If you enjoy platformers, aren’t turned off by an extremely high difficulty level, and think you’re going to get something out of going for all the secrets and playing all the modes? Yes, absolutely. It’s a Sunsoft game from Sunsoft’s prime, and that alone is a recommendation. Be warned, however, that the game has serious teeth that even modern conveniences can’t completely mitigate.

The game's narrative does a great job wrapping all of Spiral's components together in a story that's not only compelling but also just interesting. If any of this sounds remotely up your alley, you need to check out Spiral Episode 1.

Repulze is refreshing in its straightforwardness and execution, preferring to be excellent at one simple thing -- visually and mechanically -- than mediocre at several.

If you're not motivated by the high score chase, the game's done once you unlock all the hats. I'd love to see achievements and maybe a (cheerier) future level pack to pad the game out. An endless mode that actually gets harder and faster as you progress would be a nice addition, too.

Arranger isn't one of those things you should play if you like adventure games, or music game, it's one you should play if you like games, period, and the interesting things they can achieve.

My only regret was that it didn't go on longer (but sequel maybe, please?)

They've taken all of the great elements of the first game, refined them, and added a ton more content on top. If you were a fan of the original game, then you should no doubt enjoy this one even more.

If you have no interest in Space Invaders, the stiff price and relative lack of extras make this a hard sell. If you already own Space Invaders Forever, I would be incredibly hard-pressed to recommend spending sixty dollars to get the rest of the games in this set. That means Space Invaders Invincible Collection is for you if and only if you really like the series and haven’t already grabbed Forever. But if you do meet those qualifications, this is a genuinely dandy pick-up. I truly wish more had been done with giving this storied series the added historical context it deserves, but the treatment of the games themselves is top-class.

Republique is risky. It’s a big budget stealth-action epic on iOS that is attempting to change the face of touch games forever.

Squids is remarkable in that it cooly throws out a lot of the garbage I associate with the genre and turns it on its head with a kinetic combat mechanic that keeps you in control without sacrificing any strategy.

Sky Chasers isn’t the greatest cave flyer that’s ever flown through a cave, but it’s still a very good one.

Happy Game is an essential for fans of Amanita Design’s games as long as you’re ok with disturbing and creepy images and characters. It has all the polish of the developer’s prior releases, but a completely new style that showcases how talented the developer is. Even with its short runtime, I have no regrets recommending Happy Game to any fans of horror and puzzle games who are up for trying something different.

If the quirks and differences of the original release of Sonic Origins pushed you away, nothing in Sonic Origins Plus is going to turn your opinion around. Even the pixel scaling is still off. If you were okay with vanilla Origins, the Plus content is more than worth picking up. Ten dollars gets you a dozen Game Gear games and some fun new character options for the base game. I still think this is a solid collection that presents a good value for your money, and the Plus add-on only hammers that in more. I’d love to see a few things fixed or improved, but even as it is I think it’s a solid celebration of the most famous hedgehog in the world.

Bravely Default II is truly a JRPG fan’s JRPG, and while I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping it would smash my expectations the way the first game did, I’d be similarly dishonest if I were to say that I didn’t enjoy every minute of it.

All in all, this is a really cool action game with depth well beyond what you would expect just by looking at it. The combat is engaging, the bosses are implemented well, and the variety of abilities gives the game tremendous replay value.

Denki Blocks! has enough content to keep your puzzle needs satisfied for a very long time.

Still, if platforming is your bag, don't let grinding or opening your wallet keep you from missing out on Ms. Splosion Man's gorgeous, fast-paced, and rewarding adventure.

With fun gameplay and a ton of content in a polished package for only $0.99, it comes highly recommended.

It's bite-sized, but versatile, which means you get a lot of length out of it even if it's pretty simple to get through initially.

Most of the time, though, The Grading Game is pretty cool-assuming your idea of cool is finding other people's mistakes and punishing them.

If Talisman is new to you, Prologue can be a good way to see if you want to invest your time and money in the boxed or digital versions of this flawed but enjoyable classic.

Cat on a Diet may feel like an all too familiar amalgamation of slicing and contraption games, but it's still a lot of fun all the same.

Spirittea is a great game with the potential to be one of my favorites in the genre, but it needs some updates and fixes on Switch. I still recommend it, and enjoyed the mini-games, characters, and gameplay loop a lot. The aesthetic might not work for some, but I like it a lot and recommend trying the demo if you are interested. I’ll be grabbing the physical copy for this for sure whenever it gets announced.

