If you're a defense fan who can't get enough however, Mana Defense is well worth checking out.

Were it not so buggy, I would be giving Cult of the Lamb some of my highest praise. It’s weird in a lot of interesting ways, fun to play, and has some sharp ideas. It can make you laugh, it can make you think, and it will sometimes force you to make tough choices. I’m not sure what the state of the game is on other platforms, but right here and right now this Switch version has everything from little problems to the biggest issue of them all, so despite the enjoyment I got from the game I can’t recommend it with much vigor until some serious patches have been delivered.

Things are repetitive and sometimes annoying.

Space Tail tells an emotional story, offers up some fairly enjoyable puzzles to solve, and makes good use of its unusual canine protagonist. The occasional frustrating puzzle or out-of-nowhere death hampers things a little, and the interesting communication mechanics unfortunately tend to come down to simple trial and error. There’s certainly something a person could really connect with here, but you’re going to have to put up with some irritations along the way.

The pay off is in the story, which you will either get sucked in to or be annoyed by its pacing.

There's not much else to say here, I suppose. Legend Dary: Classic isn't the biggest game, the longest game, or the most innovative game, but it's got a lot of heart, and man, if this were a Rocky movie, that would mean top marks. Sadly, this isn't a Rocky movie, so instead I'll just end off by saying that if you dig this genre of game, your dollar (or other currency equivalent) will be well spent, even if there's not a ton of meat on the bone at the moment.

Mortal Kombat 1 is an excellent fighting game that managed to surpass Mortal Kombat 11 in almost every way, but I’d avoid getting it on Steam Deck unless you’re ok with 30fps gameplay. The game itself has smart improvements over the prior entry, and the story mode might be NetherRealm’s best one yet, but the online feels dated right now. Having now played it on Steam Deck, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, I’d recommend getting it on Xbox Series X for sure, but avoiding it on Switch. The Steam Deck version is Verified by Valve, but I don’t think it is worthy of that badge right now. I’ll be revisiting it after a few updates, but my recommendation for the game on Steam Deck has a big 30fps caveat right now.

Ultimate Briefcase is going to be one of those things you pop out every so often to try to chase a high score, and with its semi-interesting progression system, occasionally earn something from. It gets a little aggressive at times when it comes to microtransactions, but it's fun, and it's playable, which counts for something.

It's not a great RPG by any means, but it serves a particular context that is somewhat underserved. That might be enough to earn it a place in the library of genre fans. Not bad for a first outing.

Get the requisite people in place for the four-player local multiplayer, and Armed and Gelatinous is pretty fun. It gets a little repetitive after a short while, but as long as you play it in managed bursts there are good times to be had here. I feel like the core concept isn’t quite as balanced as it should be, but growing to be a giant blob with guns sticking out of every bit of your bloated body is enjoyable enough that you might not care. Popping another player who has hit that size and stealing all their artillery is definitely a good feeling. There’s something to this game, even if it doesn’t quite stick together the way one might hope.

Hauntii is an amazing game that needs some more work on Nintendo Switch. The technical issues hold it back, but it is still worth your time and money. I recommend playing it on another platform if you have that option though. If you are ok with some performance issues, it feels right at home on Switch in handheld mode.

It’s a solid action game, and one that will especially appeal to those who appreciate stylish combat.

Dropsy prefers to show, not tell. Its symbolic approach to just about everything makes some things harder than they really need to be. It can be really difficult to figure out where to go or what to do because the game just isn’t big on guiding you. Whether that is a problem or not is up to the individual. But you will spend a lot of time wandering around even if you more or less figure out what to do, resulting in a game that feels very bloated. There’s something nice about how positive Dropsy tries to be, and I think, as a result, it is worth putting up with its flaws.

You'll know if Gunbird 2 is for you right away. It's saddening to see a relic of the past coated in so much crust when it had the opportunity to shine as a premium purchase, but it's something that just about every shmup fan needs to experience at some point -- even if it's just for one clear.

