It’s incredibly clever, deeply strategic, has an inviting visual style that begs to be interacted with, and is just plain fun.

Rocket Ski Racing is a very solid game from a very solid developer, and I can’t wait to see what No Can Win puts out next.

With responsive controls and a uniquely programmed set of AI cars to navigate, this one will keep you busy for a while.

On the one hand, putting a Puzzle & Dragons style collecting/evolving system in a tower defense game is kind of cool and definitely leads to a fairly unique experience. On the other hand, it also makes the game feel considerably less strategic since in the back of your mind you know you can probably win any level if you collect the right cards and upgrade them enough.

If you're willing to put in the time and patience, however, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is among the best roguelikes currently available on the App Store. It's something you could find yourself playing for literal months if not longer, and it doesn't cost a thing. All of that is probably worth a little (okay, a lot) of discomfort with the control set-up.

If you're into beat 'em ups, give it a shot and see how much you can stomach though.

Overall this is a surprisingly well constructed game and nitpicks aside, you owe it to yourself to dig into the game and ask why aren't there more big name Poke-clones out there.

Justice Chronicles is a strong follow-up to the original game.

Having said all that, Frank the Dillo is a great way to pass the time if you're looking for a golf-like game. It could use a few tweaks and some more content, but it works just fine all the same.

It's more like one of those oddities you stumble across buried in a collection of classics than a headliner on the front of the box, but Pick-Xell's enjoyable enough to be worth playing with for a little while.

The unusual mechanics make MetaHuman Inc. interesting from a gameplay point of view, but overall, I found this to be one of the weaker recent releases from Choice Of Games.

The production values, the characters, the environments, the controls (if you use them)--it’s all basically perfect. Those first five minutes were really amazing.

True Lover's Knot is a special kind of bad. It's so terrible all-around that it's almost entertaining to experience, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it at any price.

If you're into vehicular action games, you really can't go wrong with giving CaRRage a try. It suffers from a lack of personality at times, especially in regards to the soundtrack, but for a free game it offers up a whole lot more than a lot of paid experiences.

If you love ramen and have been waiting for a sim that captures all of the spills and thrills of running your own chain of shops, well, you might as well bite on The Ramen Sensei because I somehow doubt anyone's going to be doing it better than this.

The game is an absolute joy to play, with even better visuals and more of the incredibly smooth gameplay fans of the series have come to expect from Zepto Lab.

Gopogo is a great hardcore game bogged down by a questionable monetization scheme. I had a lot of fun learning its ins and outs, but after being bombarded with ads throughout I had to take a break.

Grayout is quite the rewarding game if you do decide to check it out.

If you can tolerate the initial confusion, though, Metro 2033: Wars does have some enjoyable surprises to share, and unlike most surprises you get in the subway, these ones are mostly welcome.

The addition of new mechanics changes up the gameplay in wonderful new ways without sacrificing an ounce of what made the original such a standout game in the first place.

Thanks to the cleverness of its core gameplay concept, Scribblenauts Unlimited is an enormously enjoyable toy to play with for a while.

It's easy to pick up and manage, and despite a stark difficulty spike, it's fun to play.

On the whole, everything that makes up Into the Dim feels kind of sloppy, but that doesn't stop it from being a clever little dungeon crawler.

Pendragon Rising is worth picking up if you're looking for a well-written story and don't mind sacrificing some of the usual customization found in Choice Of Games releases.

So, as you can tell from my review so far, I'm very happy with the League of Explorers Adventure, and I feel it has really raised the bar for future expansions and adventures.

There's 5-star potential that Rust Bucket can still reach, but until then, this game has to settle for being merely very good, though it could be one of the best roguelikes on the App Store at some point.

AirAttack 2 is one of the best looking games on mobile right now, and it backs that up with pristine gameplay that would satisfy any shmup fan. This is definitely going into my permanent shooter folder.