I really enjoyed playing Alina of the Arena. It sticks to the recipe for the most part, but it does it well. The arena aspect gives it a slightly distinct flavor, one that I found compelling. It was a little tough early on, but once I unlocked a new class or two I found things clicked really nicely. I wish the UI was a little less awkward, and it’s a little light content-wise compared to some of its peers, but on the whole this is a battle worth fighting.

RoboCop: Rogue City ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the season. Not only is it a great RoboCop game, but a damn fine and fun experience throughout. Having played it on both Steam Deck and Xbox Series X, it is better on Xbox for sure, but I enjoyed experiencing the combat and story on Steam Deck despite the visual cutbacks. This one is an easy recommendation if you want a competent RoboCop game, and enjoyed the original movies.

I love the idea of it, I love the way that Simogo makes games, I love the art that went into this, I highly recommend playing this regardless of the score or my opinion because creative experiences like this need to exist.

SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a lovely surprise of an RPG. After a bit of getting used to it and some visual tweaks, I enjoyed my time with the game on Steam Deck using touch controls. If you’ve wanted an old-school RPG experience that’s built for today without compromising on the vision but one with some accessibility options, SKALD: Against the Black Priory is for you.

Assuming you don't mind a game that, while presenting itself well doesn't offer much in terms of innovation, you can do a lot worse than checking out 10tons latest title. Just make sure that your expectations are tempered ahead of time.

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story could’ve been a much better experience had it seen a bit more polish and tweaking in some of its mechanics and structure. There’s a lovely base here to build on, but there are a few too many things holding it back from being an easy recommendation, and the technical issues on Switch don’t help. It is however a good pick up and play experience and is approachable even by complete newcomers to the universe.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania retains the core appeal of the series: cute ball-encased monkeys rolling around devilishly challenging stages at high speeds. It ventures just far enough from the specifics of the original games to be considered a truly faithful remake, but those who aren’t intimately familiar with those games or are willing to adapt will find an amazing wealth of aggravating appeal and ridiculous stunts. It’s a great place to get acquainted with the series if you haven’t before, with plenty to offer veterans looking for something closer to the mark than the likes of Banana Blitz.

The high production values and ridiculously in-depth history, bestiary and other reading material alone is enough to make Dofus: Battles an easy recommendation, so it's nice the game itself is actually enjoyable.

I came into this already a big fan of these characters, and ultimately I got a kick out of going through each of the routes of Pirates of the Disturbance. It does justice to the original property, and I would recommend it to anyone who has gotten hooked on the series in any of its forms. On the other hand, while I don’t think non-fans will be lost trying to play it, I also don’t think the game is going to shine all that much for them. If that’s the bucket you fall into, you might be better served by another visual novel from this publisher. Catarina cronies should climb aboard immediately, though.

As it stands, Mr. Crab is a solid, clever little one-touch platformer.

Controls aside, Sine Mora is an excellent shooter, a great port, and just an overall fun game to play. The story and presentation rock, the mechanics are sound, and the game's supplemental Arcade, Score Attack, and Boss Training modes offer a wealth of replayability beyond the fascinating story mode. If you have even the slightest interest in a shooter, Sine Mora needs to be checked out.

Beast Boxing 3D is exactly the kind of boxing game I've been waiting for.

There is a near-painful amount of potential here, for what is already a reasonably entertaining multiplayer game.

Overall a nice and original puzzle game that should appeal to fans of jigsaw or tangram-like games.

Sure, there's room for improvement. I'd love it if there was more variation in scoring, or if there were jumps or other obstacles besides traffic.

Steampunk Tower may not rock the proverbial boat when it comes to Tower Defense, but it's still a pretty fun game.

While there's a lot that's odd about Vulture Island, I really like the game here. The puzzles are fetch quest type stuff, but their uses are just devious enough that they will make you feel stupid for not figuring it out sooner. And the whole game's clunkiness just kind of gives the game a particular character to it.

Party Hard Go finally hitting mobile feels like a big deal since the game was so iffy on hitting mobile. And here we are. It's a unique game, from its ultraviolence, to quasi-stealth gameplay, to its...well, unique themes, let's put it that way. It's a one-of-a-kind game, nowhere near excellence, but if you've been intrigued to give it a shot, why not do so now on mobile?

Get Me Outta Here has a little bit of jankiness and rough edges to it, but they don't diminish the overall experience to a great degree. This is a rather fun arena shooter, and well worth a download at the very least, though you'll get a ton of fun out of the full game unlock if you indulge in it.

Ultimately, it’s a well-polished spin that is fun to pick up now and then for a few minutes, if not much more than that.

