Galaxy of Pen & Paper may not fill you with exactly the same delight as Knights did when it first came out, but it’s a welcome way to extend the fun and probably the most logical direction to go after two journeys into fantasy. Space, we welcome your vastness and look forward to taking these new quests as far as they go.

The Lion’s Song offers an affecting and beautiful translation of artistic genius to in-game interactions within an atmospheric and alive pre-World War Austria. Even without experience in music, painting, or mathematics, the struggles these protagonists face and the choices they make are relatable and human, especially as we see the world through their distinct lenses. Although the chapters are fairly short—under an hour each—they are filled with moments both large and small which have game-wide consequences for characters and the player alike. Whether you choose to revisit those moments directly by making new decisions or simply by ruminating on how your choices played out, they are bound to stick with you long after fin.

Full Throttle Remastered isn’t perfect – nor was the original Full Throttle – but it’s a great adventure game in its own right. If the name LucasArts fills you with nostalgic adventure gaming warm-and-fuzzies you should definitely check it out. Especially if you haven’t already.

Even if math isn’t your thing, Calculator: The Game will make you feel like a mathlete as you progress into more complicated, dynamic tests of your puzzle-solving prowess. At the very least, the game presents compelling scenarios where you must think about the relationship between the numbers in new, unique ways. The simple puzzles are validating, while the complex puzzles are satisfying, and there is a nice balance between them. Math is a functional part of coding and by extension, game design, but we rarely see it showcased as the main gameplay motivator. Calculator: The Game takes an ordinary object that’s just supposed to help us do our taxes and turns its core functionality into an engaging puzzler.

It’s amazing how much of a difference knowing how to play properly can make. After my initial attempt I was ready to write A Planet of Mine off as a frustrating mess. Now that I’ve finally gotten the hang of it (no thanks to the tutorial) I actually kind of love it. If you like your spacefaring empire expansion simulations cute and (relatively) accessible, it’s absolutely worth checking out. Maybe even a purchase.

Tap Mania has its place in that overall scheme, as it’s the one that you can take out, play for a few minutes while tapping furiously and then switch off until you check in before bed — or maybe during commercial breaks in Raw or SmackDown, which would make WWE execs smile. There’s gold in them taps, but maybe not in the long term for everyone.

I hate that I hate the puzzles in Layton’s Mystery Journey, because I like almost everything else about it. It looks great, the characters are fun, the scenarios and cases are charmingly whimsical — but the puzzles are either boring and frustrating. Maybe the series has always been like this. I’m not experienced enough to know. But after Layton’s Mystery Journey, I certainly don’t care enough to go back and find out.

It’s quite the compilation of treats for word game enthusiasts. Sidewords is a well made pairing of conundrums, albeit one that could maybe do with a hints system for the wimpier player. Free of any pesky in-app purchases, it’s a rich, premium experience. The kind that’ll stick around on your iPhone for a while to come.

Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two Episode 1: Hero in Residence (yikes) is a good kick-off for another big adventure, with some familiar characters returning and some all new ones coming to the forefront. Some of the first season’s problems still persist — and now there’s a surprising number of performance problems — but the series has always been more about the story, and I think this story is definitely worth following along with.

Simply put, the original Motorsport Manager was great and somehow this just made everything even better. It’s an essential purchase.

Overall, Street Fighter IV Champion Edition is definitely a contender when it comes to great games, but it isn’t exactly a champion. If it sorts out the multiplayer issue it’ll likely earn a place on many a homescreen. Until then, it’s a beautiful but sometimes lonely journey into your own nostalgia.

Completing a level is remarkably satisfying, particularly for the type of person who needs to hear the hook of a song all the way through before they turn off their radio. Anyone who can appreciate the process of creating music, especially the complexity of layered loops found in electronic music, will enjoy Resynth. Puzzle lovers in general can also indulge in a fresh perspective on problem solving that offers some hearty challenges. Ultimately, this conceptual representation of synesthesia makes for an artful gameplay experience.

Ultimately, it’s a weird mishmash of different elements. The base building stuff is all a little too lacklustre and like something you’ve played before. Recruiting new crew members is briefly fun, but you’ll never feel like you get to know them. Similarly, your decision making might feel initially satisfying, but you’ll soon realize that you don’t get to affect as much as you want. All put together, and Valerian: City of Alpha doesn’t quite work. Its main saving grace is that at least it’s not an overly safe film-tie in.

