In every way imaginable, Bardbarian steps up as the perfect mobile experience, and it has everything you could ever want in a video game, for that matter: a fun-loving presentation, a seamless blend of different gameplay types, and an addictive balance of challenge and progression that will always keep you coming back for more.

As a fan of battling card games like Magic: The Gathering and Shadow Era, Kard Combat scratched my card-fighting itch sublimely. The game is simple enough that anyone can pick it up, yet deep enough that a tougher opponent can really test your skills.

At first glance, Shake Spears! seems rather shallow and repetitive. But it turns out that isn't the case. There's a surprising amount of strategy involved with the gameplay, especially in the latter portions of the title. As a result, there's a lot of challenge, depth, and fun.

Offers what might be the most ideal word game in the series yet. The rounds are long enough to be engaging but short enough that you can play them in between other things. This coupled with the refined and accessible "With Friends" structure makes Scramble With Friends one of the better asynchronous mobile games available today.

McPixel does perhaps the most audacious thing of all: embrace the idea that joy in gaming comes in equal measure from knowing what you're doing and having absolutely no clue. Betting big on the concept that games aren't simple tests of what you can already do, but tests to see how much you're willing to learn. And hey. It doesn't hurt that Sosowski packs every scene with video-game related in jokes, pop culture references, and intertextual nods to earlier characters, improbably crafting a world one twenty second scene at a time.

Breakout is a classic game, but a little bit dry. Super Bunny Breakout has a couple of hiccups, but it's a cute, worthy upgrade of an arcade mainstay. It also serves as a good indication that both Atari and Zynga might be getting the hang of developing stuff for this "mobile game" fad.

Quell Memento is an easy recommendation, if not a must play, for fans of puzzles, indie-style games, art games, people who want their games to take story more seriously, and anyone with an iDevice in need of a new relaxing distraction. Quell Memento is ideally suited for mobile play, and exactly what I want from a mobile title, and games in general.

One of those mobile games that are so simple they just work. The swiping/tapping mechanism will be familiar to everyone, even kids, and the bright colors and easy-to-see stars make it a very accessible game. Star Thief also has a lot of replay value, a good variety of environments, and straightforward gameplay that doesn't punish you if you're not an iOS virtuoso. Extraordinarily enjoyable on every level!

As it stands, Almightree is a capable puzzle game offering a unique assortment of challenges that fall just short of their potential.

As the third iteration in Pixelbyte’s Reckless Racing franchise, Reckless Racing 3 continues to deliver the excellent gaming experience that the series has become known for.

The game will be enjoyed most by players already familiar with the aspects of Icewind Dale and are seeking a mobile dosage of Dungeons and Dragons on the go. But if you’re not a seasoned veteran, approach these cold mountains with caution.

The App Store might be cluttered with near hits and near misses, clones, copycats, and one-week wonders, but every now and then a game like Pair Solitaire comes along and reminds us that the mobile marketplace can be a place where simple genius can shine. Threes! was one great example of that this year, and Pair Solitaire is another.

Star Wars Rebels: Recon Mission does a lot of things right: it features a fair and flexible IAP system, it respects the Star Wars source material, and it offers an easy-to-play control scheme for a platformer on a touchscreen device.

I’m a firm believer that Loot & Legends will approach or reach the heights of Card Hunter, but I can only review games in the forms they take when we can actually download them to our tablets. This one is an unstable version of a classic for now, so here’s hoping we can revisit it in a few months and find it’s realized its full potential.

Circa Infinity will certainly frustrate you but never so much that you quit.

This is a brilliant, engaging and intelligent use of mobile tech to tell an important story. It’s rich in all the right ways, and will leave you thinking long after you’ve put it down.

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.

It’s a very short title, but anyone looking for a chilled puzzle experience should be checking out Paper Trail.

Overall Islets is a brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre though. The fast paced gameplay, brilliant boss battles, and interesting characters, all add up to it being a beautiful and unique take on the genre.

Some might be quick to call games like Spellsword a copycat, but when a game improves on its inspiration in just about every way imaginable like Spellsword does, it's hard to justify such labels. While Super Crate Box may have invented the formula, Spellsword elevates it to the next level. Fans of SCB, consider yourself warned – you have your new addiction.

Sneaky Sneaky makes one of the most compelling cases I’ve seen this year for premium experiences on mobile, and – quite fittingly – sneaks under the wire as one of the best titles of 2014.

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.

In fact, other than the so-so synthesizer soundtrack and lack of additional content once you've completed the Puzzle Mode, Collision Effect is a really compelling game.

Hunters: Episode One is a good title that's on the verge of being absolutely great. Aside from needing some bugs fixed, the game could also use some story missions to provide a solid narrative that players can get behind.

Best of all, it’s enjoyable - even when you sigh at yourself for the twentieth time because you were foolish and ran too fast. For those reasons, this is a particularly classy hardcore dungeon crawler.

One of the best racing games available on iOS, rivaled only by Firemint's own Real Racing series.

If you’re looking for an addictive, challenging, creative game that’s perfectly suited for mobile play (and why wouldn’t you be?), then Zoombies: Animals de la Muerte is the zoo for you. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome, and intelligent design decisions ensure that failure prompts you to retry the level rather than delete the app. Unlike first-person shooters with virtual sticks, this is a game that belongs on the iPhone, and belongs on yours.

In truth, it’s clear the developers of Fates Forever were trying to build something very much akin to Blizzard’s casual hit – boiling down push-and-pull of MOBA into something quick, simple, and great to look at (the game looks great, by the way, though the human/animal character design is uninspiring). They just happened to reveal the limitations of doing so in the process.