All told, Amateur Surgeon 3 is a fun game the first time around, hampered by an obtrusive and almost necessary freemium system.

While I do take issue with some of the difficulty that pops up, otherwise Wavefront does a solid job at managing to balance out relaxing and forgiving gameplay while also rewarding skilled players. And hey, it's a puzzle-type game that isn't a match-3!

Joe Danger Infinity has a terrific theme, sure to be fun for everyone who plays it, and will keep you coming back to beat your best and keep climbing the leaderboards.

I had a pleasant enough time with Voyage in spite of a couple of issues popping up. It’s aiming more to be an experience than to test your skills with difficult puzzles, and as long as you are okay with that, I think you’ll enjoy the ride well enough. I’m not sure how long it will stick in my memory, but as ephemeral confections go this one is satisfying enough.

iQuarterback 2 is definitely a lot of fun. The gameplay is simplistic, but the upgrading aspect is a real hook, and the crazy items you can unlock along the way are great motivation to keep playing.

Don't expect it to blow your mind, but if you want a well balanced puzzler, Quell Zen is your huckleberry. It could use a lot of polish but that's mostly from a visual perspective, because the brain teasing elements and accessible controls are intact.

If you love Crossy Road but wish it took place in a different setting, had a little more variation, and was harder, then Down the Mountain is a solid download for sure

Don’t take my score to mean this is an average game. It most decidedly is not. It’s very niche in both its gameplay and appeal, and I think you’ll have to be just the right person in just the right mood to enjoy it the way I did. There are probably more rough edges than smooth edges here, but if you’re looking for a stealth game that does things very differently from the norm, this will certainly fit your needs. It even has a decent story attached. I’m glad this remake exists and I’m glad NISA localized it, even if I think it is going to struggle to find an audience even more than its stablemate Way of the Samurai.

If you are super into metal bands or crazy machines fighting each other, you could do a lot worse than Engines of Vengeance.

There are certainly adventure game mechanics at play here, but the bulk of the game combines hidden object and escape the room tropes more than anything else.

The ramping difficulty unnecessarily lengthens all but the shortest duration games, but the overall gameplay gives you just enough control over random elements that most board gamers won't lose focus.

Sure, a lot of the game's themes have been done before and a lot of the core gameplay elements are relatively familiar, but everything Vegend does is accomplished well. When it comes to any game, that's the most important aspect, and in that regard Vegend is certainly worth a recommendation (at least for fans of the genre).

For some fans of the original, Not Tonight 2 might feel erratic in some ways, but I enjoyed it almost as much as the original on Switch. I recommend it to fans of the original and those who enjoy Papers Please. It just needs some performance improvements in certain areas.

I’d imagine Guntech 2 comes off a little better on other platforms where performance and visibility issues would be less of a problem, but even on Switch this is still a pretty good time. You’ve got a lot of elements to play around with, and the basic gameplay mechanics are snappy and enjoyable. It calls back to a particular time and place in gaming history in a very comfortable way, and those who enjoy more deliberately paced action games will get their fill here.

Hero Generations assuredly has a feel of its own, and although it's occasionally a double-edged sword, the generational aspect of the game does present interesting challenges and tough choices.

I guess this is really just a long way of saying that if you've played more than a few Ravenous titles over the years, you know pretty much what to expect with Gravity Duck Islands. Again, that’s not bad. Just… a bit of a letdown.

Ultimately, this is a dance we've seen many times from Kemco and EXE-Create. You probably know what to expect from this pairing by now if you've been paying attention to the iOS JRPG scene at all, and perhaps don't really even need a review to know if you want to play the game or not. That being said, there aren't a lot of traditional single-player JRPGs being released on the App Store anymore, and while this one had the misfortune to drop on the same day as Final Fantasy 15 Pocket Edition, that doesn't necessarily mean that hungry mobile JRPG fans should ignore it. Dragon Lapis is a solid enough game that probably won't stick in your brain for very long but will at least keep you entertained for 20 hours or so.

But even as it stands now, Font Monsters is a totally unique experience that offers a good challenge with plenty of content.

If you dislike crate-pushing puzzlers, Pixel Boy isn’t going to change your mind. But if you enjoy that particular brand of brain teaser, Pixel Boy will give you what you crave. Sokoban clones are a dime a dozen on the Switch, but ones that add in extra elements in a manner similar to Chip’s Challenge are a rarer beast. Pixel Boy doesn’t have very appealing graphics. The UI feels cheap. Its soundscape is fairly barren. But it has a bunch of devilishly-designed mental knots to untangle, and that’s enough for me to recommend it.