From a gameplay perspective, there are tons of meaningful choices here, a great deal of agency over the plot, and lots of fun nooks and crannies to explore on replays.

If it wasn't so convoluted and weighed down by the storefront, Rush N Krush would be a must-download for arcade racing fans. Right now though you'll have to brave the cavalcade of menus and micro-currencies to make sense of anything.

Power Hover is just a solid little game.

That being said, if you've been playing along with every GTA release Rockstar has made on iOS over the years, Liberty City Stories is every bit as must-have as the rest of them.

Honestly, I was not expecting to like Snowboard Party 2 as much as I did. I didn’t think that carving through snow would be anything but frustrating with a touchscreen, but I was (mostly) proven wrong.

I'm very excited to finally have in Football Manager Touch 2016 what I think is the best Football Manager version I could have hoped for, and despite my niggles with the 3D engine and some interface issues here and there, this might be my game of the year.

It's a solid game, and while you will notice its shortcomings, it's overall a worthy use of time.

Despite some wonky design choices in regards to the monetization scheme, Rayman Adventures is still a perfect gateway into the series for beginners and Rayman fans alike.

At just a few bucks, BLOCnog is a steal, and a great way to spend an entire weekend, or a few minutes at a time solving puzzles.

Over time you learn to navigate around all the weird little bugs and puzzling UI decisions and just enjoy the game for what it is: a surprisingly strategic movie generator wrapped around decent match-three mechanics with lots of charm and personality.

What's here is promising and certainly worth checking out if you're into interactive fiction, but a lot of the story, systems, and scope of the game will only become apparent in a month or two when it's had a chance to spread its wings a bit.

It could use a bit more meat on its bones, but it's hard to complain when the core game is competent and completely free, with no strings attached.

It’s a clicker that was clearly made by people with a deep love and understanding of music, and because of that, it just might be the most satisfying one I’ve ever played.

As a virtual pet, it’s cute, unique, and meets expectations. It will take about 3 days for Cthulhu to reach adolescence and about 6 days to reach adulthood, so at the very least, you can enjoy this diversion for a little under a week and move on.

Whether it's for a few hours on a rainy day or multiple days on end, if you like to spend hours clicking cookies and trying to amass a fortune, you'll have a blast with Amazing Loot Grind -- just don't expect a grand payoff at the end, as what you see is what you get.

In the end, it's worth the few bucks to essentially trade up into the premium version.

Despite its slightly awkward free-to-play nature and its sometimes-bizarre controls, Starlit Adventures is cute, sweet, and compelling. Can't ask for much more out of a game that's about a mole.

Forge And Flame is quite good, especially considering its scope, but it's not quite great.

Mainly, it offers tons of replayability as you go through each difficulty of each stage one by one, looking for coins and hidden paths that snake their way between the difficulties. It can be frustrating to the max, but it's my kind of frustrating.

Munch is a good port of a fun but flawed game that unfortunately shows its age and era a little too much. If you have the patience to see yourself through the parts of the game that don't work very well, however, you'll get a good time out of the parts that do.

A short, sweet, and fairly brilliant ride through a colorful and imaginative world.

There are far worse problems for a game to have than too much free content, though. If you haven't played Blendoku before, I'd easily recommend skipping ahead to this one, as it's a more refined and well-rounded package.

It's also a great choice for those who just want to get into a good story or experience a unique, surreal atmosphere without any of the hassles of trying to make a cat-hair mustache.

Still, if you want a great manager game on your phone that has more than enough depth and suffers only from some interface issues, FMM 2016 is your drug of choice.

All of the various systems in the game come together in a delightful mix of clever new ideas and familiar tried and true concepts.

Maybe my favorite thing about Progress to 100, though, is that most games have one or two gimmicks, and I think there’s something to be said for a game that has all the gimmicks.

