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.

Ultimately Decarnation is incredibly thought-provoking. Gloria’s life in the physical world is slowly falling apart, which in turn has a significant impact on her deteriorating psyche. You’ll find yourself thinking about this game even when you’re not playing it, and there can be no greater praise than that.

This is a throaty squawk of a mobile game, its swagger holding together its disparate ideas and letting them blend into something with the sharpness and fun you need to keep you glued to your phone for hours.

Those gripes aside, I was impressed with just how entertaining Gang Lords can be. It has a solid, if a bit by-the-numbers, free-to-play foundation, and a combat system that’s a heck of a lot more strategic than it first appears.

Layer wields simplicity effectively and efficiently to deliver an experience that’s simultaneously simple and complex in every regard.

If you’ve been looking for a merciless rhythm/puzzle game that spares the long tutorials and cutesy mascots, Neurokult is an ideal mate.

Is it as good as the TV show? Well, that all depends on why you enjoy the TV show. If you were hoping it’d capture the existential torment and the pointlessness of cycles of violence, then you’re going to be disappointed. But the punching and kicking? Yeah, it pretty much nails that.

Really, one of the lone bummers in The Universal Weapon is that it’s pretty short.

A game that feels so inviting that you'd be a fool to turn away. Come to the light.

Bacon Escape utilizes intricately designed levels to challenge players’ reflexes and planning, but its focus on high-speed obstacle dodging results in a more fast-paced and frantic experience. As in Nono Islands, mastering levels will require multiple playthroughs and committing upcoming hazards to memory, but the smooth controls, interesting platforming layouts, and adorable cast of characters make even subsequent attempts a joy to replay.

Wonderfully presented and is not too bad a companion game when out running errands or walking the dog. Because of that context though, it's likely to be underplayed quite a bit. Still, if people are looking for something new and creative, then this is certainly the game to try out.

A near-flawless victory for mobile gamers.

The game is short so this initial installment will entertain you for a couple of days depending on how fast you play.

People that missed the first title will get their hands on this and find it to be extremely unique, and people that loved Defender Chronicles for being great in 2009 will get more of what they liked.

If you're easily intimidated by difficult or frustrating games, you might be better off dosing yourself with acid than playing Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin. But if you like things rough, Tentacles is more than happy to challenge you.

While it's no Skateor Tony Hawk, that's perhaps the most surprising thing of all: the fact thatsomewhere along the line, Penny Timestops being an advergame, and starts feeling like a trippy skate session more than worth the price of admission. In a sea full of games shilling pet food and restaurants, you could do a lot worse than to shell out for this wild ride.

Its combat is unique and extremely satisfying, its 52 levels offer plenty of challenge, and while long-term players will be putting down the $4.99 for unlimited energy, you can easily get a free taste of it is enough to know if it’s worth the money.

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.

If you’ve somehow never played the first game and are in the wheelhouse for the inside jokes that Knights of Pen and Paper II relies on so heavily, you’re likely going to find it a creative and clever revelation.

When I played Chaos Rings on the iPhone, the visuals seemed razor sharp. On the iPad, it looks like the game's environments were simply enlarged from lower resolutions, hence the fuzziness.

An incredibly robust package that should keep any tower defense fan busy for quite some time.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Dreamer's take on the endless runner genre. It could have tried to rest on the loins of its charming graphics, music, and premise, but instead it went the full mile and offered up a unique style of gameplay.

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.

Cover Fire by Genera Games is a rich and compelling rails shooter designed with Apple’s 3D Touch in mind. Yet, even if you’re not able to take advantage of the aim and shoot 3D Touch mechanic, there’s a lot on offer across both the Android and iOS platforms.

As far as RPGs go, Fearless Fantasy is far from the best. But it does some pretty cool things with gesture-based fights, offering RPG fans a new way to partake in RPG-styled combat.

Even without much real-life influence, Virtua Tennis Challenge accomplishes one key goal: portable tennis action. It may be pricier than most mobile games, but if you enjoy hitting the fuzzy green ball, it'll be well worth your time and cash.

Fort Meow has combined the joys of fort-building and cat-flinging into one charmingly atmospheric experience that’s worth a first, second, and beyond play—as long as you have a cat-free iPad at your disposal.

We found A Musical Story easy to lose ourselves in, despite the difficulty. Others may not be so forgiving, but if you’re looking for a new rhythm action title for your Switch this is an almost essential purchase.