Spoing gave me hours of fun that always stayed challenging, and that's the core of a great gaming experience. Hopefully games2be will have the chance to improve the game around that core in future updates.

No, it's not something you're going to necessarily get addicted to or want to show all your friends. But if you're the type of person who loves looking at aquariums, give it a look.

About the best thing I can say for Farentia is that you get a fair amount of playtime out of it for just one dollar.

There's something about Food Chain that's a little rough around the edges, but that doesn't keep it from being fun.

It's certainly a novel game, and if you can get into a score competition with your friends, you'll probably get a lot of mileage (centimeterage?) out of On The Line

It has a distinct style that it strongly commits to, and while there are costs to that in terms of environment variety, I respect the choice. The game can be a bit slow until you hit a certain point that I won’t spoil, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded. Not the best game of its kind around, but it might be the right medicine for those tired of the usual exploratory adventure.

If you’re a hardcore Metroidvania fan who is hungry for something new and don’t mind a challenge, you’ll get what you need from Astronite. If you think it looks charming or something about its premise hits you right, you probably won’t regret the purchase. But I can’t really recommend Astronite with much vigor to the general player who is getting a little weary of this sort of affair.

If you’re looking for an official way to play the NES Felix the Cat, this is certainly the most affordable way to do so. It’s a pricy cart in the aftermarket, so having it widely available again along with its Game Boy counterpart is welcome. The game itself is a pleasing romp, albeit not much more than that. Still, I can’t help but wish there were some extras here. Every game has a story behind its creation, and telling this one would have helped make the package more special. Alas, we just get the game and a couple variants of it in a plain brown bag. Not bad, but it could have been so much better.

Overall, it’s a well executed game that fans of endless runners will likely enjoy and keep returning to.

Its presentation is a bit rough in places and certainly you’re not going to get a whole lot from the story, such as it is. But if you want some challenging and enjoyable turn-based battles for under ten bucks, this will scratch the itch just as well as its predecessor did.

While Swordship has a good premise and an attractive presentation, it’s ultimately a little too thin for the asking price. I think there’s something to the dodge, dip, dive, and dodge gameplay that is at the core of the experience, you’ll likely get your fill of it within an evening or two. Games of this sort really rely on variety to keep creating fun situations run after run, and Swordship falls a bit short in that regard. Cool only carries you so far in the end.

Pulling No Punches is certainly a parody, but it’s a raw, furious parody that does exactly what the title says. Scratching past that, there’s a competent four-stage beat-em-up here that will give you a couple of hours of fun, even if it starts to wear one down before it ends. The art style and premise are going to repel as many as they attract, but if nothing else I appreciate that the developers made the game they wanted to make without compromising.

Those who love first-person dungeon crawlers should check it out, though. It's no Grimrock, but I think there's plenty of room in the pool for decent efforts along with that giant.

I like the story and want to see more of it, but I want the systems to get more engaging before plopping out more cash, especially because it's so easy to see that the fundamentals are already in place. Ash II: Shadows is an improved game over the original in many ways, but until some tweaks are made and we see how the rest of the episodes shake out it's hard to gauge if it's ultimately an overall better experience.

Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero is the most orthodox entry in the series, and while some might lament the loss of the quirkiness that is probably the main tie that binds the first three games, sometimes you just want a plain old ordinary platformer that doesn’t drop any serious balls. And that’s more or less what you get here. If you only pick up one game from this series, this is the one I would recommend.

When Punch a Hole is bad, it's boring. But when it's good, it's frustrating in the best possible way.

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

Great puzzles, good atmosphere, lots of fun with a friend, but the technical issues have an obvious impact on the enjoyment of those good points.

I enjoyed Kickback Slug: Cosmic Courier, but despite its best attempts to keep mixing things up with new obstacles and themes, the moment-to-moment gameplay felt like it plateau’d a bit too early. I also wasn’t a fan of the boss battles, which drag on too long and feel ill-matched to the rest of the game. It looks and sounds good, with a nice cartoony vibe that really pops. Those who enjoy games with thrust mechanics or just want an action game that does things a little differently from the norm might want to check this one out.

It might not be the most groundbreaking thing you'll ever play, but it's a decent entry in the iOS shooter universe.

It's still a very fun game and one of the more accessible games in the 4X genre, and I'll never get tired of pretending everyone is their respective character from Clone High, but I can't confidently recommend this game to anyone who already has the first game, unless those graphics really mean a lot to you.

