From both a puzzle game and a board game perspective, Concrete Jungle is definitely a good time. Provided you’re looking for something slow-paced and strategic rather than action-y, anyway. It’s a clever mix of concepts with a very satisfying collection of interlaced mechanics that almost (almost) put me in a Tetris-like trance.

At times, the physics engine might seem a little dated. Certain moments have your rider stuck in the ground in a way that looks awkward rather than charmingly ragdoll-ish, but mostly, Pumped BMX 3 hits the spot every other time. Not everyone is going to manage to complete all 720 challenges, with some particularly fiendish, but the journey there is satisfying stuff. Even more so when completely free of in-app purchases. Pumped BMX 3 is an ideal premium purchase.

It’s an entertaining mixture of racing and team management that lets you progress at your own pace and bond with your canine teammates. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but I’m definitely okay with what it turned out to be.

Since control preferences are somewhat personal, it’s still easy to recommend NBA 2K17 for its impressive overall package despite that one caveat, but since it’s a fairly expensive premium game, you may want to test it out on a friend’s device first before you go all-in on a purchase.

Even with the porting issues, the mobile version of Realm of Shadows is still a great start to Telltale’s take on Batman — assuming you don’t have the means or desire to play it on a console or computer, anyway. The story is engaging, the action is decent enough, and it ends on one heck of a cliffhanger (the good kind). Play it wherever you can — even if your only choice is mobile.

When you do eventually reach its conclusion, you’re going to feel a little bittersweet about the whole thing. Fortunately, Sorcery! 4 offers more than enough different paths to pursue, giving you plenty of reason to start over again. There’s also that delightful sense of satisfaction in knowing that you’ve played through one of the finest narrative experiences of gaming in recent years. And I don’t just mean mobile gaming, either.

Despite the lack of direction and precise controls, we enjoyed our time on Vulture Island. Each individual level, from the gorilla-guarded jungle to the seagull-infested pier, is a charming slice of an oddly cohesive whole thanks to the shared collection of puzzles and items scattered around the world.

Any and all point-and-click fans need to check out Samorost 3. It’s a great game, and it’s super pretty to look at and listen to. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, you should check it out — if only because it’s such an absolute treat for the senses.

Paul Pixel – The Awakening just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by so many other classic adventure games. Maybe I’m being subconsciously biased because Samorost 3 came out recently and it’s freaking fantastic. Or maybe I’m just not the target audience, and it’s actually meant for point-and-click newbies. I dunno. I don’t think Paul Pixel is necessarily a bad game, but it’s rough in some pretty unfortunate places.

The decisions should be big and difficult, not things you poke and then move on from. There’s strategy here, don’t get me wrong — but there’s just not enough. Head of State deals with some big issues, but it never quite manages to give them the heft that they need to strike home. And on top of all that, it’s not really all that much fun.

Mini-games and the briefest of cutscenes flesh out the rest of the Final Cut Experience. Honestly, everything about the game is so well-tuned, it’s hard to find any faults. The visuals are phenomenal, mixing real photography with artwork in an almost seamless manner. Even the sound effects come across as professional. If you don’t mind scrolling through your inventory every time you hit a new puzzle, Final Cut: Homage will deliver every ounce of hidden object adventuring entertainment your heart desires.

Skyhill wasn’t what I was expecting, which is a shame, but it’s not bad either. It’s a simplistic zombie (sort of) survival game that requires some careful planning, but doesn’t necessarily require much skill. Conversely, the atmosphere is great. Check it out if you’re looking for a survival game that’s creepy, but also a bit less involved.

After a time, Oz: Broken Kingdom gets a little samey, and there are issues with running out of energy (a common problem for free-to-play games), but it’s a pretty fun ride regardless. Oz: Broken Kingdom doesn’t revolutionize the genre in any way, but it’s the kind of game that you’ll enjoy playing when you get the chance. Progress is reasonably simple to achieve thanks to its short and fast paced battles. And if we ever managed to liberate the land of Oz in the end, we think we’ll feel pretty pleased about that too.