I'll admit I'm predisposed towards the theme due to my personal interests in comic books, old spy movies, and taking over the world with my army of mindless shark-mummies, but even setting that aside, Diabolical is a wonderfully entertaining piece of interactive fiction. It gives the player a lot of flexibility, has a great sense of humor, and even manages to tell an interesting, if absurd, story along the way.

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.

You should download this if you have a 3D Touch device, just to see what's possible in games with that functionality. And if you love the Warhammer universe, giant robots, or just want an action game you can play for quick bursts, you will enjoy some time with this game. But the constant monetization attempts, while fair, do wear down your nerves. And that energy system is a killer that keeps this from being a good game and a solid recommendation.

Pixeljam took a very simple and classic idea of controlling a ship with spin-and-thrust controls, and by applying a particular structure around the game with its goals, theme, and art (the music sets the atmosphere fantastically), they've made something that's compelling.

This game is well worth checking out if you like difficult games, retro games, or just unique games.

Regardless, whether you treat the game solely as a digital version or opt for the portal, SuperChargers is a game worth checking out.

A lot of people will probably be scared off by the retro aesthetic, but if you have an open mind, consider giving it a shot.

While it expects you to make your own fortune, your losses and setbacks are measured and not too severe to recover from. There is a lot to like about this little vendor sim and well worth the price of admission.

As a premium game, Lumino City's price feels right on the mark. There's no boosts or IAP involved, you simply need to deduce your way to the game's conclusion. In that sense, it's a perfect pickup for old school adventure fans alike.

If you love Japanese-style strategy RPGs, don't mind if they're pretty easy, and have an excess of time, Legna Tactica is a well-constructed enough facsimile to keep you busy for a little while.

Beneath the Lighthouse has a mesmerizing presentation coupled with easy to use controls and interesting levels.

It's just all disappointing because Zodiac's such a gorgeous game. And the interface in combat is super-slick. And the Zodiac system is really cool to play with. But what Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey fails to do is to make the player want to keep playing it. It fails to capitalize on the strengths it has, preferring to draw itself out into a boring trudge rewards you with too few bright spots over far too long of a playing time.

If a pick-up-and-play roguelike that's challenging without being too punishing sounds like a good time, you'll enjoy Tiny Rogue.

Neo Monsters might lead to something enjoyable in the future, but for now, it's an awkward mess that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.

The basic mechanics reward mastery without being overly complicated, and it just feels good to zip around dungeons like a little whirling dervish of destruction.

It's admirable that Candy Curse doesn't contain any IAP, but at the same time, I'm not sure everyone is going to be engaged enough to actually complete the entire affair. With some more diverse level layouts and quests it would be an easier pill to swallow.

Evel Knievel is a fun, worthy tribute to the legendary daredevil, even despite one or two weird choices (that ghostly drawl will surely haunt my dreams).

For those of you who really dig the art style and like getting lost in puzzling worlds, Ghost of Memories is probably worth checking out at some point. For the rest of you, waiting for a potential sequel to iron out the aforementioned issues is probably for the best.

With all of the improvements made for the iOS version of Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome Of Ice, it's a much easier game to recommend. Just keep in mind that there are still a few glitches here and there at the moment, and that the game itself is pretty content to color within the lines of the genre and period it's aping.

It also deserves credit for treating its moral dilemmas with a remarkably even hand, making for some tough choices. That's one of the best things a piece of interactive fiction can accomplish, I think, and it's enough for me to at least somewhat recommend The City's Thirst, particularly to those who have already enjoyed stories set in this world.

Beat Sports by Harmonix is a game that should be crazy amounts of fun. Think about it: it was only 7 or 8 years ago that Wii Sports and Guitar Hero were both the go-to party games when you had friends and family over. Imagine combining them! Unfortunately, shaking a remote around is just not precise enough to work reliably in a rhythm game.

If you know what you're getting with Octodad, which is a game that is meant to be intentionally clumsy, and forgive the moments when the clumsiness works against you, you'll have a good time with the game.