If you're a fan of puzzle games in the third dimension and willing to endure a small learning curve, Demolition Master 3D may be worth a try.

It's a very basic take on things that doesn't strive to do anything more than give you a fun take on the game itself. For its meager price, though, I'm not sure it has to be much more than that.

Train Life: A Railway Simulator has been a pleasant surprise on Nintendo Switch. While I cannot recommend it for docked play at all, it has been fun in handheld despite its visual cutbacks. Train Life: A Railway Simulator is a nice blend of traditional management games and more-involved train games. I’m looking forward to trying the DLC when I get time to come back to Train Life: A Railway Simulator in the future.

Give it a whirl-the Olympics may be over and done with, but if you relieve them with Best of British: Summer Sports, they'll be a lot more fun to remember.

If you're looking for a puzzler with some bite and don't mind the cartoony visuals or occasional control issues, I'd recommend checking out SubTub for a quick fix.

While it’s primarily a turn-based RPG, it does feature a healthy amount of songs originally performed by the headline girls. Tapping along to the beat won’t affect your performance in-game, but adoration of the tracks will obviously add to your overall enjoyment when your chosen song kicks in to signal your team’s buffed up combat potential.

Visions of Mana has higher highs but also lower lows than Trials of Mana, but it is a game I’m glad I got to experience by the end. If you enjoyed Trials of Mana and games like Tales of Arise specifically on the gameplay side, Visions of Mana is worth your time. I just wish the movement and PC port were better. In its current state, it is excellent to have a modern Mana game and Visions of Mana delivered on that front. Just don’t expect it to reach the highs of Secret of Mana. While it is rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve, I recommend playing it on PS5 rather than Steam Deck with how bare-bones the PC port is in its current state.

Wormarium Arcade could use a better look (and name, for that matter), but it's a decent action-puzzle game to look to if you're itching for a challenge.

Its nuanced changes to the standard gameplay and overall visual presentation do a decent job of differentiating itself.

There's a really nice foundation in place here, and even in its current state Buck and the Coin of Destiny is a solid running platformer for the price.

Sure, Years 5-7 looks good visually, but the switch to a virtual gamepad along with the issues mentioned above deter the game from being better. As it is, the Lego gameplay is intact, meaning that fans of the series should continue to enjoy it.

Look beyond all the thongs and pasties and you'll find an engaging, if somewhat simplified, monster-hunting experience.

Hungry Shark is a cute, fun, simple game that's pretty hard to put down.

A couple of ifs get in the way of Alice Gear Aegis CS being all it could be. If we had the context to enjoy the story content. If the online multiplayer population was big enough to more easily find matches. Anyone out there who remembers Virtual On and doesn’t mind the mecha-girl aesthetic will likely enjoy themselves grinding out all the unlockables in single-player, if nothing else. Hopefully the online population situation will improve so that this game can really take wing.

As run-and-gun games go, Gunslugs isn’t the fanciest fellow around. Especially on the Switch, which plays host to some absolutely outstanding games in the genre. Still, there’s something about this game that makes it inviting to slip into when I’m just looking to relax. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of it all. You’re just running, gunning, and doing a little jumping. It’s not particularly difficult and you can enjoy it without concentrating too hard. I like the way it controls, I like the constant stream of changing weapons, and I even like the odd visual style. A mindless bit of carnage for whenever the mood strikes you, one that works as well here as it did on mobile years ago.

In the end, Forget Me Not: My Organic Garden is a delightfully active addition to the tapping genre, bringing it into the premium game world instead of setting it adrift amongst throngs of free-to-play titles. The artwork is the superstar, absolutely darling and always intriguing. The story is a bit light, but there’s nothing wrong with that when the purpose is to work in a garden. And the gardening itself is streamlined, logical, and a pleasure to play.

If you enjoyed the first game, Five Nights At Freddy's 2 is a no-brainer purchase. It's a better game in almost every respect, though its difficulty might turn some away.

So caveat emptor: Witch Wars is out to part you from your hard earned money. It doesn't make any attempt to hide that fact. But there's no reason you can't rack up quite a few wins (and coins) just by playing with the free witches.

If you’re looking for a challenge and can handle some pretty tough water physics puzzles, by all means check out H2FLOW.

If you didn’t care for the tone or gameplay of the first game, Void Terrarium 2 isn’t going to change your mind. It’s similarly dark and heart-breaking in its narrative, and while the gameplay has certainly been refined it hasn’t been dramatically overhauled. It’s simply another Void Terrarium, but when you consider how singular and odd that game was I can’t say there isn’t room for one more like it.