Those less experienced with the genre may not enjoy it as much, as the difficulty and complexity ramps up considerably as you go. I can’t say I found myself loving the game at any point, but its raw enthusiasm sure made me want to. Still, love isn’t everything. I liked Indigo 7, and perhaps that’s enough.

Whether the stars are right for Cthulhu Saves the World may depend on how much you love Lovecraft. If you're just looking for a good retro-RPG, you might want to wait for the patches before giving this one a try.

To summarize, Muscle Run is a gorgeous looking, redneck sounding, enjoyable game.

Oasis is a beautiful game with an interesting story and some interesting ideas.

If you thought Race the Sun looked too minimalist for your tastes or you didn’t like the tilt controls in Kayos [$1.99], maybe give Breakneck a try.

I do think there's more that can be done with the concept, but as a mindless pick up and play game, Dungeon Slots is quite fun.

SnakeRace is a game between you and the environment. There are no enemies, weapons, or any sort of action-oriented gameplay. As such, not everyone will be interested in taking it for a spin. However, if you're looking for a simple, fast-paced game that doesn't pretend to be more than what it is, I'd recommend checking out SnakeRace.

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.

If you’re in the mood for a Metroidvania-style game that leans a bit more into the action than the exploration, Alice Escaped! gets the job done well enough. It can get a bit tedious if you want to see it all the way through to the true ending, and the amount of tricks up the game’s sleeve doesn’t match the run time it’s trying to pull off. Still, the cute presentation, zippy gameplay, and intriguing mid-game twist mean this isn’t a total write-off by any measure. One for those who aren’t exhausted with the genre, but if you’re looking for a game with something new to offer, this isn’t it.

Kami 2 is a gorgeous puzzle game packed with challenging content, but it allows its sense of style to get in the way of a smooth experience for the player. It's fine that the game throws out difficult and complex puzzles, but the game seemingly goes out of its way to make the process of solving those challenges as tedious as possible. Between its generous pay model, stunning presentation, and heaps of puzzles to solve, Kami 2 is probably worth taking at least a few swings at. It's at least a few folds away from the gameplay living up to the slick visual designs, however, and there are clearly some kinks to work out with the online modes.

First Samurai and Second Samurai aren’t exactly the best games in the world, but they’re reasonably fun once you get the hang of how they work. QUByte’s package also isn’t exactly the best in the world, but it serves well enough here if you just want to play the games. I do like playing classic games I’ve never tried before, and more’s the better if they don’t suck. The Samurai Collection doesn’t suck.

It’s a fun game to play, but it gets repetitive after a while because very little changes from session to session. There just aren’t very many variables in play in Void Prison, and the ones that are here feel a little more random than I’d prefer. You can be doing everything right only to have an enemy pop in next to where you are standing and bounce you out without any recourse. Void Prison is best enjoyed as a little snack here and there, a few sessions at a time. In that capacity, it certainly earns its meager keep.

The game is cute and its fun lasts about as long as a pack of gum's flavor, so, maybe it's a blessing that it's so gosh-darned hard.

About as testing as a coloring book, to be sure, but not without its enjoyment.

Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom makes some improvements on the first game and tells a reasonably engaging story involving everyone’s favorite robot cat from the future. It does what you would expect a Story of Seasons game to do, but it doesn’t do a whole lot more than that. We’ve already seen the trick of adding Doraemon and his wacky inventions to this kind of game, so it feels less fresh this time around. At the same time, it doesn’t significantly mess anything up either. While it’s lacking somewhat in inspiration, farming fans who need a reliable fix will find enough to enjoy here.

This isn't as substantial as the developer's other works, but the game still plays well and does what it sets out to. Its scope is small but if you're fine with that, you'll have a good time with this one.

I wouldn't sit down and play Don't Fall In the Hole for hours at a time, but in short spurts it's a great game to enjoy in a dorm room or with your family. The iPad doesn't have enough same-screen experiences in my opinion, and thankfully Don't Fall adds to the ever-increasing stable of family gaming.