Is Knights of the Old Republic II worth playing in the default state it’s in at launch? Well, yes. It’s a fine enough game even without the Restored Content mod. But it’s a far better game all around with that mod applied, and as we know that it is coming it’s hard to emphatically recommend playing this game until then. That’s particularly the case with the somewhat buggy nature of this launch version. This will be a must-play RPG and likely the ultimate version of a game that deserves more appreciation, but right now it’s just a good one.

9 Years of Shadows is a well-made Metroidvania that gets most things right. The presentation is excellent, the map design is solid, the boss battles are exciting, and the setting and story are intriguing. It doesn’t have any particularly new ideas, but it executes on the familiar ones well. It’s just unfortunate that technical issues and bugs drag down the overall experience on Switch. Make sure to check this game out somewhere, but this Switch version should probably be your last choice for doing so.

The best way to sum up Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is that it's very competent in every area, but far from the killer app that many might have hoped it would be.

You might say that 7 dollars is a lot for an app lacking multiplayer, but it is cheaper than the actual board game, so if you already have an iPhone or iPad (Why are you even on this site if you don’t? You silly Billy) it’s definitely worth it. If you are new to deck builders entirely, I’d try some of the free ones or cheaper ones roaming around the app store first, like my main squeeze Ascension, just to get a taste of the general mechanics.

This is a fun adventure with enough meat on its bones to easily justify its asking price. It’s still not perfect, but I’m glad the developer was able to finally get Mr Tako in his best threads, so to speak.

If you're anything like me, the thrill of fighting off waves of aquatic-robot monsters with a well armed half-spider, half-velociraptor Araknasaur makes Velocispider an easy buy. Fortunately, it's also a challenging arcade game that will keep you scrabbling for a high score.

Series fans will definitely want to give this game a look if only to see how the long-running and well-loved franchise got its start. For a game that is more than a quarter of a century old, it plays remarkably well. It’s also a fantastic choice for those looking for a lighter RPG bite, provided they’re willing to put up with a few eccentricities owing to its age.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is as charming as it ever was, and the various additions and improvements to this remake certainly make it a definitive experience for those coming to the game for the first time. Those who got their fill of the original might find there isn’t enough new here to justify the purchase. For my part, I’m happy to see this game come back, but I can’t help but wonder if I wouldn’t have been just as satisfied with the oringal game being added to Nintendo Switch Online instead. Perhaps a new installment is in order?

For only a buck, there's really no excuse to not download this one. You get a seemingly-endless number of levels and a fun diversion, and it's Universal to boot.

Guild of Dungeoneering Ultimate Edition brings a very enjoyable roguelite packed with personality to the Nintendo Switch in fine form. The button controls work well, and the game looks nice on the handheld screen. If you’ve played this game before on another platform, all you need to know is that this is another excellent option to play it again. If you haven’t played it before and you enjoy a good roguelite, you’ll want to check this out. It has some additions, improvements, and refinements, but truthfully speaking the core game was good enough that all of that is just icing on the cake.

GT Racer is probably one of the best racers on the App Store. In particular, racing fans looking for a realistic racer that offers nicely varied racing action wrapped up in a very pretty package should enjoy Gameloft's latest offering.

Like I said, fans should dig this one; detractors won't. "Get Tannen" does nothing super special other than add to the fiction, which I imagine would be fine for everyone who enjoyed the first installment of the game series and are looking for more.

Older console ports have had a tendency to not transition well to iOS, but Indigo Prophecy is thankfully one of the rare exceptions.

The humor hovers on that level, a mix of pop-culture references, tough guy 'tude and "Jackass" worthy stunts. Maybe that, combined with shooting punks and rudeboys, coshing juves, and riding a AI motorcycle equipped with machine guns and a laser, is enough.

Like any of its logic game brethren, Puzzle Restorer thrives on the strength of those rules. Because they make a solid foundation, the game is free to open up into greater and greater challenges without ever becoming bogged down in complexity. This could be the start of a puzzle game legacy if Gavina Games has the tenacity to keep it going. As a new twist on a popular type of puzzle game, there's plenty of room to grow.

But the core idea, the thrill of pinning a captain's badge to your chest and piloting your own ship through the starry depths, remains intact in the form of an addictive and brilliantly chaotic experience.

The classic mode in Bubble Bobble Double can still be a lot of fun despite its shortcomings.

As it is, Dodo Master is a flawlessly created platformer that screams panache from beginning to end.

Young Souls is a very thoughtfully-designed game with a lot of satisfying systems to engage with. Taken together with its attention to making the game feel like a proper adventure, it’s almost enough to carry it all the way through. But at least for me, it felt like the game dragged on a couple of hours longer than I would have preferred. There are also some performance issues plaguing this game, and it even crashed on me a few times. None of this was enough to put me off of Young Souls, but it certainly curbed some of my enthusiasm for it as a whole.