There’s a certain nostalgic charm to Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. There is a particular flavor to games from the PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox generation of consoles, and this game is absolutely steeped in it despite the nips and tucks made by Aspyr in the porting process. And it’s really in that capacity that I can most confidently recommend it, when I think about it. Are you in the mood to time travel back to 2002 and play a thoroughly rough-edged yet genuinely earnest action game? Here you go. If on the other hand you lack that proclivity, this might be a bit too much Jank-o Fett for you.

It’s certainly worth checking out but at this point, I don’t think it has enough for long-term viability.

Overwatch 2 is a free to play game, and I’d definitely recommend trying it out if you haven’t to see how you feel about the gameplay and to see how well it runs on Steam Deck. Despite its flaws, it is still worth playing, but some of the decisions with how certain content has been handled in-game are weird. Overwatch 2 is yet to reach the highs of the original Overwatch, but it is still a great multiplayer game to play on Steam Deck. I enjoyed Overwatch 2 quite a bit on Switch despite the visual and performance cutbacks, but it really shines on Steam Deck.

On the face of the game is a simple looking castle defense game, but peel that back and you'll find more of a gallery shooter than the flicking frenzy of other castle defenders.

The game over screen was hilariously bombastic and over the top, which was one thing that made the high frequency of game overs tolerable. I’d recommend playing on an iPhone. Even though it’s a universal game, the visuals don’t scale very well to the iPad. If you want a smoother gameplay experience, or you just have a low tolerance for some clunk, you should probably look elsewhere.

Those with no special affection for the company can probably find better choices on the App Store in terms of music games, however.

The Last Spell is another example of a really good game that is brought down a bit on Switch by a few small but significant issues. While its roguelite-meets-tactical RPG gameplay is a real winner, the fussy controls mean that it’s very cumbersome to do the things you want to do. It’s a game I would definitely encourage folks to check out, and if the Switch is the only way you can do so, then that’s just how it is. But if you have a computer, you’re almost certainly better off hitting it up over there.

Mika and the Witch’s Mountain wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and it is so dedicated to its core gameplay mechanic that it can wear a little thin before the game is up. It also suffers from some performance issues on the Switch. With all that said, I can’t say I didn’t have some fun zipping around on my broom, delivering packages to a bunch of quirky characters. This is one of those games where if you think the concept sounds good, you’ll probably like what you get well enough.

If you've burnt out on or bounced off of a social RPG in the past, you're likely going to look at Heir of Light the way you'd look at your seventh straight plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It's not bad spaghetti, but it's still just spaghetti. Yes, even with that bit of parsley decoratively garnishing the plate. If you've still got room in your stomach for more spaghetti, though, this won't make you sick.

The controls on both games are fine, and while they aren’t lookers, they don’t come off as junk either. If your pocket money is coming up a bit short but you want a quick hit of shooting action, I don’t think you’ll feel bad about grabbing this combo pack.

Sonic Dash is free right now, so give it a try. Whether or not you'll want to pay more into the game for a coin doubler or currency packs requires almost as little consideration: if you like endless runners, you'll like this one, too.

If you're looking for an atmospheric zombie shooter, this one's an easy recommendation.

We were surprised to see a rather paltry list of added features in iBomber 2, appearing to be little more than a map expansion despite the addition of a few fun new weapons.

There are fifty levels to play through, and each one presents a different shape and a different challenge to overcome. If you get into what it’s laying down, Akka Arrh will keep you busy for a while. Not just in beating the levels, but also in improving your scores. The tricky thing is whether or not you will get into it, as it’s a lot more demanding than the likes of Tempest 2000 without really being more fun. Atari and Minter fans will probably enjoy it well enough, and those who want to play a very unconventional shooter might dig it too. Others may find its complicated gameplay mechanics just a little too much for a little too little.

It's not the most challenging platform game, with chibs generally being plentiful and easy to locate, but it's fun to play, making this a casual but solid platforming experience.

If you've never played the game and are wondering if it's worth picking up, I can say that it's alright but it certainly feels like a game from its era in most ways. For the low asking price it's fine, but don't set your expectations too high just because it's a big name.

It's a really unique and artistic experience that's well suited to the platform. The crashing problem and the physics engine, however, can make it a bit of a chore to play, so we are hoping they can be tweaked in the updates.