While I feel like all of MOSS’s Raiden games fall along a similar line of quality, the fourth and fifth games certainly feel like they take more risks and aren’t afraid to be their own things. Raiden III for better or worse is a game that feels so busy trying not to mess up that it forgot to do anything interesting. This new release adds in some cool features and extras to make it worth hopping in the Fighting Thunder one more time, even if all but the most ardent of Raiden fans would be better off picking up one of the later entries in the series.

I can definitely see Realteach VR returning to the world of Quantum Revenge in the future and building on the foundation they've already set. Although battling the evil Rokuseya was a blast while it lasted, I'd love to see some of the cast get fleshed out in the sequel, and see some brasher and more bold mech designs. If you're still the type of person who's rooting for a Zoids reboot you'll probably have a great time here, but otherwise you can likely hang on for more updates and improvements -- some of which the developer has already acquiesced.

I think Switch owners have gotten used to dealing with performance issues. It regrettably comes with the territory, even when it doesn’t seem like it should be a problem. If you think you can push past some “worse than Metal Slug 2" slowdown, random bits of stuttering action, audio issues, and lengthy load times, Shootas, Blood & Teef is fun. You have a nice variety of weapons, the levels are fun to navigate, and the shooting is tense and satisfying. But if you have access to another platform, you may want to pursue it there instead. This Switch version just isn’t up to snuff.

The game you can buy today is a solid one in its own right, even if only for its unique, rhythmic combat.

Sure, the game feels a little more rough than other Kairosoft titles, but underneath those quirks is vintage Kairosoft.

The course design changes enough that you'll likely never get bored and the puzzling aspects make for an entertaining experience -- it's just too bad the golf part of it seems to be getting in the way of what has always made Worms interesting -- screwing around and aimlessly taking the chaotic approach.

This is the only way to get a good, deep, baseball simulator on mobile, and it is a good way to get a taste of what it might be like in comparison to a full-fledged game. If it's your first time, I'm sorry about the rest of your life that you will no longer have because you're stuck managing a bases loaded, one-out situation in an August 2023 game. It could be the most value you get out of a $4.99 game. If the little annoyances got to be too much in earlier years, well, unfortunately, many of them are still here. But whether you can see the forest for the trees is a question you'll have to consider for yourself.

Just like how things went with the arcade original, Gravitar: Recharged sometimes feels at odds with some of the baggage it has to carry. In this case, it’s the baggage of being part of the Recharged line, where players will probably be trained to expect quick, arcade-style action with a focus on beating mini-challenges and racking up high scores. Gravitar: Recharged isn’t really that kind of game, though it incorporates many of those elements. Instead this is something you hunker down with and try to pick your way through, one aggravating death after another. Not for everyone, but if you’re looking for something with arcade roots but home game teeth, it might be up your alley.

This is a big value for the price, but I wish the developer had put more thought into making the levels and gods feel different from one another. I have my custom strategy down to a such a science, I could topple towers in my sleep.

Friendly, straightforward and furiously adorable, Clay's Reverie is a lot of fun.

While the game's content doesn't yet measure up to other more padded entries in the App Store, what it does offer will keep you entertained, and for a fair asking price.

If you're the kind of person who likes puzzle games with a difficulty level easily disguised as "brutal", and you've got an ear for music, Pixel Quartet is a game that you simply must try.

If you’re interested in exploring retro gaming to find decent games that got lost in the shuffle of history, I have a hunch JALECOlle is going to be a good series for you. Yokai Club certainly helps sell the concept, as it’s a title we didn’t see outside of Japan back in the day, gussied up and presented with care. Is it great? No, it’s very much a middle of the line affair. But there’s enough to like here that those with a curious mind and a bit of patience should enjoy a playthrough or two.

For the low price of "free," and a respectable approach towards microtransactions, Sheep Happens is a solid download for any runner fan. While it may not push the genre forward in general, it offers up a ton of character, a lot of smiles, and a solid foundation.