Overall, though, it’s a pretty fascinating little slice of motorcycle racing that’s not quite like anything I’ve played before.

It’s not as abstract a world as Portal, and feels out of place, but if you can ignore all that silly window dressing, there’s a good game with great voice acting to enjoy.

While in some ways I can understand people who miss the cozy little puzzle box the first game offered, I think it's truly impressive the way this series keeps taking big steps to shake things up. The Room Three, for better or for worse, is the biggest and most elaborate puzzle box Fireproof has designed yet.

I suppose it's a good thing that Agent A's first episode left me wanting more, but I feel like the game and its promotions need to hammer down the idea that this isn't a complete story yet.

PixWing is utterly gorgeous, and the production values are fantastic. Seriously, I fell in love with the look of this game from the first screenshot I saw, and the fact that you get to dig in and explore the world is an amazing experience.

Templar Battleforce is an easy recommendation to any strategy fan, even if the setting doesn't do much for you. If you are into this type of space-faring ooh-rah, on the other hand, you're going to be on cloud nine.

Rocketcat is known for great games and amazing app support so I feel confident that this update is not the last nor the biggest nor the brightest we will be seeing to add onto this already fantastic game.

Afterpulse is yet another example of a mobile game that strips away all the fluffy extras and instead focuses on delivering a tight, fun experience that's perfect for on-the-go gaming. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels a bit too focused, as it really could do with one or two other gameplay types beyond simple deathmatches.

It's just a little too insubstantial on the whole for me to give it a really strong recommendation.

While Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons doesn't exactly hit the lofty mark it appears to be shooting for, it's still quite an impressive effort, and it certainly has a wow factor to it that will have you grinning throughout your first playthrough.

It can be slow-going at times near the end of the progression loop, but Dash Quest is relatively fair with doling out carrots with very little sticks involved.

If you're into the genre, Leave Me Alone is a great way to relive the glory days on your mobile device. Sure it's not as polished as a lot of other titles, but the gameplay is there, and the power to quickly skate around and fight at will is a neat conceit.

It's perhaps limited as it's focused toward amusement and tallying up the endings versus telling some kind of grand, cryptic story with it. But if goofy animations for solving cryptic puzzles sounds like fun to you, download this. You'll have a good time.

Heck, you don't have to pay anything if you don't want to, as the damn thing is free if you just want to try it out first. And you should, because it really is Guitar Hero on iOS, and that's pretty awesome.

Really, Astra stands out among other orbital platformers for its unique art and great feel. But it is a trying game, and one that caused me to quit constantly and go play something else, to the point that it was difficult to proceed.

Legacy Of Dorn: Herald Of Oblivion is an enjoyable, creepy adventure with a great setting and a fun combat system.

Though you will die a lot, and dealing with the black holes ain't easy. But do at least give this a download, it's got some cool ideas and a too-friendly business model.

Super Happy Fun Block's name might have caused it to slip by your notice, but the game behind it is a real winner and shouldn't be passed on.

There isn't a whole lot I could say about Lunar Flowers that I haven't said already. Most of the people out there know that they're part of the target audience, and the rest, know to avoid it.

The tracks are relatively short and easy to jump into at any time, there are a good number of cars with multiple upgrades to work toward, the controls are dead simple (and therefore reliable), there’s a really well-implemented ghost system to encourage yourself to get better and better times, and, most surprising of all, it’s completely free with a super fair economy.

Overall, Shooty Skies is a fun, clever follow up to Crossy Road, a game that, surely, was hard to live up to. The crazy, endless flyer delivers an above-average experience, though not without a few prevalent flaws, and will appeal to Crossy fans and new players alike.

This game is fun and mindless-you get out of it whatever you put into it. To be honest, randomized/endless dungeon crawlers aren't usually my thing, but Skeletomb may have just changed my mind.

It’s only a buck, and it provides an experience that's absolutely perfect for large interactive screens like the iPad.