I wish there was a little more to Incidence, but I had a great time learning its rulesets and mastering them. By the time I hit level 100 I felt like a pro, but there wasn't anything left to conquer. I have a feeling that any updates probably won't incrementally increase the difficulty or expand upon the concept (as the complete onboard set doesn't either, it's more of a moderate slow build). Right now Incidence simply is what it is, but puzzle fiends should have a grand old time picking it up while it lasts.

The Nightjar is a definite bird to catch so check out our forums and see what the community is saying about the experience.

Star Thief feels like one heck of a demo. I'm looking forward to playing the whole game.

It's tough to give TheEndApp a hard time about its striking similarities to Temple Run. On one hand, a good deal of its gameplay mechanics are simply derivatives made popular by the popular endless runner. On the other hand, there's a reason why that combination works so well. TheEndApp deserves at least some credit for recreating the experience and, more importantly, doing it well.

I’m in two minds about Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone 15 Pro right now. It is a great game and Ubisoft put in a lot of work into making it feel good to play with touch controls, but the performance issues hold it back right now. Since Assassin’s Creed Mirage is available as a free to try game, I recommend giving it a shot, but make sure you play until you get to experience some combat so you can properly judge how it will run on your own device. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a great entry in the series, and it is worth your time even if you are a newer fan to experience a modern take on classic Assassin’s Creed.

Strayed Lights has a lot going for it thanks to its exquisite presentation and inventive combat mechanics. Unfortunately, its ideas start to lose their shine well before you reach the end of this several-hour-long adventure. It’s still a fun, unique game, but I couldn’t help but feel it suffers somewhat from being all dressed up with no place to go. If you really like the look of it, feel free to give it a chance. There is certainly something to it. That “something" got a little too played out a little too quickly for my liking, however.

A bigger concern is how cramped the game looks and feels on the iPhone.

The biggest complaints I can levy against Swords Of Anima are that it's a bit on the easy side, characters move too slowly in battles, and it's not doing anything overly special or unique with its gameplay. The translation could use a bit of a clean-up from a native English speaker, too, I suppose. If none of those things sound like a dealbreaker to you, then I can solidly recommend Swords Of Anima to you.

Despite the nice improvements to the visuals, Jet Set Radio seems relegated to that pile of console ports that lose something due to the controls. True, the game is undoubtedly playable, but no where near as playable as it would be with an actual controller.

Railbreak provides an alternative to the House of the Dead Remake for fans of that series on Switch. It offers a decent amount of content, and the core action has a nice feel to it whether you’re playing alone or with a friend. The presentation is where it struggles, and it feels like it might be a bit much for the hardware. I also feel like playing with the sticks is a bit of a pain, but you can obviously only use touch controls when playing solo. If you want a quick hit of zombie-gunning fun, this will do.

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

Like Super Hexagon, it's perfect for a quick pick up and play situation, with no IAPs to speak of.

If you enjoy difficult puzzle games, and haven’t yet tried this game, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. The controls carry over well, it’s fun, and it’ll take you a while to get through all the chambers.

Make no mistake, as an RPG Nameless is about as streamlined as it gets. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite hit that exploration/battle balance that's important for preserving interest.

The biggest strength of the game is also its biggest weakness. The game is ultimately a deeper plunge into a very familiar experience.

Days of Doom is a fine enough game that will keep your attention should you decide to dig into it. I think it’s priced a bit too high for what it is, but that’s down to the individual. The biggest problem with the game is that it just doesn’t have anything new to offer, and it’s not the kind of thing that really calls to you after you’ve managed to get through it once. Still, it’s decent enough. Nothing I would yell at you to run out and pick up immediately, but enjoyable all the same.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok / Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure gets these two vintage RPGs back out there, and I think that’s a good thing on principle alone. The games themselves are decent if somewhat dated due to their positions in the history of the company, and there aren’t any added features or extras to enjoy. I’m not impressed that this was yet another launch with an unavoidable crash bug in tow, but NIS patched it pretty quickly. Fans of tactical RPGs or Nippon Ichi Software will be satisfied with what they get here, if not necessarily thrilled.

Trauma is a game with small frustrations and big ideas, well proportioned.

While Corporate Fury is a ton of fun to play, there are some issues in the game that really bothered me.

AirStrike Defense is definitely worth a look if you've enjoyed line drawing games in the past, and want something a little more involved than Flight Control and similar spinoffs.

This relaxed take on making games means free games for you, Mr. or Mrs. Consumer, so if Unpleasant Horse sounds interesting to you at all and you can stomach the unpleasantness, then definitely give it a download.