In the end, how much you enjoy this game will be particularly subjective, depending on what you look for in an adventure game. If you’re OK with a slower pace, a slower start, and some ludicrous puzzles, or if you’re willing to tolerate them to enjoy a beautiful world with gorgeous, top notch art and music, you’ll find The Whispered World worthwhile.

Toaplan’s 1985 classic vertical shmup Tiger Heli feels great to play in this release from Bitwave, but the sound pitch is a bit off even now. It has gotten updated as recently as a few hours ago from this writing, but it still doesn’t sound exactly like the prior release I’ve played on Switch. Barring that, I have no real complaints with this specific version of Tiger Heli. It delivers a responsive version of the game with a super fast boot up on Steam Deck.

Assuming you aren’t too obsessed with the end-game or social aspects (and you don’t have an irrational hatred for freemium games) Boom Beach continues the showing seen in Clash of Clans. Whether it has enough staying power as its spiritual predecessor will depend greatly on the inevitable tweaks to the core gameplay. Meanwhile, it’s worth a shot.

Treasure Fetch - Adventure Time has a great art style going for it and some interesting arenas, but the gameplay isn't nearly as fetching as you'd expect it to be.

Ys is a great game, and this EGGCONSOLE release allows Western players their first chance to see just how much it immediately got right. The lack of in-game English dialogue means the fun will be limited to those who can read Japanese, know the game already like the back of their hand, or don’t mind using a guide to carry them through the game. If you’re okay with that, this is a rather enjoyable trip to the past. Otherwise, it might be best to get your Ys on via other means.

As long as you know what you’re getting into, I think you’ll find Musashi vs Cthulhu to be a decent little time-waster. It does what it sets out to do well enough, and although it gets repetitive in a hurry, I think it’s fine for the small snack price it’s selling for.

It’s always nice to see a game that never made it out of Japan back in the day get a wider release, and even nicer when it’s handled well. The actual links with River City Girls, both in terms of story and gameplay, are tenuous but River City Girls Zero makes the most of them. The mechanics do the job decently, and the story side of it certainly distinguishes the experience from most other brawlers of its era. It’s no Streets of Rage or even Final Fight, but those who are invested in the characters will likely have a good time.

It's something that grognards, history buffs, and casual strategy gamers alike should be able to get into, and that's quite an accomplishment.

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.

Toaplan’s 1991-released vertical shmup Vimana is the first of two games in this collection I had never played in any form before. I was surprised by the unique setting and visuals for a game released back in 1991, but Vimana’s gameplay excels quite a bit in its levels and weapons. This version has a few sound-related issues that I hope are addressed in patches though. I noticed audio cutting in and out if I used the fast forward or rewind options a lot, and I only did to test and see how the game would handle things. Barring that, Vimana has been a good addition to this collection.

While Tengoku Struggle shows the usual high production values and polish seen in Idea Factory’s other visual novels, I found the story here just wasn’t quite up to the usual output we see from the developer. There’s some good in it, and the best route is certainly worth experiencing if the premise has intrigued you. The writer’s tendency to try to shock the reader in cheap ways gets a little out of hand here, and some of the romances really aren’t sold well. A decent effort, but given the generally high-quality output of Idea Factory in this genre, Tengoku Struggle has some difficulty making its mark.

A person could buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for just a little more money, and unless they’re a Nick fan, they probably should. But if you already have Smash and are looking for something else along those lines, this is a good pick-up.

As remakes go, Front Mission 1st: Remake gets the job done and not much more. Its cleaner visuals oddly make the thing look cheaper than the original at times, but the fundamental gameplay mechanics and story are both as sound as they ever were and generally carry the whole affair. This is a game that probably could have benefited from some bigger changes, but if all you’re looking for is a straight remake and don’t mind the new look, here you go.

For randomly generated high score game enthusiasts this is one that's not to be missed.