Ember’s world world is incredibly robust, and I’m fairly sure most genre fans will enjoy wandering through it. However, anyone playing on a normal-sized mobile phone is in for a pretty big headache (both metaphorically and physically). If they were to update the game to make the text more legible on phones, there’d be nothing holding us back from giving Ember a hearty recommendation.

Feel free to mentally bump this grade up by a half-star or so if you’ve never played the previous games in the series or get a lot of use out of the companion app feature, but on its own, My NBA 2K17 feels like a lot more of the same.

Stretch Dungeon showcases everything that’s good about mobile gaming – bright and breezy, challenging and confident, and perfectly designed for either quick-snatch single goes or much deeper play sessions. This is one that you definitely need to stick on your phone or tablet at your earliest convenience.

A fun game that does a pretty good job of combining a couple of different types of genres together. It feels imprecise at times, and this (plus the randomness) can sometimes lead to frustration, but it’s also meant to be replayed after you inevitably lose so it’s not that big a deal. Mostly. Except when you fail because of said frustrations. Still, jumping back into things is easy enough.

If you’re looking for a game that doesn’t play by the same old rules, or you just fancy seeing a different take on the Space Invaders template for a more discerning modern audience, then this one is well worth picking up. Just be aware that there are going to be times when you’re gnashing your teeth trying to get through some more stodgy sections.

BLUK’s only real flaw is its slight camera issues. At times, if you land too near the edge of a pillar, it can be tricky to see fully where you’re going next. It doesn’t always happen but it’s particularly grating when you’re scoring high, and you’re left to guess what’s going to happen next. That aside, and BLUK remains a stylishly tricky platformer that’s bound to test your patience as well as your skill levels.

Submerged is ambitious and impressive. It builds its world brilliantly, and despite the problems it has you’re still going to want to dive into its damp universe and find out what’s going on. But with a little more pruning here and there, it could have been one of the most important iOS releases of recent years. As it is, it’s an interesting curio. A sort of soggy glimpsed at what could have been. And not a cyclopean Dennis Hopper anywhere to be seen.

There’s not that much depth to it, there’s not much spice beyond the lovely graphics and the shiny trappings but there’s still a good deal of slightly throwaway fun to be had here. But if you like He-Man, or tapping things, or you just like having an awful lot of fun in the small moments you can steal some gaming goodness on your mobile, then you should definitely have a go on this one.

As a kind of violent puzzle game, ENYO is reasonably rewarding, but be prepared – you’re going to have to be pretty patient when you’re first learning the ropes.

Siralim 2 is by no means a perfect, or even particularly refined, game. But none of that really matters when you’re fighting your way through the God of Anger’s realm as he occasionally swears at you and your menagerie of bizarre creatures. It might not look like much on the surface, and it may be a little rough around the edges, but there’s a lot to enjoy here.

Ultimately, Lifeline: Crisis Line will satisfy fans of the gamebook or text-based adventure genre. However, as 3 Minute Games continues to develop more of these, putting more power into the hands of players by creating more opportunities to make truly meaningful decisions will only improve the experience.

While the game might not have the heart of the original Puzzle Fighter, it’s still an enjoyable diversion. It’s super polished, and some of the animations are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Where Solitairica falters is its depth. It’s not as deep as it sounds. Once you’ve unlocked all the classes, you’ll find yourself gravitating to your favorite and mostly using the same spells repeatedly. That’s fine, but it means that Solitairica outstays its welcome eventually. There are only so many times you can play it until you feel as if you’ve had your fill and seen enough. Fortunately, that amount of content just about warrants a purchase, but you’ll burn out earlier than your initial playthroughs would have you think.

Lumines Puzzle & Music isn’t your typical mobile puzzle game. You’re going to need a pair of headphones, a lot of time, and a willingness to get lost in trance. If you’re comfortable with that proposition — and if you’ve ever played a Lumines in the past, you know you are — Lumines Puzzle & Music is everything you’re hoping for.

Space Marshals 2 is a worthy sequel, one full of panache and swagger, and if you like your gaming on the go to have a little more to it than popping bubbles or squishing pigs, then you’re going to lap it up.