Living up to its name, Pine Hearts is a thoughtful and emotional nugget of joy. Its welcoming atmosphere encourages curiosity and play, while not being afraid to tackle some of humanity’s most difficult emotions.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a lovingly crafted remake that brings all the fun of the original while including some helpful quality-of-life updates that do away with tedious traveling. There’s a reason this game is a fan favorite, and this enhanced version lives up to all the expectations.

Biomutant’s vibrant, post-apocalyptic setting simply does not translate to the Nintendo Switch. Pair this with convoluted combat, shallow morality systems, and a suspect blending of Asian cultures, and you get a very unenjoyable gameplay experience.

Little Kitty, Big City is a purr-fectly charming game with oodles of personality. Short but incredibly sweet, it invites you to explore a metropolitan playground through the eyes of a curious kitty in the most delightful way. A must for cat-lovers, and a meow-gical time for gamers of all ages.

Vampire Survivors can still do no wrong, and the Operation Guns DLC is an awesome addition that adds hours of playtime to an already engrossing game.

Solo Leveling: Arise takes an established IP and gives it the videogame treatment it deserves, immersing you in the tension and conflict of Sung Jinwoo’s reawakening as a Hunter. It looks great, it’s satisfying to play, and it’s not gatekept by heavy-handed microtransactions or battle passes.

While the fishing core of Moonglow Bay might be a little lackluster, and exploration is underwhelming in places, there’s still a good time to be had with this cozy narrative-driven experience that touches on grief, loss, and new beginnings in a way that is almost certain to make your heart stir.

Endless Ocean Luminous is a welcome return to the series. It offers a fun story mode, enjoyable multiplayer, and an abundance of creatures to discover. However, the repetitive nature of the game may begin to wear on you after a while.

Botany Manor lets me live out my dreams of being a horticulturist, discovering wild and wonderful plant types from across the world all from the comfort of my own home.

Wildfrost is a brilliant little deck builder that manages to both frustrate and charm in equal measure. Its magnificently moreish yet maddening gameplay loop makes it a perfect fit for mobile, and its intuitive yet punishing mechanics offer heaps of replayability, making it well worth the premium entry fee.

South Park: Snow Day is an enjoyable experience that offers something a bit different from previous entries, Stick of Truth and Fractured but Whole, through a hack ‘n slash-tyle combat, card-based powers system, and the ability to go on a hilarious adventure with your pals.

Princess Peach: Showtime turns the Mushroom Kingdom’s monarch into a digital Barbie, filling any role she’s given with personality and charm. Some levels place you on the edge of your seat, while others leave you praying for the interval. A very good game for a highly specific demographic - adult Mario fans, be warned.

While the campaigns are nostalgic and fun to revisit, the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection is largely disappointing. The multiplayer mess feels inexcusable, robbing players of the basic fundamentals of a Star Wars multiplayer game. Not being able to finish matches due to crashes, struggling to even get into a game, and a lack of servers make this one of the worst multiplayer experiences I’ve had for some time.

Warhammer 40K Dakka Squadron is made by people who clearly love 40K, and Orks. But, while that leads to lots of initial fun, the game can eventually wear thin with repetitive levels and an incredibly dated aesthetic.

Mediterranea Inferno is a must-play visual novel that explores the intricacies of generational trauma, queer subculture, and our sense of connection in a post-pandemic world with nuance and without shying away from the gorier aspects of the human experience.

Ex Astris is a truly impressive premium mobile RPG that really breaks the mold. Nostalgic yet fresh, this brilliant little gem combines a stunning world, deep lore, lovable characters, and an intricate turn-based-meets-real-time combat system, making for a truly striking experience that is well worth the entry fee.

Cavern of Dreams is the game Spyro fans have been waiting for. It’s an adorable game that throws you back to the N64 and PlayStation era for games, featuring a simple but sweet story, fun platforming segments, and cute world design.

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story succeeds in bringing one of Runeterra’s “least developed parts” to life in a charming, vibrant, and cozy package that’s suited to both long-time LoL fans and newcomers alike.

Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is a ghoulishly gripping horror visual novel that sets out to spook you at every turn. Featuring a fine blend of familiar and fresh gameplay elements, spine-chilling spooks, and heart-wrenching horrors, it’s a brilliant continuation of an already outstanding series, and a real masterclass in supernatural storytelling.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore captures the intended retro charm with expert authenticity, warts and all. There's a great deal of energetic personality here, and the gameplay is straightforward fun, though the experience is slightly undermined by a lack of polish... but perhaps that's the whole point.

While it takes its time to build momentum, once it clicks with you Mario vs Donkey Kong is a rewarding and enjoyable remake, and another win for the Mario franchise. The simple gameplay gets deceptively tricky, and is supported by wonderful visuals: just make sure you stick with it.

While the controls and combat can be frustrating at times, this is due to the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection being the faithful trilogy of remasters that it should be, allowing you to revisit where the iconic franchise all started.

Yes, Your Grace loses nothing in its port to mobile, retaining its enthralling atmosphere and narrative, driven forward by straightforward gameplay. You'll spend countless hours in the kingdom of Davern reflecting on your tough choices, while soaking in the wonderful design of the game.

Lil Guardsman offers an intriguing and easily completable puzzle, wrapped in a cartoony art style with superb script writing. Let yourself become the gatekeeper of the city and decide the fate of all the visitors flocking to the Sprawl, and the city itself.

Prince of Persia makes a solid comeback with The Lost Crown, embracing the Metroidvania genre and giving fans a world full of adventure and danger. The intriguing story, characters, and lack of bugs are just the cherry on top of a lovely sundae.

Born of Bread is a fun and endearing 2.5D adventure game that features some of the most forgiving, yet fun, combat I’ve come across. The story is fun, the characters are engaging, and I can’t help but consider this to be one of the better games I’ve played in 2023.

Black Clover M: Rise of the Wizard King is one of the best mobile games to release this year, offering new and old fans alike a fun-filled experience in a magical world with an engaging story, enigmatic characters, and theatrical combat.

Hitman: Blood Money Reprisal offers a way to play a classic Agent 47 experience on mobile with fantastic touchscreen controls and a few gameplay improvements. While the graphics are not as impressive as we might like in 2023, it’s still worth picking up for fans of the series and those wondering why the original is still so well-regarded all these years later.