I really wanted to like Phantom Rift. And in a lot of ways, I do. The combat is everything I was hoping for, and finding new spells and gear never failed to put a smile on my face. Unfortunately, in it’s current state it feels more like a proof of concept than a finished product.

RAD Soldiers still offers smooth tactical action for the wartime enthusiast, and the turn-based gameplay functions on a high level of strategy and fun. But the game's lack of inventiveness in level design fails to make the experience stand out from other tactical war games on the market.

Survivor Z has some cleverness to it, enough to warrant a look in what is a very crowded genre. It’s not the kind of game that will eat up all of your waking hours, but if you’re a zombie enthusiast – especially one who travels enough to get the most out of the location-based mechanic – you may find it creeping its way into your daily routine.

It certainly doesn’t hold a candle to the console games, but it carries itself surprisingly well as a handheld side story.

There's a deep level of variety there in unit types to fight with, and the puzzle element makes it easy to just pick up and play a fast level or two.

Charging for apps or making it free with an in-app purchases are both viable options for turning a profit, but combining these two is ambitious at best and insulting at worst. Either way it's a bad deal for the consumer. Whether or not it's a deal breaker is up to you. Shame too, because without this stupid blunder I'd have nothing but great things to say about Chromanoids.

Once Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch gets rolling, it’s a great mobile strategy game that genre fans will undoubtedly enjoy. Unfortunately a number of backend issues really hold the experience back from being a must buy for strategy gamers.

The questions are great and the social aspect charming, but at the end of the day, Quiz Climber is little more than a basic trivia app at best.

How much fun you'll have with Avalon Wars really depends on what type of player you are. If a game like Haypi Kingdom makes you doze off, there's nothing all that different on offer here, aside from the theme. But that doesn't mean that the experience isn't deep, and if you're willing to delve into the game's world of menus and statistics it can prove quite addictive.

Adventure Time: Time Tangle isn’t perfect, but there’s enough here to bring a smile to fans’ faces.

Plunder Pirates is a mild, pleasant brew, but you’ve tasted its kind before.

With a few updates and some additional game mechanics, Planet Fish could be something really special. But even without that, it's definitely an enjoyable underwater experience.

But it all means that Duck Roll never sparks into the sort of fiery, all consuming life that it needs to in order to get noticed in a crowded mobile market place. That’s a shame, because if you’re a fan of block-pushing puzzlers, there’s a worthwhile game here.

This is true of Lost Echo as a whole: while its plot stumbles in the final act and its characters never fully get off the ground, the surrounding build-up and adventure is worth experiencing.

As it is, this game is interesting enough of a challenge for just enough time that 99 cents for the curious player will not feel like a waste.

The actual gameplay is fun, and I really enjoyed battling my way through enemy defenses — but I’m so limited by how much gameplay that I can get at a time. And in my opinion, it just wasn’t worth it to spend real money on fuel — a commodity that gives me no guarantee of successfully capturing an island, and no guarantee of keeping it if I do.

It’s not perfect, but it’s worth getting stuck into for the sheer thrill of trying something new.

As you can imagine, Castaway Paradise never comes close to threatening Animal Crossing’s crown, but it does a passable impression as long as you’re not expecting too much. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than the real thing, making it a tempting prospect as long as you remember that you get what you pay for.

It’s an almost hit for City Mania. The game is certainly going to scratch that itch for a little while. You’ll enjoy working your way towards some fancy new buildings, even including the option for skyscrapers, but it’ll never be quite as rewarding as the bigger games outside of mobile that games like this always seem to live in the shadow of.

Much like its web-based predecessor, then, Total Domination: Reborn's general design is somewhat average fare for the social strategy genre. But much like the original Total Domination, it excels because it handles this template so well. It looks good, it plays well enough, and it provides a ton of units and buildings that all make for a rich strategic experience.

Despite the present issues, Castaway Paradise in its current state is still more vacation than vexation.

It’s all solidly assembled, but it just feels a little too generic despite its wacky main character. Certainly one for the more hardcore run and gun fans out there.

Many won’t be able to adjust to the sometimes unfair difficulty spikes of course, but if you’re an FPS fan you owe it to yourself to at least give this a try.

Notably, KAMI isn't exactly mind-blowing, or even exciting. It's more of a calming, zen-like experience that never really does anything that will wow you, but is still rather pleasant.

For a team with an unspoken rule of adding a signature twist to well-trod concepts, Golfinity’s gameplay hooks seem to hew disappointingly close those of Blinkbat Games’ much-talked-about time killer.

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.

The big takeaway here is that Gang Nations resembles other games in its genre, but it does stretch out in some different directions, and that alone might be enough reason to give it a try – especially if you’re looking for one more base builder to add into your mobile rotation.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for something to play with your kids, that’s educational as well as entertaining, then Infinite Arcade is definitely worth a shout.