheme of things, you really haven’t.

One especially great part of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is how it can introduce younger gamers to the series, and indeed, both my kids were clamoring for some time with it over their holiday break. Think of it as something of a combination love letter to the originals and apology note for the series’ previous foray into mobile, one that proves successful on both fronts.

It may be a by the numbers casual hidden object game, but Haunted Manor: Painted Beauties adds interest where it counts. The puzzles keep you guessing and searching, the hidden object scenes spice things up at just the right time, the mini-games are short but fascinating, and the story hits things home with a lot of supernatural twists and turns. Easy, simple, and fun.

Even before the added bonus of unlocking and mastering all the different remedies’ changes and effects, Remedy Rush was already a satisfyingly deep puzzle-runner with a lot of little details and clever strategies—like bumping back into aggressive germs—that are a treat to uncover and employ. It’s a game that’s as much fun to learn as it is to master, and we’ve far from mastered it. We’re looking forward to many, many more sick days to come.

After experiencing the best of the best spelling games here at Gamezebo, Word Cookies is about as satisfying as a gas station vanilla wafer.

When it comes to gameplay, there are two noticeable improvements in Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked over Pocket Edition. The switch to strictly touch-controlled movement is more straight-forward, while the accuracy of lighting changes between night and day has also improved noticeably. This being said, there were a few instances of ‘random death’ (no creatures in sight, not hungry, sane, etc.) and night-time creatures appearing during the day, but overall they didn’t affect the enjoyment of the game too badly.

Grim Tales 6 has just about everything you’d want in a hidden object game. Best of all, it’s presented in a fluid and attractive package. There are no genre-breaking ideas wedged into the gameplay, but what’s here has been built to feel just slightly out of the ordinary. And that’s a very good thing.

I don’t necessarily think Sister Location is the worst mobile iteration of the FNaF series, but it’s certainly not the best despite the overall improved visuals. Most of the animations are choppy or gone, a lot of audio was cut, you can’t replay the mini-game at will (which really sucks), and so on. Port issues aside, that checkpoint system is also super obnoxious. If you’re a fan who has some or all of the other games on your mobile device then you’ll probably want to get this one as well. Otherwise, you’re not missing much.

Gardenscapes has been doing this for years, but as an experience designed for expanding on mobile—and which has already received over 200 additional levels and numerous new garden sections through updates in less than seven months since launch—players will have rewarding matching, gardening, and Austin-interacting to look forward to for the foreseeable future.

It’s very early days in the year, but Milkmaid of the Milky Way still smacks of an adventure game that should be remembered come the end of year roundups. While it doesn’t bother trying to re-invent the wheel, it does an admirable job of sprucing up said old wheel with a 21st Century style twist or two. It’s an easy game to love.

Paper.io is fun, addicting and definitely worth the free download, especially for .io fans. Those who maybe didn’t understand the appeal of these games will enjoy the simplicity Paper.io brings to the genre, along with the vibrant and charming aesthetics.

Castle Creeps TD might be a fun reminder of why Tower Defense is such an enjoyable genre to play, but it’s also a reminder of some of the less kind elements of free to play. It’s these which are going to stick in your mind in the long term, rather than the enjoyment you had before they set in.

It’s The Binding of Isaac on your phone. That’s awesome. If you’ve had your fill with any of the other versions on almost every other video game platform imaginable, then you probably don’t need to check this one out — but otherwise, it’s definitely a good time.

It feels like Star Wars: Force Arena delivers enough fun and nostalgia that the de facto four-battle limit won’t be a dealbreaker, but it is something to keep in mind. It’s certainly a worthy addition to the overall pantheon of Star Wars mobile games, one that gives you new hope — pun fully intended — that creative ways to approach the world’s most famous sci-fi series are still out there.

The issue with Fieldrunners Attack! is that it isn’t even a great interpretation of the usual base building strategy stuff. It’s too formulaic, and too safe to be considered a step forward in any way. Full troop control is something that other strategy games should embrace, but it’s still not enough. If you’ve played any of the many Clash of Clans clones out there, you’ve played this before. Don’t pump money or time into it. It’s not worth it.

Hill Climb Racing 2 takes the wonderfully reckless car-flinging from the first game and mixes it with the joy of beating other players, all while wearing a Viking helmet. That is, apparently, all we ever wanted.

Dawn of Titans is like the movie that earns Oscar nominations for all the effects and technical categories without being considered for the more “serious” awards, but there are far worse fates than that.

Slowly building on the previously successful format, it throws in some much needed additions to ensure that this doesn’t feel like a reskinned version of a game you’ve already played. It’ll be interesting to see what new innovations are added to the genre in the coming months. This could be a very positive early sign of a genre keen to not stagnate.

If you fancy yourself a dab hand at amateur surgery, or you just like the idea of using a lighter to attach a healthy lung in the space you just cut a diseased one out of with a chainsaw, then this is exactly the sort of game you should be looking at getting.

Simple though it may be I actually really like this control scheme as it lets me focus all of my energy on moving and aiming.

So no, this isn’t Rocky IV, which as everyone knows is the best Rocky film. But it’s not Rocky V either, which everyone knows is the worst. It’s sort of somewhere between Rocky II and III. So like… Rocky II.V. There’s fun to be had here, just don’t expect it to be the sort of fun that you’re going to come back to time and time again.

Proof that these brands should have been on mobile all along. Took you long enough, Nintendo, but here’s hoping you stick around for a while.

Retro Winter Sports 1986 is dedicated to its retro stylings, and that works as much to its detriment as it does its benefit. But it’s still well worth checking out even if you’re not a fan of the past. Or, you know, you weren’t born in the past. It’s both an interesting glimpse into how games have changed and a great example of why they have. There’s a swirl and a pop to the experience that’s engaging for the most part, even though it does fade once you’ve finally managed to get your fingers to do what the game wants them to.

Party Hard is the sort of game that’s more fun when you play it in small doses – maybe one level at a time. The whole “wander around and murder pixel people” thing is an entertaining idea, and -almost cute in a way — but if you try to zip through it all at once, the levels will start to bleed together (no pun intended) and you’ll likely tire of it in short order.

Royal Detective: Queen of Shadows builds a solid gameplay base with an equal balance of exploration, item-based puzzle solving, hidden object scenes, and mini-games. Wrapped around that is a stunning audio-visual package that draws you in from the very beginning. It’s a high quality adventure game with enough twists to keep you engaged all evening.