Angry Birds Epic is for the most part enjoyable, but it’s let down considerably by its endless IAPs and continual nagging.That said, it’s a great introduction to the RPG mechanics for those who want to dip their toes in a little and try something new.

Should you find yourself groaning at the mere mention of "towers" on a mobile platform, Age of Thrones is not for you. In fact, if you even feel a minor wince coming on, it's probably not for you either. But so long as you can stomach creating mazes for hours at a time to fend off droves of demons and dragons, you'll have a good time.

Ultimately, Fara falls prey to more RPG cliches than it mocks. It's ambitious, and not overly-so, but it's neither unique enough or successful enough to stand out from other games in the action RPG genre.

You get about five or six hours of fun here, and while Intrepid Izzy may not keep pace visually I think it hangs well mechanically with similar games in the genre. It controls well, the suits add some fun gimmicks to play with, and the level designs are generally enjoyable to make your way through. The boss battles can be a little annoying, dragging on a little longer than needed, but combat is rather good overall. If you enjoy the Monster World or Shantae games, you might want to give this one a spin.

Antonball Deluxe includes a few different games that revolve around a similar theme, and they’re all reasonably fun. The multiplayer game, Vs. Antonball, can be a riot with the right bunch assembled. If you enjoy your brick breakers, you may want to give this one a look. On the other hand, if you find this type of admittedly vintage gameplay to be old hat Antonball probably won’t change your mind.

Despite the aforementioned issues, the art design in Plushed is wonderful, the level design was ultimately fun, and the in-jokes and pop culture references delightful.

Super Adventure Hand is a quirky platformer that is well-suited to fans of the genre looking for something a little bit different. Those who demand precision or are easily frustrated might find the game vexing, and if you’re looking for visual treats you’ll find little to chew on here. If, on the other hand, you’re in the mood for a platformer that plays around with physics and refuses to take itself too seriously, this might be up your alley.

The over-the-top silliness and the bright, colorful graphics feel reminiscent of an old Saturday morning cartoon. The game's just difficult enough to make it challenging and simple enough to engage in without requiring too much of a forethought.

The limited scope makes Tiltagon an interesting game to check out, but not quite an urgent must-download. I like its concepts, and the way it slows things down a bit. Plus, the tilt controls are great. And the monetization is pretty cool. But I wish there was more here.

LEGO 2K Drive is an excellent blend of Forza Horizon, Sonic Racing, and LEGO, but one that unfortunately also has some of the bad aspects of free-to-play games included. Had LEGO 2K Drive been a free game, this wouldn’t be a problem, but it is a full-priced game with more expensive editions available. I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves over time, but right now it is a very good game held back by its monetization.

If you want serious competition without hitting the IAP, this probably isn't the game for you. If you want an entertaining time waster with cute pixel art, go nuts. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you're desperately hunting eggs in the hope of catching up to the rest of the pack.

If you enjoyed Akiba’s Trip Undead & Undressed a lot and want more, Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed is worth checking out at a discount. In its current state, it suffers from feeling too much like the PSP game it is based on, and with the technical issues on Nintendo Switch. While I did enjoy it more on PC, the PSP roots are still there and it just feels like more should’ve been done to bring the original Akiba’s Trip to a modern audience. If you’re new to Akiba’s Trip, I definitely recommend Undead & Undressed instead of this if the premise appeals to you.

Running around for coins is cool and all, but Treasure Tower Sprint eventually goes a different route. It makes you work for them, think for them. Fight for them, even. If it had that much faith in our lust for loot from the start, it could be a mighty game. As it is, it glimmers, but it isn't always gold.

An incredibly frustrating game to play. I still enjoy the core gameplay, and I absolutely love the custom characters and huge variety of things to buy for my character. However, the freemium mechanics and poor framerate just keep interrupting the experience that I know it can provide.

For a few bucks, it's definitely worth it for fans of the characters, but if you're not a fan, you might want to pass unless you're really jonesing for another side-scrolling action game or you want to reward the developer for their pay model.