If you enjoy solving nonograms/Picross puzzles and you have any love for Story of Seasons, this is a no-brainer purchase. It perfectly incorporates the franchise whose name it bears into the very solid Piczle Cross framework. I think it also works as a nice gateway to those who haven’t gotten into nonograms before, and its theme isn’t so overbearing as to turn away those who have no strong feelings one way or the other for Story of Seasons. Probably my favorite game of this sort since Jupiter got SEGA’s chocolate in its Picross peanut butter.

Now, while the game is gorgeous and ends on a high note, Broken Age Part 1 on its own is hard to recommend. I'm not disregarding the entire game – with Part 2, it could wind up being something great. But just Part 1? I'd wait for the whole thing to release.

Even though the camera is kind of weird, The Pinball HD seems to be the best pinball collection available for the iPad right now.

If you’re on the hunt for a well-built 2D action game, particularly one you can play with a friend, then Grim Guardians: Demon Purge will likely satisfy. It’s a highly experienced developer working in the genre it’s best known for, and the resulting level of quality is hardly a big surprise. I think it’s more for the fans of the developer than the fans of the property it draws its themes from, and I do wish it had a little more bite to its challenge. An enjoyable romp, but nothing all that special.

Overall however, I think Pocket Trains makes a lot of strides with its core gameplay, making it the sort of logistical title that I think Pocket Planes aspired to be. Suffice to say, there's really no reason not to check out Pocket Trains, and I highly recommend everyone giving it a try.

If you're able to overlook its flaws, Bird Strike is a ton of fun.

I imagine some folks may complain that Monster Wars feels too much like its precursor without much of a change to the core gameplay. I say, why mess with a good thing? While the game does feel like a re-skin at times, Monster Wars still does a great job taking the classic gameplay from Legendary and transplanting it in a new setting.

Still, I give QuestLord a lot of credit for properly introducing me to a genre that I never really could get into. With a streamlined attribute and quest system, there's not a lot of depth that is traditionally found in other titles. However, it's for this exact reason that I think it succeeds for newbies like me. Assuming you're looking to give dungeon crawlers a try, I'd definitely recommend QuestLord as an introductory taste.

PinWar isn't quite enough of anything. It's not quite pinball enough to please the pinball purists, and not quite competitive enough to really hook the adversarial among us. It is, however, a lot of fun.

Home is a good game: thought-provoking, unsettling, and original.

It helps that the game is essentially free if you have the fortitude to deal with ads (mostly after a sequence of levels and not during gameplay), so give it a try if you're longing for a fun puzzle game.

Considering the cost of admission, it’s a no brainer to check out Gemini Strike, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.

Fans of TD aren’t necessarily looking for a revolution in gameplay — sometimes all that’s needed is a fresh set of paint, incremental improvements, and some lasting, enjoyable gameplay. Cursed Treasure 2 squarely falls in that latter category which makes it worth a pick-up in my view.

This is without a doubt the best version of Dragon Quest 2 we've had officially released in English, and if you enjoyed the recent release of the first game, you should have no concerns about jumping in here and taking on the next adventure.

If you're looking for a Marvel-flavored version of the DC brawler, this is probably close enough to satisfy you, and it might even pleasantly surprise you in some ways.

Some games are just enjoyable for what they are, without trying to make a huge advance on their genre. Sometimes you just want something simple, and classic. And Super Dangerous Dungeons delivers. If that sounds like fun to you, then give this a download. If you want something that is a little more modern, and trying to advance into the future of platforming and gaming, well, look elsewhere.

Sonny is just a solid casual RPG. The battle-based structure makes it easy to play this one for just a few minutes at a time. It's got challenging battles, but it gives you plenty of options to try and get a leg up on any tough enemies and battles. It's easy to play and dive into, but has a surprising depth to the combat. It's lacking a few things, but is overall a cohesive, well-made game that fans of the original Flash games and newcomers should both enjoy.

I found the puzzles to be very satisfying to solve in Unforeseen Incidents. There are also a few minigames and action bits now and then to help keep you on your toes, some more welcome than others. The story digs around a bit too much in the trope bucket, but both the characters and the various sets are interesting enough to carry your attention. The topic matter hits a little differently today than it did when the game first released, which may be either a plus or a negative for you. The port to the Switch has been pulled off well, and it plays rather intuitively with a controller. If you’re looking for a good point-and-clicker, this is one game you should see coming.