Inevitably, there’s a pay to win style system in place. If you throw money at the problem, you can unlock things faster and progress at a steadier rate. It’s tempting to do, but SIEGE: Titan Wars just about throws enough freebies at you to make it possible to resist. There’s also the issue that you’re going to end up fading away from SIEGE: Titan Wars. After all, it’s a mixture of things you’ve seen before. Without the touch of class and precision that something like Clash Royale offers, it doesn’t quite have the staying power. For a little while though, it’s quite appealing.

Crucially, Drop Wizard Tower is fun because of the nostalgia element. It’s so much like arcade platformers of old, that 80s fans will lap it up with enthusiasm. That means its difficulty curve is just as tough as back then, but it’s worth pursuing. With its simple to learn one-handed controls, it’s the kind of thing that lends itself to commuter play sessions. Just don’t expect to beat it any time too soon.

Overall Mini DAYZ is a thoroughly solid survival experience, although it doesn’t necessarily wow. It likely won’t make many game of the year lists, but for those who like to test themselves against zombie hordes you’ll likely have a good time.

When the worst that can be said about the game is that the hint screens look a little weird, it’s safe to say that Grand Prix Story 2 is well worth your time and energy.

If you’re wondering just what redeeming features Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire may have, it’s mostly down to the visuals. There’s an occasional glimpse of something that does feel quite Final Fantasy-ish. Even if it’s just an animated chocobo. That makes it a teensy bit better than most other games of this ilk, but it’s a really small amount. You know when you’re trying to convince your non-mobile games playing friends that there are some good freemium games out there? This is the kind of thing they’ll throw in your face to counteract your argument. They almost have a point.

This certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as it’s easy to imagine some people will think it too simplistic or just not dig the core concept. But the appetite for card games on mobile seems to be unending, and Missile Cards fits the bill for mobile gamers looking for something in that genre that they can play solo and still find a challenge that will provide them with hours of fun.

Slickly made, Swing King and the Temple of Bling is cute and appealing while also being quite tough at times. It’s an ideal action puzzle game, whatever your mood, meaning you’re going to enjoy working your way through the 45 levels on offer. That might not sound substantial but just you wait. You’ll see that’s plenty of content for little Mumbles.

It’s too bad Nibbler can’t just lock you in a cryogenic tube like he once did to Fry while you wait everything out. If you’re a diehard fan of the series, this might be a game where you shrug off the bad stuff and just enjoy it for giving us the great Futurama world again, but otherwise, Worlds of Tomorrow often feels like you’re sitting around waiting for the year 3000 the old-fashioned way. Hypnotoad, if you could convince us it’s more fun than it is right now, we’d be much obliged.

Is it worth it? It mostly depends on how much you loved the TV show. There’s a certain undercurrent running when it comes to feeling affection toward these characters. The storyline does move, albeit slowly, so you can feel like you’re getting to know these women all over again. The change of perspective is welcome too, giving you some insight that you might not have felt through the show. It’s slow going though. So very slow going. You may find your patience runs thin or you simply forget to return to the delights of Wisteria Lane. The story is a tremendous slow burn, while the game itself is just too limited.

While Merge Dragons! is going to take a while for you to truly get your head around it, it’s a fun curiosity. You’ll want to learn more about it and see just how far you can go. Being able to see things improve and change before your eyes makes a key difference in breathing new life into a fairly stale genre. You’ll find yourself eventually a little frustrated at its enthusiasm when it comes to in-app purchases, but you’ll be mostly pleased with what’s here.

Feeling suitably like a proper premium release, Kalimba is a delight through and through — and that’s just on the iPhone. On the iPad, you have the benefit of same device co-op which makes it all the more satisfying, while also potentially testing a few friendships too. Stick with those occasionally infuriating moments though, and you’ll be richly rewarded by an incredibly charming crossover of quick reflexes and lateral thinking.

Race Kings is decent enough fun. There’s a regular supply of new events with things often changing regularly. There’s always something new to do and you’ll always feel a tinge of satisfaction when you pull off a perfect drift. Just don’t expect this feeling, or this game, to last forever.

There’s a thick and engaging experience here, and the way it builds on its sturdy foundations with intriguing new structures makes it one of the finest head-scratches that his hit mobile in the past few months.

Asphalt: Street Storm doesn’t really do anything different, but it still gets everything just about right. It’s fun when it works, and it’s not so much fun after a while. But there’s enough going on here that if you enjoy driving cars really quickly in straight lines then you’re probably going to lap it up.

Touchdowners is just too repetitive. There’s no new content to unlock, and 30 seconds with it shows you everything it has to offer. A child might appreciate the frantic nature a little more, but any experienced player is going to soon be frustrated by what’s going on here. Consider it an all too shallow and all too brief distraction.