Polygon Evolution is a fairly deep puzzle game that requires careful strategy to fully enjoy. I also strongly feel that its best qualities shine strongest when you have a well-matched opponent, and the computer AI isn't going to fit the bill for a lot of players.

It's an interesting game, but one whose structure is decidedly up for debate. But it is worth a download, if only because it has the greatest victory song ever. It is glorious and you have to hear it for yourself.

Pickpawcket succeeds where it counts, with challenging gameplay that rarely dips into frustration.

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.

But, if you love match-3 puzzles then this cute and colorful cross-genre platform / puzzle game may tickle your fancy.

Stranded: Mars One offers up a blend of fun and frustration that's conflicting, to say the least. Upgrades help alleviate the less pleasant aspects of the game, though collecting them requires you to gather a lot of nuts (which you can also buy via the in-game store).

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.

For fans of the original, Miner 2049er is an instant grab. But, then, it's free -- so it can't hurt to check it out if you're remotely intrigued. As mentioned, some things about the game are a bit shaky right now, but I feel that they will be worked out in short order, based largely on how responsive the folks at Magmic have been to my inquiries.

The set-up is exhaustive, I'll give it that, but the breadth of the gameplay balanced against the length of the story causes it to feel like I've just played through a tiny sliver that was mercilessly sliced off a larger game with little regard for where it was cutting

While it gets the core gist of the Spelunky formula right, and does some rather cool things, the game suffers from its short development time, leading to a lack of variation in level designs. Also, the game just doesn't have the tight platformer feel necessary for what the demanding difficulty requires to give the player a good shot at succeeding.

It sounds odd to rail on a story in a puzzle game, but Perfect Angle could have been so much more if it dropped it entirely, or just went in a different direction.

With so few competent dog fighting games on the App Store, both H.A.W.X. and Ace Combat Xi are worth considering.

I'd love to see Duke Dashington expanded on from here, I think there's more that can be done with the concept in either new content or finding new ways to play that existing content. But for a mobile-friendly platformer, I sure had fun with Duke Dashington.

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

That all said, Deadlings is challenging, entertaining, and oodles of fun.

It's worth a shot if you're a fan of Square's classic RPG series, but in trying to stretch out to two different camps, I fear it may not entirely please either.

Throwing Chuck into danger is a great pastime, even if we're the ones that suffer when he fails. As the game deepens in difficulty, there's a real satisfaction to be found in slipping around the opposition, taking them out when they're not looking.

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

If you’re on the hunt for another crafting/survival game and dig low-fi vibes, you might want to give Nira a look. A mysterious talking totem pole dishes out quests to complete, and you have to go forth and do whatever needs to be done in order to gain experience and level up. The game is played from a top-down perspective where you explore procedurally generated islands. Gather resources, battle enemies, and craft to your heart’s content. It seems very simple at first, but it ends up being surprisingly complex. As an affordable alternative to the likes of Terraria and Minecraft, I think it has a place.

I think that the thing that makes Orbitum so compelling for me is that it is so punishingly difficult.

The biggest problem we ran into was that while the chaotic moments were the most fun, the game punishes you for indulging in them. I understand that’s the point of the game, and I suppose it’s not so different from things like Overcooked! in that regard. But here it feels like the competition should be more the focus than the cooperation, and it just doesn’t work out that way. We still enjoyed it well enough to bring it out for a couple of evenings, but no one is in a big rush to cycle it back in again for the moment. I’d say if you do gaming nights often enough, it’s a nice thing to pull out now and then.

While Bastards isn't some ground breaking game release, it's definitely a really fun pick up if you have your expectations set appropriately.

Even without any of this, Magnetic Shaving Derby delivers a lot of entertaining moments based on just the craziness alone.

Poor Gladiator doesn't have much to it and is slow going at the start, but it's the perfect game to play for a few minutes at a time while you're out and about.