If you happen to be a Ninja JaJaMaru fan, you’ll love The Great Yokai Battle + Hell. It’s the best game in the series, and not by a little. It’s also packed to the gills with loving references to previous JaJaMaru games and the JalecoVerse in general. If you’re coming to the series for the first time, then this is the one to get. It’s a fun arcade-style action game with lots of hooks to keep you coming back again and again. Not exactly an all-timer, but it’s a very enjoyable game that punches well above this franchise’s historical weight class.

It might sound like I’m down on Kraino Origins, but the reality is that I’m very mixed on it. It controls well and I like the level designs. The bosses don’t match up to the levels in quality, and it really doesn’t take long to see everything here. I also feel like it cribs a little too much from Shovel Knight, and the end result is that it lacks a strong sense of identity. The graphics are good, the music less so. Yes, I’m all over the place on this one, but I do think fans of the genre will have a pretty good time with it while it lasts.

For its low asking price, I have no complaints with Summerhouse, barring a minor controller-related issue I ran into on Steam Deck. Barring that, it plays great on the system, and looks gorgeous on the Steam Deck OLED. I hope it does come to iPad in the future as well as this is something I’d love installed on every device I own. If you’ve wanted to build your own nostalgic dream house or just play around with a creative interactive toy, Summerhouse is for you.

But it's still surprising how well Jelly Defense runs. It's as smooth as butter, even when the action gets intense.

A solid port of an imaginative game that puts a lot of control in your hands.

Finding Teddy is a delight and a surprise. It's a game that could easily languish as a hidden gem of the platform, but it's just as sure to be evangelized by those that play it. It's an easy game to love, particularly if you're a fan of point-and-click adventure. The story of a girl and her teddy bear may not seem like the must-play hit of the moment, but it has so much love to give. A little of your time isn't much to ask in return.

It's very clear a lot of work went into Rakoo's Adventure, which makes it quite regrettable how little game came out. It seems the moral of Rakoo's story is that sometimes love just isn't enough.

Whether you look at dialogue and story line, or implementation of mechanics, or just sheer volume of gameplay, Evoland 2 is not just a huge improvement on the original but also an amazing way to extend your experiences you may have had with those old school games that it emulates. Evoland 2 pulls off something very difficult to do, it keeps it's own unique feel and functions as a greatest hits anthology. Go get it if you haven't already!

A sharp little simulation game packed with depth and, oddly enough, a little emotion.

Huebrix has great puzzles, but the game that surrounds them needs serious work.

This is a good, well-made Ridge Racer game for your mobile device

The controls may be a tad too finicky for players who weren't around for racing games before the advent of analog controls, but if you loved RC Pro-Am, Rock n' Roll Racing, and the many other similar games of the era, Cubed Rally Racer will become your de facto "I have two minutes what should I play?" game.

It's a shame that the best way to monetize the game was to make it frustratingly slow, because that will undoubtedly turn away many potential players. Don't make their mistake. Slow and steady wins the restaurant race, so take it easy and cook up something nice.

The pace is pretty good, the game looks and sounds great, and on an individual level some of the puzzles are fun to untangle. The games shines with potential, and that does take it a good distance. As such, I’d probably still recommend the game, even if I can’t do so as enthusiastically as I would have liked to. It’s buggy, the design feels inconsistent, and the story keels over at the last minute, but you may want to put up with all of that if only to get at the bits that work.

In its current state, Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat is a great addition to Apple Arcade. Hopefully it gets more songs and even modes through big updates like many of the games on the service have been getting in recent months. If you’ve never played a game in the series before, Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat is a super polished entry that is light on content right now but is still a joy to play and a great rhythm game to just pickup and play.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is an odd thing. It looks very distinct, but its gameplay couldn’t be more time-tested. It is so faithful to its source of inspiration that I would hesitate to recommend it to newcomers to the genre, but I think if you enjoy games like Etrian Odyssey or Stranger of Sword City, you should consider picking this one up. Not the longest or most unique of games, but Labyinth of Zangetsu was a surprisingly enjoyable time for me.

In its current state, Warframe is an impressive port of an excellent game. While I was hoping it was better in some aspects, Warframe is worth trying out on iOS for sure. It remains one of the best examples of free to play done right, and the complete game with no major compromises is now playable on iOS with cross play and cross save support. I can’t wait to see how Digital Extremes enhances the mobile version through the year leading into the Android version.

The price point might make this a hard pill to swallow for those unfamiliar with the game already, but I suspect this is one for the super fans anyway. M2 has done its usual fine work with the emulation side of things, and Rainmaker has really packed in the extras to help increase the value proposition. The game itself is a good one, a strong deep cut from the Super NES library, and it’s nice to have the original experience in English after all this time.